TRPM 212

chapter 212

Zombie.

Typically, the moving corpses you encounter in games or movies.

And most zombies usually move with the image of wanting to turn living beings into corpses like themselves.

‘That’s true in reality as well.’

There are many dungeons in the world where undead primarily appear, and among those undead, zombies are fairly common.

However, zombies that appear in such dungeons aren’t as contagious as they are in games or movies. Even if you get bitten by a dungeon zombie, you usually won’t turn into one. Occasionally, someone with a weak immune system might turn into a zombie, but it’s said that holy water can restore them to human form. Even without holy water, if the person is restrained and taken to a hospital, treatment is often possible.

‘…But the people in the photos Maurice sent… they don’t seem affected by such a mild virus.’

Whatever else, this must be a virus with remarkable infectivity. They must have deployed humanoids to handle it precisely because they wouldn’t be affected by the virus.

But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out the reason. What on earth was Oracle thinking, releasing such a virus?

As I pondered this, school ended.

‘News is coming out about what happened in the U.S.’

While leaving school, I checked the news on my smartphone.

[Local time around 6 PM: Entities presumed to be humanoids attacked Chicago…]
[Humanoids subdued people and injected them with a liquid suspected to be a zombie virus…]
[Richard, the chairman of the association who urgently returned from Korea, immediately erected barriers with other mages to prevent further spread of the virus…]
[Humanoids and zombies are reportedly not attacking people hiding inside buildings, so many survivors are expected to remain inside…]

To summarize the news: humanoids subdue visible people and inject them with the zombie virus. Fortunately, they only attack people who are outside, not those inside buildings…

‘…Hostages, then.’

Even if the infected people are not the main problem, humanoids could attack those inside buildings if commanded by their controller. Nearby awakened humans, the military, and Chairman Richard know that attempting to suppress the humanoids recklessly could endanger survivors, so they’re merely surrounding the city.

No, the problem isn’t just the survivors.

‘Even the infected are living people.’

The infected aren’t dead like zombies in games or movies. They lose their reasoning and attack others, but they are still people who can be saved if one tries. Since the order is to subdue, not kill, the infected, attacking the city becomes inevitably difficult. In games or movies, cities are often destroyed despite survivors to prevent virus spread—but that’s not possible in real life.

“…There’s no straightforward solution for this incident.”

Even if I went to Chicago, there are plenty of ways to get there without being detected by Oracle. That’s not the problem. The issue is that even if I arrived, there’s little I could do.

‘I could destroy the humanoids like I did in that previously impossible dungeon in the UK with Arthur, but that doesn’t work for the infected…’

Is there a way to control the infected through Oracle? I don’t think so. Therefore, after destroying the humanoids, it’s necessary to prevent the infected from attacking survivors inside buildings… But even for me, subduing all infected in the city without killing them at once is impossible. Maybe with the help of Chairman Richard and those surrounding Chicago, it could work.

But…

‘This also feels like a trap.’

To destroy all the humanoids at once, my main body would have to go, not my clone. And if my main body goes to the U.S., Oracle might pull a new scheme in Korea. My clone could stop most tricks, but would Oracle’s scheme in Korea really be “ordinary”? No way.

‘So, just in case, I have to leave my main body in Korea.’

With that thought, I found myself in the elevator of our apartment. I had spent quite a bit of time thinking, in addition to checking the news. I waited for the elevator to reach the floor of our apartment…

“…Huh?”

When the elevator doors opened, I saw a blonde woman collapsed in front of our apartment.

‘…What?’

Her condition wasn’t good. One arm had been cut off, and she had scorched the wound to stop the bleeding, then tore her clothes to wrap the makeshift cloth around it. With her other arm, she was holding a suspicious case.

She had minor cuts elsewhere, but most seemed to have healed a few hours ago. Her clothes were soaked in blood, likely because she hadn’t changed after her wounds healed.

‘The barrier I set up in the apartment… is intact. That means she didn’t come here with ill intent, right?’

