《Stuck in a zombie world with an OP shop》
Chapter One, What happened to our world?!
''This is so stupid,'' The man climbing down a ladder thought as he descended into the darkness of the sewer. Only the night from his headlamp lit the way. His name is Ryan Stone, a member of the Detroit City maintenance branch.
>Welcome to the new world.
''Huh?'' The man thinks, pausing his descent. "Hey, Ron, you see this?" He yells up the manhole.
"Yeah, it''s in front of my vision, like a video game," Ron replies. While looking up, Ryan can see Ron trying to swat in front of his face.
>You have sixty seconds to prepare. Good luck.
"Um, I think we should get back to the van," Ryan says, and starts to climb up. He didn''t know what was about to happen, but didn''t want to be climbing onto a ladder when it happened, or even stuck inside the sewer.
"Yeah, just give me a second," Ron says and begins to unclip himself from the ladder. With himself before Ron, Ryan could not move any higher. Forty seconds into the sixty second time limit, Ron finally removes his clips from the ladder and beings to ascend. Ryan is slowly behind him.
However, just as Ron reached the top of the ladder, another screen of text appeared in front of Ryan.
>Okay, that''s it. The game beings now!
"We better hurry," Ron says and walks away from the sewer entrance.
"Hey, don''t leave me down here!" Ryan yells up, but Ron is already gone. Ryan begins to ascend once more, but is stopped when the underside of a car appears over the hole, darkening the entire scene for Ryan. "Hey, what''s going on up there?"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Holy shit!" Someone, probably Ron, yells, and the voice moves further away from the manhole.
''God damn,'' Ryan begins to think, and starts ascending the ladder once more. A few seconds later, a man comes sliding under the car bottom and into the manhole.
"Don''t go up there!" Yells Ron, who is now hanging onto the highest run of the ladder.
"What is it?" Ryan asks.
"Fucking zombies, man!" Ron yells, and reaches his head up to take another look. "I covered the manhole with the van, just so it might protect us a little more,"
"Hey, that''s some good thinking," Ryan said to him, only half-believing what Ron said. Zombies were not real, but then again, there was nothing real that made text appear in front of a person''s face like in a video game.
"Shit man, shit," Ron repeats and goes further inside the manhole. "It''s a shit show out there. I''ll try and swing to the side, if you want to take a look,"
"Yeah, let me take a look," Ryan says, and maneuvers himself to climb the ladder past Ron and reaches the top. Outside the manhole, the city is crawling with mobs of people stumbling like drunks. There are a few towers of smoke, and several piles of bloody remains on the pavement. "Damn, that''s harsh,"
"I wonder if we can escape from down here," Ron says, and Ryan looks down. Almost the at the bottom of the ladder, Ron has been descending the entire time.
>Congratulations, you have survived for five minutes!
>Now we will distribute classes based on your natural inclinations...
"Are you seeing these new ones?" Ron yells up to Ryan.
"Yeah, I wonder-" Ryan is cut off.
>You have been given the class of Tycoon!
"Did you just get a class?" Ron yells up.
"Yeah, tycoon. What about you?" Ryan yells down.
"I got explorer. I wonder what it does," Ron says and hops down from the ladder.
"Tycoon, that''s like the owner of a business, right?" Ryan asks Ron.
"Something like-" Ron begins to answer, but is suddenly pulled into the water of the sewer.
"Shit, Ronald!" Ryan yells, but he gets no response.
> Now that the most distracted are out of the way, I''ll explain your classes...
> You have the class "Tycoon". With it, you are able to access the premium shop and trade with credits.
"What''s that supposed to mean?!" Ryan yells at the text and looks down the manhole. "Ron, can you hear me?!"
Ryan gets no reply.
Chapter 2
"What am I supposed to do with his class?" Ryan asks the text.
> Would you like to start the tutorial for "Class"?
"Yes," Ryan replies.
> Starting tutorial for "Class"...
>Welcome. To explore you class, first try opening the shop. Simply think ''Premium Shop'' to open your class-specific shop!
''Premium Shop'' Ryan thinks, and is surprised when a screen of text appears.
>Weapons
>Armor
>Skills
>Items
>Hacks
"What does all this mean?" Ryan asks.
>Congratulations! You''ve opened the premium shop! Now, try opening the ''Weapons'' tab of the shop. Simply think ''Weapons'' and the shop tab will open.
