The wooden structure creaked under Nathan's weight — not dangerously, just enough to remind him that this entire fortress had been designed by someone whose architectural qualifications consisted solely of panic and optimism.
From up here, the world looked… different.
The wind brushed against his skin, cool and gentle, carrying the earthy scent of trees and distant grass. Warm sunlight bathed his face, the last golden rays of evening stretching across the clearing. Somewhere far away, birds chirped peacefully — blissfully unaware that an apocalypse tutorial level was about to begin.
Nathan brushed his jet-black hair back and exhaled slowly.
The countdown hovered in his vision.
[Monster spawning will begin in: 41 seconds…]
His heart beat quickened.
Not purely from fear — there was also subtle excitement.
This is it.
The real test.
The campfire behind crackling in what sounds like a tense, background music.
Nathan swallowed.
The sunlight faded second after second until the sun finally slipped beneath the horizon, leaving behind a faint indigo glow that washed over the clearing like a dim curtain. The world shifted instantly — colors dulling, shapes sharpening into silhouettes.
The air felt heavier… still.
The countdown ticked down relentlessly.
[5… 4… 3…]
Nathan tightened his grip around his gun.
[2…]
His breathing slowed instinctively, just like during practice.
[1…]
The timer vanished.
He steeled his resolve.
Alright… it begin.
For one brief second, nothing happened.
Only silence.
Then—
A faint, low growl echoed from somewhere nearby.
Nathan froze.
Another growl answered it.
Then another after another.
His muscles tensed instantly — not just because of how ominous the sound was, but because one of them sounded very close.
Too close to be comfortable.
"…Wait," he muttered.
Slowly, and carefully, he turned his head toward the inside of the fortress.
And he saw it.
A pale humanoid figure was rising from the dirt itself.
Not climbing.
Not entering through a gate.
But rising.
Head-first, its skull forced upward through a swirling patch of black, tar-like substance that spreading across the ground. The material bubbled and dissolved as if reality itself had developed a leak.
The creature emerged grotesquely, shoulders dragging free, arms twitching violently before stabilizing. It stood with slightly bent spinal posture at roughly 160 cm (4'9") tall.
Nathan stared.
"…You've got to be shitting me." he mumbled.
The thing looked human.
Technically.
If a human had been processed through a meat grinder and reheated improperly.
Its skin hung loose and peeling, some patches missing entirely. Parts of its scalp had melted away, exposing bone beneath thin strands of remaining hair. One eye bulged outward, glowing an eerie yellow, while its mouth hung open, dripping viscous gray fluid onto the soil.
And the worst part?
It had appeared inside his fortress — as if personally invited.
"No one told me they'd just spawn out of thin air!" Nathan whispered harshly.
His panic surged, and immediately snapped his gaze beyond the walls.
Under the fading indigo light, movement stirred around the clearing.
One… two…
Four figures shuffled toward him slowly, arms stretched forward, heads tilted unnaturally.
He tracked their positions quickly.
Two from the side where the sun had set — probably west if this world also follow the same rule — positioned close to each other, approximately twenty meters away from his position — one carrying a sword.
One from the north about fifteen meters away.
One from the east approximately the same distance with the north one.
Five zombies total.
Nathan swallowed hard.
Okay. Five is already bad. Still… at least it's not a hundred.
But his attention snapped back to the one inside.
The closest threat.
The most dangerous one.
Because right behind it stood the wooden ladder leading directly to the wall's top.
"…Nope," he muttered. "You don't get VIP access."
He moved to the opposite side of the wall, putting distance between them before raising his pistol.
His hands trembled violently — far worse than during practice.
Because wooden targets didn't breathe, didn't groan, and didn't look vaguely human.
He tightened his grip.
…Why are my hands shaking this much?
The zombie growled again.
Then, proving his worst fear correct, it didn't wander aimlessly.
It turned.
And began walking toward the ladder.
Nathan's stomach churned.
They're not completely brainless.
One small relief: it moved slowly, dragging its feet rather than running.
Still, the intent behind its movement sent cold tension into his shoulders.
His finger hovered over the trigger — but it won't move.
It still looks human…
The zombie reached the base of the ladder and began climbing. One step after another.
Shoot!
Nathan's thoughts spiraled.
Why can't I shoot?
It's getting up the wall!
The creature climbed steadily until its head rose level with the wall's top.
Just pull the trigger already!
Then it turned its glowing eyes directly toward him.
That single motion snapped something inside Nathan.
Get yourself together, Nathan!
It's a zombie, not a living human. Either you kill it — or it kills you.
He shut his eyes briefly.
Inhale… then exhale, desperately trying to calm himself down.
He opened his eyes again.
"…Just like practice, and…"
He focused.
"Hunter's Mark!"
A faint pull left his body — the subtle sensation of mana consumption, like air slipping out from his lungs.
A glowing marker appeared above the zombie's head, followed by translucent interface materialized in his peripheral vision, showing the zombie's status — it's look like a video game HUD, but real.
[Walker — Rank: F — HP: 100% ]
Nathan spared it only a glance before refocusing.
The zombie advanced slowly across the wall's top, dragging its feet with wet scraping sounds that sent crawling sensation down his spine.
Just like practice.
Grip steady.
Front and rear sight aligned.
Breathe in… then out.
He fired.
*BANG!!!*
The gunshot tore through the quiet evening, violently assaulting his unprotected ears. Pain rang sharply in his skull, but adrenaline swallowed the discomfort before it could slow him down.
The bullet struck the zombie's shoulder.
Dark-red blood burst outward like crimson mist, droplets scattering across the wooden wall. The impact twisted the creature sideways—
—but it didn't fall.
It kept coming.
The zombie's status window flickered.
[HP: 63%]
Nathan's eyes widened.
"…Still moving."
He corrected his aim instinctively and fired again.
*BANG!*
The second shot slammed into the zombie's chest. The force pushed it backward half a step, its torso jerking unnaturally as bone and rotten flesh absorbed the impact.
[HP: 7%]
The zombie released a distorted growl, thick blood spilling freely and dripping onto the wood in heavy, sticky drops.
Then the smell reached him.
It was horrific.
Rotten eggs mixed with spoiled tofu left under the sun for a week, layered with something metallic and damp that made his stomach revolt instantly.
Nathan gagged but forced it down.
"Uugh… that's disgusting…"
Ironically, the revulsion helped.
The hesitation gripping his chest loosened.
Fear gave way to irritation.
Okay, he thought grimly. This thing officially lost all human privileges.
His mind began analyzing automatically.
Different body parts deal different damage…
The shoulder shot reduced less HP.
The chest nearly finished it.
Logical.
Vital areas meant higher damage.
But this was undead.
Do vital points even matter if it's already dead?
The zombie staggered closer, now only a few meters away, arms reaching forward.
Nathan didn't retreat.
Closer range meant better accuracy.
One more shot.
He raised the pistol higher and aligned the sights with the zombie's head.
His breathing slowed.
The world narrowed.
Noise faded.
Trigger pressure increased smoothly—
*BANG!*
[Critical Hit!]
The bullet pierced straight through the zombie's forehead.
For one unnatural second, it remained standing.
Then all strength vanished from its body.
It collapsed backward heavily, crashing onto the wooden platform with a dull thud. Its limbs twitched once before going completely still.
Silence followed.
Nathan remained frozen with his gun still raised, chest rising and falling rapidly.
"…I… did it?"
Notifications flooded his vision.
[You have slain a Walker — F-Rank]
[EXP +1]
[Hunter's Gallery Kill Count — Walker: 0/1 → 1/1]
[Walker kill quota fulfilled — Vitality 1.2 → 1.3]