Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Survival is a serious matter
***
Late in the morning, I woke up and stared blankly at the ceiling, realizing a moment later that I was in a hotel.
‘Oh right.’
I live here now.
As soon as I realized this, I felt a pressure on my abdomen and rolled my eyes to see what was causing it.
‘…’
Hyesung was asleep, using my belly as a pillow.
She was even snoring softly, clearly very comfortable.
‘Do I need to lose weight?’
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I shook my head.
There’s an old saying, isn’t there? A person’s belly is their character.
‘I can’t just get rid of my character pouch.’
I should keep it well-filled. Yes.
I chuckled at my silly thoughts.
As I did, Hyesung woke up, seemingly disturbed by the movement of my belly.
“Uuumm…”
Our eyes met as she blinked sleepily.
With her face still showing traces of sleep, she looked at me, and I waved my hand in greeting.
“Good morning.”
Hyesung gave a sleepy smile.
Instead of waving back, she patted my belly.
“Morning…!”
She must have really liked it.
Hyesung laid her cheek back on my belly and started dozing off again.
“Is it soft?”
“Yeah…!”
So, it was soft.
I laughed and, feeling playful, started moving my belly.
Flexing and relaxing my muscles made my belly wobble, which caused Hyesung’s head to bob up and down.
After a moment, Hyesung made a surprised sound and her eyes widened.
“Oooooh…!”
Her eyes sparkled.
Perhaps her curiosity was piqued, as her drowsiness vanished, and she sprang to her feet, climbing onto my belly with a determined look.
Sitting up straight, she looked at me and shouted,
“Bounce-bounce!”
“Huh?”
“Bounce-bounce!”
Her eyes were intensely focused.
I finally realized something was wrong.
“H-Hyesung?”
“Bounce-bounce!!!”
As Hyesung jumped excitedly, the world seemed to slow.
She rose into the air, only to fall back down, aiming her butt right at the center of my stomach.
The moment I realized this, time sped up again.
Thud-!
“Oof…!”
My back arched like a bow.
***
“…What are you doing?”
Kang Ki-hyun’s cold eyes pierced me.
But I couldn’t move.
“Ugh…”
My back had given out from Hyesung’s assault.
“I’m dying…”
My body trembled, and Kang Ki-hyun’s face twisted in disgust.
She took a step back.
“…Come out if you want to eat.”
She turned and left the room.
…That was depressing.
***
My back was finally better by late afternoon.
I stretched and tapped my spine.
‘Never mess around again…’
I had forgotten that along with a child’s innocence comes a certain level of violence.
Considering how Hyesung had sulked when she realized something was wrong, the same incident probably wouldn’t happen again, but I still needed to be careful.
I chuckled, recalling Hyesung shaking me with her big eyes, and then I focused my thoughts.
‘…This isn’t the important thing.’
T h i s was c opi e d f ro m k i n g m tl . o r g
I needed to put aside idle thoughts and think about what to do next.
Now that I was living with the children, there was one pressing issue to address.
‘Survival skills.’
I needed to teach these kids how to survive.
Kang Ki-hyun had some rough knowledge, but it wasn’t enough to teach others.
‘It would be great to have a manual…’
I clicked my tongue in regret.
Survival manuals were strictly controlled by instructors in large shelters, making them hard to obtain.
T h i s wa s c o p ied f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
“Maybe I should just wing it.”
I muttered to myself, calculating in my head.
‘It’s not entirely impossible.’
Since we’re in the wild rather than a shelter, the manual wouldn’t perfectly apply to the kids anyway.
T h is w as c op i e d fr om k i n gmt l .or g
T h i s w a s co p ie d f r om ki n g m tl. o rg
I had enough survival knowledge not to be outdone anywhere, so creating my own wouldn’t be an issue.
“Hmm…”
Tap. Tap.
I tapped my thigh with my fingers, deep in thought, and finally made up my mind.
‘I’ll just make one.’
I could test it through practice and adjust as needed.
With that decision made, I dug into my pocket and pulled out a small notebook I always carried.
It was practically a portable will.
I had made it so that if I died in an accident, someone could find it and remember me.
‘…From now on, it’s a notebook.’
A smile spread across my face.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m ki n gm t l .o r g
From now on, it would be filled with notes for living, not dying.
Feeling a sense of joy, I clicked my pen and began writing down the urgent lessons.
=
1. Daily Guidance
2. Hygiene Guidance
3. Emergency Evacuation Procedures
=
‘Let’s start with these.’
