Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

One of the official team members assessed the situation and joined the fight, while another, like Ryu Hyunwoo, stayed firmly by Kim Haru's side, unwavering in his duty to guard him.

Unable to persuade them, Kim Haru could only shift his gaze toward the center of the battle.

This was his first time seeing the mutated creatures that everyone had talked about.

It was a writhing, segmented thing, with the part above the ground already towering three to four meters high. Its overall shape was cylindrical, and its body appeared soft and pliable. At the very top, there was a large mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth—the very thing that had just lunged at Kim Haru's back! Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

"What is that?" Kim Haru stared at the agile body, a thought flashing through his mind.

Ryu Hyunwoo's reply confirmed Kim Haru's suspicion: "That's a Mutated Purple Worm called Oltura, and judging by its size, it must be the Oltura King."

The Mutatrd Purple Worm or Oltura is a mutation of the common earthworm. Ordinary mutated creatures only grow half a meter to a meter long. However, Oltura live in groups, and when their numbers reach a certain threshold, they begin to devour each other until only one remains.

That last one that remains would become the Oltura King, whose power and size are several times greater than those of ordinary Oltura!

Don't be fooled by the Oltura King's soft body; its skin is as tough as iron. The most troublesome part is that when it's on the verge of death, it unleashes its final move—a power that ability users like to call "Seed Explosion."

—This enormous creature explodes into dozens of smaller, one or two-meter-long Oltura.

If any of these small Oltura escape, they'll eventually grow back into a giant Oltura King. This makes it extremely difficult for small teams to completely wipe them out.

Kim Haru felt somewhat relieved, though, knowing that while the Oltura King was tough to deal with, Shin Woncheon's Metal-type abilities were its natural counter. With Shin Woncheon in the fight, his teammates shouldn't suffer any serious injuries.

Soon enough, the commotion attracted other ability users squads to the scene.

Upon seeing the Oltura King, the newcomers recognized its cowardly final move. Some of them clicked their tongues in disdain, while others, with a look of scorn, activated their powers and joined the battle.

One member, who had a baby-faced appearance, paused before jumping into the fray and called out to Shin Woncheon, "Captain Shin, since I'm helping you out this time, could you give me an extra portion of food the next time Mr. Kim shares some?"

His voice was so loud that even Kim Haru, standing at a distance, could hear him clearly.

Oh, judging by the way that guy deliberately glanced in this direction, he must've raised his voice on purpose to make sure Kim Haru heard it.

Kim Haru kept a straight face, quietly suppressing the worry he felt inside.

Since they still had the energy to bargain, it seemed that dealing with the Oltura King wasn't going to be too difficult.

The person who had gone to report to the team leader quickly returned with reinforcements. With more official team members now on the scene, the number of people fighting the Oltura King increased. Various abilities rained down on the creature's body, and before long, the Oltura King began to convulse violently!

"Watch out, it's about to explode into seeds!"

With a loud bang, the gigantic Oltura King instantly burst into dozens of purple serpentine creatures, slithering rapidly in all directions. The ability users swiftly pursued them, their movements practiced and efficient.

"Earth-type ability users, hurry up and control the ground! Don't let them burrow in!"

As an Earth-type ability user himself, Ryu Hyunwoo, seeing that the major threat had been dealt with, stepped forward, stomped his foot, and the ground around him hardened rapidly.

Soon, the small Oltura, unable to dig into the hardened soil, were caught one by one and suffocated.

Ryu Hyunwoo let out a sigh of relief, turning around to smile at Kim Haru. "It's all over now, Mr. Kim... Mr. Kim?!"

Not sure when it happened, but Kim Haru, who had been standing right behind him, had disappeared without a trace. The official team member who are standing guard next to Kim Haru also had a blank expression, frozen in shock, until Ryu Hyunwoo called out to him, snapping him back to reality.

Realizing that the person he was supposed to protect had gone missing, both of them felt a chilling cold run down their spines.

...

Just as the scene before Kim Haru suddenly shifted, he had no time to react before he found himself in another place entirely.

The lighting was dim, the space cramped, and it wasn't just him there—he was surrounded by several humanoid figures!

Kim Haru's pupils contracted sharply.

He could clearly see the people encircling him. Their expressions were blank, their skin pale and devoid of blood, with bodies either mutilated or decaying. Their pupils were unfocused, and scattered.

These were all zombies!

A pickaxe instantly appeared in Kim Haru's hand, and he raised it, ready to smash it down on the nearest zombie's head.

"They won't hurt you," a voice suddenly called out from the shadows, freezing Kim Haru's movements.

There was a living person here!

"Who's there?" Kim Haru slowly scanned the dim room, his gaze finally settling on a standing cabinet.

The entire room only had that one corner where someone could hide.

"Come out," Kim Haru said coldly.

He had already pulled up the system map and confirmed that his current location was still within Gokmul County, though a little bit farther from the No. 2 grain warehouse than before. He wasn't sure if he could escape or find a way to send a message to the search team.

Seeing that Kim Haru had already noticed his hiding spot, a figure slowly emerged from behind the cabinet.

It was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.