Chapter 10

The Apocalypse Game I Created Became Reality Chapter 10

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

D-155 until the game becomes reality.

“...”

I looked at the date on the chart I had put up on the workshop wall.

‘184 days.’

When I first saw that number, I thought it was quite a long time.

But I was wrong.

Each day passed far too quickly.

After fixing up the base and watching the game through to its very end.

‘It’s already been a month.’

In the meantime, the world remained perfectly ordinary.

People went to work, cafés were crowded, and the news rambled on about politicians’ verbal blunders and celebrities’ dating scandals.

The story about the Bermuda structure had long since been buried.

At most, it occasionally appeared on conspiracy theory channels on YouTube.

Wooooong!

I immediately turned on the laptop.

[Scenario_Log]

「Day -184」

Discovery of a structure beneath the Bermuda seabed.

「Day -151」

Detection of unidentified microorganisms within Arctic glaciers.

「Day -123」

Abnormal group behavior among animals in certain regions around the world.

「Day -91」

Major communication disruptions and satellites leaving orbit.

「Day -59」

Sharp increase in patients suffering from high fevers of unknown origin.

「Day -30」

Limited outbreaks of violence.

「Day -7」

Government-level discussions on movement restrictions.

「Day 0」

Last Protocol activated.

“This is the general framework of the scenario...”

The problem was what happened in between.

Looking only at the main events, there still seemed to be plenty of time.

But,

‘There are small omens scattered throughout that can predict the end.’

Abnormal animal behavior, missing people, unexplained acts of violence, patients with neurological abnormalities, closures of polar research stations, quarantine failures, and so on.

They were all settings I had put into the game.

Click.

I opened another file.

[Pre_Infection_Incident_Table]

My scrolling hand stopped.

[Day -156 ~ Day -148]

- Possible period for unofficial precursor entities to appear

What I needed to check right now.

Something just as important as preparing the base.

That was.

‘How different are the infected in the game from the infected in reality?’

In the game, I knew.

In clear numerical values.

But.

‘Reality is different.’

Getting hit once in the game and having your wrist bitten in reality are different things.

Spending stamina in the game and running until your lungs feel like they’re about to burst in reality are obviously different too.

Subduing a monster in the game and subduing something that looks like a person with my own hands would also be different.

“...It’s not like there’s no way to check.”

I went through the scenario log again.

Before the official Great Collapse.

Precursor entities that appeared with an extremely low probability.

‘That was part of the game’s story.’

Of course, most players never noticed them.

Because unlike official infected, they didn’t openly attack people.

Just a single line in the news.

An article about a dog suddenly biting its owner while out on a walk, something like that.

But as the lead planner, I knew.

That it was the first piece of real combat data.

“It should be around this point.”

I immediately searched through the scenario log.

And then.

“...The riverside.”

Before long, I found one entry that stood out.

「Large dog suddenly bites owner while walking along a river in Gyeonggi Province, then flees...」

Click.

Looking at the details, it was somewhere about a twenty-minute drive from the workshop.

A riverside walking trail on the outskirts of the city.

A place that usually didn’t have many people, and even fewer at night.

‘At this point in time...’

I immediately searched the local news.

At first, nothing came up.

Then a post on a small local community caught my eye.

[Anyone see a big dog near Jangguncheon last night?]

The post was short.

「I was out walking and saw something like a stray dog, but its eyes looked weird. It didn’t run away even after seeing a person. I was going to report it, but I just left. Still feels creepy.」

The comments weren’t anything special either.

ㄴ There are a lot of abandoned dogs these days.

ㄴ It was fucking huge for a stray dog, scared the hell out of me. Its eyes were bright red too...

ㄴ Maybe you saw a wild boar?

ㄴ It was about as big as a wild boar.

ㄴ Maybe you saw yourself in a mirror?

ㄴ Ah, I’m serious.

ㄴ So am I.

ㄴ You bastard.

“...”

I lightly rubbed my lips.

A stray dog as big as a wild boar, red eyes, didn’t run away after seeing people, riverside...

‘...Everything lines up.’

The possibility that it was a precursor entity... was high enough.

“...”

I stared at the screen for a long time.

‘Should I go?’

After thinking for a moment, I eventually shook my head.

‘It’s still crazy.’

Going out of my way to look for danger?

When the world was still perfectly normal?

‘...No, it’ll be even more dangerous if I don’t check.’

But I quickly changed my mind.

‘I’ve only built a base so far.’

I fixed the ventilation shaft and secured an escape route.

Without knowing the most important thing.

‘How fast real infected are, how strong they are, how sensitive they are to smells and sounds.’

What if I reached D-Day without knowing that?

‘That’s no different from walking onto a battlefield with my eyes closed.’

