Season 3: Chapter 7: Sandwich (1)
"Oh, Team Almond? They're coming out of the bathroom now, right?"
The broadcast camera, which had been focused on Team 1 for a while, now aimed at Almond's team. Something was about to happen there.
"Ah. This... It seems they don't know Bubblegum is in the classroom right next door. Of course, they wouldn't know."
The captured Bubblegum team and Almond's team could have reunited. Surprisingly, Bubblegum was in the classroom next to the bathroom where Almond was trapped.
Almond's team could now come out of the bathroom thanks to Class 5 and Bubblegum's team.
"It's a pity. They could have gone to get Bubblegum…"
However, Almond had no way of knowing that BubbleGum was there since the place was swarming with zombies. They had no reason to go there with much better options available elsewhere.
"But it's a logical decision, right? They're heading downstairs now. There's a snack bar in the basement! And there are even no zombies here…"
— Reunion of long-lost families LOL.
— No hope for Bubblegum's Team :(
— Seeing the snack bar girl again?
The commentator suddenly stopped speaking.
"... Ah, no."
"It's blocked now, right?"
As the camera moved, they could see it. The path to the snack bar that Team Almond was trying to break through was blocked.
"No...! They don't know it's blocked and are hammering it open now! Oh... the zombies are all running here!"
The noise of the hammer hitting the door handle could have summoned all the zombies in the building.
"Kraaaaaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
The zombies that could run had already reached the entrance to the basement stairs. They had come up to the bathroom from where Almond's team had escaped.
Only then did Almond check the barricade.
"... It's blocked."
The students were shocked.
"What?!"
"What do you mean it's blocked!"
They could not understand. Or rather, they did not want to understand.
"Hey, hey! Hey, watch your back!"
Dae-Hyeok, a chubby boy, pointed behind them.
"Kraaaaaah!"
A zombie had already come down to the bottom of the stairwell.
"Shit, block it!"
Thump!
Dae-Hyeok's mop handle blocked the zombie's mouth.
"It's not about blocking them!"
Whoosh!
Almond, faster than anyone else, passed by them while shouting, "Break through! Back to the bathroom!"
Whoosh!
He swung the iron sledgehammer.
Kwaang!
It crushed the zombies' heads like sitting on a Choco Pie. Not just one, but three died at once.
— OMG.
— God hammer.
— This is what a weapon looks like, damn!
— Look at the damage OMG.
"Wow..."
Almond, who was wielding the sledgehammer in this character's body for the first time, felt amazed at its strength.
The others naturally gaped since even Almond felt amazed.
"... Wow."
"Dude, what was that just now?"
However, this wasn't the time for that.
'There's only one hammer.'
The hammer was strong, but slow and vulnerable. It was too much for Almond to break through alone.
"Line up one by one and block!"
"What, what?"
"Hurry! Take the mops!"
Almond needed their help. He had the children line up tightly in a single row on the stairs to stab the zombies with their spears.
"Stab with the mops!"
"Uh, okay..."
Thud!
"Graaaaah!"
The scream didn't come from a zombie. It was from Dae-Hyeok, the chubby boy.
"Uwaaaaah!"
It was his first time killing a zombie, but he would get used to it.
'It's actually for the best,' Almond thought.
This game allowed for a maximum of twenty-five people to leave the school.
'Only those who can survive will remain.'
Those who couldn't deal with zombies would have been eliminated long ago. It was much more advantageous to go with a smaller elite group that required significantly less space and food. This concept was all too familiar to Sang-Hyeon, who had lived in the world of sports since childhood.
"Kraaaaaah!"
The zombies pushed in.
"Break through!"
Almond led the way and swung the sledgehammer once more.
Kwaang!
In one blow, several zombies flew away. The impressive stats of this character, combined with Almond's accurate power distribution and concentration, produced the firepower of a machine gun.
"Cover me!"
Perhaps inspired by Almond's easy handling of the zombies, the students mustered more courage.
"Uaaaaaaah!"
"Yeah! Go, go! Protect Almond!"
