"No, this is actually just right."
Ryuji grinned, but the moment he glanced toward the doorway, his smile froze.
Because standing outside wasn't just one or two zombies—it was an entire horde.
Dozens of them.
"Uh… yeah, I think we'll need to have a serious talk about your mistakes later."
Despite the sheer number of zombies outside, Ryuji wasn't too worried. These weren't the frenzied, fast-moving ones that came out at night. They were slow, sluggish, and stumbling forward at a snail's pace.
Most importantly, they only had one way in.
The front door.
"Alright then…"
Ryuji took a deep breath. As long as the door held, he only needed to deal with them one at a time. No need to panic. The real concern was that these American-style wooden houses weren't exactly the sturdiest structures. He wasn't sure how long the doors and windows would last.
And just as he started worrying about that—
CRASH!
A series of rotting arms suddenly punched through the thin wooden window frames. Rotten, gnarled fingers reached inside, grasping blindly.
And unlike zombies from other worlds…
These ones could climb.
Ryuji had already noticed this back when the wolves had lured zombies away. But he hadn't expected them to be this agile, even during the daytime when they were supposed to be slower.
Watching the zombies squeeze through the windows while others shambled toward the front door, Ryuji couldn't help but twitch.
"Erina, you take the windows—I'll handle the door! If things get bad, call me, and we'll retreat!"
Without wasting another second, he charged forward, gripping his axe tightly. As soon as the first zombie staggered through the doorway, he swung.
CRACK!
The half-decayed skull split open like an overripe melon. This one was already heavily rotted, so it went down fast.
Taking advantage of the opening, Ryuji pulled out his hammer and brought it down on the next zombie's head.
THUD!
The blow knocked it over, causing it to crash to the floor, blocking the others behind it. The next zombie tripped and fell face-first onto the corpse.
Without hesitation, Ryuji stomped on the first one's head, yanked his axe free, and buried it into the second one's skull before it could get up.
With a brief moment to breathe, he glanced toward Erina's side, half-expecting her to hesitate in fear.
Instead, what he saw left him stunned.
Facing the zombies trying to crawl through the window, Erina stood poised like a seasoned warrior. With a flawless swing, she brought her axe down—
SHING!
A zombie's head flew clean off.
Before the next one could react, she spun a kitchen knife in her other hand, stabbing it straight into its neck.
A quick flick of her wrist.
SLICE!
Blood gushed from the wound, but not a single drop landed on her clothes.
With a swift motion, she tilted her knife upward, snapping the zombie's neck and sending its head lolling to the side.
It stopped moving instantly.
For a moment, Ryuji just stood there, slack-jawed.
The way she moved—so fluid, so efficient, so precise. Not a single wasted motion.
Meanwhile, he dodged another zombie's clumsy attack, swung his axe, and—
SPLAT!
Blood sprayed all over his clothes.
Erina's eyes widened as she shrieked, "W-What are you standing around for?! Pay attention! I am a chef, you know! Of course, I know how to use a knife properly!"
...Oh.
Right.
Ryuji glanced at his own aching arms, then back at Erina, who had already found her rhythm. Three clean swings—three zombie heads rolled across the floor. And she wasn't even out of breath.
...Wait a minute.
She's—stronger than me?
Faster. More agile. More precise. And her timing was perfect.
Sure, she still looked a little scared, but her combat skills were undeniable.
Ryuji blinked.
"...Huh."
At first, it seemed absurd, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
Erina was a rich, arrogant blonde. A picky eater. A self-absorbed princess.
But she was also a chef.
And not just any chef—a world-class, elite chef.
Never mind her slim waist, long legs, and, well, other assets—
She was someone who could effortlessly flip a heavy iron wok in one hand.
And if you really thought about it…
Out of all modern professions, chefs were probably the most skilled at handling knives.
Even professional swordsmen didn't know as much about cutting flesh as a chef did.
Chefs…
Were actually masters of cold weapons?
Ryuji felt like he had just uncovered a fundamental truth of the universe.
Ryuji let his thoughts wander for a moment, but when he saw another zombie stepping into his attack range, he snapped back to reality. Without hesitation, he swung his axe again, cleaving through another rotten skull.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. Ryuji exhaled heavily, panting from exertion.
Even though the zombies were decayed, wielding an axe and hammer was still exhausting work. As an injured office worker, he didn't exactly have the best stamina.
"I can't let myself be outdone!"
Gritting his teeth, Ryuji adjusted his grip and swung again, bringing down another zombie. He flexed his arms before delivering a crushing blow to its head, making sure it stayed down.
Then, a thought struck him.
He mentally called up his game interface.
He wanted to see how much experience he was gaining from each kill.
As soon as the interface appeared, Ryuji instinctively swung his axe at the next zombie, landing a perfect hit. The zombie collapsed instantly, and at the edge of his vision, a string of numbers popped up.
+1250 EXP.
His experience bar surged forward. Almost enough for a level-up.
"So, nine more zombies and Erina can become a player too? No… the required experience should be lower for her, since she doesn't have…"
Ryuji trailed off as he turned toward Erina—
And froze.
In the short span of time he had been fighting, a small pile of severed zombie heads had already formed at Erina's feet.
And she still wasn't even breaking a sweat.
Her breathing remained steady. Her clothes were spotless.
The zombies, despite their limited intelligence, were capable of clearing away fallen bodies to make room for more of their kind. But that didn't help them much here.
Because every single one of them was sticking their heads into the window first—
Which meant Erina had the perfect opportunity for one clean decapitation after another.