Right.

Don’t chicken out.

‘I’ve always exercised pretty diligently anyway.’

So, I’ll just check.

Just check.

_____________

Even if you’re going to do something insane, you need to prepare thoroughly.

Work gloves, safety glasses, a thick waterproof apron, knee pads, arm guards, a woodworking face shield, trekking poles, a camping folding shovel, a sturdy flashlight...

‘I should’ve prepared something like a bow or a knife.’

Of course, not right now, but I definitely planned to get them later.

There were several difficulties with obtaining them immediately.

‘Weapons with strong lethal capability require possession permits and registration.’

If I prepared them too early and got stopped by the police for an inspection, it would cause all sorts of trouble.

‘Still, it’s not like I prepared nothing for situations like this.’

A few pieces of equipment I had bought several days ago while watching videos about animal capture.

I took one of them out.

“I didn’t think I’d be using this already.”

An animal capture snare pole!

It was originally something used for rescuing abandoned dogs or capturing wild animals.

Of course, I had thoroughly learned how to use it.

Because using it incorrectly could make things even more dangerous.

Slide.

I laid the equipment out on the floor.

‘I have to approach this thinking that one bite means it’s over.’

Never get bitten.

Maintain distance.

Do not fall.

Finish the situation before anyone comes nearby.

And if possible.

‘...Secure the entity.’

At first, I had only planned to observe it, but I soon changed my mind.

A low-level precursor entity.

An animal-mediated reactive entity, not an official infected.

If I could secure it?

‘That becomes data.’

Real data, not game data.

Real-world information, not values I had set myself.

Slide.

I looked at the laptop screen again.

[Unofficial Precursor Entity]

- Average duration is short

- Stage prior to full clustering

- Infectious transmission capability uncertain

- Behavioral patterns unstable

- Hyperreactive to external stimuli

“...Uncertain.”

My least favorite word.

It was the same in game development.

Uncertain variables ultimately killed players.

Only now, the target wasn’t a player. It was my own life.

“...Let’s go.”

Clunk!

Lastly, I loaded a plastic transport crate and a thick waterproof tarp into the trunk of the car.

Now it was time to leave.

_______________

It was a little past 11 p.m. when I arrived at the riverside.

Cold air, dim streetlights, the sound of water in the distance.

The walking trail was almost empty.

A bicycle passed by every now and then, and two drunk men walked by in the distance, laughing.

“...”

I waited until they disappeared from sight.

Then I got out of the car.

“Phew.”

Was it because I was nervous deep down?

My legs felt slightly heavy, and my fingertips were cold.

“...Still, I have to do what needs to be done.”

I slowly descended toward the riverside.

Under the bridge, around the drainage channel, the bushes, the darkness untouched by the streetlights.

Everything looked different from usual.

“Hmm.”

In Last Protocol, darkness wasn’t merely an effect that obscured your vision.

It slowed judgment and raised your heart rate.

It made small sounds feel louder.

And... it made people make mistakes.

“Slowly.”

I repeatedly reminded myself.

“Don’t rush.”

As I went a little farther down along the river, various smells reached me.

The fishy smell of water, the smell of soil, grass, and mixed among them, a rancid smell.

‘...The smell of rot.’

I stopped right where I was.

Under the bridge, there was a black shadow.

“...Ugh.”

It was an animal carcass.

A small cat with part of its body torn apart.

It was disgusting, but this was exactly what I had come to see.

Reality would be more visceral than a game.

There were smells, blood, and corpses.

If I wanted to survive, I had to get used to all of it.

Rustle.

Before long, a sound came from the bushes.

I immediately took one step back.

At the same time, I shone the flashlight low.

Flash!

Soon, a pair of eyes appeared in the darkness.

“...!”

It was a large dog.

It had no leash.

Its fur was filthy and tangled, and dark red stains covered the area around its mouth.

Even at a glance, it was obvious that it was the one that had torn apart the cat carcass.

Most importantly... its eyes.

‘...Red eyes.’

Thump-thump-thump!

My heart pounded like crazy.

‘I’ll subdue it.’

I tightened my grip on the capture pole.

Grrrrr.

The dog let out a low growl.

First reaction, threat display.

It didn’t immediately charge like a proper infected.

Some animal instinct still remained.

Circle.

I slowly moved to the side.

Avoid a head-on confrontation, but never show my back.

Maintain distance.

Creep.

The dog took one step closer.

I threw the bag of treats I had prepared to the left.

Thud.

The bag fell to the ground.

The dog turned its head.

It reacted.

Its nose twitched at the smell.

Slide.

But it soon looked back at me.

‘Movement takes priority over smell.’

Good.

That’s one piece of data...

Bark!