''Weapons'' Ryan thinks, and the tab opens.
>Weapons
.
>Your weapon tab is currently empty. Try to imagine the image of a small dagger.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"A small dagger? Why not a sword?" Ryan asks, but receives no response. Without waiting any longer, Ryan imagines a dagger from a video game in his hand.
>Congratulations! You''ve successfully added an item to the shop!
.
>Weapons
>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
.
>You can purchase an item from the shop by thinking ''Purchase [item name]''. To purchase more than one at a time, think ''Purchase [quantity] [item name]''.
"Ronald!" Ryan yells down one more time, but he gets no response. Without another course of action, Ryan thinks, ''Purchase Iron Dagger.''
In the air, an iron dagger exactly as Ryan originally imaged it materializes and falls down the manhole, making a loud clanging sound on the cement floor.
''That was loud,'' Ryan thinks and begins descending to retrieve the dagger, but quickly stops. ''What if something gets me while I try to retrieve the dagger?''
A few seconds later, several zombies appear at the bottom of the ladder. They have rotten skin and are mostly naked, and walk like a very drunk person.
''Shit, that must''ve attracted them!'' Ryan curses in his head and remains stationary.
Ryan remains on the ladder and contemplates what to do next. He could descend the ladder and attempt to deal with the gathered zombies, but the fruits from that effort would be zero to none. Even if he felled all the zombies, he''d still have to worry about whatever hid inside the sewer.
''I guess I''ll go up,'' Ryan thinks, and ascends. At the top of the ladder, the entire street is deserted except for more zombies. As opposed to the last time Ryan went up, a car has crashed into the side of a nearby building, causing a huge fire.
Ryan thinks about running into the driver''s seat of the van. However, a moment later, he remembers that Ron had the key. Ryan briefly wonders if Ron left the key in the van, but decides not to risk it. The closest zombie to the van is only a few feet away, so Ryan doesn''t think he''d be able to get inside and close the door of the van without it noticing him. Reluctantly, Ryan goes back down the manhole towards the zombies which have crowded at the bottom.
Chapter 3
Without many other opens, Ryan descends to as close to the zombies as possible without them being able to reach him if they reached up. Ryan still doesn''t know if the zombies can climb the ladder, but he suspects it''s that they can''t.
Once about four feet from the closet zombie to the bottom of the stairs, Ryan clips himself to the ladder and dangles himself upside down. With his left hand, he stabilizes himself, and with his right hand, he takes a hammer from his pocket. With the hammer in his hand, Ryan slams the skull of a zombie with the nail-pulling end.
''This better earn me something,'' Ryan thinks as he embeds the tail of his hammer deep inside the zombie''s head. When Ryan pulls the hammer from the zombie''s skull, a small ding goes off in his head.
>Earned 5 ?
Ryan ignores the text while he attempts to pull his hammer from the zombie''s skull, and is just barely able to pull it out before the hand of another zombie reaches for his outstretched arm.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
''Maybe a dagger would be better for this,'' Ryan thinks, and he opens the shop again to the weapons tab.
''Purchase Iron Dagger'' Ryan thinks, but is unable to purchase the dagger.
>Not enough credits. Current balance: 5 ?
Ryan looks at his balance amount with empty eyes.
''This is going to take a while.'' Ryan thinks, and aims his hammer for another unsuspecting zombie.
>Earned 5 ?
And so, Ryan kept hacking away at the skulls from zombies. He''d bring his hammer tail into their brain and pull it out before any zombie could reach for his arm. The processes was slow, but he gradually gained an amount of credits.
''How much does a cheeseburger cost?'' Ryan wondered after killing his fifth zombie. he only had 25 credits, but he was very hungry after working so hard.
>Items
>Cheeseburger, 50?
''Maybe I need a cheaper cheeseburger,'' Ryan thought, and tried to think about a very cheep cheeseburger from a fast food restaurant.
>Items
>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>Cheeseburger, 50?
''That''s a little better,'' Ryan thought and purchased the cheap cheeseburger. This time, he held out his hand and had had the burger materialize in his hand, allowing him to eat it without much extra effort.
''This is going to take a long time,'' Ryan gave one more thought after eating the cheeseburger and going back to killing zombies.
Chapter 4
A few hours later, when Ryan was approaching the absolute maximum time without sleep, he checked his credits.
