Chapter 16…
[You here?]
[Ji-han, are you here?]
[Hey hey, you here? You here? Feels like the stream’s on?]
“Hello, everyone.”
[Jiha Jiha Jiha!]
[Hey hey, Ji-han, did you see the Handsome Challenge?]
[Handsome Challenge? What are you talking about, that’s just the Lee Ji-han Challengeㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅋㅋㅋ Lee Ji-han Challenge? Honestly true]
“Challenge? Well, I’ve seen it mentioned here and there. I don’t know why my name’s attached to it, though.”
[Don’t pretend you don’t knowㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[<<<Clip contributor]
[<<<Cause of all this]
“Well, it’s kind of new to me, seeing everyone enjoy things in different ways. Anyway, the game we’ll continue today is…”
[Zombreath!!!!]
[Let’s gooo to the department store!]
[Been waiting for this. Finally the department store run.]
[What do you mean waiting, it’s only been a day;]
[ㅋㅋㅋtrue though]
“All right then, let’s continue Zombreath.”
As Ji-han spoke, the chat scrolled at high speed. Watching the people who had been waiting for him, Ji-han gave a faint smile.
[Oh snap]
[That guilty smile!]
[Ji-han, don’t smile like that with such a pretty face]
[Ugh I’m swooningㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Clipped it!]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThanks, Clip Master. You’ll be blessed]
Of course, the explosion in chat caused by that smile was another story entirely.
“About the department store…”
When Ji-han returned to the world of Zombreath, it was at the exact point where he’d logged out.
“There are so many zombies that most survivors don’t even dare to go near it.”
[Excuse me? Zombies?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSo you’re telling us to walk into a death trap just for food?]
[Marcus: Honestly, I never liked the boss. I’ll kill him now.]
[Marcus: You left me for a whole day? Unforgivable.]
“Won’t a zombie horde be too dangerous?”
“As long as you follow a few rules, you’ll be fine.”
Marcus smiled awkwardly. Ji-han watched him silently.
“What kind of rules?”
“First, don’t make noise. If they hear a certain level of sound, they’ll react.”
“…That makes sense.”
He remembered how zombies had swarmed at the sound of his scream. Just imagining it gave him goosebumps.
“Any other rules?”
“If you want to take a zombie down, aim for the head. Destroy the head, and they go back to being just corpses.”
“…What if I go for the legs?”
“Not recommended. Even without legs, they’ll crawl just to bite you.”
[Wait, isn’t Marcus actually really nice?]
[ㅋㅋㅋThis raider’s literally giving a tutorialㅋㅋㅋ]
[Sigh… If I had a companion like Marcus, I wouldn’t have refunded the game.]
[Marcus the Noob Guardianㅋㅋㅋ]
“Anyway, you don’t have to completely smash the head. Usually, separating the head from the body kills them.”
[That kills humans tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[True. Neck off = death for anyone.]
“But if it’s just dangling, they’re not dead. Make sure it’s a clean cut.”
“Then Marcus, doesn’t that make this gun useless?”
Ji-han held up the pistol in his hand. Marcus only smiled.
“That gun isn’t for zombies.”
The weight of his words made Ji-han’s expression stiffen.
[So it’s for people?]
[Makes sense, bullets don’t kill zombies unless it’s a headshot.]
[ㅋㅋㅋDid Ji-han just freeze up?]
[Thought Marcus was nice, turns out he’s just a looter after all;]
[He was always a raiderㅋㅋㅋ]
“Of course, firing is the last resort. Remember? Zombies react to sound.”
“…Gunshots are loud, yeah.”
“So if you pull the trigger, you should be prepared to kill everyone in the area. No half-measures.”
A grim conversation, fitting for an apocalypse.
“And I hope the boss won’t ever have to make that choice.”
“……”
“But you need to be strong. If you have a goal, and pulling the trigger is the only way, then don’t hesitate.”