After Almond swung the sledgehammer once, the students behind him handled the zombies that came through with spears.
Then, Almond swung the sledgehammer again. They advanced up the stairs step by step like this.
Kwang!!
The bodies of zombies began to pile up like mountains next to the railing. The students gradually grew accustomed to the characteristics of the zombies.
"When they open their mouth wide, it goes right in!"
The girl Yeon-Ji had learned a better way to stab zombies in the head.
"Don't knock them down! If they fall, it's worse for us!"
Song Gi-Tae realized that fallen zombies were more dangerous. After all, a fallen zombie required more attention. It was enough to watch above where the zombie's head was, but they would have to watch below as well if the zombies fell.
The students made sure to not create falling zombies and killed them with one stab whenever possible.
"Aaaaaah! Die! Die!"
"Stab again!"
— OMG, the kids are fighting well.
— Watching a three man squad at the snack bar.
— Wow, what a teamwork.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Hey! Let's switch!"
As they grew tired, they also switched places with the other students behind them.
After all, about five people could fully block the stairway and not everyone needed to fight simultaneously.
"Uh, uh..."
"It's pushing back!"
"Hey, hey, don't push! Stab in the mouth! It's trying to bite!"
Kwaang!
Whenever Almond swung his sledgehammer, it cleared their breath.
"Phew."
"Go up! Go up! It's clear now!"
Then, they climbed the stairs and reformed the line.
"Stand again!"
"Dieeeee!"
Zombie blood gradually stained the students' white shirts.
"Switch!"
Even as the children continued to switch and fight, Almond never backed down.
'If I back down here, it's over.'
No one else could wield the sledgehammer well. If he withdrew, they wouldn't be able to break through.
[Risk of Exhaustion]
Almond's character gradually became severely exhausted. He was not in his normal condition already due to his previous injuries.
"Huff... Huff..."
His vision gradually blurred.
'Why is my vision like this…?'
Nonetheless, he had no problem clearing the zombies. If he knew where their head was, all he had to do was vigorously swing the hammer.
Almond turned his waist with all his might, swinging his arms.
"Ugh!"
Kwaang!
Several more zombies were crushed.
"How, how is this possible!"
"Is this the power of Class 3!? The children are like trained soldiers keeping the line and stabbing with spears!"
"The zombies are noticeably decreasing!"
"Where does this courage come from without a shield!?"
The number of zombies gradually decreased.
'Not much left.'
Almond widened his eyes.
Whoosh!
He swung the hammer again.
Whoosh!
The zombies fell in a line, all collapsed together.
Kwang!
The status display gradually changed to more serious words.
[Nausea]
[Dizziness]
[Hunger]
Although he didn't know about the other conditions, the exhaustion kicked in immediately.
Beep!
[Exhaustion]
It was marked in red letters.
'Already? No...'
[Speed has been reduced by 40%.]
His swinging arm noticeably slowed down.
Whooooosh...
His vision became even blurrier, and he could hardly grasp the situation properly.
'Will this work?'
Almond was still full of energy, but the character couldn't hold up. Just when he wondered if they would hold out or not, someone faltered and got bitten by a zombie during the switch.
"Gi, Gi-Tae! Hey!"
"Ugh, ugh... I got bit! I got bit!"
"No...! Gi-Tae?!"
It was Song Gi-Tae, who wore horn-rimmed glasses.
"Just fill in quickly!"
"Come back! Being bitten doesn't automatically mean you turn into a zombie..."
Yeon-Ji tearfully grabbed Gi-Tae's hand.
Gi-Tae hesitated for a moment and bit his lips tightly as he shook off Yeon-Ji's hand.
Thump!
"What are you talking about!? If you get bitten, you turn no matter what!"
His eyes behind the horn-rimmed glasses had turned bloody red already.
"How do you know that?! Have you been bitten before? Just go back for now!" Yeon-Ji insisted.
She approached him and tried to pull him away by force.
Gi-Tae pushed her away.
Thump!
"Don't come!!!" Gi-Tae shouted intensely.
