Chapter 52 – Safe Zone (1)

Lush trees surrounded the grass, with a large road running through the middle of the lawn.

Low, large buildings were visible beyond the trees.

Even though the world had changed so much, the outskirts of the safe zone still looked like a well-maintained park.

Unlike the busy center of the safe zone filled with people, this area was quiet because it was close to the safe zone’s boundary.

Even though people knew the undead couldn’t enter the safe zone, they were still afraid of seeing them.

Just because the undead couldn’t enter the safe zone didn’t mean it was truly safe.

More than a few people had been injured near the boundary.

Some were hit by rocks thrown by zombies, and others had died from gunshots.

So, people gathered in buildings or in the center of the safe zone where the undead couldn’t be seen.

Still, they couldn’t leave these outer areas completely empty.

Unexpected things could happen, and survivors might come looking for shelter.

Instead of abandoning the outer areas, people patrolled them at set times.

“But no survivors have made it here since the skeletons appeared.”

One of the patrol members glanced between the trees and grumbled to his companion.

The outer area patrols moved in pairs of two.

While they said it was for safety, people thought it was more to prevent boredom during patrol.

“Surely back then… not everyone died, right?”

At the junior’s careful question, both his face and the senior’s turned pale.

The question made both of them recall the scenes from that day.

After zombies had ravaged the city, a skeleton army appeared shortly after.

The skeleton army swept through the entire city in just a few days.

Fortunately, these two were in the safe zone and weren’t harmed by the skeleton army, but they witnessed others being attacked by skeletons inside.

Screams and flames engulfed the city, and people were pushed off high-rise rooftops by skeletons.

The sight of people who had survived zombie attacks being brutally killed by skeletons remained a trauma for these two and everyone else in the safe zone.

After a moment, the man responded to his junior’s words as if making an excuse.

“They couldn’t all have died. There were still survivors trying to get in afterward.”

However, those survivors couldn’t break through the undead surrounding the safe zone, so no one had made it inside since then.

“But there probably aren’t many survivors left.”

The man nodded at his junior’s words.

The junior, who looked barely adult, sighed softly and said,

“It’s fortunate that you and I didn’t go home. I wonder how many of those who left school back then are still alive.”

“Who knows. Probably not many.”

Both of them had been attending Hanbuk University, which later became the safe zone, before everything happened.

After the zombie outbreak, many students left school and were never heard from again.

Later, the school became a sanctuary where zombies couldn’t enter, ironically becoming a place people wanted to get into.

Talk about life’s ironies.

“That’s true, but things turned out really absurd. A Christian school became a miraculous place where zombies can’t enter, yet the person who created this sanctuary turned out to be a cult leader…”

The man walking alongside quickly covered his junior’s mouth.

“Shh!”

The junior brushed off the hand with an annoyed look.

“It’s just us two here. It’s not like we’ve become a dictatorship in a month – we can at least say this much.”

The senior responded with a serious face.

“Do you know how many followers they’ve gained? Even the school chaplain was replaced with a follower.”

The junior nodded at his senior’s words.

“Well, after showing such a miracle, it’s understandable why they’d convert. Plus, there are rumors about them healing people bitten by zombies…”

“I know about that, but it’s somewhat distorted. The situation wasn’t severe enough to turn into a zombie. They just helped wounds heal.”

“Well, even if it was just healing, it’s still a miracle. If it had been a woman, I might have been tempted too.”

“Such a womanizer…”

“Well, we can’t say these things elsewhere. We might get dragged away by the Collection Team…”

Both their expressions darkened at the mention of the Collection Team.

“Still, whatever happens, I wish someone would manage to get in. If they can’t break through the zombies and skeletons outside, they could try using a hang glider or parachute.”

Just as the junior was about to laugh at his senior’s words.

BOOM! BANG! BOOM!

Explosive sounds came from behind the trees next to them.

It sounded like something was being struck, but the sound was so loud it resembled explosions.

“What on earth?”

Both men turned in surprise toward the source of the sound.

They were shocked again.

Skeletons and zombies were being launched over the trees with the sounds.

Bones scattered in the air, and shattered zombies flew in all directions.

Some skeletons and zombies caught fire as they flew over the trees.

This happened because undead had entered the safe zone.

Those who defied death, those created by deception, couldn’t withstand the sacred power of the safe zone.

Seeing the zombies and skeletons flying through the air, the two men understood what the sounds were.

Someone, or something, was throwing the zombies and skeletons from outside the safe zone.

“Could undead be fighting each other?”

“Surely it’s not a person?”

“It’s getting closer, surely it’s not trying to enter?”

Though he had just wished for someone to enter, the man couldn’t remember saying those words.