[He’s actually giving solid adviceㅋㅋㅋ]
[Wait, is Marcus falling fast for him or what?]
[Why’s he treating him so nicely?]
[Because he’s handsome?]
[ㅋㅋㅋWell, our Ji-han does have that likable face]
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t take it too seriously, Boss. From your expression, it looks like you’re about to do something drastic.”
Marcus said lightly. Ji-han shook his head.
“Anyway, other questions? If not, I’ll keep going.”
“I’ll hear everything first, Marcus.”
And so Marcus went on, explaining survival tactics for a world overrun with zombies.
[Wow, he actually explains really well]
[Even game noobs could understand this easily]
He described zombie habits, behavior patterns, special types, and situational rules.
[Ahh, I get it now. That’s why event triggers unlock like that.]
[I used to think JC was super unfriendly, but they actually embedded all the info into NPC dialogue.]
[But isn’t Marcus really rare to meet?]
[TrueㅋㅋㅋI’ve never met him eitherㅋㅋㅋ]
[And this is the first time anyone’s even gone the harbor routeㅋㅋㅋ]
Basically, Ji-han was turning his lived narrative into a natural in-game guide.
“Now, Boss. Any other questions?”
“No, thanks to you, it’s all clear. Before, all I knew was ‘get bitten, take vaccine.’”
“Hah, and yet you survived. Must be thanks to that monstrous physique.”
“…Monstrous? I wouldn’t go that far.”
[ㅋㅋㅋHe’s downplaying again]
[Ji-han, are you trolling us?]
[If even a raider admits his strength, how strong IS he?]
[Didn’t you see him during Jag? Dude’s insanely strongㅋㅋㅋ]
[Ji-han, you’ll do Jag again, right? Right??]
“Anyway, moving on…”
“But why didn’t you go to the department store yourself?”
As Marcus was about to suggest resting, the kid cut in. Ji-han quietly watched the exchange.
“Kid, what do you mean by that?”
“Think about it. You’re keeping info from us. Normally, wouldn’t you use that info yourself?”
[Ooo, kid spitting factsㅋㅋㅋ]
[Say it louder, Cola Kidㅋㅋㅋ]
[Kya;]
[But true. If the mall raid is that good, why didn’t Marcus go?]
“You’re misunderstanding. I just give the best possible option for the situation.”
[Fair, he can’t really raid with a kid around.]
[But is a zombie den really the ‘best’?]
[If you farmed the mall well, you’d have loot for life though.]
[Yeah, tons of items would drop.]
[Hey veterans watching, if this is tempting, smash that follow button]
[Endless waves of follows and likes;]
“Let’s all calm down.”
Ji-han stepped in, mediating the not-quite argument.
“Marcus is right. Zombies thin out during the day. If we want to move early, we should sleep early.”
By now, Ji-han was fully immersed in Zombreath. This world felt like his own, and though his companions were temporary, he didn’t want cracks forming between them.
“So, Boss trusts me?”
“Mister…”
“There’s no loss in trusting him. If he betrays us, we can deal with that later.”
[Translation: If he stabs me in the back, I’ll literally blow his head offㅋㅋㅋ]
[Behind that saintly smileㅋㅋㅋ]
[The Heavenly Demon does not forgive traitors! Raider, tremble!]
[Why does such a kind smile feel so unsettlingㅋㅋㅋ]
“Thanks for trusting me, Boss. I’ll take the watch, so you and the kid get some rest.”
“Got it. I’ll leave it to you, Marcus.”
[Wait, he really trusts him??]
[Who trusts a raider this easily;]
[Trust a raider, get backstabbed. That’s the rule.]
[Actually yeah, you’re not even supposed to trust them in the first placeㅋㅋㅋ]
Ji-han leaned against the wall, glancing at the chat. Messages of worry for him flew by nonstop.
“By the way… how do you rest in this game?”
“Hm?”
[?]
