I was wandering through a large mart with a huge central hall.

It could’ve been a department store.

A sweet aroma wafted from somewhere.

It was the rich, sweet scent of whipped cream.

‘This is…’

Waffles, maybe?

Led by the smell, I moved towards where the waffles were being made.

When I arrived, I saw an almost ridiculous amount of waffles being prepared.

“Wow.”

Two hefty dollops of whipped cream sat atop a perfectly cooked waffle.

Sweet apple jam was spread so generously it would make your hands sticky.

That must taste amazing.

I checked my wallet.

After buying Seol’s supplies, I wouldn’t have much left.

“Excuse me…”

I gently tugged on the apron of the young woman making waffles.

She smiled at me but didn’t stop cooking.

Her dedication was impressive.

“What can I do for you?”

“Is it possible to buy half a waffle…?”

“Ah… The machine can’t really make half portions. What should we do?”

I see.

Well, if that’s the case, there’s no helping it.

I decided to be content with just smelling the waffles today.

“Thank you. I’ll come back another time.”

After thanking the employee, I turned to leave without hesitation.

The waffle shop employee grabbed my shoulder.

“Um, how about I give you one for half price?”

“No, it’s okay.”

When I mentioned I had no money, she tried to give it for free.

She was kind, but I decided not to accept her offer.

“It’s really delicious…”

“It’s really fine. I got to smell it a lot.”

“Can you be satisfied with just the smell…?”

She glanced at me while making waffles.

I wondered how kind she must be to offer such generosity.

I was grateful, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness.

“I’ll definitely come back later.”

I ran to the pet supply store without waiting for her response.

I heard a disappointed “Ah…” but didn’t look back.

“Phew.”

And so I arrived at the pet supply store.

Despite running a long distance without rest, I wasn’t out of breath.

Being short may be inconvenient, but this was certainly a perk.

Feeling somewhat satisfied, I was about to enter the store when—

“Eek!”

A scream came from the first floor.

I rushed to the railing of the main hall.

To look down at the first floor.

Peering over the railing, I saw an employee covered in blood.

Despite being drenched in blood, they oddly didn’t seem terrified.

“Zombies!”

Zombies?

Did monsters appear from a dungeon or something?

I didn’t bring my bow. What should I do?

It was a moment of various concerns.

Zombies started crawling out from various places on the first floor.

‘They’re real zombies!’

They were genuine zombies, some missing legs or arms.

My heart started pounding even harder than when I first hunted monsters.

‘Is it because they look human…?’

As an adventurer, I should hunt zombies and save people, but I couldn’t move.

If I fought in this state, I’d be the one critically injured.

I might even lose my life.

“What should I do…”

I surveyed the people near the zombies.

I was worried accidents might happen in the chaos, but people were surprisingly calm.

“Wow, zombies.”

“Let’s dash over there.”

People calmly evacuated, some even chuckling.

Like they were handling a familiar situation.

‘Maybe it’s not such a dangerous situation?’

In a world with adventurers, this might be nothing special.

I decided to hide with nearby people until the incident was over.

‘Reality is different from movies.’

Even though it wasn’t a big deal, my body was still trembling.

Movies are indeed best watched as just movies.

“Huff, huff…”

Forcing my reluctant feet to move, I entered the pet supply store again.

Inside were one employee and a couple.

I tapped the waist of the tallest man among them.

“Ex-Excuse me…”

“Hm?”

“Could you please lock the door…?”

“The door?”

He looked into the eyes of the woman beside him, then immediately locked the door.

Now that the entrance was blocked, it was time to hide.

“Th-This way…”

I grabbed the hands of the couple and moved to the counter.

The employee at the counter stepped aside, looking bewildered but compliant.

“What’s going on?”

The employee asked me in a kind voice.

Thanks to that, I was able to calm down a bit.

“Zombies suddenly appeared…”

We need to hide behind the counter.

I tugged on the clothes of the three people, signaling them to crouch down.

“If it’s zombies…”

I quickly covered the mouth of the employee who was about to say something.

I signaled them to be quiet with a “Shh.”

Most zombies were sensitive to sound, after all.

“We can’t make noise. Zombies are sensitive to even small sounds.”

