The world is unfair.
From afar, it's obvious, but up close... it's a comedy.
Breaking News: Congressman implicated in multi-billion won bribery scheme. Investigation accelerates.
Former lawmaker's child suspected of rigging admissions and academic favors!
I clicked on the top story filling my feed, showing another episode in the "upper people's" latest scandals.
Breaking News: Congressman's million-dollar bribery scandal. Investigation intensifies.
[Haha, how much did he pocket this time? This can't be real.]
[Honestly, just give me 10% of that, and I'd lick their boots like a machine! Lol]
└ ??? Pride? I'd do it for 1%! lol
The comments on every story were endless—no outrage, no cries for justice, just jealousy and bitterness.
For us stuck on the outside, all we can do is bark at them on keyboards they'll never see.
Honestly, I kind of wish the world would just end.
Not a complete fallout—more like a zombie apocalypse. The world would still be there, but society's rules smashed.
"Haa… That'd be perfect," I muttered, smirking at my own twisted fantasy.
As sunlight poked through the blinds, I squinted at the unwelcome brightness. Time to sleep.
Scratching my head, I powered off my computer and flopped into bed. With heavy eyes, I opened my phone, planning to read the latest web novel updates.
"…Let's just get some sleep," I muttered, double-checking that my alarm was on before setting my phone on the pillow. My eyelids drooped as soon as I closed them.
Even as I drifted off, my mind filled the darkness with stories. Apocalypses, academies, fantasy, martial arts, protagonists saving the world, or at least doing something worth doing.
…Maybe the apocalypse is the only thing that could save me.
It was the kind of thought a desperate villain might have: "If I can't have it, I'll destroy it."
But I had neither the strength nor power to destroy anything.
****
Bzzzt— Bzzzt— Bzzzt—
Thud- thud- thud—
"Ugh, what the hell?" I cracked my eyes open, still heavy with sleep, but the bright light told me it was already afternoon.
"Great… I didn't even get that much sleep." What was that noise?
Thud― thud― thud―
Pounding, muffled but persistent. Like someone hammering on metal.
"A package?" Not likely for me. I spend all my money on in-game items, and even essentials I picked up from the convenience store where I worked. And the place next door had been empty for over a year.
Thud― thud― thud―
The pounding snapped me out of my thoughts, demanding my attention. Whoever it was, they weren't stopping. Why wouldn't they just ring the doorbell?
I reached for my phone to check the time.
"…What?"
It wouldn't turn on. Even after holding the power button, tapping the screen—nothing but my reflection in the dark display.
An uneasy chill ran down my spine.
The silence was off. Not the kind you expect in the early morning, but complete. No traffic, no sounds of the street, nothing.
Thud-thud-thud!
The pounding outside cut through the silence. I hadn't noticed it when I first woke, but my body felt heavy and sluggish. A familiar but unsettling weight.
Had I slept through an entire day?
Thud― thud― thud―
I shook off the grogginess. Whoever was outside could wait—I needed to know what was happening.
"Excuse me! I didn't order anything!" I shouted, hoping they'd take the hint.
Bam― bam― bam―
The harder I shouted, the more intense the pounding became.
It was weird not to find this strange by now.
[3 Days Since Zombie Apocalypse Outbreak]
[Mana has been implemented. Humans unable to adapt have been turned into zombies!]
["Awakening" of remaining humans in progress.]
The words hung in front of me, floating in translucent text that no sane person should ever see.
Gripped by disbelief, I bolted to the kitchen, trying to piece together the situation.
This… this scenario. It's just like one of those novels.
Rifling through the kitchen drawers, I grabbed a large knife. My gaze snapped to the mop handle leaning against the bathroom wall.
If that's a real zombie outside, I need to deal with it fast before it attracts more.
Quickly, I tore off some green tape and fastened the knife to the end of the mop handle, creating a makeshift spear.
The banging grew louder, punctuated by a screech that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
There was no time to hesitate. I bit off the tape, gripping the improvised spear in both hands.
Taking a deep breath, I slipped on my shoes, unlocked the door, and timed my move with the rhythm of the pounding.
Bang— bang—
When the figure moved back just slightly—
Bang—
I yanked the door open and charged forward.
Thud—
The sickening sound of flesh gave way as something crumpled to the ground.
"Screeeech!"
A middle-aged man in a tattered suit, the side of his face torn off, lay writhing on the floor, emitting a grotesque screech.
But he was no man. The rotten blood oozing from his face and the relentless pounding were evidence enough.
"Screw it, what're you staring at?!" I shouted, heart pounding, the thrill of adrenaline overtaking my fear.
My makeshift spear struck his head, the knife sinking in with a sickening crunch.
Clang—
The blade struck the concrete floor beneath him. The thrashing stopped, and the figure went limp.
I stood there, panting, gripping the spear tightly. My hands trembled, not from fear, but from something else—a strange exhilaration, a realization that this was real.
The window flickered in my vision again.
There was only one thing I wanted from all this—the fight, the thrill, and the life-or-death moment I'd just barely scraped through.
"Did I get it? First achievement? Come on!"
The screen flickered, words appearing in a satisfying cascade.
[A Zombie has been slain.]
[You have earned 5 points.]
Ding!
[You have achieved the first achievement.]
['First Awakener to kill a zombie in the local zone.']
[You have earned 20 points]
['First Awakener to kill a zombie in the area zone']
[You have earned 40 points]
['45th Awakener to kill a zombie in country zone']
[You have earned 25 points.]
['1023rd Awakener to kill a zombie in Earth Zone']
[You have earned 15 points.]
[You have acquired a Skill Creation Token.]
"Yes!" I clenched my fist, a surge of excitement breaking through the exhaustion and the horror. "Hell yeah, it worked!"
For a moment, nothing else mattered. I'd done it—I'd won something, even in this twisted, new reality.
"Status Screen!"
With a whispered command, the panel appeared, displaying my stats in stark, unforgiving numbers.
[Name: Palmer]
[Gender: Male
Age: 27]
[Class: Awakener(not specified) ]
[Strength: 1] [Agility: 1] [Intelligence: 1] [Magic: 1]
[Points Available: 105]
[INVENTORY: 1]
Tip: Allocate your points! From 1 to 10, you can increase a stat with just 1 point!
Special Tip for First Achievement: Use your Skill Creation Token!
Note: Skills that disrupt the balance will be auto-adjusted!]
Keeeaaaak—
A chilling scream cut through the air. I looked down, past the edge of the railing, at the gathering mob below. Zombies, summoned by the noise I'd made—more than I'd bargained for.
The building's entrance teemed with them, new arrivals sprinting over with jerking, unnatural movements, all converging on the spot where I'd broken the silence.
Of course, not a single human among them.
In the midday sun, even the light felt different. It was strange—but exciting.
"Damn…" I whispered, pulse quickening as I took in the horde, calculating, estimating. "How many points could I get from all of them?"
This was a new world—one where humans weren't at the top, where the earth no longer belonged to us.
The end of the world had come.
And maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of my salvation.