I stared at the tree, disappointed. I wasn't hungry yet, but I knew that wouldn't last - eventually, I'd need food. And it's not just me; there's another human being with me, looking at me like some divine agent from heaven. As much as it irritates me, I do understand that his respect for me stems from the horrors of this world and my inexplicable power to restore zombified humans, nature, and water - or so it seems - to their normal state. I can't abandon him or the hopes he's placed on me.
Mr. Klimt, too, watches me as if trying to decipher my expressions, and I think he's worried that I'm hungry or wanting to eat the apples. His face, too, carries a shade of guilt and sadness. And that prompted me to do a little experiment. Even if it fails, it's no big deal - but what if I really am something like a divine agent sent to this desolate world for a purpose? What if this is the moment to ignite a spark of hope and bring this world back to normal?
I took a deep breath and visualized the strange power within me flowing into my right hand. Then I approached the tree and touched its trunk with that hand, feeling the power still flowing through it. I sensed a kind of resistance, as though the power was being stopped by a thin but firm barrier. Closing my eyes, I focused on that barrier and exerted pressure, trying to tear through the resistance. This time, I felt my power spread outward, as if it had entered an external vessel. I opened my eyes - expecting nothing, or maybe even an angry apple tree. But...
I couldn't believe my own eyes, and now I completely understood Mr. Klimt's expression - his eyes wide and mouth slightly open, as though even that wasn't enough to take in what he was seeing.
Inexplicably, the tree had come back to life. The bark was no longer grey but had returned to the natural brown of apple trees. Life surged back into the branches - not just buds or leaves, but fully ripe apples, so abundant the leaves were barely visible. Each apple looked smooth and juicy, so much so that I gulped - even though I wasn't hungry and didn't have any special fondness for apples. What had just happened?
I kept staring at it for a few more seconds before hearing the sound of someone wiping their nose. Looking back, I saw that Mr. Klimt was crying. And for once, I didn't want to criticize him. Rather, I realized that I'm not so good at expressing my feelings.
Surreal. Magic. Impossible. Call it what you will - but it was beyond even the wildest dream.
To make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I reached out to the lowest-hanging bunch of apples and touched one. It was real, so smooth that my fingers slipped off its skin. I tried again, this time on tiptoe, and voilà!, I plucked one.
I decided to give it to Mr. Klimt, who was watching the unfolding scene in awe, his eyes still moist from earlier. Though genuinely surprised when I offered him the apple, he looked at my face and, perhaps reassured by my smile, reached out and took it with joy and admiration.
Then he looked at me and excused himself: "Pardon my curiosity," he said, before bringing the apple to his mouth and biting into it with a satisfying, juicy crunch. He chewed for a few seconds, his face bright with joy, wonder, and - above all, satisfaction.
Now that the apples had proven to be as good as they looked, I decided to pluck one for myself. But just then, Mr. Klimt stepped forward and asked,
"Sir Kendo, may I?"
I decided to let him repay his gratitude. Holding his half-bitten apple in his left hand, he reached out and easily plucked another. He was a bit taller than me, after all. With the expression of a devotee making an offering, he extended it toward me, and with a quiet thanks, I took it.
When I bit into it, I began to understand why Mr. Klimt had cried. For some reason, a mix of emotions flooded my mind - just as the sweet juice of the apple spread across my mouth.
I got isekaied into this post-apocalyptic world without any prior information or hints. I wasn't religious, never trained for combat, and honestly, I was nobody back home. Yet here I am, restoring life in a broken world. Why me?
Yet, for some unknown reason - perhaps destiny, if I were to name it - I came here with a power. A power that manifested in a life or death moment, and that power restored a kind hearted knight, revived the dead nature, brought back water, and now has gifted us with delicious food. Just what is this power? And why was I transported into this world with it? Maybe, like my knight companion believes, did I come with a purpose? Was I meant to save this world?
My eyes were filled with tears, threatening to flow out, but fortunately, Captain Klimt wasn't focused on me. In a rare moment of personal indulgence, he was eating the apple without paying attention to his surroundings. I quickly wiped my tears away, using the distraction. I can't understand how being a zombie must have felt, but judging by his absorbed eating, I think he was really hungry.
So, after we both finished eating, another doubt came to my mind. What now? I had already restored a zombie, and this is a zombie survival fantasy. So I decided to ask for my knight companion's opinion.
But before I could look at him, I already heard him making a request, bowing his head like a plea. "Sir Kendo... may I make a humble request? You've already shown the power to restore what was lost - can you restore the rest of humanity?"
For a second, I felt a wave of irritation surge through me. I never expected something like this. I'm not a god or divine figure. And yet, I've been thrown into this without even agreeing to it. But… what's the point in throwing a tantrum? Captain Klimt is just another survivor, like me. Just as helpless. And I am his only remaining assistance.
So, I forced a smile onto my face so as not to disappoint him. "Of course, Captain Klimt. I don't know how many people I can save, but still, I'll try my best to restore humankind." After saying that, I looked around nervously. This city alone looks so vast. How long will it take to restore just this city? I don't think I'll be able to restore the entire world in my lifetime.
When I turned my attention back to him, I noticed he was deep in thought, wearing a serious expression. After a brief hesitation, he looked at me.
"Sir Kendo, be extremely careful. Not all survivors will be peaceful or good. You can't assume that they all have pure intentions, especially in this strange new world. I insist that I accompany you whenever dealing with them."