“Mmph… Mmph…!”

Did they panic?

I covered the mouth of the employee trying to speak with both hands.

Being weak, I had to use all my mana just to barely hold them.

Even though the employee was a petite woman, her strength was on par with mine using mana.

“You need to stay quiet.”

I looked around at the panicked employee and couple with a serious expression.

They nodded silently.

Have they calmed down now?

It was a moment of relief.

Thump- Thump-

Someone was knocking on the locked glass door.

I could tell from the sound that something was hitting the glass door with its palm.

“Uh…”

Did it come because it heard the sound?

I carefully peeked out from the counter.

A blood-covered zombie was hitting the store’s glass door with its palm.

‘A zombie…!’

Grr.

The characteristic gurgling sound of a zombie could be heard.

It was a real zombie with tattered limbs.

Thump- Thump-

The creature kept hitting the glass door without stopping.

The thin glass door seemed like it might break at any moment.

‘This is bad.’

If the glass breaks, zombies attracted by the sound would come in.

As an adventurer, I had to step up here.

I grabbed a dog bowl from the counter.

Without hesitation, I threw it at the door’s lock.

Click-!

The door opened and the zombie came in.

I lured the zombie by tapping on a nearby display shelf.

“Over here!”

I led the zombie out of the pet supply store.

To save the people in the store.

—

—

Yeoreum stood on the first floor of the department store, looking around.

The event must have started, as magically created zombies were wandering about.

“Tsk.”

They’re unnecessarily realistic.

Perhaps because it was an event for adults, their appearance was grotesque.

‘I wonder if Gyeoul took one of these.’

To avoid participating in the event, one had to hold an item.

It was an item that could adjust the intensity of the event in stages.

An item distributed at the entrance.

Being a child who avoids unfamiliar people, there was a high chance she didn’t take one.

───

Level 1: The zombies’ appearance is softened.

Level 2: The zombies’ appearance becomes cute.

Level 3: Zombies can be seen but do not attack.

Level 4: Zombies become invisible.

(Note* From level 3 and above, you do not participate in the event.)

───

Using illusion magic and items for a simple event.

This was an expensive event only possible in this neighborhood.

Yeoreum fervently hoped Gyeoul had taken an item.

Level 0 without using the item was no different from the appearance of real zombies, after all.

‘First, the pet supply store.’

Yeoreum quickly climbed the stairs.

Upon arriving at the pet supply store, there were three people.

They all looked somewhat dazed.

“Excuse me.”

“Ah… Are you looking for Gyeoul?”

Gyeoul’s name came up without even asking.

Yeoreum felt a bit uneasy.

“Yes, have you seen our Gyeoul?”

“She, she took a zombie outside saying she’d save us. I think she thought it was a real zombie…”

“Ah…”

So she didn’t take the item after all.

Yeoreum let out a long sigh.

“The child was trembling but still…”

“Admirable, isn’t it?”

To save people, she ran out with a zombie, her trauma.

A child with kindness and courage unseen anywhere else in the world.

“It seems Gyeoul didn’t have the item.”

“Yes, Gyeoul doesn’t really know about these things.”

“Ah… Because she’s a beast-kin…”

How would a beast-kin child know about Earth and its events?

The employee felt worried about Gyeoul who had run out, but also grateful.

A child who sacrificed herself to save everyone, thinking a real zombie outbreak had occurred.

She did so despite trembling in fear.

That touching act was pushing their fondness for Gyeoul beyond its limit.

The couple in the store felt the same way.

“Um, do you know which way Gyeoul went?”

“I only saw her running to the side. She was so fast.”

“Ah, thank you. It’s urgent so I’ll be going now.”

Yeoreum followed Gyeoul’s trail.

The trail ended at a darkened clothing store.

‘That’s…’

A white tail was poking out from between the displayed clothes.

It was unmistakably Gyeoul’s tail.

“Gyeoul?”

Yeoreum crouched down and gently poked Gyeoul’s tail.

Startled, the tail shot up and hit Yeoreum’s chin.

‘Oh my.’

The child must have been very frightened.

Yeoreum pushed aside the clothes hanging on the rack.

There was Gyeoul’s back, all curled up.

—

3/6 Enjoy the chappy!

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep