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Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Baiting the Survivor
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I stepped out of the department store and stretched languidly under the sunlight, which somehow felt like it had been ages.
"Uuuuugh~ Humans really do need to get out and roam around!"
Come to think of it, it truly had been a while since I'd felt this leisurely under the sun.
Ever since the zombie outbreak, I'd just been shivering away inside the dorm building nonstop.
'Anyway, where should I head first?'
This sensation of being dropped all alone into a vast open world.
The freedom to go anywhere I pleased.
It brought a refreshing sense of liberation, but when it came to actually deciding what to do, nothing came to mind right away.
After all, I wasn't short on food right now, nor was there any major threat.
"Guess I should tackle the quest first?"
If there was something I needed to do right now, it had to be strengthening the crystal.
It definitely required twenty corpses.
Ah, but after stuffing in Dongtan noona just now, that makes nineteen.
There were zombies scattered around the department store perfect for the crystal strengthening.
But just like inside the store, I didn't want to reduce their numbers out here if I could help it.
Their mere presence formed a powerful defensive wall.
Increasing their numbers was one thing, but decreasing them would be a massive loss for me.
'…So, looks like I'll have to drag them in from somewhere else.'
While I was at it, it'd be ideal if I could haul in dozens or even hundreds instead of just nineteen.
But there was a problem.
How to move the zombies.
These zombie bastards only acted to bite and infect living creatures.
And I was immune to zombies, with them not hostile toward me at all.
So if I wanted to relocate them on my own, I'd have no choice but to pull them along myself, like I did with Dongtan noona earlier.
'Leash them or something… No, even then, dragging nineteen by myself…'
It'd take forever one way or another.
And in the meantime, survivors might spot me….
"Hold on…. Survivors?"
Something flashed in my mind for a split second.
"Alright, let's go."
And just like that, my first outing since becoming a necromancer had its target.
The direction I was facing was the home of my hated enemies.
The university I'd been staying at until recently.
The university district.
I moved while sticking close to the buildings to hide my body as much as possible.
The reason was to avoid being spotted by survivors first.
If someone saw a person casually strolling through a horde of zombies, they'd become a target.
In this world, being invincible to zombies meant you could gather supplies at will.
And among survivor groups, it wasn't guaranteed that only the soldiers in the dorm had real firepower.
That's why I hid myself as best I could.
Of course, it was ironic that I was out here searching for survivors even while doing that.
"Hmm…. Yeah, it's impossible to tell if anyone's around just by looking."
Just like the survivors in the dorm, the people who'd survived the zombie outbreak and holed up in buildings lived like frightened mice.
They couldn't risk making noise that might alert nearby zombies.
So even after arriving in the university district's one-room village, I scanned the surroundings but couldn't spot any signs of human habitation.
'Maybe I should shout and see if anyone comes out….'
I was so frustrated that such a reckless idea crossed my mind.
But I shelved it—no way it wasn't too dangerous.
If soldiers were nearby, I could end up dead before getting proper revenge.
That's when it happened.
'…Did the curtain just move?'
It was a room with the window shut tight.
The chance of it being the wind was extremely low.
Meaning there was at least something moving inside.
'And there are plenty of zombies gathered around the building….'
If there was a person inside, the zombies might be ones drawn by that person.
Either way, checking it out wouldn't hurt.
'The issue is my safety….'
What if there were multiple survivors inside?
And what if they were starved, desperate outlaws with nothing to lose?
If it were me, I might try to tear a chunk out of any sudden visitor for meat.
I definitely needed to prepare some minimum safety measures.
"This one's good."
I'd found a zombie with fairly intact limbs and a modestly pretty face.
If you asked why I kept picking female zombies, well, even as corpses, a pretty girl beats some old dude any day.
Pretty zombie or geezer zombie, their attack power was the same.
They charged and bit when they saw a human.
So obviously, the pretty girl was preferable.
"Now, where…."
She was a female college zombie in a training top and dolphin pants.
Her face didn't ring a bell, so probably not from my department.
Her chest was disappointingly smaller than Dongtan zombie's.
Even so, I slipped my hand in and gave it a squeeze.
—Squelch, squelch.
'Feels like it's gonna become a habit.'
The first time was awkward, but the second was easy.
I'd never actually groped a living girl's breasts, but there was something thrilling about defiling a dead college girl that stirred a forbidden excitement.
Hell, this pretty college girl dying and getting violated by me like this.
"Whoa there, junior, calm down. At least save the real fun for a living girl."
I pulled my hand away from the nameless college zombie's breasts and looped a pre-prepared rope around her neck.
When I tugged the rope afterward, she moved as I led her.
"Alright, let's go."
-Auuuugh….
The college zombie let out a moan in response to my voice.
I pulled my hood up and donned a black mask.
To hide my face in case dangerous survivors attacked.
If I saw signs of aggression, I'd show them the college zombie beside me.
Any normal survivor would steer clear just from seeing a zombie.
One bite and it was game over.
'It was definitely the second floor….'
I ascended the building as cautiously as possible.
Quietly, to avoid making any noise.
I'd worried if the college zombie could climb stairs, but it seemed fine.
Well, if they couldn't even manage stairs, surviving would've been even easier.
Then I reached the room where I'd seen the curtain twitch earlier.
I pressed my ear gently against the door.
'…No sounds at all.'
If there were multiple people inside, I'd expect at least some faint presence.
Not guaranteed, of course.
