Surviving the Apocalypse with Crafting Skills

“Gurk. Guuuh.”

The zombies in the underground concrete have one annoying trait.

They aren’t infected by a virus, but rather their bodies are controlled by parasites that burrow into the brain.

I don’t know the exact mechanism, but they reproduce by making cuts with their mouths or nails and laying eggs in the victim’s body.

So, when the parasites perceive the host body as “damaged,” they make a desperate attempt to transfer to a new victim.

If their legs are gone, they crawl with their arms; if their arms are gone, they thrash their bodies around to make physical contact – attempting to tear into the next victim’s flesh.

Of course, they can’t even rip through clothing, and once they’re outside the body, they dry up and die within 30 seconds.

The alarming part is that they instinctively go for the eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears when they can.

Therefore.

The best method is to blow off the head where the parasite resides.

Or to burn the body with the parasite still inside.

However, firing a gun attracts all nearby creatures that will come running toward me.

Using fire reveals my location from afar and risks suffocation if not careful.

The approach I’ll take is…

“Rather than cigarettes, a lighter, lighter, lighter… right, here it is.”

I left the messy drawers behind and immediately followed the wires exposed on the upper wall with my eyes.

If I’m going to start a big fire, I need an oil drum, which should be in the generator room.

I picked up the shotgun and the dagger James had provided, used to break a locked drawer, and stood up.

– Thud, thud, thud, thud…

I heard something moving around inside the ventilation duct.

“Chirp, chiirrrk.”

It seems the church group hasn’t arrived yet.

With these noises still being heard.

“Hooouu…”

Right now, the Omen family is under great stress due to their granddaughter and daughter, Sarah, falling into paralysis. They will undoubtedly not be able to calmly respond to combat.

Lacking calmness affects their aim, and excitement leads to more damage in close combat but decreases accuracy and evasion.

They can’t possibly stand against the church group who have enhanced night vision and use mysterious toxins.

Therefore, I need to lure the church group to me.

Of course, I’m not willing to die for them.

The boss for the tutorial appears when all the preceding tasks are completed.

In other words, if I can control the time and place to complete the conditions, the Tutorial Hammerhead will appear when and where I want.

– Creakyik.

I opened the door to the generator room and shook some plastic or steel containers.

The first few predictably swung empty, making hollow sounds, but when I picked up one in the corner…

“Tsch.”

– Slosh, slosh.

It was at least half-full, and the sound of the liquid splashing against a thin metal plate rang out crisply.

With this, the tool to start a fire is secured.

I immediately left the room and quickly moved toward the hallway where the zombies should be.

My materials for crafting are already well over three, as I’ve collected bolts, nuts, and small iron plates that count as scrap metal.

I’ve already cleared the conditions with the items: I received the dagger and shotgun.

I tried on James’s bulletproof vest under the pretense of inspection and then returned it, so the acquisition condition should be satisfied.

I’ve already killed over five giant spiders in that room, and I made the preparation by severing one leg.

Now the remaining task is to draw the church group in ambush toward me.

“…”

I took one cigarette from the pack I had kept and placed it in my mouth.

Although smoking adds a debuff where withdrawal creates double anxiety if you don’t smoke, it helps maintain calm during combat.

Maintaining calm grants aiming bonuses and increases critical hit probability.

“Huep, cough, cough!? Cough, cough!”

The smoke is burning hot, stinging, and wretched to an unbearable degree.

Moreover, this drying sensation in my mouth –

“Ah-.”

I couldn’t bring myself to take the second puff.

Where could the phrase “tastes good” even come from when describing cigarettes?

Given this, can I even gain any benefits?

…No, rather, isn’t the very thought that everything in games applies to me directly the incorrect assumption?

The muscle soreness and fatigue I feel every time I move are all real.

When I’m hurt, will lighting up a cigarette really soothe me?

“Ch.”

I held the duct tape I had found along with the cigarette in my mouth.

After turning on the flashlight, I firmly attached it to the long barrel of the shotgun.

– Chiiriiik.

Originally, even these simple steps required a crafting kit in games, but I was indeed capable of doing whatever needed now.

However, that fact unnerved me.

