Tako anticipated that the opponent would attempt to flank them and managed to outmaneuver them, taking their rear instead. The commentators could not contain their excitement.

"Super high-speed brain spin!! Takoyaki!!!"

"It's spinning so fast, it's like his hair's been centrifuged!"

— For real.

— This is Korean level spinning!

— Crazy, really

— Sweet, sweet Almond and Tako combo!!!

— Shit

— Tako for Parliament!

"We didn't even know the snack lady was hiding in the bathroom!?"

Even the commentators, who had a much freer view from above, found it hard to notice every detail. They knew that Tako was waiting for Class 2, but they were unaware that he had planned to completely block the opponent’s retreat.

"Look at the speed of that barricade! Class 2 can't escape through that way anymore!"

Initially, they only used a mop handle like a latch to buy time. Eventually, they built a barricade.

It would be unreasonable for Class 2 to break through with Class 3 in front of them.

"The door to the fourth floor is also blocked!? Even the zombies can’t come! What will Class 2 do now!"

"The leader of Class 2 doesn't look happy! They thought they could handle a fight in the corridor! Now they're stuck fighting uphill and downhill!?"

"So, what do they do!? I can't figure it out even if I think about it now!"

— Is this the end??

— Just Mango it LOL

— Good game, everyone LOL

"I don't know either! And now, Almond's position is quite aggressive, isn’t it?"

"No? The troop arrangement is very unique!? Is this correct?"

***

"Hmm."

Jessie had shown a quite relaxed attitude. Her expression only turned grim after their retreat was blocked.

"Are we screwed?"

Between the stairs above and below, it was thirty against fourteen. They were forced into a disadvantageous fight.

'Who is it?'

Jessie looked at the man who seemed to have planned this operation. Well, could she really tell who he was by just looking?

"Shit, fuck."

"Hey, Jessie. Should we kill Masok?"

"What are you talking about in this situation!? This idiot."

A couple of other members exchanged harsh expletives, sensing the extremity of the situation.

'There's only one way.'

Jessie could see the best combat option because she had combat corps abilities. After tying her red hair up, she gripped her spear tightly.

"Save the complaints about Masok for later. Right now, do this..."

Jessie whispered her strategy to the other two players.

Class 3, seeing her actions, also prepared for battle. They hadn’t expected a surrender anyway.

This wasn’t real life, after all. Players would rather fight and die trying something.

Bubblegum shouted, "Shields to the front!"

Click! Click!

Desks lined up in a row, further narrowing the already tight space.

NerdKing also shouted, "Shield wall!"

Thump! Thump!

Metal shields moved forward.

"Charge!" Bubblegum cried out and the kids began to advance.

"Waaaaahhhh!!"

Dae-Hyuk, the biggest among them, shouted first and charged in.

"Kill them! These bastards!!"

"Block them!"

Whoosh!

The shields forcefully collided.

"Push! Push!"

"Don't back down!"

The battle of the shields turned out to be surprisingly even.

However—

“Poke!”

Students with spears from Class 3 started stabbing from behind. Here, the difference emerged. Although their number of shields was roughly matched, the additional spears poking from behind became overwhelming.

Class 2 had, at most, a few people shoving dinner knife-like spears. Class 3 had nearly three times that number stabbing away.

However, there was a difference in equipment. A few from Class 2 were struck by burlap sack blades.

“Arghhhh!”

“Hold on!”

Class 2 held out against the spears with their iron armor.

“These kids aren’t breaking through!”

“Crazy! Is that a dinner knife?”

Class 3's formation started to falter slightly to the dinner knives.

Bubblegum shouted, “Hammer down! Smash them!”

“Okay!”

The Hammer Brigade was ready. They jumped down from above, adding more weight and hammering down on the enemy shield bearers.

Clang!!

The impact was so strong that sparks flew from the metal collision.

“Ugh…!”

Thud.

Although no shields were pierced, the weight brought some kids down. Thus, Class 2's shield bearers began to raise their dinner knives. Despite giving up some defense, stabbing the enemies was crucial.

“Stab!”

They slipped their hands between the shields even if it cost them an arm.

Thwack!

Blind blades sliced through the waists of Class 3's shield bearers.

“They wedged in…

Arghh

!”

“Damn it! Kick!”

Thump!

Dominating from above was basic in war. The stairs presented an extreme difference in elevation. This gave Class 3 lower defense. On the other hand, Class 2's defense was adequate even if it was just the upper part of their bodies.

“Gasp…!”

Thud…!

Casualties began to emerge in Class 3.

“Ye, Yeon-Ji!?”

Yeon-Ji, who had been stabbed from behind, suffered a deep cut on her thigh. Blood gushed out.

“Ki… Ki-Tae…”

Seemingly hallucinating, Yeon-Ji called out to the deceased Ki-Tae.

“These bastards! They’re really dead! Really!!”

Dae-Hyeok lifted a hammer with one hand. The advantage Class 3 had from the extreme height difference was the force difference due to the weight of gravity.

He slammed down with all his might.

Kwang!

“Die! Dieeeee!”

Bang!

Bang!

Shield or no shield, he delivered further blows.

Class 2 desperately shoved their dinner knives at him, but his pushing was unstoppable.

“Ugh!”

“We’re, we’re collapsing!”

Class 2's shield bearers crumbled like moles in a whack-a-mole game.

