Chapter 9

<img alt="warning2.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046680/epub/images/Images/warning2.png"/>

🚨 Intruder Log Detected

Attacker nickname: [BlackCrow]

Damage: Outer wall 35% destroyed / Resource storage 35% lost

<img alt="warning2.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046680/epub/images/Images/warning2.png"/>

🚨 Intruder Log Detected

Attacker nickname: [hamjunG]

Damage: Outer wall 35% destroyed / Resource storage 35% lost

<img alt="warning2.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046680/epub/images/Images/warning2.png"/>

🚨 Intruder Log Detected

Attacker nickname: [LemonWarrior77]

Damage: Outer wall 35% destroyed / Resource storage 35% lost

<img alt="warning2.png" src="https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3302046680/epub/images/Images/warning2.png"/>

🚨 Intruder Log Detected

Attacker nickname: [Damaged]

Damage: Outer wall 35% destroyed / Resource storage 35% lost

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.

It wasn’t just one or two names on the list. The roster kept going no matter how far he scrolled, and Yeonhoo had to admit it was kind of impressive.

“...Is this a buffet?”

Yeonhoo’s base had been picked clean.

“So you threw a party, huh....”

As if it had predicted this exact moment, the video explained:

—The problem with bases is that anyone can break in and take your resources. That’s why the most basic of basics is sealing your outer wall tight, no gaps, and raising troops to defend it! And then you improve efficiency...

Looks like people saw his front door standing wide open and got excited and came to loot him.

But what was there to loot from a broke guy, really?

He barely had any resources or troops in the first place, so Yeonhoo didn’t even feel that attached. He plopped down in the middle of his burning base and just kept watching the video.

—But you can’t guard your base all day, right? That’s why joining an alliance is essential! When you join an alliance, you build a village together inside alliance territory. You get buffs, and you can protect each other’s bases while you live there.

From the look of it, players dealt with getting robbed like him by joining an alliance and living in a pack.

And if you did that, you ended up doing something called a siege war—like alliances squaring up against each other...

‘Wait. I think there was a number 47 over Miyoung’s head.’

‘Is 47 the alliance Miyoung’s in?’

If that was true, then what Yeonhoo had to do was obvious.

‘I’ll join Miyoung’s alliance.’

From now on, his dream was to be a member of 47.

While he was renewing his resolve, the video was already hammering home how crucial base functions were.

‘A research lab... a troop training center... a job research lab?’

‘I’m a necromancer, so... what, I’m supposed to level up a fungus cultivation facility somehow?’

It felt like it would take months to do all of that.

‘No, I mean, there’s “a lot,” and then there’s this.’

A sigh slipped out on its own. If he tried to learn all of it properly and push forward the normal way, it would take a long time.

‘This won’t work.’

But Yeonhoo remembered the one thing he was better at than most people. Listening to the video’s friendly voice still chattering away, he pressed the bottom-right corner firmly.

It was time to pull out the ultimate secret technique his parents had passed down to him.

Survivor! Welcome to the Zombie Village Shop!

“Gotta start light. A thousand, maybe.”

Spending like a maniac.

When his head hurt, shopping was the cure. The second he entered the shop, Yeonhoo reached for the top-up button without hesitation. Not long after, purchase notifications and mail started flooding in nonstop.

(Notification) 0momo0 has purchased the <Premium Ballistic Armor Set>!

(Notification) 0momo0 has purchased the <Energy Bundle Pack>!

(Notification) 0momo0 has purchased the <Interior Set Made from Rare Infected Bones>!!

(Notification) 0momo0 has purchased the <Underground Bunker Expansion Voucher>!

.

.

He’d bought so much the chat window’s scroll bar shrank to the size of a grain of rice. Since he couldn’t go out to farm, he bought resources too—every single thing he could see.

Before he knew it, his inventory wasn’t just full. It was about to burst.

Yeonhoo cracked open everything that had anything to do with bases.

‘Use it all.’

He clicked item after item. Every time he did, skins wrapped over base buildings, defense stats jumped, and upgrade notifications exploded like they’d gone insane.

‘Raids, whatever. I don’t give a shit....’

He checked his gear.

‘If money can fix it, do everything. Just do it.’

His pale dark-brown eyes stared at the gold count as it rose without stopping.

Of course, it vanished just as fast as it filled up, but still...

Current Base Level

Lv. 45

And then two weeks passed.

*****

In those martial arts novels, the protagonist stumbles onto a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, gets a busted skill, digs into some hidden hole, trains like a lunatic, and comes out strong, right?