''Status'' He said in his mind, which he discovered to show several useful information.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 120 ?
>Str: 11
>Dex: 10
>Vit: 10
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 10
The stats have been at 10 since the default, but the strength stat has gone up by giving. Ryan suspects this is because he has been slamming the heads of the zombies and pulling out the hammer with his arm. He hasn''t gained any other stats, or received any information from the text boxes, so it''s all just speculation.
Now with so many credits, Ryan enters the shop and stops at the weapons tab. Instead of buying the dagger, as was his plan several minutes ago, Ryan imagines a spike with a handle, similar to an ice pick. With that tool, he''ll be able to stab the top of the zombie''s skull quickly.
>Weapons
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>Steel Ice Pick, 100?
Ryan is slightly disappointed that the ice pick costs the same amount of credits as the dagger, but he buys it anyway. Also, Ryan buys a glass of water and drinks it. After dropping two cheeseburgers, Ryan became very skilled at catching objects in mid-air.
Now refreshed and with a better weapon, Ryan goes back to the slaughter.
A few hours later, Ryan feels his adrenaline wearing off and the urge to rest overcoming him. ''I need to take a nap,'' He thinks and looks around. There are no outlets for him to slid inside, and hanging by the ropes on his vest won''t be a comfortable sleep. Another option is to climb up and sleep under the van, but Ryan doesn''t want to be that close to the zombies and whatever else might be on the surface.
After a few minutes of thinking, Ryan decides to clip himself to the ladder and hope for the best while hanging back with his feet on a rung. An unknown amount of time later, Ryan is woken up by his feet fall off ladder rung. Something fell from above, making him slip.
"Meow!" A cat sounds as it falls hard against the floor of the sewer. A second later, a claw from inside the sewer water reaches out and pulls the cat inside.
''Jesus Christ,'' Ryan thinks after witnessing the cat being pulled under. A few second later, zombies swarm the bottom of the ladder. ''Well, I''ll start farming credits,'' Ryan thinks, and unclips himself to descend towards the zombies.
Chapter 5
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 4845 ?
>Str: 12
>Dex: 11
>Vit: 11
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
When Ryan''s stomach painfully requires food, he climbs a few ladder rungs from the zombies and checks his status. With the ice pick as his weapon, Ryan was able to kill many more zombies. Eventually, though, the horde of zombies at the bottom of the manhole thinned. To solve this, Ryan started dropping his glasses from the water he bought from the shop, instead of placing them at the top of the manhole.
To satisfy his hunger, Ryan uses 60 credits to buy a cheeseburger and a glass of water, one at a time.
>Items
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>Cheeseburger, 50?
After feeding himself, Ryan takes a look at the main menu of the shop.
>Weapons
>Armor
>Skills
>Items
>Hacks
He still hasn''t checked the ''Armor'', ''Skills'', or ''Hacks'' categories. From where he hung on the ladder, armor would do little good for Ryan. The same thing with weapons, which was why he didn''t expand that category more. A gun might be more powerful, but Ryan didn''t want the extra noise to attract something from above. Instead, Ryan opens the ''Skills'' category.
>Skills
Just like the other categories, there is nothing. To populate the category with the first skill, Ryan tried to imagine himself thrusting with the ice pick.
>Skills
>Ice Picks 1, 300?
Ryan is slightly disappointed that the skill isn''t for something more broad, but he buys the skill anyway. This leaves Ryan with 4485 credits. Since he has so many credits, Ryan takes a few minutes to think of skills he wants.
Chapter 6
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 1284 ?
>Str: 12
>Dex: 11
>Vit: 11
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1
After spending 2900 credits on skills, Ryan was left with 1585. Since there was enough credits left over to buy a better weapon skill, Ryan decided to upgrade his weapon to a spear. In addition, Ryan also bought a plastic grocery bag to tie onto a ladder rung so he could store the spear in it.
This still left Ryan with 1285 credits, but he didn''t know what to spend them on. This left Ryan with enough for two or three more skills, with some of them costing 500 and some 300, and it''d be good to have some credits for an emergency situation. With that logic, Ryan went back to killing zombies without using more credits on useless things.
After another day of killing zombies, Ryan secured himself on the ladder and set his spear in the grocery bag. This night, nothing interrupted his sleep.
