Chapter 6: Escape Day 1

Yuhyun couldn’t help but be stunned by the numbers before him.  

The six viewers from yesterday had ballooned to 127.  

“What the… why are there so many…?”  

– Heard this place is super tangled lol  

– Showing us insane alpha moves again today??  

– Y’all are hyping this up lol, obviously inflated  

– This was my secret low-tier gem ㅠㅠㅠㅠ  

– 20x growth in one day lol, crazy growth rate lol  

– Ooo… Tang-baby’s not a baby anymore ㅠㅠㅠㅠ  

“…Where did you all hear about my stream?”  

– Clip got posted in the gallery lol  

– “Gallery?”  

– Hold on, sending link.  

http://vr-gallery.co.kr/posts/274859  

Yuhyun tapped the link a viewer sent.  

A site called ‘Low-Tier VR Streamer Gallery’ popped up.  

[「Clip」 19, NSFW) Insanely Hot Physical, Check Out Tangle Yuhyun’s Alpha Male Moves]  

And there it was—yesterday’s clip of him slaying zombies, plastered for all to see.  

Hundreds of comments, views in the thousands.  

“Seriously, what’s with this title…?”  

– But… if it’s not like this, gallery folks won’t care about low-tiers!!!  

– I got baited by that title too lol  

– You’re a star now lol  

– So, is Han Seola still alive?!?!  

‘Skyrocketing…?’  

The word flashed through his mind, but Yuhyun quickly calmed himself.  

‘No need to get worked up.’  

These people came to see him play naturally.  

Ten years of facing crises in another world had forged a steel mentality, shining now.  

With a calm face, Yuhyun played the gallery clip and spoke.  

“Hm, last time we got the tutorial rundown, took out some zombies, and kept cutting down Han Seola’s obsessive fans chasing her.”  

– Wow, still insane on rewatch…  

– Yesssss  

– lolol obsessive fans lolol  

– Haha zombie idol Han Seola lol  

– Unnie!!!! One bite!!!!  

“Alright, let’s keep going.”  

The game started, and a familiar alley came into view.  

Zombie corpses he’d sliced up littered the ground.  

Han Seola was cautiously searching their bodies.  

Then—  

“KYAAA!!”  

A sudden scream made Yuhyun whip his head around.  

“What’s wrong!”  

“Crazy! Look what I found!!!”  

Han Seola, face alight with excitement, rushed to Yuhyun, holding something.  

In her hands were two nail-sized gems—one yellow, one green.  

“…What are those?”  

– Whoa, what…?  

– Those dropped now? Two of them?  

– Aren’t those for day 2 or 3?  

– Luck’s insane  

“You don’t know these?”  

“No.”  

“Oh, right, the memory thing.”  

Han Seola began explaining the gems.  

“When you kill zombies, sometimes they drop these gems.”  

“Gems?”  

“Yeah, consuming them boosts your stats. Red for strength, yellow for stamina, green for agility. 

Here, you killed the zombies, so take them.”  

Yuhyun stared at the tiny gems in his hand, frowning.  

“…These don’t look sanitary. They came from zombies. The green one especially looks toxic.”  

– Haha he gets rare loot and worries about hygiene lol  

– What, want a safety certification on it lol  

– lolololololol  

– True, true, what if there’s zombie virus in there!!  

“…If you’re worried, I’ll disinfect them.”  

Caught off guard by Yuhyun’s reaction, Han Seola froze, then rummaged in her bag, pulling out an alcohol spray and spritzing the gems.  

‘Hm.’  

Still skeptical, Yuhyun eyed Han Seola and the gems, then handed her the yellow one.  

“Here, you take this.”  

“Y-You’re giving this to me? Really?”  

“Yeah.”  

Han Seola seemed touched, but Yuhyun just wanted to test if it was safe.  

Gulp.  

She cautiously swallowed the yellow gem.  

Confirming it, Yuhyun popped the green one in his mouth.  

‘…Melon flavor?’  

It was sweet, like candy.  

‘Oh.’  

His eyebrows twitched as a change hit him.  

The moment he swallowed, his muscles felt noticeably tauter.  

“Are there more of these?”  

“They’re super rare. Zombies drop them at a low chance.”  

“…You can’t spit it back out after eating, right?”  

“Huh? No, it absorbs into your body.”  

– lolol you regret it now that you feel the effect?  

– Haha  

– This guy’s eyeing Han Seola like he wants it back lol  

‘Guess I need to kill more zombies then.’  

He’d planned to anyway, so no big deal.  

Yuhyun licked his lips.  

Grrrr—!  

A rumble came from his stomach.  

Fierce hunger.  

‘I just ate pizza and chicken before this?’  

Real-world food clearly didn’t carry over to the game.  