Yeonhoo had met a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity too.

‘Holy shit... I did it....’

Sure, his opportunity wasn’t a person. It was the shop.

But the effect was real.

‘Five steps to fifty! My base is almost maxed out.’

His face looked completely different from when he’d first started the game. The expression on Yeonhoo’s face was thrilled, but deep dark circles hung under his eyes, and exhaustion had stained him through. Which made sense.

‘Thought money would solve everything, but damn. Human victory.’

In a capitalist world, games really were money too—but it wasn’t easy. He had to keep buying the hourly items on schedule, and there were limits to how much resource you could purchase, so he still had to go to the forest and quarry and mine until his character’s back folded in half...

But the result was that he took what would’ve been months and crushed it down into one burst.

0momo0 Base Info

Lv.45

Deployable troops: +350,000 (When forming an assault team, unlocks “3rd Unit Slot”)

Durability: +320% (Auto-repair speed +50% / New Barrier Coating: reduces shelling·explosion damage by 15%)

Research speed: +180% (Special Research Unlocked: “Genetic Enhancement Project” (Infantry HP +20%, Infection Resistance +15%))

Food production: +200% (“Stockpile” unlocked)

Generator efficiency: +120%

Resource storage capacity: +250%

Rare resources (titanium·energy core) discovery rate: +12%

Resident HP·immunity stats: +120%

.

It had become a pretty huge base.

‘Now it kind of looks like somewhere people actually live.’

On top of that, he’d thrown up solid walls out in some remote corner of the map and decorated the place too, so it looked way better than it did at the start.

And just like the base—bigger, tougher, cooler—Yeonhoo’s character, 0momo0, also...

Character Info

Lv. 161

Equipment

[★Legendary] Black Heart Pistol +12

[★Legendary] Wraith Robe +10

[★Legendary] Death Tablet Ring +9

Costume

[★Legendary] Limited Pink Sniper Look

He was ridiculous.

And those prices were ridiculous too, but how the hell did he get to 161 when the level cap was 200?

Easy.

First, he bought every Hybrid Pass in the shop to jump brackets, then he went to the raid recruitment board and met some very kind big brothers.

[Infected Giant] newbies ok 5min clear lol just follow 50k

[Flesh Legion Commander] veteran carry 6G first time ok

[Queen of Screams] 40k clear sin skip only fr

[Zombie Lord] selling legendary drop guaranteed ticket / first come 2 spots / 80k

[Flesh Legion Commander] can do in one bus run 70k gold 3 spots

‘Knight big brothers.’

With the help of those kind big brothers, Yeonhoo’s level shot up.

Why go this far?

Because the real reason he did all this insane shit was to apply to join an alliance.

47 had everything locked down—no info available. You couldn’t see who was in it, and you couldn’t even see the leader’s info, but the join requirement was clearly listed.

‘Base level 45 minimum to apply!’

It was basically demanding a maxed base, but if you were server rank #1, Yeonhoo figured you had the right to ask for that.

‘They said once your base is up, your job level rises fast.’

Yeonhoo started humming. For two weeks, he’d endured all that grinding while imagining himself getting into 47, running raids side by side with Miyoung, laughing and joking together.

Now it was time for imagination to become reality.

Smiling brightly, in the happiest mood, he applied—

But...

Currently, <47> is only accepting join applications through Miu and ShinJadu. Thank you.

“Uh?”

The instant he applied, a rejection notification snapped back at him, and the system window chimed. Yeonhoo blinked wide-eyed, then applied again anyway.

Currently, <47> is only accepting join applications through Miu and ShinJadu. Thank you.

The same system window popped up again.

‘So Miyoung handles intake.’

‘ShinJadu? Who the hell is that?’

It was telling him to contact them, so he tried using (Whisper).

But...

(Notification) Failed to send.

(This recipient has set mail sending permission to <Friends> only.)

Miu and ShinJadu had mail reception locked down, and (Whisper) too...

(Notification) Failed to send.

(This recipient has set mail sending permission to <Friends> only.)

Same thing.

‘What the hell. Then how am I supposed to apply?’

Didn’t that mean joining was basically impossible?

Yeonhoo stared at the screen with a blank face. Then his face—framed by those darkened eyes—twisted.

After everything I did. After everything it took to get here...

A flush rose across his pale face, and then his eyes turned wet and trembly, moisture pooling at the corners.

“Love....”

What am I supposed to do. Seriously...

“...Love is hard....”