Lacking a status window to view and creating bullets magically by tinkering with crafting kits seemed odd.

What if the Hammerhead doesn’t appear?

“… Cough, cough!”

I stood up with the flashlight-attached shotgun in hand.

While exhaling the cigarette smoke, I moved my shaky legs.

I’ve come this far, and if I don’t help, the three of them will die.

As long as things flow like the game for now, I must follow along.

I’ve met the community, encountered zombies, and even met spiders.

The only strange part is that other mutants have not appeared.

If that’s the case, eliminating just five zombies should summon the Hammerhead.

“Hooouu.”

– Ping, ping, pingpingpingping…

Listening to the creaking sounds, I steadied my stance.

Exhaling the cigarette smoke, I aimed the barrel at the slowly approaching group of zombies.

Just fitting the flashlight had made it significantly easier to see.

…The gunshot will likely draw the ambush team to check on my status.

This hallway where I stand is in the shape of ‘田’, with four rooms surrounding the central cross-shaped hallway and the square one.

Additionally, two external hallways connect to this structure.

Wherever it may be, the Hammerhead will appear from one of those external hallways, and the church group will fall for it.

– Tick.

I dropped the almost burnt-out cigarette to the ground and extinguished it with my foot.

The tension in my hands holding the shotgun loosened slightly.

…Perhaps, a baseless confidence that I can do this began to rise.

“Let’s begin.”

I fixed my aiming reticle exactly on the head of the zombie with green hair, then counted mentally.

Precisely ten.

Good.

I gripped the pump tighter.

If I kill five, a mini-boss will appear.

That boss must target the church group, not me.

As my thoughts sorted out, I pulled the trigger.

– Bang.

The flying steel pellets turned the ‘O’ shape of the head into a ‘U’.

The body twitched from the absent brain and fell forward.

“Uerk, guh, kehuh.”

The zombies began slowly moving towards me.

Some among them didn’t even notice the body fallen right in front of them and tripped over it.

It takes time for those fallen ones to get back up.

I aimed at the overlapping head of the approaching one.

This is a buckshot cartridge with weak penetration power that only scatters steel pellets.

Narrowing the distance, I targeted where two are overlapping.

– Splurge.

With the sound of tearing flesh, a blonde zombie mixed with ash scattered and fell.

The one who lost half its head flailed its hands and fell backward.

– Click.

The second shell fell to the ground.

I immediately pulled two more from my pocket and loaded them.

– Slick, slick.

The sound of a spring being pressed and steel scraping against steel reached through my hands.

Clearly, the zombies ahead are torn apart, and worms-like bugs wriggling in the non-healing wounds could be seen.

“Hooouu.”

Still, I could calmly move the aim point and find the next target.

Like crushing a tomato on a frying pan, the crimson blood splattered on the wall with a thud.

A black, fat worm-like insect wriggled on the path of blood before losing its energy and flopped over.

“One last one.”

Before that, I opened my ears.

When the church group is nearby, no surrounding noise can be heard.

And now.

The metal sounds from the noisy ventilation ducts just moments ago have disappeared.

– Bang.

With that, the fifth zombie fell to the ground.

– Click.

The sound of an empty shell hitting the ground echoed.

– …

It was quiet.

It shouldn’t be this quiet, but it is…

“WHOORRR!!!”

“AAACK!!!”

The sound of something being crushed accompanied by a deep-throated beat in my chest.

Gunshots.

And even the sound of steel smashing against the floor.

“-!”

Right behind the now almost extinct group of zombies, something cloaked in black fabric hurriedly passed through the corridor.

Distinct ‘red’ skin was visible through the flapping clothes.

It was clear.

They were the church people.

– Bang, bang.

I immediately shot down the remaining zombies and moved towards where the black figures disappeared.

Contrary to my worries, this place appeared to be unmistakably the world I knew.

And in the direction pointed by my gun—

“UUUWAAAHHHH!!!”

A body completely covered in black fur.

A tremendous, anvil-shaped head guard pressing against the face.

The bent-back spine from its weight.

However, its massive arms are more than enough to support that body.

The beast hammered its chest and roared.