“…First, we should find food. I was out looking for supplies when I found you.”  

Han Seola pulled a paper from her bag—a hand-drawn map of the area.  

“We’re here. Up north is A-Mart, right is B-Mart, and down south is C-Mart.”  

Red circles marked the big marts.  

Yuhyun studied the map, tilting his head.  

“What about convenience stores?”  

“Those got looted ages ago. It’s been a year since the zombie outbreak.”  

“Oh.”  

“So we pick one of these… Problem is, A-Mart’s held by a huge survivor group. C-Mart’s too far.”  

“B-Mart?”  

“…A zombie nest.”  

– This map usually comes after Han Seola dies, but she’s alive and giving intel;;  

– Isn’t this too tough for now?  

– Must be a difficulty spike lol  

– Well, he saved a doomed character, so it’s gotta be harder lol  

“What are the A-Mart survivors like?”  

“Those guys… they’re trash.”  

“Trash?”  

“Yeah, I’d avoid dealing with them.”  

Han Seola’s eyes turned cold.  

She didn’t seem keen to elaborate, so Yuhyun just nodded.  

‘So, one of these three…’  

A thought struck him.  

‘Wait. Zombies go crazy chasing her, don’t they?’  

The corner of his mouth crept up.  

“Seola.”  

“Yeah?”  

“Let’s go to B-Mart.”  

“What!? Are you crazy!? It’s crawling with zombies!”  

“It’s fine. I’m here.”  

– Ooo lol going? Going!?  

– Crazy guy picking B-Mart no hesitation lol  

– Broadcast genius lol  

Yuhyun, matching the viewers’ excited buzz, replied confidently.  

“Alright, Day 1 of survival. Let’s storm the zombie nest and teach them a lesson.”  

In front of B-Mart.  

Yuhyun and Han Seola hid at an alley corner, peeking out at the entrance.  

Gulp.  

“You’re… really going in there…?”  

Han Seola’s voice trembled with doubt.  

Understandable.  

Dozens of zombies loitered around B-Mart’s entrance.  

The stench of rot wafted over on the breeze.  

Inside, even more likely waited.  

– So many;;  

– Taking them all out on day 1…?  

– Crazy lol  

“It’s fine. That much is nothing…”  

Yuhyun started to reply calmly when—  

BOOM—!!  

A massive crash echoed from inside the mart.  

Glass windows shattered, shards flying everywhere.  

Thud! Thud! Thud!  

A huge shadow emerged through the broken wall.  

“What’s that now?”  

– ????  

– What the hell?  

A zombie.  

But different from the ones before.  

A massive bulk, like multiple zombie corpses stitched together.  

Roughly three meters tall.  

Dozens of arms and legs sprouted like tentacles, and red entrails pulsed grotesquely.  

Most chilling were the heads—different faces plastered like barnacles across the body, staring in all directions.  

Han Seola’s body shook like a leaf at the sight.  

“A-A Patchwork Golem…!”  

“Patchwork Golem?”  

“We have to run! No way! We can’t handle that thing!”  

– Wow, a freaking Patchwork Golem lol  

– That thing’s insane, and it spawns here;;  

– Just listen to Han Seola and run… Get spotted, and it’s game over  

Everyone predicted Yuhyun’s failure.  

But at the Golem’s appearance, he licked his lips.  

‘Oh, an elite monster? Killing that might drop something good.’  

He lightly placed a hand on Han Seola’s back.  

“Let’s go.”  

“Okay, run—”  

Tap.  

Mid-sentence, Yuhyun pushed her forward, sending her stumbling out of the alley alone.  

“Huh?”  

She froze, confused, then turned to him, face full of betrayal.  

“W-What… How could you…!”  

“GRAAH!!”  

“KEEEEK!!”  

Spotting Han Seola, the zombies roared in unison.  

More poured out from the mart.  

The Patchwork Golem’s dozens of eyes rolled, locking onto her.  

“GUOOOOHHH!!!”  

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!  

The massive creature charged toward Han Seola.  

– Man, this is rough;;  

– …Saved Han Seola just to use her like this?  

– Crazy lol  

– Wow, what’s with this guy’s morals  

– Kept her alive just to bait with her ㅠㅠㅠㅠ  

– This might stir some drama  

– Look at Han Seola’s face, she’s gonna cry ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ  

– You killed her!!!!  

– ???: What’s wrong with using the one I saved?  

Viewers thought Yuhyun was baiting with Han Seola to escape.  

The Patchwork Golem was beyond their current level.  

But Yuhyun stepped out of the alley, standing by her side.  

“?”  

Han Seola stared, bewildered.  

Yuhyun grabbed her wrist, turned, and raised his knife high.  

“Here we go!”  

He shouted.  

“Everyone, charge to A-Mart!!!”