Even if it meant dying, Leo had no intention of waiting here to be torn apart.
The RV was already collapsing under the zombies' relentless pushing and tearing, but bracing himself against the wooden frames beside him, Leo forced his way toward the front of the vehicle, which was on the verge of being breached.
He could hear it clearly—the first layer of metal plating had already been ripped open. If he didn't move faster, the wooden frames he'd set up inside the RV wouldn't last long enough for him to finish what he was preparing.
"Bastard sons of bitches…"
Leo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and abruptly pulled out a full stack of gunpowder.
In his inventory, one stack of gunpowder represented a thousand units. In reality, it manifested as a large bundle of black powder. Without hesitation, Leo ripped open the completely unscientific burlap sack—somehow holding a thousand stacks of gunpowder—and poured the contents toward the front of the RV.
In an instant, an endless stream of black powder poured out of the small sack opening, flooding the tightly sealed front compartment of the RV. The entire front section was buried in gunpowder, even sealing off the driver's door completely.
"Hah… I remember MythBusters saying something like this—one solid wall can block most explosion damage, right?"
As he dumped the gunpowder, Leo reinforced every weak-looking seam he could find. The next moment, amid the zombies' howls, he heard the screech of metal tearing apart and felt zombie hands clawing at the wooden frames he'd built.
Leo immediately hurled the still-spewing sack of gunpowder toward the front and, in the same instant, placed several dirt blocks and stone blocks in front of himself.
Just as he finished, the wall where the front windshield had been shattered violently, a zombie's face bursting through.
Leo didn't hesitate.
He pulled out his lighter, ignited a piece of plastic, and threw the burning plastic toward the pile of gunpowder.
As the flaming plastic flew, Leo instantly sealed the last opening with stone blocks and curled his body up tightly.
The next moment—
A terrifying shockwave hit.
Fire. Explosion.
Leo felt his body lift into the air, then the RV slammed back into him. Zombie roars and thunderous noise vanished in an instant, replaced by a deafening ringing in his ears. In his blurred vision, he saw the walls he'd built shattering, followed by a strange sense of vertigo and displacement.
A powerful weightless sensation struck—then another impact, weaker than the first.
Leo collapsed onto his wooden frames, his head buzzing violently. His left arm and right shoulder were in such pain he couldn't move them at all. His vision was soaked in red; he couldn't see clearly.
But he was alive. Still conscious.
Looking at the stone wall he'd built, he realized it had taken surprisingly little damage. The RV's roof, however, had been blown away entirely, giving him a clear view outside.
He was no longer in town. He was extremely close to the trader and the gas station.
Unfortunately, between him and them lay an endless sea of burning zombies.
…Burning?
Leo's muddled mind snapped awake.
He saw it clearly now—zombies engulfed in flames, the front half of the RV blazing fiercely, including the engine and fuel tank.
The gunpowder had detonated successfully—and the explosion had ignited the fuel tank. Nearby zombies were set on fire, and because of the sheer density of the horde, even those farther away were ignited by others.
Fire spread everywhere.
Leo took a deep breath and forced himself to stay alert. Several flaming zombies were already charging toward him, while others continued shoving the wrecked RV.
He tried to move—but his legs were trapped. A cabinet from the RV pinned him down. Everything except the bed had been smashed apart.
Gritting his teeth, Leo summoned his machine gun using pure intent. With one free hand, he opened fire.
Bullets roared out in a blazing stream. He didn't bother with burst fire—he emptied the magazine completely.
When it was time to reload, his arm wouldn't move.
Yet strangely, the reload still completed.
The zombies shoved the ruined RV closer to the trader's building, and Leo caught sight of the trader—standing completely still, as always.
Just as Leo thought the burning horde would slam the RV into the trader's walls—
Another wave of vertigo hit.
Before he could react, the world changed.
The pressure vanished. The heat vanished. The endless burning zombies vanished.
Instead, unburned zombies—fully intact—were charging toward the RV.
Leo froze for a split second before realizing he'd been spatially displaced—to the gas station pillars.
He ran instantly.
Zombies swerved toward him, lunging.
