Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 13

Survival is a serious matter (4)

***

After a hearty breakfast of combat rations, I started preparing, laying out my weapons on the floor.

First, I put on my combat vest.

I then carefully placed grenades into the vest.

I added a field jacket on top and wrapped the handles of a monkey wrench and a fire axe with cloth.

Lastly, I checked the booby traps in my briefcase.

‘This should do.’

Finally, satisfied with my preparations, I nodded.

Just then, the door behind me opened, and Ki-hyun walked in.

“Are you ready?”

“All set.”

I gathered my weapons and looked at Ki-hyun.

“Let’s go.”

Ki-hyun nodded nervously.

I led the way, and we started moving.

Where are we heading with all this gear, you ask?

To the penthouse, of course.

***

We arrived at the entrance of the 10th floor via the emergency stairs.

Thi s w as c o p i e d f r o m k ing m t l. or g
As I cleared the barricade, I asked Ki-hyun,

“What about the others?”

“Jinwoo’s got the 5th floor covered, so it’s fine.”

“Good, and…”

I stretched my words, looking at Ki-hyun.

‘She seems too tense.’
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g m t l .o r g

She was so stiff that it looked like she might pass out from anxiety.

Nothing would get done if she stayed this tense.

I approached her to ease the tension before we began.

“Ki-hyun.”

She flinched.

“W-What?”

I patted her shoulder and continued,

“Relax. You’re with me, so what’s there to worry about?”

Showing reliability at times like this is what a real adult does.

As I spread my shoulders and smiled, Ki-hyun immediately frowned.

“Don’t you think it’s because I’m with you that I’m like this?”

“…”

Well, she sure knows how to leave someone speechless.

She had such a sharp personality.

‘But I have my ways too.’

Having observed Ki-hyun for over a week, I had a good grasp of her character.

I dropped my shoulders and put on my saddest face.

“…I’m sorry. Am I still not trustworthy?”

“Ugh…!”

Her shoulders flinched.

She glared at me, obviously angry but too guilty to say anything harsh.

‘She has a conscience after all.’

Despite her tough exterior, she was sensitive and emotional.

When I acted low-key, she got flustered.

Some might say I’m manipulating her, but I had a reason.

‘I can’t live under constant stress, can I?’

I needed to survive too.

With an age gap of over two decades, living under a kid’s thumb would be unbearable.

“…Enough. Just get ready.”

“Okay…”

Her fists trembled.

‘Kid, you’re still far from grown.’

Trying to challenge an adult, how cheeky.

***

Despite the minor fuss, we finished clearing the barricade without issues.

I reviewed the plan as we faced the upper floors.
T hi s was c o p i e d f ro m k i ng m tl .o r g

“It’s as I explained. We’ll clear one floor at a time, set up booby traps, and lure the zombies into them.”

“Can’t we just blow them all up with grenades?”

“The building would collapse.”

Ki-hyun fell silent.

It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable thought, so I chuckled and added,

“We’re not trying to demolish the building. These bombs are modified for indoor use, but they still pack a punch. We might damage the building’s structure if we’re not careful. It’s better to use the traps delicately unless it’s a worst-case scenario. We don’t want to be homeless, do we?”

“…What’s a ‘homeless’?”

Oh, right, I forgot Ki-hyun’s highest education level was elementary school dropout.

“A vagrant.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?”

Ki-hyun clicked her tongue, and I was dumbfounded.

My eyes narrowed.

‘Look at how cheeky she is.’

She had no cute side at all.

I held back a retort, packed the traps and tools, and headed up the stairs.

“Let’s go.”

“…Alright.”

The rest of the job went smoothly.

We climbed to the 13th floor, where the fire shutter was closed, then set up traps while descending to the 10th floor.

We made noise loud enough to reach the upper floors, luring the zombies into the traps.

This wouldn’t completely clear the upper floors, but it would take out the more aggressive ones, making the remaining zombies easier to handle.

“Phew… All set.”
T h i s w a s c op i ed f ro m k i n g mtl. o r g

Back on the 10th floor, I looked at the traps filling the stairs, feeling pleased.