The next day, Ryan climbed the ladder with intent of exploring the surface. His reason for this was simple, his family. ''Shit, I forgot about my parents!'' Ryan thought as he woke up. He had a dream where elderly mother and father were being attacked by zombie, and he couldn''t do anything to help them.
At the top of the manhole, Ryan observed the movements of several groups of zombies. The undead stumbled around and bumped into objects. Occasionally, one would fall on the ground and not manage to stand again for several seconds.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Ryan looked at the weapons tab and brought a pistol into the shop.
>Weapons
>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
The pistol was much too expensive for him to buy, but he''d be able to afford it after one or two more days in the manhole. Unfortunately, Ryan had no way to contact his parents to confirm if they were safe, so he needed to get to them as fast as possible.
Instead of waiting for several days, Ryan bought the skill Swords 1 and a steel sword. Those cost him 1200 credits, but Ryan still had 7024 credits remaining. ''Enough to deal with any surprises,'' Ryan thought and slid out from under the van.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 7024 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Spear, Sword
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>Armor
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50?
Chapter 7
Ryan doesn''t see any zombies close enough to be an immediate threat, but he still quickly takes his spear from under the van and holds it in his left hand while the sword is in his right. Carefully, Ryan climbs onto the hood of the van and then onto the roof. There, he opens the shop once more.
In the armor tab, Ryan purchases a pair of heavy gloves for 150 credits and a protective motorcycle jacket for 2000 credits. The jacket might have been very expensive, but it offered protection for Ryan''s chest, back, arms, and neck.
From standing on top of the van, several zombies began to crowd around Ryan. Though the zombies could not reach him with their arms, the ones at the front of the van were almost managing to climb up. Ryan quickly ended their feeble attempts with his spear and cut the zombies that clawed at the sides of the van with his sword.
A few minutes later, most of the zombies on the street were cleared. Ryan wondered how the busy city streets had fewer zombies roaming than the sewer, but he didn''t question it. Rather, Ryan descended from the van and began a slow run towards the direction of his parents'' home in Garden City. The trip would take him almost 15 miles across Detroit, which he had no idea how long it would take during a zombie infestation.
As he needed it, Ryan bought glasses of water and drank them. He had almost five thousand credits, so a few glasses of water were just drops in the bucket and allowed him to perform marginally better than without it. After almost a mile, about ten minutes later, Ryan once again stood among a crowd of zombies. With his sword and spear, Ryan had managed to kill off any zombies in his path, but the numbers now were getting too much.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Ryan climbs between the truck and the cab of an 18-wheeler so he can climb onto the roof. The feat of dexterity is something he wouldn''t have been able to do several days ago, but the climbing skill made it much easier. After throwing his sword and spear to the roof, Ryan ascends himself. During his break, Ryan buys a scabbard for his belt for 120 credits and places the sword in it. Then, with his spear, gets to work on the crowd of zombies below.
Several minutes pass while Ryan stabs the skulls of zombies, but he''s interrupted when a car begins driving down the road. From the passenger window, an arm is hanging out and bashing zombie heads with a baseball bat.
"It''s a living person!" Yells the person holding the bat.
"I wonder how many credits we get for killing a person!" Yells the other man in the car.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 4734 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Spear, Sword, Belt Scabbard, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
Chapter 8
Ryan quickly dives off the truck onto the side away from the people in the car. Bullets come whizzing by as he falls, but Ryan doesn''t stop before crouching behind two sets of huge wheels. Above him, holes are made in the steel body of the truck from bullets. After placing the sword in its scabbard, Ryan holds the spear close to his chest.
"Shit, go around the truck!" Yells someone from inside the car. At this point, Ryan is extremely thankful the man is having to yell at his partner to get the message across. Very likely, the two men didn''t use hearing protection while shooting the gun and now have damaged ears.
What Ryan didn''t know was that the two men had spent the previous day clearing out their apartment building, and didn''t use hearing protection the entire time. Though both of them gained the class ''Gunner'', they didn''t have the sense to plug their ears.
Ryan looks under the truck and watches the car zoom to the front side of the truck. Before the car passes the front of the truck, Ryan crawls under and lays between the wheels, under the axel. In a hurry, Ryan buys the skill Bullet Resistance 1 for 500 credits. In a panic, he tries to buy it again for 500 credits and it works. After adding a bulletproof helmet to the shop, which would cost him 2400 credits, Ryan instead purchases two more levels of Bullet Resistance. Checking his stats is enough to see Bullet Resistance is now at level 4, but his credits have gone down to 2734.