He jumped onto a wooden block, then grit his teeth through the pain and leapt to a second one.
Behind him, the first block was already torn apart by the swarm.
Leo didn't hesitate. He jumped again, placing another wooden block beneath his feet midair.
Pain exploded through his body—so intense he nearly fell. He had to sit on the block briefly, gasping, watching flaming zombies rush from the RV and others swarm in from every direction.
But he knew—this was temporary.
In under three seconds, the zombies below began piling up, forming a living mound to climb.
Suppressing the pain, Leo placed two frame blocks on either side as handholds before continuing upward.
Each jump drained him further. Each movement felt like his life was slipping away.
By the time he reached the top of the gas station and saw the steel beams overhead, he finally managed a few relieved breaths.
He built a platform between the beams with stone blocks and looked down.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"This world really wants me dead."
The zombie pile had already reached halfway up the steel pillars. The frog-like leaping zombies were beginning to jump.
Leo coughed up blood.
He didn't care.
"At least I'll take a few more with me."
He summoned his last two stacks of gunpowder, ripped the small sacks open, and hurled them downward.
Black powder sprayed everywhere, coating the zombies below.
With his strength nearly gone, Leo pulled the trigger.
Bullets struck the scattered powder.
Two massive fireballs erupted in midair.
The sacks themselves ignited—and detonated.
A shockwave blasted upward.
Leo was flung back, crashing hard onto the stone platform.
Agony. Ringing. Flames.
This time, he didn't care anymore.
From his pocket, he took out the roasted meat Erina had made—the emergency food he'd saved in case he escaped.
Now, escape was impossible.
He ate slowly.
His consciousness faded with the distant sounds of explosions and burning.
"I…"
Am I going to die?
Darkness swallowed him.
His final thought was simple.
At least…
————————
When night passed, a cool breeze brushed Leo's face.
He opened his eyes weakly.
A smoke-blackened ceiling.
A splitting headache followed. With immense effort, he sat up from the shattered stone wall and stared blankly around him.
Charred corpses. A town burned to ashes. A forest still smoking.
The trader's building stood untouched.
"Was this place hell from the start?"
The thought crossed his foggy mind—until pain and hunger dragged him fully awake.
"I'm… alive?"
He looked down at the gas station.
It was gone.
Craters scarred the ground. The fuel tank area had become a massive pit. Flames still flickered here and there.
Slowly, Leo understood.
The fire had ignited the fuel tanks. Zombies burned. Fire spread for hours.
After four hours, the zombies abruptly lost interest and dispersed, leaving behind only the burned dead.
Leo didn't know any of that.
He only knew he'd survived.
"As long as I'm alive… I'll keep living."
He coughed and opened his system panel.
A flood of debuffs appeared:
Concussion: 54:36
Fractures: 68:07
Internal Bleeding: 72:21
Healed Infection: 23%
Lacerations: 36:21
Erina Nakiri's Love: 38:42
(Note: Time is displayed in hours:minutes, e.g. 12:30 = 12 hours and 30 minutes.)
"…Huh?"
He opened the last one.
Erina Nakiri's Love:
After consuming dishes made by Erina Nakiri, based on her affection for you:
+50 Max HP
+50 Max Stamina
Stamina Regen +200%
HP Regen +20/hour
Cannot die from any negative status, injury, or disease
Cures Infection 50%
Leo immediately remembered the roasted meat.
A large E icon hovered over it.
He picked it up.
Its name changed.
Erina Nakiri's Newlywed Roasted Meat:
+50 Max HP
+50 Max Stamina
Stamina Regen +200%
HP Regen +20/hour
Cannot die from any negative status, injury, or disease
Cures Infection 50%
A roasted meat infused with a girl's love. Extremely delicious.
Leo burst into laughter.
He laughed even harder seeing his HP—only 6 points left.
Then he stood up.
He would live.
And face the next horde.
But then—
Two glowing orbs suddenly appeared over the ruined town.
Two figures materialized.
One was blonde, dressed in something like a kimono.
The other—
Leo recognized her instantly.
"Kelly?!!"