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It was around the time that Dayoung and Ajin, heading down the emergency exit, joined Yuri on the second floor.

“What the heck is all this?”

Everyone was stunned at the sight of her lugging a bag as big as her own body.

Well, since it was virtual reality, it didn’t have the crushing weight of a real bag, but visually speaking, it was pretty much overkill for a fragile kid’s body.

Anyone passing by might suspect teenage abuse. Or maybe it was Yuri humming a cheerful tune while carrying a bag that size that would raise some eyebrows.

“Who are those guys? You seemed pretty chummy with them.”

“Huh? Did I seem close?”

“Oh? Wasn’t that the case? Your protective reaction seemed quite unusual.”

“Hmm… So that’s how it looked to you, sis.”

What’s with that wink?

“Are you sure you’re not jealous?”

“As if…”

She used to think of her as the sweetest person, but as time passed, it was like an onion shedding layers, revealing new sides.

Feeling the vibe shift, I nervously denied it. Maybe that worked, because Yuri’s previously strange grin vanished as she reverted to her usual soft expression.

“I just pretended to be clueless to get away with it. You know, those sweet guys in games who shower girls with loot and cash to win their favor.”

“……”

“I was thinking of keeping them around as guards until I joined you, but I couldn’t stick with them for long. Still, I got a lot of loot, so it’s a win.”

As I looked at the proud item list Yuri presented, I couldn’t help but burst into incredulous laughter.

“A revival kit, protective gear, first aid supplies, rations, and an anti-tank mine? Are we taking on a giant zombie or something? You really cleaned them out, huh?”

The game’s title and content started with zombies and ended with them.

However, even though they were zombies, the gameplay divided between either wiping out hordes with firepower or surviving while avoiding them in extreme conditions.

The zombie route was a different take, focusing on non-combat elements like survival and shelter upgrades rather than just fighting.

Weapons could be obtained, but the difficulty was so high that their use was severely limited.

But looking at the weapons and items Yuri had gotten, well… could one just walk away by keeping quiet?

To restore the items she got, I would probably have to grind for over a month straight.

‘Even if it’s a girl, it’s weird for someone to just give that stuff away.’

“Well, it doesn’t really affect me, so I’m not complaining, but those guys do seem a bit pitiful.”

“That’s harsh. Everything was donated, so they’re my legitimate items. Besides… I’m sure they’re fine. They probably went happily.”

[Hiiik!]

[Whoa, a kid is already deep in that kind of thinking.]

[Hey, student, shut it. It makes my heart ache. ^^]

[Why aren’t you studying? ㅡ,.ㅡ]

[We decided to call this behavior ‘queen-beeing’]

[Guess that explains why this crowd seems so wacky. Not a normal one in sight.]

[At least ‘Forming’ is the sane one here. Haha!]

[Extreme position ㄷㄷ]

[How long are you gonna keep suffering, ‘Forming’?]

While listening quietly to the lively chat, Ajin stayed silent, only taking in the disconnected emotional responses.

It was probably best to let things slide, since the items Yuri acquired weren’t exactly ordinary.

Well, it would be a big deal in reality, but it’s just a game, so who cares? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Every time the gigantic bag shifted, the shadows followed, dancing wildly.

In a fleeting moment of delusion, I thought that when she meets the other girls, she could completely gear them up, which led me to ponder this thought:

‘Was the evil aristocrat Yuri all along?’

I’d never been to that world, so I couldn’t be sure, and I hadn’t been part of that hero party.

No matter how sweet those sweet guys were, there was no way they’d coddle a girl they’d never seen before.

It was clear that there had to be some skill involved in roasting them alive.

Since Yuri was the only one left behind, as the editor, I felt slightly frustrated about not knowing what had transpired in between.

With a little creativity, I could reshape Yuri’s character and whip up some content in no time.

“Alright, if we go this way, we’ll find the annex we aimed for.”

Ajin, lost in thought, lifted her head at the news ahead.

Before she knew it, a long corridor extending into the first floor was laid out before her.

From here, taking a direct route to the annex would bring her to the meeting point with the other girls.

Of course, proper farming would begin too, since the good stuff was all gathered around the annex.

Just then, a sharp gaze from the side made her turn. And then…

“Wait!”