"Yeon-Ji! Please don't come! Please..."
He seemed to want to protect Yeon-Ji and glanced around at the other students with his bloodshot eyes.
Then, he looked at Dae-Hyeok, his big friend.
"Dae-Hyeok! You're the biggest, so... follow me! Break through!"
"Wh… what?"
"Hurry!"
Song Gi-Tae, who had done little other than study and hang out with Yeo-Ji, became a different person as he faced death.
"Here I goooo!"
Thump—
He kicked the stairs and ran up.
"Kraaaaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
The zombies rushed in like predators at a safari as the tasty live bait jumped in.
Gi-Tae didn't care.
"I'm going to die anyway, you bastards! Fuck, runnnnnn!"
The zombies began to chew on Gi-Tae's body one by one. Still, Gitae pushed further with his feet.
— Noooooooo~~~!!
— Gi-Tae, the hero…
— Wow...
— This is true teamwork...!?
— It's crazy… ;(
"Gi, Gi-Taaaaaaae!"
Even Dae-Hyeok, who was simply big, mustered the courage. He kicked the stairs and ran up.
"Kraaaaaaaah!"
Almond grasped the situation with his hearing alone.
'It's now or never.'
Thanks to Gi-Tae, an opportunity presented itself. Almond also kicked off the stairs and pushed the front line.
Kwang! Kwang!
With a final burst of momentum, he began swinging the sledgehammer madly.
"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Go! Go!!!"
The students screamed, unable to distinguish if it was a cheer or a cry. Then, the path cleared.
'The bathroom...!'
They could see the bathroom.
'What?'
However, Almond's balance faltered and he staggered. He had overexerted himself.
[Sugar needed]
[Calories needed]
[Water needed]
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Messages indicating everything he needed appeared and he lost his balance.
"Ah, Almond!?"
"Almond!"
"Catch Almond!"
As Almond staggered, the students pushed his back and ran forward.
"Carry him!"
Dae-Hyeok, who was leading, bent down and hoisted Almond onto his back.
Thump.
As if they had practiced several times, Class 3 showed great teamwork.
"Here we goooooo!!" Dae-Hyeok bellowed and ran with his last strength.
"... Grrrrrrr."
"!"
The Gitae who had cleared the path for them turned toward them with his bloodshot eyes. He... no, it was no longer Gi-Tae.
"Hey, Gi... Gi-Tae."
Dae-Hyeok's eyes shook.
The students holding spears behind also paused momentarily. They were not cruel enough to suddenly stab Gi-Tae, who had sacrificed his life to clear the path for them.
"Kraaaaaaaah!"
Gi-Tae opened his mouth wide and charged at Dae-Hyeok.
Dae-Hyeok didn't know what to do and closed his eyes. Then—
A mop handle pierced through from behind.
Thud!
"Huh?"
Dae-Hyeok blinked.
From afar, unfamiliar voices echoed. The voice sounded much more relaxed despite this basement stairway's bloodbath.
"Kill them~! These bastards are at our backs!"
"Okay~"
Thud! Thud!
They quickly dealt with the few remaining zombies. The strangers used desks as shields to block the zombies and shoved them back, effectively gagging them with the legs of the desks. The rest, wielding sharply broken mop handles, stabbed the zombies.
With better equipment, the fight was much more efficient. They weren't fighting in disadvantageous terrain like the lower stairs. Most importantly, they didn't appear tired.
"Sweep them up!"
Now, the voices even carried a cheerfulness beyond relaxation.
"Bathroom! The bathroom!"
"Okay~!"
"Hey, lackeys. You go into the bathroom first and check all the stalls?"
They were Class 5, who had just escaped from the classroom. They steadily retreated while guarding the bathroom entrance and slaughtering the zombies.
Class 5 intended to take over the bathroom.
Dae-Hyeok muttered in a defeated tone, "O-our... bathroom..."
Some of the Class 5 students began to enter the bathroom. Now, Class 3 had nowhere to go.
'What?'
However, Almond saw something else while on Dae-Hyeok's back.
'Bubblegum...?'