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"Suddenly a group?"
"In this fallen world, it's nearly impossible for humans to survive alone. As time passes, the formation of private groups is inevitable. That's why I'm asking what your thoughts are on private groups, Mr. Kang Woori."
"Uh, you're not wrong, but isn't that assuming the worst?"
I didn't think the world would magically return to normal and everyone would be happy again, but Ji Wihan was so certain that private groups would form. He was convinced the world was ruined.
That felt strange.
"Ah, I see you didn't know, Mr. Kang Woori. I should have started with that, but I didn't think that far. I apologize."
"Huh? About what?"
"Korea is finished."
"What?!"
It was different from how I always thought it was ruined. Ji Wihan was certain that Korea was done for.
"Through Assemblyman Jung Uiyeol, I have access to classified information that the general public can't access. I can't see top-secret files, but I can view some less important classified documents."
"I suppose so. You said you were a legislative aide."
"Yes. And on the fourth day after D-Day, there were reports of coastal units being annihilated. I think the government released it as classified information to inform high-ranking officials of the severity of the situation."
That was the first I'd heard about the military since D-Day.
Naturally, my interest skyrocketed. I didn't expect to hear it like this, but it was a question I'd always had.
"According to the report, most units, except for a few that were slow to respond, managed to stabilize internally on the first day and started pushing back the zombies on the second day."
"There's no mention of the military in the communities."
"I'll explain that later."
"Ah, okay."
"But from the third day on, the number of zombies increased dramatically, turning into a war of attrition. Until then, they could still hold the line, but the next day, an unanticipated monster appeared and broke through the line, putting the units on the verge of annihilation."
"Wait a minute. A monster?"
I interrupted, confused by the word. Zombies were already monsters; what else could be called a monster?
"At the time, I dismissed it as an exaggeration from someone terrified by the zombie horde, but now I'm convinced it was a zombie with specific characteristics."
So, there really was something else that could be called a monster.
'Is the status window zombie that strong?'
The status window zombies I'd encountered were only level 3 or lower, with just one pathetic trait. They were only slightly more difficult to deal with than regular zombies, as long as I paid a little more attention.
But a zombie that could break through a military line was far beyond my expectations. I had no idea how to stop a zombie that couldn't be stopped by gunfire.
"Subsequent reports weren't released, so I don't know the exact details, but I assume they were in a similar situation or had switched to a defensive posture to guard against the monster. The reason why there are no eyewitness accounts in the communities is probably because anyone close enough to watch the military units would have been swept away and killed."
"..."
Hearing that, I understood why Ji Wihan's expression had hardened when I mentioned zombies with traits. He was convinced that the one who annihilated the military units was a zombie with traits.
And I could vaguely understand why Ji Wihan had offered to be my subordinate. The potential of traits was much higher than what I thought.
If a trait was the driving force behind a monster that even the military couldn't stop, it made sense.
I didn't know if I could become as strong as that monster, and honestly, I didn't think I could, but at least Ji Wihan seemed to think I had the potential to grow into a countermeasure against the monster.
"Do you happen to know what happened to the police?"
"Most of the regular police officers died or deserted on the field, and the special forces were all mobilized to rescue VIPs. I don't know what happened after that."
I shouldn't expect anything from the police.
"...It's a real apocalypse, isn't it?"
"Yes. It's a real apocalypse."
The declaration of a confirmed apocalypse, as if telling me not to even harbor a shred of hope, left me lost in thought. In a way, it was fortunate because I could cleanly abandon any hope of a hopeful future and prepare for the future in advance, but naturally, that didn't make me feel good.
"Let's get back to the main topic. Sooner or later, private groups will inevitably form. Even if the military remains, the lack of public authority to check corruption means it's only a matter of time before it devolves into a private group."
"I suppose so."
"That's why I'm asking if you have any intention of forming a group, Mr. Kang Woori. Our future direction will be completely different depending on that."
Ji Wihan definitely had a different perspective from me. Even in this situation where it's unclear whether we'll even survive tomorrow, he's preparing for a future that may never come.
Perhaps this is the difference between a middle school dropout living from day to day and a highly educated elite.
Anyway, that's that, and I couldn't immediately answer Ji Wihan's question about whether I had any intention of forming a group. Frankly, it was a topic I hadn't even considered, so I had no idea where to even start.