"He''s probably under the truck!" Yells a man inside the car, and bullets start shooting around the tires. "Yeah, I see him right there!"
Several bullets penetrate the tires, but they do not explode like Ryan thought they would. Instead, there is a slow leak of air from the side wall. Under a hail of bullets, Ryan crawls out the other side of the truck and starts running for the building to his right.
The car comes roaring around the truck just as Ryan escapes through the front door of the building, but the passenger in the car is able to get off a bullet in Ryan''s back.
"Guah!" Ryan yells out in pain and stumbles. He doesn''t fall, but the bullet certainly did heavy damage. Now, Ryan''s inside an unfamiliar bar strewn with trash. Around the room are tables and chairs thrown about like an elephant went wild, and six zombies slowly shuffle around then to get to Ryan. With the spear, Ryan quickly dispatches the zombies.
After killing the zombies, Ryan jumps over the bar and hides behind the counter. There are shards of broken glass on the ground, but those are among the least of Ryan''s concerns. From the other side of the bar, the sounds of two obnoxious men entering the bar can be heard.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
"He''s got to be in here somewhere!" Yells one of the men.
Already thinking of a plan, Ryan purchases the skill Fire Resistance for 500 credits, six glasses of water for 60 credits, a molotov cocktail for 200 credits, and a lighter for 50 credits.
"Where you at?!" Yells one of the men.
Ryan starts his plan by pouring two glasses of water on the ground around him and igniting the molotov cocktail. In the next instant, Ryan throws the molotov cocktail over the bar and it arcs to explode at the feet of the two men.
"Fuck!" One of the men swears, and the gun starts shooting. "Behind the bar!"
Ryan tries to curl into a ball as the bullets blast through the wooden bar, but he only barely protects himself. Still, these bullets do far less damage than the one currently stuck in his back, and most stop before breaking skin.
Slowly, the men begin to scream increasingly larger amounts and the bullets stop. When the heat gets too much for Ryan''s comfort, he pours the remaining glasses of water over himself.
>Earned 845 ?
Ryan gets a sudden box of text and realizes one of the men must have died. A few seconds later, he gets a similar box.
>Earned 20 ?
From the earned credits, Ryan figured that revealing himself to other people would be much more dangerous than he previous thought. If a single zombie gave only five credits, killing the two men earned him over 170 zombies worth of credits. Anyone who''s already killed another person might know the efficiency of this credit gaining method.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 2819 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 10
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Spear, Sword, Belt Scabbard, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket
>Current Injuries: Slight burns, cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back,
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
Chapter 9
Sure that the two attackers are dead, Ryan vaults over the bar and makes a dash for the door. However, once almost at the exit, Ryan goes to the burning body of one of the attackers and takes his gun. The metal is hot, but Ryan''s heavy gloves protect him from any burns. Once the gun is in his possession, Ryan exits the bar.
Now on the outside, Ryan continues to job westward. Just a few dozen feet later, Ryan is too exhausted to keep going and sits on the ground. Just now, he realizes he left his spear inside the bar. He ignores that fact and instead takes out his sword from the scabbard. There are no zombies nearby since he already killed most of them while standing on the truck.
The black gun doesn''t show any sign of damage. Ryan never owned a gun in the past, and only used his parent''s, so he doesn''t know how to spot a gun that will explode when a bullet is fired. He worries about the fire having done something to the metal, so for now, Ryan stores the gun in an external pocket of the jacket.
After almost a minute of rest, Ryan stands up and walks to the truck. Ryan climbs onto the top of the truck and resumes his rest, now in a much safer location. At the end of his nap, Ryan thinks about buying a bicycle from the shop but is dissuaded by the 2600 credit price. ''That''s almost everything I have,'' Ryan thinks and angrily continues to jog. If he spends the credits on it, he might not be able to create a solution like back in the bar, where a number of surplus credits allowed him to creatively solve his problem.
Ryan was not in good shape before the zombies started to appear, and once again after about a mile he stops. This time, instead of gaining a vantage point to kill zombies, Ryan is just tired. There are still several hours left in the day, but at his current pace, Ryan won''t be able to reach his parent''s house before dark.
''I might have to steal a car,'' He thinks and looks around. There are a few nearby zombies, which he swiftly kills with his sword, but the road is devoid of vehicles. At the closest intersection, there is a hardware store, a diner, a bank, and a car dealership. ''There might be some there,'' Ryan thinks and starts walking to the car dealership.
