The zombie's jaws parted, inches from Yoo-jin's throat. Her hand twitched toward the fallen bokken—futile, fingers scraping asphalt.

  Kang Si-hun's mind churned. Ninety days. Ten short. Let it bite—fresh zombie, easy kill ter. Guaranteed day. She's dead weight anyway. Bleeds too much, slows him. Like Jae-min—trust leads to shoves. Farm her turned corpse: Two days. Clean math.

  But her form... that kendo precision. Wrist snaps, weight shifts—lethal efficiency. Not luck; honed edge. Ally? Shared hunts, faster farms. Duplication soon—feed extras. Risk betrayal? Or gain tool? Profit from loyal bde outweighs a rotting pawn.

  Decision snapped. He lunged from shadows, desk leg arcing. Crunch—skull caved, brains spttering warm across his arm. The zombie crumpled, limp over her. [Kill Confirmed: +1 Day. Pool: 91 Days.]

  Yoo-jin gasped, eyes flickering open. "You..."

  No time. Groans swelled—horde drawn by the noise. Shadows shifted in the lot's edges, more undead shambling in. Si-hun scooped her up—light at first, but as he hoisted her over his shoulder, her full weight settled like a sack of wet sand. Her limp body pressed against his back, chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths that ghosted hot against his neck. Blood from her gash soaked through his shirt, warm and sticky, trickling down his spine. Each step jolted her, her head lolling, hair brushing his ear. The burden dragged—his knees buckled slightly, muscles burning from the added load. Zombies converged—arms outstretched, moans echoing off cars. One swiped; he twisted, her leg nearly catching the cw. It grazed her calf instead, fabric tearing with a rip. Si-hun cursed under his breath, adrenaline spiking as another lunged—cws whistling past her back by a hair's breadth, so close he felt the whoosh of air. Her weight shifted unpredictably, throwing his bance, but he pushed on, boots pounding concrete.

  A bloated variant blocked the path, pus leaking. He thrust the bokken—wood pierced eye, bck ooze spurting. [+1. Pool: 92 Days.] Pushed through, her limp form bouncing, each impact sending jolts up his spine.

  Minimart ahead—gss doors cracked, shelves visible through grime. Sanctuary? Or trap. No choice. He smmed through, shoulder first. Gss crunched underfoot. Inside: Dim, aisles empty—raided clean. Cans scattered, wrappers torn. Air stale, dust motes dancing in faint light.

  He dumped Yoo-jin behind the counter—gentle enough not to kill her yet. Spun, grabbed the shutter handle. Metal rattled, but stuck—rust fked from the tracks, grinding resistance. He yanked harder, muscles straining, veins bulging in his arms. The horde pressed outside—fists pounding gss, cracks spidering. A zombie shoved through the door gap—arm thrusting under the half-lowered shutter, rotting fingers cwing at his ankle. Flesh peeled, nails scraping boot. Si-hun stomped—heel to wrist, bone snapping with a wet crack. It howled, bck blood spurting. Another arm snaked in—grabbing the shutter's edge, trying to lift. He kicked again, boot crushing knuckles to pulp. Pain shot up his leg, but the arms retracted, mangled. With a final heave, the shutter smmed down, lock clicking. Thuds vibrated immediately—metal denting under relentless assault.

  Breath ragged, Si-hun scanned. Eight days left. Horde outside—dozens? Farm them, hit 100. But shutter buckling—time short.

  Movement—behind the counter. Zombie clerk lurched up, uniform tattered, name tag "Min-ho" dangling. Eyes milky, jaws snapping. It lunged over registers.

  Si-hun swung the desk leg—connected jaw, snap. It reeled; he followed with overhead bash. Skull split, gray matter spilling. [+1. Pool: 93 Days.]

  Yoo-jin stirred faintly, blood pooling under her arm. Useful? If she wakes.

  Thuds intensified—metal groaning. Cracks spidered on the shutter. Minutes left.

  Sacrifice. He bit a fingernail—twinge. [Initiate Clone? Cost: 5 Days. Y/N.]

  Drain hit: Lungs tightened, vision tunneled. Frailty whispered—knees weakened momentarily. [Pool: 88 Days.]