[?????]
[That’s the issue?? Isn’t there a bigger one??]
“Boss, what did you just say?”
“No, nothing.”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSomeone teach him how to mute himself before monologuing to the AIㅋㅋㅋ]
[Go into settings and turn mic off firstㅋㅋㅋ]
[Suddenly doing soliloquies, this guyㅋㅋㅋ]
“You’re funny. Honestly, in this ruined world, it’s hard to stay sane. I talk to myself a lot too, just to feel less crazy.”
[Marcus being nice again, making sure Ji-han doesn’t feel awkwardㅋㅋㅋ]
[Meanwhile Ji-han’s fumbling through settings in silence]
[By the way, you can just think of the ‘rest’ command and it works. You can even set an alarm for it.]
“Oh, is this it?”
“Hm?”
[?????]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[No wayㅋㅋㅋ]
[His last words: ‘Oh, is this it?’]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe actually just knocked out like thatㅋㅋㅋ]
He never found the settings, but he did find the rest command. Leaving Marcus puzzled and chat howling, Ji-han curiously watched his vision fade to black.
-Resting.
-No alarm set.
-TIP: Without an alarm, rest continues until fatigue is fully recovered.
White text appeared on the black screen. And then—
[Oh, here it comes.]
[Yeah, the best part of Zombreath is the rest text scenes.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSo, will Ji-han get backstabbed?]
[Putting 10k on betrayal]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSame, 10k on betrayal]
[‘NotThePointHere’ has set a ₩30,000 mission.]
-Can’t resist. Ji-han, if you get betrayed, take 30k.
[Honestly a safe bet. No way he doesn’t get betrayed.]
[Count me in, I’m hopping on this bus!]
[Now’s the time, folks. Place your bets!]
[‘KimPpongtta’ has set a ₩30,000 mission.]
-Tempted… if he doesn’t get betrayed, you get 30k.
[Ppongtta, just stream already]
[Dude’s not even streaming, just betting hereㅋㅋㅋ]
[I’m on the no-betrayal side. 10k.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋJi-han always surprises us. I’m in on no-betrayal too.]
Viewers split instantly into two factions: the “Betrayal Side” and the “No-Betrayal Side.” The mission pot rose fast.
-The raider, Marcus, looks at you curiously.
-“A rare kind soul in this ruined world.”
-The raider, Marcus, glances at the gun by your side.
[Oh oh? That look?]
[Wait, is he really about to betray him?]
[What, that’s how he does it? No way you can charm a raider this fastㅋㅋㅋ]
[Impossibleㅋㅋㅋ]
-“Don’t live like that. Kind people get stabbed in the back.”
[Ji-han, you’re dead. Ji-han, you’re dead.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe’s done. Restart incoming.]
[Betrayal side, screamㅋㅋㅋ]
[Wait, but if he does get betrayed, doesn’t Ji-han get the money?]
[Oh… then isn’t that bad for us?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋNo-Betrayal side, screamㅋㅋㅋ]
-Marcus gives you a faint smile.
-“Rest easy, Boss. As long as I’m here, you can stay kind. You’re the first one who ever trusted me.”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Why’d his eyes suddenly turn all romantic?]
[Explanation: Ji-han’s face]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe actually didn’t betray him??]
[He got charmed by the pretty face??]
“So in the end, no betrayal. See? People should trust each other. Thanks to everyone who bet on ‘no betrayal.’”
Ji-han smiled in satisfaction as he read the glowing text.
…People often judged him by first impressions. Trusting in human kindness—that one value was lodged deep in Ji-han’s heart like a conviction.
[Yeah right.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe doesn’t trust kindness, he trusts moneyㅋㅋㅋ]
[Ji-han, I should never have doubted you!]
[But hey, we’re not the ones losing money here. Cheers!]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Whether or not they knew his true feelings, Ji-han’s “money-grubber” image was slowly becoming unshakable.