Experienced from his previous interaction with other people, Ryan slowly inches around the corner of the car dealership''s locked parking lot. A high brick wall and iron gate keep the cars locked behind the dealership, and Ryan suspects it''d be the perfect place for someone to hide.
"Don''t even think about it," A voice says from inside the parking lot. The voice is coming from someone middle aged, which Ryan thinks might be the owner of the dealership. Hopefully, it''s just a man protecting what''s legally his, and not a scavenger protecting his find.
"Hey, hey!" Ryan says in a raised voice, but not enough to draw unwanted attention. "I just want to... make a trade,"
In his head, Ryan is already formulating a plan to acquire a car from the man.
"Trade? I don''t have anything to trade with you," The man says back.
"It''s simple: I want a car," Ryan says, now full in view of the man in the parking lot. Behind the roof of a sedan, the man is pointing a gun at Ryan, probably a shotgun based on the width of the barrel.
"You don''t have anything I''d want to trade one for, and don''t even bother with the credits," The man says.
"But, how about food and water? I''ve got both of those things," Ryan says. If he didn''t have the shop to buy food from, Ryan is sure he''d be in a much worse situation.
The man on the inside of the parking lot, his stomach growled. In the past two days, he''s had nothing to eat other than potato chips. He''d been building up the courage to raid the diner across the street, but promptly hid behind his cars when he heard gunshots nearby. Inside the dealership, he has plenty of water stored in plastic bottles.
"Not interested," The man says, ignoring his complaining gut.
"Actually, I''m a bit in the mood for steak. I''ll be right back," Ryan says, grinning, and steps behind the brick wall. Once hidden, Ryan buys a porcelain plate for 30 credits, a steel fork for 20 credits, a steel knife for 25 credits, and a filet mignon for 140 credits. With everything on the plate, Ryan walks back to the gate and sits down. "I''ve been getting a little hungry,"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Ryan slowly cuts and eats his steak while the man behind the gate watches. The delicious juices practically flow from the slab of meat as Ryan places each piece in his mouth, and he wonders why he ate cheeseburgers for so long when steak was just a thought away.
The man behind the gate wonders how long he can survive without food. He''s got water to drink and a place to answer nature''s call, but real food has eluded him for two days already. If the man in front of him, Ryan, left soon, he might be able to raid the diner across the street, but that would leave the dealership unprotected for at least a minute. The man also worried about having to deal with more zombies like the ones he killed earlier.
"Fine, but you have to sign a deal to to give me food every day," The man says, trying for a way to have a constant income of food.
"That''s crazy! I can''t come back here every day," Ryan rebukes. "You''ve got a dozen cars in there. I only need one,"
"Just one of these cars is worth a thousand of those steaks!" The man yells.
"And where exactly are you going to get a streak right now? You''ve seen what the city''s become," Ryan says and throws a small bite of steak over the iron gate, landing in the parking lot.
"Don''t throw it!" The man yells at Ryan, and his attention focuses on the steak. ''So hungry...'' He thinks.
"I have enough food to waste it, but can you say the same thing?" Ryan asks.
"You... that''s your class? Something that lets you have all the food you need?" The man asks.
"Yeah, I have the class ''Chef'', which allows me to convert credits to food," Ryan says, spinning lies as he speaks.
"Then, give me a hundred boxes of cereal!" The man yells. He hopes to get something that will last a long time and can be eaten without having to cook it. Though he is without milk, the man has water to make it a little easier.
''A hundred boxes,'' Ryan thinks and adds a box of cereal to the shop. For a box of Corn Wheels, the price is 35 credits. Wheat Flakes too are just 35 credits for a box. That amount times, one hundred, would be 3500 credits. "Let''s make a deal. I can give you ten boxes right now, but it''ll take me at least a week to get the rest,"
"That can work, but you''re going to have to put that in writing," The man says. "Walk to the right,"
The man motions with his gun, and Ryan walks past the gate to the parking lot. Once past the brick wall, Ryan stands in front of a glass wall and can see the man from inside the parking lot on the other side. The man continues to motion with his gun, and Ryan continues to walk. Around the corner, Ryan swiftly kills 9 zombies and is let inside the dealership when the man removes a broom handle from the door''s handles.