Dayoung and Yuri both stopped in their tracks, unusual urgency gripping them.

Ajin, gazing blankly out the window next to the annex, bore an expression laden with tension or horror, and Dayoung followed her gaze.

Before them stood a massive monster that had locked eyes with them.

A grotesque zombie, its muscles bulging, surpassed even the horrid decay of its flesh.

Rotting slime oozed between the muscle fibers, and its glaring eyes made one’s skin crawl.

In the silence that followed their eye contact, the only thing Dayoung could shout was:

“Everyone, run!”

—Boom! Boom!

—Greeeek!

The moment their eyes met, the monster charged and collided with the building’s outer wall.

—Crash!

The explosive sound and vibration surpassed that of a grenade, sending dust flying in all directions.

Unfortunately, it was the first floor’s annex corridor, where the thin walls and windows barely acted as minimal barriers.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Ouch! A rock hit my mouth.”

“I’m okay.”

Having dived to the floor out of sheer instinct but seeing no one gotten caught up in it, I let out a sigh of relief.

But now it was all about what came next.

Raising her head, ready to see just what kind of creature was causing this, Dayoung’s eyes widened in horror.

The monster’s head seemed to jiggle with a puffed air sac just below its jaw, its eyes rolling wildly.

It looked like a bizarre chimera zombie combining features of a frog and a human, causing Yuri to cover her mouth in shock.

“Peepee?”

The face, lost to fear, was filled only with wide white eyes.

However, seeing that head exactly as it was engrained in memory sent everyone into a panic.

What the hell are you doing here?

* * *

[Huh? Why are encounters happening so often?]

[Those entering have been top-tier so far.]

[Usually after a wave, a boss appears by standard.]

[Of all the times, this guy appeared. It’s tough surviving against him.]

[LOL, he’s so persistent, he won’t stop chasing until you leave the area entirely.]

[Sounds like all farmings have been done.]

Oh, this guy’s the boss?

Despite having done some research, Ajin was caught off-guard by this boss and frantically opened her guide.

From what she could see, this was a highly physical boss, but just as she was about to check the strategy, a strong hand grabbed her from behind, shutting the screen off.

—Crash!

A massive steel beam, the size of a person, shattered the very spot she’d been standing.

Realizing the monster had already zeroed in on them, grinning its grotesque smile, Dayoung clicked her sniper rifle, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

Let’s just get in a hit while we can since we are still at a distance.

Having just taken down a player who was once the aggressor with a flashy shot, taking out one minor enemy should be a piece of cake.

For zombies, except for specific weak points, the head is universally the weak spot.

Even for a boss, headshots from a sniper rifle should qualify as very effective attacks.

To counter player strategies, many game companies incorporated various patterns.

Having zombies rotate their heads was one of those patterns, intended to create a slightly challenging situation.

Now that the target was no longer stationary, that would make it trickier to aim and shoot. Yet, it was not impossible to solve.

It was simply a minor obstacle, barely requiring expertise to navigate; just a rookie level calibration challenge.

So she figured it would be the same this time…

“Ah! What the heck is this?”

Just as Dayoung was about to aim, an exclamation of horror escaped her lips.

This was beyond merely stumbling or wobbling; the head began spinning in a dizzying display.

Seriously, how is one supposed to hit that?

“From the get-go, the assumption of aiming and shooting is completely out the window!”

With a creature like that barreling down, its head spinning like a propeller, it was beyond grotesque.

Even in a zombie genre, wasn’t this concept just too far-fetched?

While internally cursing the creators of this boss, Dayoung quickly withdrew her gun and spun around.

Ajin and Yuri were already bolting ahead.

“……!”

[Forming! You getting tricked again!]

[??? : Ha ha ha! Got you again, Forming!]

[Forming got tricked!]

[We’re using Forming as bait while we escape. That was our only plan from the start.]

[Headspin right now, right now~]

[Oh, it’s not supposed to be there, LOL.]

[Forming is suffering again.]

There was no time to respond to the jeers in the chat.

Screaming while running away from the monster that was bulldozing everything in its path, she had no choice but to flee as fast as she could.

As this stream wrapped up, she steadfastly vowed to give Pippy a piece of her mind when she got back, shouting out desperately towards the fleeing duo ahead.

“Wait for me!”

* * *

 

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