“...!”

At that moment, the dog charged at me.

“Ha!”

I raised the capture pole in front of me.

Chomp!

The dog bit down on the end of the pole.

It was faster than I expected.

And far stronger than I imagined.

Tremble.

My arms were pushed back.

My shoulders shook.

“Ugh...!”

But I didn’t panic.

Gloves, arm guards, distance.

I had prepared all of it.

Slide.

I pulled my body back while planting the trekking pole against the ground.

Don’t fall, don’t get bitten, don’t take the dog’s strength head-on.

Grrrrr!

At that moment, the dog twisted its body again.

It twisted its neck and pulled on the pole.

Its jaw strength was enormous.

‘The lowest-grade entity in the game was this strong?’

I gritted my teeth.

First, I calmly dropped the flashlight I had prepared toward the ground.

Roll, roll.

The light soon rolled to the dog’s side.

Its gaze wavered for a moment.

In that opening, I opened an umbrella.

Fwoosh!

When the black surface suddenly spread open, the dog flinched.

It was less than a second.

But that was enough.

I moved sideways and created distance.

Then I adjusted my grip on the capture pole.

Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!

The dog charged again.

This time even faster.

But I had already seen it once.

The first time is frightening. The second time, I’m different too.

“Phew...”

I waited calmly.

The moment the dog leaped.

Instead of blocking it head-on with the pole, I pushed sideways.

At the same time, the dog’s body twisted slightly.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the loop on the capture pole slipped around its neck.

‘Got it!’

I tightened both hands.

The dog thrashed wildly.

Whining, growling, claws scraping at the dirt.

Thump-thump-thump!

My heart felt like it would burst.

My hands trembled.

But I didn’t let go.

Because if I let go, it was over.

Grrrrrr!

The dog twisted its body and tried to force its way toward me.

I immediately backed away.

Maintained distance.

Held the pole upright.

The objective wasn’t to choke it.

It was to restrict its movement.

To keep enough distance that its mouth couldn’t reach me.

That was the key.

“Haah... haah...!”

My breathing grew ragged.

Bark! Bark! Grrrrr!

The dog continued thrashing violently.

The lowest-grade precursor entity I had ever faced was far more vicious than I had expected.

‘Then what about proper infected?’

And beyond that, Awakened entities?

Tremble.

‘What the hell did I create?’

Just thinking about it made my fingertips go numb.

But the entity in front of me came first.

I dragged the prepared tarp closer with my foot.

Then, while holding the pole with one hand.

Fwoosh!

I unfolded the tarp with the other.

This part was the most dangerous.

The dog tried to thrash again.

The pole shook.

“Fuck!”

I gritted my teeth and held firm.

At the same time, I threw the tarp over the dog.

Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!

Once its vision was blocked, its movements became even more violent.

Time seemed to stretch.

Ten seconds? Twenty? Or a minute?

I couldn’t tell.

“...”

After quite some time passed, the dog’s movements gradually weakened.

Clang!

After confirming that, I immediately pulled over the metal transport crate I had brought.

Then, slowly, I pushed the dog into the crate along with the tarp.

Clunk!

The lid closed with a sound.

Clack!

I immediately engaged the locks.

One, two, three.

Only then...

“...Haah!”

My breath burst out.

Thud!

I collapsed onto the ground.

My arms trembled.

My grip felt numb.

Sweat poured down my back like rain.

Clang! Clang!

Noise continued coming from inside the metal crate.

It was the sound of the creature struggling.

But it couldn’t get out of the crate.

“...Subjugation complete.”

I muttered while gasping for breath.

Soon, a hollow laugh escaped through my teeth.

It was only one lowest-grade entity.

And merely an animal-mediated precursor entity at that.

Yet my whole body was soaked in sweat, my arms were shaking, and I was gasping for breath.

[Unofficial precursor entity capture confirmed]

[Experience acquired!]

At that moment, my eyes widened.

“...Experience? No, a system window like this appears too?”

At this point, there was no denying that the game had become reality.

“More importantly, experience goes up...”

In other words, my stats could increase.

Strength could rise, intelligence could increase, agility could improve.

‘This might help with physical training even more than ordinary exercise.’

In an apocalypse, half a second could mean the difference between life and death.

Immediately afterward, I found myself blankly staring down at the metal crate.

“Then maybe...”

If I kill this thing, would it drop an item too?

‘...Before that, I’ll run a few experiments.’

I had already scouted out a suitable place.

An abandoned temporary storage shed near the river.

A place that had once been used as a container for storing construction materials.

I had checked the location on the map during the day.

“Upsy-daisy!”

I immediately loaded the crate into the trunk of the car.

Anyway... somehow or other, I had safely made it through my first real crisis.