"Just sit down over there," The man says, motioning to a table with chairs around it in the corner of the room.
"That''s fine," Ryan says, walking to the corner. The man walks into an office and quickly comes back out with a sheet of paper and a pen. One side of the paper is blank, but the other side already has writing on it. The man sits at the table, on the opposite side from Ryan, and begins to write.
"In exchange for the ownership of a vehicle from my lot, one hundred boxes of cereal to be delivered to me within two weeks, and the first ten boxes to be presented now. If the boxes of cereal are not delivered during the two-week period, you must pay me all your credits," The man says, and writes equivalent words on the paper. At the bottom, he places two horizontal lines and signs on the bottom one. "Sign it,"
"Alright," Ryan says, and signs the paper. Once he does, a text screen appears.
>Contract signed with Jacob Mills. All terms and conditions will be enforced by the system!
"What''s your class?" Ryan asks Jacob.
"It''s ''Dealmaker'', which allows me to create binding contracts within the system," Jacob replies. "So, the cereal?"
"Yeah," Ryan says, and purchased five boxes of Wheat Flakes and five boxes of Corn Wheels for 350 credits. "Here,"
"Come with me out back and I''ll give you the keys to one of the cars," Jacob says, and Ryan follows him to the parking lot.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 2434 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Sword, Belt Scabbard, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket
>Current Injuries: Slight burns, cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back,
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Lighter, 50?
Chapter 10
A few minutes later, Ryan drove away from the dealership inside a new car. Jacob warned him that the gas in the tank would last for about one hundred and fifty miles, and then he left. Now that he could travel at speeds over thirty miles an hour, Ryan arrived at his parent''s house in under half an hour.
Now outside the city, zombies are much less common sights. There are several cars in driveways of houses, and a few on the street, but a clear path is open for Ryan to drive. While most people hurriedly exited the city, people in the suburbs bunkered down and attempted to wait out the storm. The image of a house turned into rubble, coupled with the huge indents in the road, are enough to baffle Ryan. As he drives over the holes, he wonders what monster could have caused them.
A few second later, Ryan is pulling into the driveway of his parents. Thankfully, no zombies surround the house and the windows are not broken. The same can not be said about the neighbor''s home.
"Mom? Dad?" Ryan yells at the house after exiting the car. There is no reply. "I''m going inside,"
Ryan uses the key from under a buried rock inside a planter on the porch. This allows him access through the front door, and Ryan draws his sword, ready to strike at any zombies that might be inside the house. The kitchen looked sacked, but nothing was broke. Any food that could be stored without electricity for long periods of time was taken from the shelves, but otherwise, the kitchen was clean.
''They must have left in a hurry, but not forced,'' Ryan thought as he looked around. The family photos of when he was younger were gone, which meant his mother and father packed up and left instead of having their home looted. ''Maybe they''re safe somewhere else...''
Ryan continued to creep around the house but failed to see even a single zombie. At the end of his crawl, Ryan returned to the front door to lock it and then went to the living room in the basement. There, Ryan took off his equipment and analyzed everything he had.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
A high-visibility safety helmet, a textile motorcycle jacket, heavy work gloves, a hammer, an ice pick, a lighter, a pistol, a sword, a scabbard, a flashlight, an adjustable wrench, keys to his locker at the waste station, a tube of chapstick, and his wallet.
Ryan takes the sword and walks to the bathroom. A quick turn of the faucet confirms that water is still working, and Ryan takes a shower. The water is cold and uncomfortable, but Ryan still soaps up and washes every part of his body that he can. While washing, he also tries to fish out the bullet stuck in his back but fails. Once finished, he exits and returns to his supplies.
After hiding the weapons under the couch, Ryan lays down on it. A few minutes later, he is asleep. After two nights of sleeping while hanging from his vest, the comfort of the couch is a welcomed change.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 2434 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Sword, Belt Scabbard, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket
>Current Injuries: Slight burns, cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back,
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Lighter, 50?
Chapter 11
In the morning, Ryan yawns before remembering his situation. As silently as he can, he takes his sword from under the couch and begins to walk through every room of the house. Once having confirmed that no zombies are inside, he returns to the couch and lays down. While laying down, Ryan collects his thoughts.