‘Perfect.’

The traps were aligned to detonate towards the passageway, and the process was something I’d done countless times before.

I stretched, patted my waist, and told Ki-hyun,

“Now, let’s really get started.”

Ki-hyun nodded and turned on the radio.

The track in the CD player started playing EDM.

[—–!]

There’s nothing better than this for physical activity.

***

Boom!

An explosion echoed.

The noise pierced through my earplugs, causing me to shiver.

I yelled at Ki-hyun,
T hi s w a s c o pi e d f ro m ki n g m t l. org

“They’re coming down! Get ready!”

Even with the traps, some zombies might survive.

It’s essential to be aware of this, which is likely why I warned Ki-hyun.

She gripped a nail-studded bat with both hands, staring at the upper stairs.

Thick smoke billowed down.

The raspy groans of zombies overlapped.

Soon, two zombies emerged from the chaos, mostly intact.

T h is w as c o p i ed fr o m k i ng mtl .o r g
“Take one!”

I swung my monkey wrench at the first one.

A full swing hit it on the head.

Its rotten skull shattered like a watermelon, sending splinters flying.

Squish!

The wrench, still powerful, hit the wall with a clang.

I turned to check on Ki-hyun.

T h i s w a s c o pie d f ro m ki n g m t l . o r g
Crunch!

She had snapped a zombie’s neck, sending its head flying.

“Nice!”

I cheered, but her face was scrunched up.

Feeling awkward, I closed my mouth.

I understood her reaction.

She wasn’t used to fighting zombies yet.

The feel of smashing a skull was deeply unpleasant.

Still, she couldn’t avoid this forever.

The world they’d live in required this harsh reality to survive.

I had to teach Ki-hyun this grim reality, just in case.

I patted her back and shouted,

“Good job! Just like that!”

She nodded, trembling.

‘Maybe it’s too soon…’
T hi s w a s c op i e d fr o m k i n g m t l. o r g

Her face looked strained.

She had shown discomfort even when we fought zombies at the hideout, so pushing her further wasn’t wise.

“Ki-hyun!”

“What?”

“Go downstairs and rest! I’ll handle the rest!”

No more zombies seemed to be coming down.

The traps had all detonated, leaving only crippled zombies.

I could handle it alone.

Just as I decided and was about to go up,

Tug.

Ki-hyun grabbed my collar.

She glared at me with a determined face.

“I can do more!”

She straightened her back and gripped the bat again.

I scrutinized her face and finally nodded.

“You’ve got spirit!”

She scowled.

“If all the bombs have gone off, take these out!”

She removed her earplugs.

I laughed and followed suit, then said,

“Let’s go. Let’s clean from the 10th floor up.”

“Don’t need to say it.”

She’s tough, that’s for sure.

***

The rest of the cleanup was smooth.

We scoured each room, finding zombies crawling on the floor or just heads snapping their jaws.

It was simple work, striking down immobile zombies.

Finally, we reached the penthouse entrance, and I felt a surge of emotion.

“Wow, this completes a bucket list item.”

“Bucket list?”

“Yeah? Oh, it’s like a dream or wish you want to fulfill in life. I always wanted to live in a penthouse.”

“Ridiculous…”

Ki-hyun, much more relaxed than at the start, chuckled.

I laughed with her and then said,

“Maybe we should gather the kids and make a time capsule someday. Write our future dreams and open it in ten years.”

It was a trend when I was a student.

T h i s w as co p ied f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g
“How about it?”

Ki-hyun stared at me for a moment, then replied,

“Mister, do you know how cringeworthy you sound sometimes? Could you think before speaking?”

It hit me hard.

I silently opened the penthouse door.

And smashed the designer-clad zombie inside.

No, it wasn’t an outlet for my frustration.

“Who do you think you are, wearing designer clothes as a zombie!”

It just irked me.
T h is w a s c o p i e d fro m ki n g m tl.o r g

…Really.

End of Chapter