It was truly the Hammerhead.

“Brothers, do not retreat, you are chosen for the new world—”

Before the apparent leader could finish his speech, he was smashed into the head by the approaching giant.

Without a single reaction.

“Ahhh, guuuh…”

– Grrack, grrack, bang.

It was the Hammerhead’s execution motion as it was.

Like grinding meat, hammering its head into the ground and turning the victim into a literal meat pancake.

And the members of the Scarlet Church watching this—

“s, Savior, please g, grace upon us.”

“g, it’s hopeless, we need to flee…”

Frozen, they couldn’t even boast high evasion rates.

Even when the execution finished as the Hammerhead flung its arm against the wall.

Even when he prepared for the second execution by bracing his body with both hands.

“Aaah!”

Again, the ruthless hammering noise echoed through the corridor.

But, me, observing this passively—my hands didn’t even tremble.

Could it really be thanks to the cigarette?

“j, brothers and sisters, clear your minds! The monstrosity that does not follow our chosen path must be eliminated!”

Three members of the church group who managed to snap out of their shock.

They took out a knife, a silencer-equipped pistol, and a syringe from their clothes.

“Death to the monstrosity! Blessed be our Scarlet Church!”

They quickly rushed toward the Hammerhead.

“Kwaaaarr!”

The bullets aimed at the head just angered it.

The dagger aimed at the skin struggled to inflict even the slightest wound.

Even more so, the member who leapt in to inject a needle into its body—

“Th, this is why—aaaak!”

Was crushed by the weight of the body that had climbed on top.

– Crunch. Powdercrackcrack.

The sound of bones being crushed reverberated through the corridor.

“Si, Savior, how could you forsake us?”

Again, they were shocked.

One thrown off balance by a punch.

And—

“Scarlet, how could you—”

Starting again to hammer.

No matter how they were the initial church members, I at least believed they would accumulate some damage.

They turned into pancakes of flesh without inflicting a single scratch.

“Kuuuu…uh.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

While clutching its head and in pain, the Hammerhead soon collapsed to a sitting position.

It breathed heavily through the steel beneath, trying to sustain its heavy head—

“Ooof!”

Dropping its stubby head onto the floor and releasing its hands.

A resting period.

Due to its head-smashing movements, it suffers from constant exhaustion and light brain concussions.

This is my chance.

– Clatter, clatter, click.

I grabbed the oil drum, then immediately started pouring it over the prone body.

The creature doesn’t move until a new ‘stimulus’ is introduced during its rest period.

Threatening loud noises, wounds, provocations, injection of drugs—various things.

However, the action of pouring oil doesn’t produce loud noises, and the helmet covering the head also limited its vision and sense of smell.

In other words, the already-flammable furry gorilla didn’t resist at all as it was soaked in oil.

And now, this lighter in my hand—

“Xuan Woo?!”

From the other side of the corridor blocked by the steel-headed gorilla, another light source appeared.

I quickly shone the flashlight mounted on my gun and saw James there.

“Is, is this what…?”

His hand holding the rifle was trembling.

And because he had just called out my name—

“Thatuuuu.”

The massive body was sluggishly trying to get up.

Using his hands to push off the floor while resting his head on the ground.

“Mr. James. Please calm down and don’t shoot, under any circumstances.”

I slowly moved behind his thin legs to the small gap leading to the corridor where James was standing.

Taking advantage of the moment the Hammerhead fumbles to get up, I moved to the corridor.

“S, explanation is…later…”

“Yes, we’ll talk later.”

The Hammerhead supports its heavy head with both arms.

Because of this, its legs are only a bit thicker than a human’s.

I inserted one shell into the empty chamber of my spent shotgun and pumped it.

– Click.

“Uum?”

Before his clumsy body can turn around, I pulled the trigger.

A terrifying scream echoed through the corridor but ignored it. I reignited the lighter again and threw it.

“KHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

The roar shaking the corridor made James’ body, which was about to sit down, stiffen.

“Hurry and run!”

This monstrous gorilla that no bullets, knives, or needles can penetrate will rage for about a minute before burning to death.

We must run with all our might before then.

This is the final hurdle.

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