“Someone should go report this. Should we both go?”

Whatever monster was throwing the undead around, if it entered here, the two of them would surely not survive.

That’s why he suggested going together, but contrary to expectations, his junior spoke firmly.

“Senior, you go report it. I’ll stay here.”

“What?”

Despite the urgent situation, the senior stared at his junior in surprise.

This wasn’t like his junior at all.

He was just an ordinary, self-centered college student who liked women.

For him to offer to sacrifice himself…

Though the senior looked at him in surprise, the junior wasn’t looking back.

He was staring intently at one particular tree in the direction of the sounds.

The senior followed his junior’s gaze to the tree he was watching.

It was a tree no different from the others.

Except for the person standing on its branch.

“A person?”

“Yes. A person. And a woman. An incredibly beautiful woman! I’ll stay here to protect her. Senior, please hurry and alert everyone.”

Though the junior’s absurd words were ridiculous, after examining the person standing on the branch, he found himself agreeing.

“As the older one, I should be the one to stay. You’re young with your whole future ahead – go quickly and alert everyone!”

“No, we must respect our elders. It’s right for me, the younger one, to stay.”

While they were talking nonsense, the flying zombies and skeletons were no longer visible.

Instead, a person wearing armor walked out between the trees.

When the man appeared, the woman who had been standing in the tree came down and stood beside him.

The senior frowned as he looked at the armored man and the woman standing beside him.

The man was wearing shining plate armor in this situation, and the woman had something attached to her ears to make them long like an elf’s.

‘Cosplay? Are these people mentally unstable?’

While the senior was looking at the two with a serious face, the junior sighed looking at the armored man.

“Damn, of course she has a man. Obviously, such a beauty wouldn’t be single.”

The senior almost lost his tension for a moment.

But the junior didn’t stop there.

“Damn, not just a blonde punk, but a blonde knight? The world is really forcing me down. This world is truly ruined.”

Listening to him continue muttering to himself, the senior forgot about being tense and wanted to hit his junior first.

However, instead of hitting his junior, the man froze stiff.

Because a voice came from behind them.

“Should I subdue them both?”

It was a gruff middle-aged man’s voice.

Surprised, they turned to see someone standing behind them and the junior.

He appeared to be around 40 years old, a rough-looking man.

Unlike the beautiful woman and handsome knight, he looked intimidating, like someone who had spent decades on battlefields.

“We’ll stay still. No need to subdue us.”

While he was too surprised to speak, the junior spoke first.

As expected, when women weren’t involved, the junior was craftier than anyone.

* * *

Seeing the man with his hands raised, I signaled Hoffman not to subdue them.

There was no need to fight with the safe zone’s people or leave a bad impression by unnecessarily subduing them.

Besides, honestly, I liked the younger man who had his hands raised.

Since my previous life, whether in that world or this one, I’d never seen someone talk such nonsense.

Hearing his nonsense somehow made me feel like I was back in my previous life.

A normal time when there were no undead, and I wasn’t a knight.

I remembered those times when one could speak such nonsense and laugh comfortably.

After being briefly lost in the past, I came to my senses and approached the two men.

As I approached, the older one seemed very tense, but the younger one was distracted looking beside me.

He was remarkably consistent in his behavior.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Jansen Egger. We’ve come from Seoul.”

Actually, we came from above Seoul, from the ceasefire line, but saying that would only cause misunderstandings.

“Ah, I-I’m Jung Do-un. We were patrolling this…”

When the older man, startled by my words, tried to introduce himself, the younger one quickly cut in.

“Rather than talking here, wouldn’t it be better to meet the person in charge? Shall we go together?”

“Ah, yes, that would be better.”

The older man nodded at the younger one’s words.

The younger one ignored Hoffman standing behind us and started moving immediately.

He began leading us back the way they had come.

While guiding us, he kept talking.

“I’m Choi Yu-jun. Did all three of you come from outside? How did you get through the zombies and skeletons outside? From here, we saw things flying over the trees…”

Though he seemed to be asking me, his eyes were fixed on Zahina.

Finally, Zahina had to answer.

“Yes, we came from outside. Since it would take too long to kill all the undead outside, Sir Egger threw them away.”

We only needed to clear a path, so there was no reason to waste mana.

It was enough to throw them far enough that they couldn’t approach again until we entered the safe zone.

However, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“Even her voice is beautiful! Damn, I’m even more depressed now.”

While continuing to listen to the young man’s nonsense, we were able to reach the center of the safe zone – the symbolic tower of Hanbuk University.

Numerous people were gathered there.

Hundreds of eyes watched us as we walked through the street.