In fact, thanks to the zombies clearing the window for each other, it had essentially become a high-efficiency guillotine.
…So how the hell did she ever end up running from a handful of zombies before?
Watching this absurd display, Ryuji was at a complete loss.
With combat skills like that, even he might struggle to do anything to her, let alone the zombies.
"Where the hell is she getting all that strength from?"
His gaze drifted to her slender arms.
It didn't make sense.
But he didn't have time to dwell on it—another zombie was coming at him.
Because of Erina's relentless efficiency at the window, Ryuji's workload at the door wasn't as overwhelming. But unfortunately, the zombies weren't exactly lining up in an orderly fashion. They pounded on the walls, circled the house, and desperately tried to find another entry point.
And just as Ryuji brought down another zombie, a hand with exposed bones suddenly burst through the wall next to the door.
The rotting wooden boards cracked and splintered under the impact.
The door, already damaged, creaked dangerously.
It wasn't a full breach yet, but it was enough to make him realize—these houses weren't safe. If they wanted a true shelter, they'd need something made of concrete and steel.
Then again…
Watching the mindless, swarming zombies, Ryuji frowned.
"I can't be sure whether this world has special zombies that can burrow through concrete… or ones so strong that they're completely immune to gunfire."
That was a terrifying thought.
After all, he was still in the process of figuring out how this world worked. The merchant he had encountered earlier had been selling guns and ammunition, which suggested that firearms weren't particularly difficult to obtain.
Which led to one major question—
Would the game really be this easy?
Ryuji had his doubts.
Pushing the thought aside, he continued his mechanical motions, swinging his axe with practiced efficiency.
Then, as another zombie fell—
Ding!
He leveled up.
…But nothing happened.
No stamina recovery. No health restoration. Not even a reset on negative status effects.
He still felt just as tired, sore, and hungry as before.
"What the hell is the point of leveling up, then?"
No time to think about that now.
With their relentless attacks, Ryuji and Erina gradually thinned the horde. Eventually, the last zombie swayed on its feet before finally collapsing.
Ryuji exhaled, his arms aching so much he could barely lift his weapon.
Even Erina, who had seemed untouchable before, was finally starting to show signs of exhaustion.
Looking at the sea of corpses, Ryuji turned to her.
"Do we stay here and rest, or find a new place?"
Erina shook her head, and took a few deep breaths. Then, suddenly, her face turned pale.
The overwhelming stench of rotting flesh and blood hit her all at once.
Her stomach twisted violently.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched straight for the door.
She hadn't noticed the smell while fighting, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off, it was unbearable.
Ryuji wasn't a fan of the stench either, but he was too exhausted to move just yet. He wanted to avoid unnecessary risks by staying put for a while.
Still, if Erina wanted to leave, then fine.
Sighing, he followed her.
Just as they were about to step through the back door—
Erina suddenly froze.
Ryuji frowned. "What's wrong—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the door in front of her swung open—
All on its own.
There was no wind. No one had touched it.
For a brief moment, an eerie silence filled the air.
Then—
"Oh? You got the system too?"
Ryuji had suspected it might happen, but seeing it confirmed still left him with mixed feelings.
Relief.
But also… something else.
"Yes, I got it too, but is this really not an illusion?" Erina's voice wavered. Her expression was a mix of disbelief and confusion as she stared at the door, which continued to open and close as if controlled by an invisible force.
It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.
Ryuji gave her a tired smile.
"Yeah… but it'll help us survive."
For a moment, he considered patting her on the head.
Then he looked down at his hands—still covered in zombie blood.
…Maybe not.
"Oh, by the way, check your character info. See if you have an 'infection cured' status. Just think about opening the menu and press (B) in your mind."
Erina hesitated but did as instructed.
A few seconds later, she frowned and shook her head.
Something was different.
"No. Aside from a treated abrasion, hunger, and thirst, I don't have any other status effects."
Ryuji's mouth twitched.
He never expected this outcome—Erina wasn't infected at all.
"Wait… but she did have a fever and dizziness earlier. Those were clear signs of her immune system fighting something off. So… is her immunity just way stronger than mine?"
The thought was a bit frustrating, but it made perfect sense.
She had spent her whole life eating top-tier nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and even had a personal chef specializing in medicinal cuisine.
Meanwhile, he was living off takeout every other day, working late hours in an office, and barely seeing sunlight.
It'd be more shocking if her physical condition wasn't better than his.
"Guess you won't have the same problems I do, huh?"
Ryuji sighed, forcing a smile as he stepped outside.
Erina didn't quite understand why he looked a little disappointed, but she quickly followed after him.
"Hey, pervy old man! Do you think we'll ever get back home?"
She grabbed onto his sleeve. Even after beheading more than a dozen zombies, her hands were still spotless—completely unlike Ryuji's, which were coated in blood and grime.
Ryuji casually wiped his hands with a few scraps of fabric before shaking his head.
"I have no idea. No one knows what the people who threw us into this place are thinking. If this is some kind of trial, then maybe we can leave when we clear it. But for all we know… we might be stuck here forever."
He shrugged, then gave her a suspicious look.
"Also, what's with the whole 'pervy old man' thing? I'm not that old!"
Erina playfully stuck out her tongue—only to immediately regret it as the lingering stench of corpses hit her again. She hurriedly pulled it back in, her expression twisting in disgust.
"Because you are a pervert! Not only did you strip me naked, but you even did that to that scary merchant lady!"
She huffed, crossing her arms.
The memory of Ryuji grabbing the merchant's chest made her inexplicably angry.
Even though she wasn't sure why.
—