"Umm..."
"If you're unsure, may I offer a suggestion?"
"I'd appreciate it."
"You should form a group."
"...Why should I?"
"Since your skill, Mr. Kang Woori, has the limitation of requiring you to directly acquire points, the number of people who can benefit from it is limited."
As Ji Wihan said, this "Hacking" skill can make a few people strong, but it can't make more people strong than I can handle. I only have one body, and the number of zombies I can catch is limited.
"If we were to belong to a group, we would have to use the skill on the core members of the group, and those people would naturally play an important role in the group. But there's no way those people would give you all the power, Mr. Kang Woori, unless you were already in a position of authority."
"Ah..."
"Also, since my "Trans-Energy" has no limit to the acquisition of points, if we exchange cores and the energy converted from it, the energy supply can increase infinitely in proportion to the number of people who exchange cores. As the energy supply increases, energy efficiency will improve due to economies of scale, and more people will be able to enjoy the benefits of the oversupplied energy. It's a virtuous cycle."
"I see, that makes sense."
"Considering these conditions, in order to maximize the effect of our skills, which are our unique strengths, we need a system centered around us. And the most efficient way to do that is to create it ourselves."
"Okay..."
"If you're unsure, we can develop a future plan assuming that we create a group. Would you like to discuss it after the draft is complete?"
"Let's do that."
I didn't know what he was planning to do, but I nodded without hesitation because I thought he would do better than me no matter what.
After concluding the conversation, we had lunch together.
Ji Wihan cooked it himself, saying that the remaining ingredients were expiring soon and had to be used up. The menu was soybean paste stew, spicy pork stir-fry, and some side dishes from the refrigerator.
Ji Wihan was also a good cook. He was a human being who annoyingly didn't seem to have any shortcomings.
Still, I was quite satisfied with having a hearty home-cooked meal after 10 days. I could feel the difference more clearly after eating only retort foods every day.
Feeling relaxed from the fullness, I rested my body on the soft sofa. I suddenly remembered that Ji Wihan had said "people." When I first heard it, I thought he meant family or relatives living with him, but Ji Wihan was alone in the house.
"Come to think of it, you said 'people' earlier. Are there people next door?"
"Yes, there are. Fortunately, the building with the external staircase is empty, and there are three people in the other building."
"Three people?"
"Yes. Each floor is separated. An elderly couple lives on the second floor, and a man in his 40s lives on the third floor."
"What kind of people are they?"
"The elderly couple are retired teachers and are ordinary people. I don't know what the man does, but it doesn't seem like he's doing anything healthy, in my opinion."
"He's not doing anything healthy?"
"I haven't really been curious about it, and I've hardly ever seen him, so I don't know exactly."
"It'd be a problem if he's a weirdo."
It seemed necessary to meet the man in advance. If he turned out to be a psycho, it would be better to take care of him early.
"Would it be okay if I killed him?"
"Hmm. That man is quite physically fit. As I said, if he's been living an unhealthy life, he's likely to be accustomed to violence. Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Ji Wihan didn't seem to think much about killing itself. He was just worried about whether I could do it.
"I'll be fine if I lure and catch the zombies one more time."
"Are you thinking of raising the trait level?"
"Yes. If I raise my trait by just one level, I'm confident that I won't lose to anyone."
Even if my base is a scrawny weakling and I raise "Special Iron Man (lv.3)" by one level to increase my physical abilities by 60%, I might not be stronger than him, but my reaction speed and body control will likely be better. No, it's almost certain.
And since my dynamic visual acuity has improved due to "Open Eyes (lv.2)," I'll likely win unless I get hit first. No, it's almost certain. In a fight with weapons, the one who stabs first wins.
Of course, that's assuming the other person doesn't have any traits that help with combat.
"But is it really okay to kill him? You seemed very concerned about other people just a moment ago."
"That was before I knew that zombies with traits had appeared."
"...How does that change things?"
I couldn't understand how the appearance of status window zombies was related to whether the neighbor could die.
"Isn't there no reason to consider legal punishment anymore?"
Those were the words of a truly cold-blooded person. Now that there was no need to worry about the law, it was okay to kill him.
I was wondering if "Cold-blooded (lv.2)" should have gone to this person.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking on the front door echoed.
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