These were the three most urgent topics to address in this post-apocalyptic world.
Daily guidance was essential to instill the basic common sense of why we needed to ration supplies and stay hidden.
Hygiene guidance was crucial to avoid diseases caused by contamination, especially since medical supplies were scarce.
And emergency evacuation procedures…
‘…Honestly, finding a new place would be ideal.’
But given the nature of this hotel, it was necessary education.
The building could have another zombie breach at any moment.
With our limited weapons, we couldn’t just find a new hiding spot immediately.
So, it was important to teach the kids how to escape zombies in an emergency.
‘Oh, I also need to check on my hideout.’
I thought about the supplies I had left behind.
T hi s w a s co p ied f r o m k i n g m tl .or g
While I didn’t have much food, I had stashed some valuable survival gear there, which I couldn’t just leave behind.
‘Batteries and a radio… and heating devices are hard to come by.’
Plus, premium combat gear.
Grenades, firearms, and handmade weapons perfect for dealing with zombies.
‘If I bring those, we wouldn’t even need to leave the hotel.’
We could clear out the zombies on the upper floors and settle there.
I gulped.
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ng m tl . o r g
‘Most importantly…’
There was alcohol in my hideout.
A ray of light for my mental health was still there.
‘I’ve left behind several bottles of wine…!’
Is that really so important?
Don’t ask the obvious.
In this world, there are few ways to relieve stress.
And mental health is crucial.
On days when I feel like dying, only alcohol can keep me going.
Ah, just thinking about it made me salivate.
I slapped my cheeks to wipe away the desire.
‘The hideout can wait until my leg is fully healed.’
It’s hidden well enough that it’s hard to find.
For now, I should focus on the kids’ basic education.
***
In the seminar room on the hotel’s 4th floor.
I stood on the stage, looking at the four kids seated in front of me.
“Why did you call us? It’s annoying.”
Kang Ki-hyun asked, frowning.
Jinwoo looked startled, glancing between me and Ki-hyun.
Dabin and Dayoon were sitting close together, playing a string game.
And Hyesung?
“Piggyback ride!”
She was riding on my shoulders.
“Hyesung, can you get down now?”
“Huh? No! I want to stay up here!”
Slap-!
Hyesung patted my cheek.
Her hand was quite strong; she might become a great warrior someday.
I wiggled my lips to soothe my tingling cheek and spoke to Hyesung.
“Then listen carefully from up there, okay?”
“Okay!”
So cheerful.
I felt Hyesung’s positive energy radiating through me and clapped my hands.
“Alright! From today, I’m going to start teaching you some lessons!”
“Lessons?”
“Yes, essential education for surviving in this harsh world.”
Ah, feeling like a teacher again made my shoulders straighten with pride.
It brought back fond memories.
“I’ve prepared three urgent topics to start with. Ki-hyun, do you have any plans today?”
T h i s wa s co p ie d fr o m k i n gm t l. o r g
“…No.”
Ki-hyun replied, frowning.
I nodded and continued.
“Then you should join us. What you’ve learned might be different from what I’m teaching.”
“What?”
Ki-hyun’s face showed clear annoyance, and I couldn’t help but smile mischievously.
Not because I wanted to hit her, but because it reminded me of the old days.
‘There were always kids like this in every class.’
The type who didn’t want to participate in lessons.
The type who got annoyed and acted out during P.E. class.
T h i s w as c o p ie d f r o m ki ng m t l .o r g
Thankfully, kids like Ki-hyun were the easiest to handle.
“What you learned was for shelters. The wild is different.”
“What’s so different about it?”
“Have you survived in the wild longer than I have?”
Ki-hyun flinched.
Her face showed a mix of anger and frustration.
Yeah, it would hurt her pride.
She wanted to argue but couldn’t think of a counterargument.
I grinned and delivered the final blow.
T hi s w as co p i e d f r o m ki n gm t l .o r g
“If you don’t trust me, listen and try to counter what I say.”
Ki-hyun’s eyes narrowed.
She ground her teeth.
“Are you confident?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Hmph…!”
Ki-hyun adjusted her posture.
She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees, glaring at me with burning eyes.
“Go ahead and talk.”
So easy.
End of Chapter
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Kzalca
Ah shit. He had a suicide notebook? With two cheerful his monologuing is, it slipped my mind that he might be depressed.
Thanks for the chapter!