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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Ah, I'm Fucked
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Ah, I'm fucked.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⚙ Zombie Apocalypse Syndrome ⚙A survival game where you pull out all the stops to make it through a world crumbling under a zombie outbreak.
It's your standard survival game centered on bashing zombies and scavenging loot, but surprisingly, it has a solid fanbase.
— AnonymousDoctor recommended. You can go full meth-rampage later on.— AnonymousSoldier here—anyone know where to farm mags early game?— AnonymousDon't kill the cows as Farmer. Plowing fields later is a nightmare.
Your playstyle and goals change completely depending on the job you pick, so you never get bored even after multiple playthroughs.
For instance, pick Soldier, and you leverage superior combat prowess to fend off zombies while rallying survivors into an army.
Then you go toe-to-toe with those rotting bastards in all-out war.
Go Doctor, and you treat the wounded, ultimately gathering materials to develop a zombie vaccine.
Politician? Charm your way into survivors' trust and rebuild society step by step. Eventually, you can reconstruct the nation and become president or prime minister.
Hell, even pick Zombie, gain intelligence, and lead your mindless, hunger-driven horde to wipe out humanity.
With all these varied playstyles, I got totally hooked for years.
Hardcore vet status, you could say.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'Celebrity Manager?'
One day, they updated the jobs, and bam—Celebrity Manager shows up.
'In a zombie apocalypse game?'
All the previous jobs had survival-related skills.
Medicine, engineering, civil works, bayonet fighting, even farming know-how—everything you need to eat and stay alive.
'World's ended, what the hell's a manager gonna do?'
Social infrastructure's collapsed, so celebrities are just regular folks now.
No more need for a manager fussing over them.
'Sigh...'
As a vet who'd cleared every job, a new one should've been exciting.
But this addition? Not thrilled.
💬 Gallery Comments— OPAnyone tried the new Celebrity Manager job?— ReplyWhat new addition? No such job.— ReplyDevs ain't crazy enough to add Manager.— ReplyBuilding a girl group in the apocalypse sounds fun.— ReplyRight? Bang one whenever you feel like it.— ReplyFuck, how's a manager supposed to handle zombies?
That's weird.
It's clearly on my phone, but everyone acts like they've never seen it.
If it's visible only to me, that explains no posts.
'But why only me?'
Launch the game, log in, connect to server, load notices and updated skins.
Devs' glitch—maybe an unreleased job loaded on some phones.
'Should I tap it?'
When you're deep in a game, unentered dungeons or ungotten items nag at you.
No matter how much I hate it, it's a rare new job.
Might preview traits and story for the eventual update.
Can't pass that up as a vet.
I tapped 'Celebrity Manager' right away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙This mode cannot be played on smartphone. Switch to a playable platform?
[Yes] [Sure]
What a joke of a menu.
No [No] option?
'Can't play on phone, so PC or console?'
Bigger update than expected.
Not just a job add—cross-platform play!
'Any button works, right?'
I tapped [Sure].
Flash!!
The screen blazed, swallowing everything around it.
'Wha—what?'
Including me, staring at the screen.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Familiar studio apartment ceiling.
'Why am I lying down?'
I'd been at my desk, playing on my phone.
Last memory: picking the new job.
'Something flashed... did I just pass out?'
I grabbed my phone from the bed's edge and turned on the screen.
[8:30 AM]
"Arghhh!!"
No way I'll make it by 9, dead or alive.
Team meeting—gotta report next week's schedule!
I scraped the sleep from my eyes and threw on clothes in a frenzy.
Every second counts to piss off the team leader less.
Shoes on, flung open the front door.
"Grrrlll..."
Huh?
Someone in the hallway.
Bloodshot eyes—one's an empty socket.
Blood dripping between blackened teeth.
Dangling arm like it's about to fall off, but it doesn't care.
Zombie.
The same zombies I'd seen to death in Apocalypse Syndrome.
