Chapter 1 The Great Zombie Extermination

The Great Zombie Extermination

Zombies were never a serious threat. Weak, brainless, and slow, they were nothing more than training dummies for new adventurers. A single strike could kill them, and they had no magic, no skills, no intelligence. But there was one problem. There were too many of them.

The Tower of Greatness, the world's most prestigious dungeon, was on the verge of collapse—not because of powerful beasts or demonic invasions, but because of the unstoppable swarm of zombies overrunning its floors.

And the worst part? They didn't just spread through bites. Their rotting flesh, their spilled blood, even their decomposing remains—any contact with them could turn anything into another zombie. Animals, plants, corpses, and even objects that absorbed too much of their decay. It was an unstoppable plague.

The World Adventurers' Guild, the governing force of warriors across the land, issued a global decree: All adventurers, from legendary heroes to beginners, are to exterminate every last zombie. No exceptions.

Thus began the Great Zombie Extermination. Thousands of adventurers stormed the Tower of Greatness, their weapons cutting through zombies like wheat before the scythe. Holy magic burned them to ash, fire reduced them to cinders, and enchanted weapons shredded them apart.

But even then, the zombies kept coming matter how many were slain, more crawled from the walls, spilled from the ceilings, or rose from the remains of the fallen.

It was an unwinnable war. But the World Adventurers' Guild refused to lose.

And so, the battle raged on for days, weeks, until at last, the final zombie fell. And I… I was one of them.

A Pathetic End

I was just another mindless corpse, stumbling through the tower, groaning at anything that moved. I had no thoughts, no memories. Just an instinct to hunt and eat. Then came the so-called heroes.

A group of fresh adventurers—shaky hands, clumsy footwork, clearly inexperienced. I wasn't even attacking them, but that didn't stop them from treating me like their first big kill.

"It's a zombie! We can take this one!""Stick to the plan! Surround it!""Wait, who has the healing potion?! I think I cut myself—"

I groaned, stretching out my arms. Fresh meat. So, I lunged—Or at least, I tried.

My stiff, decayed legs refused to cooperate. Instead of a terrifying leap, I stumbled forward like a drunk snail, arms flailing, mouth open.

The adventurers blinked."Uh… is it… broken?""Maybe it's a tutorial monster?"

Before I could even get within biting distance, cold steel sliced through my chest, a fireball exploded in my face, and a spear completely missed me but still managed to trip me.

Just like that, I was dead. Again.

Then, darkness swallowed me whole.

But before it could fully take me, a voice echoed in the abyss.

"I… wish to understand why humans kill us…"

A moment before my demise, the Zombie King had spoken these words, pleading to the Tower of Greatness itself for a second chance.

And the Tower… answered.

Light.

A Strange Awakening

I gasped. A real, actual breath.

My body felt different. Soft. Warm. Alive more rotting flesh. No more hunger. No more mindless instincts.

Instead, I was lying in a grand, gold-trimmed bed, wrapped in silk sheets, inside a room that screamed luxury. I sat up in shock, heart pounding, eyes darting around.

That's when I saw it. A mirror across the room. And the reflection staring back at me was not a zombie.

It was a nobleman. I had no idea how or why. But one thing was clear. I was no longer a weak, brain-dead zombie. I was someone important. And I had been given a second chance at life.

A maid entered the room, bowing politely. "Young Master Audi, you're awake."

I stared at her. Food. My stomach growled. I opened my mouth, ready to bite—

"Hi!!" The maid screamed, grabbing a platter and shoving a massive steak into my mouth.

I chomped down by reflex. Juices exploded on my tongue. It was—Delicious.

I blinked. "...This. This is my favorite food now."

The maid exhaled, trembling. "Y-Young Master, you almost gave me a heart attack! If you're hungry, just say so!"

And so, I did. For the next week, I ate nothing but steak, devouring it like a zombie with an insatiable hunger.

Goblin

One morning, as my maid Sally went to the market carrying a bundle of fresh steak, a group of goblins began trailing her. She ran, barely escaping, but one goblin followed her all the way back to the mansion.

While she cooked, the goblin attacked. Sally froze in fear, her body going stiff before collapsing unconscious. The goblin moved to carry her away—

And I saw it.

With a growl, I lunged at the creature. But it was too fast. It dodged every clumsy swing, dancing around me. Then, in one desperate move, I bit down—hard—on its arm. A deep, critical bite. The goblin shrieked and fled.

This is the first time I bit a monster… and I'm sure of it. This taste…It's much tastier than human flesh! I know now my goal. To taste all the monsters in this rebirth—not just steak, but all kinds of meat.

The Goblin's Transformation

Deep in the forest, the goblin stumbled through the undergrowth. Its body twitched, veins darkened, and its eyes dimmed—then glowed red.

It had the cunning of a goblin but the endless hunger and resilience of a zombie. And it was starving.

The infection had begun.

The Adventurers' Struggle

The adventurer party soon encountered the undead goblin, and to their horror—it was not just a normal zombie. It thought like a goblin, moving tactically, dodging, and setting up traps. But it had the hunger and durability of a zombie . The mage's fireball didn't work. The warrior's sword strikes barely slowed it down. The arrows from the archer only made it angrier. And worse—it spoke."Huuuungry…"Zombies weren't supposed to talk . The goblin grinned, knowing exactly how to terrorize them. It feinted, dodged, and fought with strategy, but no matter how many times they struck it, it didn't stay down. The battle was long, brutal, and desperate. But after countless attacks, the warrior finally pierced its skull with a massive blow. The undead goblin twitched violently—then finally stopped moving.Silence.The cleric panted. "That… was NOT normal."The warrior, still kneeling, stared at the corpse. "What the hell did we just fight?"The mage, still shaken, muttered, "It was like a thousand years ago since we've seen a monster like that."Everyone turned to look at her. She swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the goblin's corpse."I'm sure it's a zombie… because my great-grandfather was one of the legendary heroes who fought them."The forest fell silent.No one spoke.No one spoke. Because they all knew one thing—if zombies had returned, then the world was in danger once again. The warrior clenched his fists. "We should tell this to the Guild."The cleric nodded. "If this isn't reported, more of them might appear."The adventurers exchanged glances before the leader took a deep breath. "Let's move. The Guild needs to hear this… before it's too late."

End of Chapter 1