I couldn't agree more with his warning. I got lucky with Mr. Klimt - he's a good person. But I can never assume everyone will be the same. The last thing we want now is a violent mob in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. So I decided to trust the captain's military instincts entirely on this matter.
And we started searching for zombies. After just a few minutes of walking randomly through the streets beyond the city walls, we saw two zombies. I cursed a little under my breath, but Captain Klimt pointed toward the one closer to us, who had already seen us and started walking in our direction. The other seemed a few meters farther away and hadn't noticed us yet. Curiously, they both looked identical to the zombified Captain Klimt in appearance, except for the clothing and armor. Without wasting time, the captain readied his large, rectangular metal shield and rushed the first zombie, instructing me to follow him.
He pinned the zombie down with his shield. The zombie shrieked and tried to wriggle out or bite him. But only for a few seconds. I slapped its head, barely touching its skin. The skin was scaly and greasy, like a mix of rough bark and oil. The moment it was enveloped in white light, Captain Klimt rolled away and sprang into action, turning to face the other zombie, now walking toward us with its arms outstretched in an awkward gait.
This one looked like a regular city dweller - turned zombie, like the earlier one now thrashing and transforming back into a human. Captain Klimt ran toward the new zombie, and I chased after him. A second later, he lowered himself and knocked the zombie down by sweeping his shield horizontally and hitting its knee. I think it would've hurt badly for a human, but it was probably just a mild annoyance for the zombie. And even if our new survivor complained of pain once he returned to being human, I could simply heal his knee. I wasted no time, touched somewhere near the leg of the fallen zombie, which was wriggling like a fish on land. It might sound chaotic, but it felt oddly playful - like a game of tag. For a few fleeting seconds, I felt like a ten-year-old again, running around with friends.
By that time, the first guy had already become human. He watched the subsequent cleansing with surprise and horror. As a personal note, Captain Klimt later preferred to use the term "cleansing" to describe the process of returning zombies back to humans, so I'll call it that from now on. Before our first survivor could yell in shock at seeing another zombie cleansed, Captain Klimt hushed him firmly. His eyes had the sharpness of a soldier in that moment, and I appreciated my first human companion in this world even more.
Soon the second zombie was also transformed back into a human after some thrashing. Luckily, Captain Klimt volunteered to orient them briefly. I'm not good at that, and I never want to experience the suffocating dramatic gratitude and emotional reactions of the revived ever again. I'm still in the dark about how an extremely ordinary man from Earth ended up in another apocalyptic world with superpowers. I don't want to be called divine, or a messenger, or a hero.
I stood a few meters away, cleansing the mist, as Captain Klimt talked to them. After his explanation, the two came toward me to express their thanks. Their gestures were gentle and subtle, and I think Captain Klimt had realized my personality and introduced me as a more realistic person.
Then they introduced themselves. The first one, who had more refined dress and manners, introduced himself as Nedolus - a 2nd grade senior mage specialized in earth magic. The second person introduced himself as Sanomel, a craftsman. Nedolus also offered his aid in cleansing zombies, and I thanked him wholeheartedly.
Nedolus looked somewhat noble, with expensive-looking clothes - an overcoat, shirt, and pants. His brown, shoulder length messy hair and tall, lanky frame gave him a bit of a nerdy appearance. He even complained about losing his glasses when he became a zombie. Sanomel was more physically built - short, stout, and with a taut body tanned from working outdoors. His harsh brown eyes held a mix of gratitude and a sense of adventure.
Then we went back near the apple tree, and the new survivors nearly teared up upon seeing it,full of big and juicy apples with a clear water pool beside it. They gratefully took the apple picked by Captain Klimt and bit into it with joy. Their eyes dilated, and their faces lit up. "I've never eaten apples as tasty as this!" Nedolus exclaimed after the first bite. Sanomel, too, looked pleased and took another bite.
"That's all thanks to our otherworlder hero here, Sir Kendo," Captain Klimt said to Nedolus with pride. Nedolus looked at me with surprise. "Hey… are you a mage too?" he asked, his face overly excited.
I smiled nervously. "Umm… no… there's no magic in my world. I was just an ordinary person. I don't know how I did this either…" I gave an honest answer, and Nedolus's face dropped a little in disappointment. He and Sanomel didn't speak much more until they finished their meal.
After enjoying the apples, we discussed what to do next. That's when I noticed Sanomel eyeing my hair curiously. "Hey, what about my hair?" I asked him, curious. Earlier, I had noticed Captain Klimt staring intently at it a few times as well.
Hearing this, Captain Klimt decided to answer. "Sir Kendo, pardon my curiosity, but the few purple locks among your black hair look good on you. They glow when you use your powers." I was stunned for a moment and instinctively raised my hand to feel my hair. It felt normal. I had the sudden urge to look in a mirror to see the color change. Maybe… maybe it's a result of my powers? And are there any other changes to my body?
A few seconds later, I took a deep breath. There's no point in feeling overwhelmed. In just a few hours, I had been transported into another world, fought a zombie, gained healing and restoration powers and now I find out I have glowing purple hair? It's probably the least significant change. But still, glowing hair when I use my powers? That's actually pretty cool.
After a while, we returned to our discussion. Nedolus suggested saving a few more survivors outside the city before opening the gates so we wouldn't be overwhelmed by more zombies. Captain Klimt agreed, and the four of us resumed our mission to save more people.
We began our walk in a line. I was second, right behind Captain Klimt, clearing the mist as he held his shield ready. We walked forward in high spirits - hoping to find more survivors, to save the city, and maybe… one day, beyond.