Still, her purpose seemed clearly directed at our apartment. Given the severed arm, she was likely in danger of death… Was she here seeking my protection?

If not…

‘Could she be trying to deliver the contents of that case to me?’

In any case, I decided it was best to wake her and hear her story, so I first treated her wounds.

“Recovery, Regeneration.”

Using my incantation magic, energy flowed into her body, starting to erase all her injuries.

‘The arm… I can’t fix that alone. I’ll have to call Lee Ha-eun to treat it later.’

Of course, assuming she wasn’t a villain. Since she wasn’t caught by the barrier, she likely isn’t malicious—but there’s always a chance. I then used magic to awaken her.

“Awaken.”

She flinched slightly but slowly opened her eyes.

“…Ugh… Where am I…?”
“(If you’re conscious, speak.)”
“…!”

Hearing my voice, the blonde woman sprang up defensively but quickly put distance between us.

‘Oh… not bad.’

Her energy wasn’t very strong, but her movements were decent.

“…Ah.”

Once she saw my face and relaxed, she sat down. She seemed relieved.

“Who are you, and why are you here?”
“…I am a spy sent by Chairman Richard to infiltrate Oracle.”

…Hmm. A spy from Chairman Richard…

[(Hahaha! Oracle thinks their spies embedded in global associations know everything, so arrogant! But…)]
[(Right. My spy didn’t reach a high rank, but there is one in their headquarters.)]

So this woman is that spy. But why is she here, injured, when she should be at Oracle headquarters on Mars…?

“Were you discovered?”
“Yes… I had to transmit urgent information and got caught trying to contact Chairman Richard. Even if I hadn’t been caught, I would have come to Earth anyway.”

…Even if she hadn’t been discovered, she intended to come to Earth? What does that mean?

“Seeing it directly would be clearer than explaining.”

She placed the case she was holding on the floor and opened it. Inside were bottles of suspicious-looking liquid.

“This is the cure for the zombie virus from the Chicago incident.”
“A cure? Really?”
“Yes. Oracle created a cure fearing their operatives might be infected. However, they couldn’t bring much.”

She brought enough to treat about 20 people. Of course, researchers could analyze it and mass-produce it once in the association’s hands. She risked her life to deliver it to Earth.

“Shouldn’t this have gone to Chairman Richard or the association directly?”
“…Due to an attack about a month ago, the global awakened human associations lost research personnel, so mass production isn’t feasible.”
“…!”

Ah, the incident where Oracle sent doppelgangers in capsules to the siege-type dungeon, and the previously presumed-dead doppelgangers rampaged in the association’s lab… Because of that, there’s no one to research the cure.

“I’ve heard you’re knowledgeable in alchemy. You even completed the patenting of potion pills…”

…So that’s why she came to me instead of Chairman Richard. She seemed slightly anxious, unsure I could mass-produce the cure.

“Follow me.”
“…Yes!”

I told her to follow. Mass-producing Oracle’s cure? With the right ingredients, that’s easy. I’ve neutralized a virus made by Oracle before.

‘The zombie virus was made by Oracle. And if Oracle made it…’

I recalled neutralizing a virus that spread among strong fighters in a Japanese dungeon.

[And if Oracle artificially created it… most likely, it involves magic.]
[Oracle has many talented sorcerers.]

Right… They must have used magical power when creating it.

[It’s hard to detect a virus using mere sight or intuition…]
[But using Samādhi, it’s different.]

I had used Samādhi to identify the virus and then neutralize it using its characteristics. This time, I couldn’t detect the virus—but it’s even easier.

‘Because we have the cure.’

No complicated reverse-engineering is necessary. The answer is right next to us. Thinking this, I contacted alchemist Kim Eun-yeon.

“…Eun-yeon, can I borrow your lab? Do you need anything? Wait a sec…”

I used Samādhi to confirm the cure the spy brought.

“Then can you make as much as possible? I think we’ll need quite a lot.”