Clang!

Eventually, a shield shattered. The sharp edge of the shield pierced into Class 2 instead.

“Now.”

That was the moment.

Jessie gave the signal. Then Oote and NerdKing grabbed the shields and ran in front of her.

Click! Click!

They formed makeshift stairs with the shields.

“What!?”

Before Class 3 could react, Jessie climbed up on the shields.

Tatatat──

She moved too fast.

‘That woman has the combat class.’

Tako immediately realized that she was a combatant. She didn't seem to bother hiding it.

Her red ponytail fluttered.

“Up! Up! She’s coming!”

Whoosh──

In an instant, she jumped over the shield wall. Landing on the stair railing, she started running as if it were a well-polished relay race track.

“Redhead! Stab the redhead!” Tako yelled as he lunged with his spear.

The checkered skirt fluttered once.

Scrape!

“!?”

The burlap sack was sliced as smoothly as tofu.

‘What is that weapon?’

It wasn’t just Almond who had acquired a special weapon.

‘Is it some sort of cutter?’

One side of the cutter was modified to resemble a large Korean sword. Modifications were possible because they had looted Class 4, who had occupied the construction site.

Numerous attacks followed.

Thud!

“... Uh, uh!?”

Jessie successfully landed, piercing through Class 3's defense.

“Behind! She's got our back!”

Class 3 panicked.

Surprisingly, Jessie didn’t attack even though she had the upper hand from behind. Was it chivalry? No, she continued running up the stairs and intended to break through this crowd.

“The fourth floor door…!”

She intended to open the door to the fourth floor to draw in zombies and drag them into this fight.

“Block her!”

A few kids tried to block Jessie and swung their weapons. All their attackers were blocked or missed.

Jessie was unmatched.

Swish!

Some of the kids even received injuries and rolled down.

Thump!

The last student blocking the way was knocked out cold by a kick.

“She's through!”

“Typical Jessie!”

Oote and NerdKing felt overjoyed and prepared to cheer.

“Just open the door and we're set!!”

“Yesss! Jessie! I believed in you!”

“That won't work,” Tako interrupted them.

“What?”

He had already anticipated their desperate attempt. The most vulnerable point in this strategy was the fourth floor fire door. If it opened, they would essentially become cornered like rats.

“I already prepared a gatekeeper.”

Tako had placed the most trustworthy person there.

***

Jessie turned around the corner of the stairs after going through numerous shields, spears, and swords.

“Ha… Ha…”

"Now, you guys—"

The enemies would all die once she opened the door for zombies to come. Thinking this, she looked up.

Whoosh!

A sword strike came flying.

“Eek!”

The startled Jessie ducked her head.

Swish...

Her tied-up red hair was cut into a bob and became disheveled.

‘Was someone stationed here too?’

How many people did they have to station an individual all the way over here? That was ridiculous and surprising in itself, but what was truly surprising came next.

The incoming attacks were too sharp.

“!?”

Kiiing!

She barely deflected them with her own sword. Then, she counterattacked.

Clang...!

The counterattack cut through the air.

The opponent had been standing on the railing. He slid along the railing and swung his sword again.

The sword stroke came down smoothly as if almost trying to caress her. For a moment, she even fantasized if being hit would feel as soft as a cat’s fur. However—

“Ugh!”

Clang!

The sword strike she finally received felt immensely heavy.

Jessie's body flew back.

Thump!

Her back hit the stair wall and some distance had been created between them.

‘Should I ignore him and rush up?’

Unknowingly, she glanced at the fourth floor fire door.

Whoosh—

A shadow loomed above.

The enemy had kicked off the railing and even leaped after her. His raised sword glittered in the light.

It was too late to block with her sword.

“Damn!”

Thud!

She deflected it as best she could with her hands. It cut through her iron armor for a moment, but that wasn’t enough.

Jessie threw herself down the stairs and rolled away.

Clang!

The sword that struck where she had been sparked flames. She would have been split in half if she had been any later.

‘What the heck?’

Jessie had survived, but now she was further from the fourth floor door. Above all, she felt astounded and hadn’t expected to meet someone better at melee combat than herself here.

She was being cornered?

“Jessie! What are you doing!”

Her damned allies hadn’t expected her to take so long and hadn’t prepared for this.

“We’re all gonna diiiiiie!”

“Shut up! I’m trying here!”

Crunch...!

Jessie bit her lip. She wanted to enjoy this, but now she was too annoyed to play around.

Another sword strike came toward her.

‘There.’

Clang!

The two swords collided properly for the first time. Until then, she had been merely rolling around to evade.

Jessie caught her breath.

“Huh. I hit hard, don’t I?” Her lips curled up. “I was caught off guard by the ambush earlier. You know?”

Now, the real battle began.

“You're dead now.”

“Uh…?” the opponent reacted oddly.

“What’s with the ‘uh?’ You're dead now. Didn’t you get the... Huh?”

Then, they made eye contact and she immediately understood the opponent's reaction.

Her emerald eyes widened as big as a baseball.

“Jessie…?”

— OMG is that Jessie??

— Wow, 17 year old Jessie is gorgeous

— Meeting a girl even in a zombie apocalypse smh

— Some guys have all the luck lol

— Woah, he recognized her immediately

***

[Beginner's Tip: Nietzsche said, "God is dead." Yes, he was a lifelong bachelor.]