Still, the odds of several people being crammed in there seemed low.
I carefully gripped the door handle and turned it.
Click, click.
The handle wouldn't turn past a certain point.
It was locked.
'So, there really is a survivor inside then.'
It could be zombies locked in, but I decided to assume it was survivors.
If it was zombies inside, it'd be no different from an empty room to me.
With that, I spoke up.
Loud enough for anyone inside to hear.
"What the, it's locked."
Now, how would she respond?
Two possibilities.
She might hear me and go dead silent, pretending no one's home.
Or else.
[Who is it…?]
She might show interest in the visitor.
'A girl.'
The voice from inside the room was a woman's.
That drained, listless tone—I'd heard it plenty before.
Back in the dorm, when food was running out, the group members sounded just like that.
The survivor inside was starving.
[H-Hey?]
When I didn't reply, a more urgent female voice came again.
She was probably worried I'd left.
"…How many are in there?"
I'd found the survivor I'd been hunting, and part of me wanted to cheer, but I steadied myself and composed my voice.
I couldn't act rashly.
To the woman inside, I was a survivor roaming outside.
From her perspective, I'd be someone to beware of as potentially dangerous.
Yet she'd called out to me, meaning she wanted something from me.
So I'd play the role of an ordinary survivor.
To ease her guard.
And if possible, to claim her.
[H-How about you…? H-How many are there?]
As expected, she was afraid of me.
A perfectly natural reaction if she was alone.
In this lawless zombie wasteland, a lone woman was drool-worthy prey.
She could get brutally raped, turned into a slave like me planning for her, or even become food.
But I didn't answer her question.
"If you won't tell me, I'll head out."
[W-Wait!]
She seemed extremely desperate.
I'd just tested the waters once, and she bit immediately.
[O-One…. Just one. It's only me. Sniff, please help me….]
The moment I threatened to leave, she folded instantly and revealed her goal.
Her guarded tone shifted to exhausted sobbing as she clung to me.
[I've been trapped here, and all my food's gone—haven't eaten in days. Mister, I'm really sorry, but could you help me out just a little? Please, I beg you….]
Mister, huh.
I'm twenty-four, you know.
But whatever.
Just as I'd predicted—a lone survivor isolated and facing death.
'This is prime prey.'
Exactly the type I'd been looking for.
Someone with no one to rely on, no path to survival left, death sentence hanging over them.
And a woman, to boot.
[Growth Quest]
[Acquire the blood of a virgin.]
I recalled the quest details I'd seen at the department store.
No clue if the girl inside was a virgin, but her voice sounded young.
Of course, I couldn't just blurt out, "Hey, you a virgin?"
That'd make me sound insanely suspicious.
A weary woman with no food wouldn't open the door for anyone like that.
Alright, so what now….
[H-Hey? Mister…? M-Mister…! You didn't leave, right?!]
-Uuuooorrr….
While I pondered, the presence inside faded, and the panicked female survivor raised her voice.
That made the college zombie a short distance away react.
"H-Hey…! Quiet down! What if you alert them?!"
[S-Sorry! I thought you'd left….]
At my scolding, the woman inside immediately lowered her voice.
A normal survivor might've gotten furious in this situation.
If zombies swarmed now, it'd be me outside dying, not her inside.
[Mister, sniff, I'm really sorry. But I really don't want to die. Please, sob, please help me just this once….]
Unable to raise her voice, the woman now sobbed openly.
Was it genuine sorrow, or a ploy for pity?
Either way, she desperately needed my help.
Without it, she'd die soon.
If you asked if I'd help out of pity—no way in hell.
If she needed my help that badly, it was a golden opportunity.
First, I'd test the waters.
"Hey, it's kinda unsafe out here—could you open the door?"
[....]
I asked point-blank, and there was no reply.
Pondering it, maybe.
Outside was a man energetic enough to sneak through zombie hordes.
Inside was a starved, powerless woman.
If I wanted, I could do anything.
Would she really open the door…?
[S-Sorry, mister…. If you're hiding, the room next door's empty…!]
Looks like she wasn't desperate enough to open up.
Not starving that badly, then.
Or maybe she feared getting assaulted more than starving.
Makes sense if she was the cautious type who hadn't ventured out even in desperation.
'…Gonna need some work here.'
Sure, I could break in now, tempt her with food, and kidnap her.
But if she screamed and thrashed, zombies might swarm and kill her.
I had no intention of using this woman as a one-and-done disposable.
A lone, starved woman—just the ticket.
With proper training, I could turn her into a pretty decent slave.
"Got it. It's not much, but I'll leave some of my food."
[R-Really?!]
"Yeah, but since I'm sharing my own share, it can't be a lot."
"That's fine…! Thank you…! Really, sniff, thank you so much…!"
Thanks, my ass—she'd pay it all back with her body anyway.
I pulled out a bit of food from my backpack.
'…This should last two days, …or three if she rations it.'
If it wasn't enough and she died, oh well.
No fate there, so I'd just find another survivor.
But if she held out a few days on this.
"If I happen to pass by while scouting around, I'll stop in."
"Huh? D-Do you mean…."
"If you've got plenty of food by then, I'll bring more."
[…A-Ah, sniff, how can I ever… how do I repay this kindness….]
Isolated, death staring her down.
Then this saving hand appears.
She'd come to crave that hand desperately.
And gradually cling to it more and more.
Now, let's see how many days it'd take to conquer her—time to start the fun operation.