  Clone formed—particles knitting flesh in the dim light. It stood, eyes locking.

  Back door. Lure them to the alley. Fight till death.

  The clone nodded, slipping to the rear exit. Pushed it open—creak. Zombies outside pivoted, groans shifting. It bolted, shouting—drawing the mass away from the front.

  Si-hun slumped against the counter, link active. Phantom sensations prickled—clone's boots hitting pavement, heart racing in sync.

  Outside: Horde split—half followed. The clone weaved through the narrow alley behind the mart, trash bins overturned, reeking of spoiled food and decay. It ducked into a tight nook between buildings—strategic choke point, walls funneling the undead into single file. Reduced swarm. First zombie charged—clumsy, bloated. Clone sidestepped, bokken thrusting into knee—crack, it fell. Desk leg finished the head. [+1.] Pool: 89.

  More poured in—alley narrowing their rush. Clone pivoted, using the confines: Swing caught two at once, skulls colliding. [+2.] 91.

  But numbers pressed. A crawler tched ankle—cws digging deep. Si-hun felt the pierce—echoed stab in his own leg. Clone stomped free, but slowed. Another leaped—teeth to shoulder, ripping chunk. Phantom burn fred in Si-hun's flesh, hot tear.

  Clone fought—bokken splintering on a strike, wood cracking mid-swing. It dropped the broken half, switching to fists and elbows. Punched throat—crush. [+1.] 92.

  Despair mounted—alley a death trap now, zombies clogging escape. Clone backed to a dead end, dumpster blocking. Swarmed. Bites rained: Arm mangled, tendons snapping. Si-hun's real arm throbbed, strings pulling taut. Guts cwed—viscera yanked. He clutched stomach, doubled over in the mart.

  Clone's vision blurred—red haze. Final stands: Grabbed a zombie's head, smashed against wall. [+1.] 96.

  Weaponless now—bokken shards useless. Horde engulfed. Throat torn—gurgled choke. Si-hun's hand flew to neck, phantom gurgle bubbling.

  Last thrash—elbow to temple. [+1.] 99.

  Torn apart—limbs pulled, bones popping. Si-hun convulsed, screams silent. Darkness.

  [Deactivation Imminent. Final Kill: +1. Pool: 100 Days.]

  Flood crashed: Every bite, every tear amplified. He convulsed on the floor—muscles seizing, bones aching from echoed fractures. Vision bckened, nausea peaking—vomited scraps. Power's toll: Self-inflicted hell, scars etching deeper.

  But light fred blue, bathing the dim mart in ethereal glow. [Level Up: Level 2 Unlocked. Basic Item Duplication. Duplicate simple objects. Cost: Variable Lifespan.]

  He gasped, pushing up. Shutter held—barely. Dents deeper, but horde thinned by the sacrifice.

  Yoo-jin groaned, eyes fluttering. Wounds crusted, but alive.

  Food. He rummaged—meager finds: Moldy bread loaf, fuzzy green patches creeping over crust, stench of rot wafting. Half-bottle water, murky with sediment.

  Held the bread. [Duplicate? Cost: 1 Day. Y/N.]

  Y. Warm azure light enveloped it—particles dancing like fireflies. Mold dissolved, fading into nothingness. The foul, musty odor evaporated, repced by the rich, comforting aroma of fresh-baked dough—hints of butter and yeast filling the air, warm and inviting. The loaf transformed: Crust turned golden-brown, crisp yet yielding. He touched it—soft, pliant under fingers, steam rising faintly as if just from the oven. No imperfections. Perfect replica. [Pool: 99 Days.]

  Water next. [Cost: 1 Day.] Light shimmered over the bottle—sediment vanished, liquid crifying to crystal clear, cool droplets condensing on the pstic. Fresh, pure. [Pool: 98 Days.]

  Miracle. From decay to abundance. The system's gift—life from nothing.

  Yoo-jin stirred, lids cracking open. Hunger hollowed her gaze. First sight: Si-hun, silhouetted in the dim, extending soft bread and pristine water.

  "You... saved me?" Voice hoarse, hand trembling as she took it.

  He nodded, eyes cold. Savior in hers. Pawn in his.