"Wha—what the... why...?"
I backed away instinctively.
The zombie, hearing the door, shambled slowly toward me.
I turned to shut the door, but its arm shot through.
Startled, I dropped the handle.
"Graaah!!"
"Gah!!"
I dodged back, lost balance, and fell. The zombie tripped on the doorsill.
Yesterday, that sill was a pain; now, a godsend.
Can't use its floppy arm, so it flails.
It's blocking the door—no escape.
Gottta smash it before it gets up.
Not kill—it's already dead. Just wreck it so it can't move.
Frying pan on the gas stove.
'That'll do...'
Staring at the zombie on my floor, my mind floods with the game I'd grinded yesterday.
As Cook early-game, you bash zombies with a pan like that.
Zombies stop if you pulp the head or sever the neck.
'Gotta try. Do nothing, and I'm dead.'
Gripped the pan handle, aimed at its head.
Propping with one arm, it crawled toward me.
"Gaaahk—!!"
The horrific screech pierced my ears, amplifying the terror.
A scene I'd faced hundreds of thousands—millions—of times in-game.
Never knew screen thrills hid this grotesque reality.
'Fuck... fuck... fuck...'
Pointless curses spilled out.
Had to vent somehow to endure this.
Timing its crawl, I raised the pan high.
"Die, you monster fuck—!!"
Full force down on its head.
Crunch!
Shattering sound, heavy impact jolting my wrist.
Didn't check—swung again.
Crunch!
Second... third... fourth...
How many?
Pan clanged on the floor.
No more skull left to break.
"Hah... hah..."
Headless zombie sprawled in a big X.
Thick fluids and chunks splattered everywhere—entryway and kitchen wrecked.
I dashed to the door and locked it.
No guarantee that's the only one out there.
Collapsed in the living room off the kitchen, catching my breath. Something popped up in front of me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙First Kill—congratulations!
The system message from Apocalypse Syndrome for your first zombie kill.
'Why's this...?'
Game messages shouldn't appear in real life.
More importantly, zombies roaming around.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙First Kill achieved—Status Window unlocked.
'Status Window? Unlocked?'
In Apocalypse Syndrome, the Status Window is alpha and omega.
Character info, skills, gear, items, inventory, shop, navigation—player lifeline with everything.
Second message vanished; menus and stats flooded a window.
The Status Window I'd seen endlessly in-game.
'A real Status Window.'
This means two things:
The 'playable platform' wasn't PC or console—it was reality,
and I greenlit the zombie game overlaying real life.
Ah, I'm fucked.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
tvM Media Center—
"Grlllr..."
The 4th-floor public hall was packed with zombies.
Blood-and-goo-covered undead shuffled, hunting bodies not yet turned.
Crunch, crunch...
Sounds of feasting on the unturned echoed everywhere.
No sign of living humans.
Along the hallway from the hall: waiting rooms and prop storage on both sides.
Most doors open, a few zombies milling in each.
One prop storage at the far end: sealed tight.
Inside, furniture and boxes haphazardly stacked; two men guard the front.
"Team Leader, what the hell is going on?"
"Beats me. Fuck, where did these monsters even come from?"
"What now? Sitting here does nothing."
"So, go outside? You confident breaking through those things?"
The man slumps at the team leader's words.
"Fuck my luck... Why'd you make up a fake schedule and drag us here?!"
The man next to the team leader glares daggers at the opposite corner.
A woman huddled there, trembling.
Lush S-curl waves swaying,
Fierce eyes masking a gentle face—perfect cat-like beauty,
Smooth neckline flowing into harmonious curves: a stunning girl.
Tear-streaked face, but her radiant looks endure.
"Who the fuck you yelling at?!"
The team leader glares; the man hunches and shuts up.
"Yun-ji, ignore him. Stay quiet there. I'll find a way out."
"Yes... Team Leader."
The weakly replying woman was Silhouette's Visual Center, Heo Yun-ji.
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