The house has been looted of its apocalypse-valuable supplies. The gun safe, which is located between the couch and the bathroom in the basement, is closed and locked tight, but the gun bags which normally sit on top are gone. Since the family truck is still in the garage, it''s highly likely, Ryan thinks, that his parents took whatever they could carry and left with a third party.
Without any other options, Ryan finds a sheet of paper and a pen and starts to write a note. On the note, he writes his current condition and that he will return to the house every Saturday. Ryan leaves the note on the coffee table and then suits up.
When putting on his clothes and filling his pockets, Ryan leaves the adjustable wrench and whatever else he didn''t both to include in the list of his supplies. They''re all unnecessary weight, and he can easily buy replacements from the shop. After buying a box of cereal and eating a few handfuls, Ryan leaves the box on the table and leaves his parents'' house.
Now, Ryan wants to increase his credits again. He can''t explain why gaining credits inside the manhole were extremely simple. For some reason, zombies spawned much more frequently inside the sewer. So, to increase his credits the fastest, Ryan needed to return.
The drive to the manhole is only around thirty minutes long. Once near the van, Ryan drives the car up so it''s on the left side of the van with the driver''s door facing the van. This way, he''ll easily be able to enter the car without spending too much time in the open. With the car parked and the keys zipped inside a pocket of his motorcycle jacket, Ryan slips under the van and into the manhole.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
The inside of the manhole is exactly as Ryan remembers it, minus the pile of zombies at the bottom. To fix that, Ryan buys a 10 credit glass of water and, after drinking the water, drops the glass. A few seconds later, the manhole bottom is swarmed by zombies. Since he left his spear in the bar, which burned uncontrolled all night, Ryan buys another spear for 300 credits.
Then, just like the morning two days ago, he resumes the slaughter of helpless zombies.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 2089 ?
>Str: 15
>Dex: 13
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 1, Swords 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket
>Current Injuries: Slight burns, cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back,
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Lighter, 50?
Chapter 12
At the closing of the day, Ryan climbs to the top of the manhole. Taking a glance at his credits, he grins at the number, 10224. While he could kill a zombie every three seconds, it took some time for them to gather. Ryan silently thanked whatever God had given him this location, and he reaches the top.
Laying under the van, on the right side, Ryan purchases a concrete block for 15 credits. ''Cheep,'' He thinks, and the block fills most of the distance between the van bottom and the pavement. Ryan pushes the block to the tire, then buys another one. After ten concrete blocks, the distance between the wheels on the right side has been filled. With four blocks for the front wheels and four blocks for the rear wheels, Ryan has the entire area blocked off.
The entire creation only costs 270 credits and has given Ryan a safe place to sleep for the night. For 400 credits, Ryan buys a pillow. After eating a steak dinner for 215 credits and throwing the trash into the manhole, Ryan goes to sleep.
The next morning, Ryan wakes up and repeats the cycle of killing zombies and eating food. To speed the process, Ryan bought the skill Spears four times for 1200 credits, raising his current level to Spears 5. To test out the pistol, Ryan bought electronic earplugs for a whopping 3200 credits, and six .22 LR bullets for 6 credits.
The action of the pistol still worked, so Ryan had high hopes for the gun not exploding in his hand. Even thought he wanted to test the gun, he wasn''t going to fire it inside the manhole or inside his secure base. Instead, Ryan placed the gun inside the inner pocket of his jacket and went back inside the manhole. If another person tried to attack him, Ryan would use the gun in a cramped location, but not otherwise.
At lunch time, Ryan climbed the ladder up and then went onto the roof of the van. There, he had a great vantage point over the street. A few zombies had gathered, so Ryan felt it would be a good time to test the gun.
The first shot, Ryan aims it at a zombie approximately sixty feet away. He turns on the earplugs and holds the gun with both hands, then fires. The gunshot echoes through the city, and the bullet misses. ''Damn,'' Ryan thinks, and he buys ten levels of Shooting for 3000 credits. At his next shot, the head of the targeted zombie explodes.
After four more shots, Ryan has killed four more zombies. To reload, Ryan buys a high table for 400 credits, and ten bullets for 10 credits. Placing the pistol on the table, Ryan loads the magazine with all ten bullets and then places it back inside the pistol.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
A few minutes later, Ryan has killed all the nearby zombies. The credits earned was enough to pay for the bullets, but not the skill levels he bought. However, if the pistol would help when fighting hostile humans, the cost of three thousand credits would be well worth it.
Ryan washes his hands with a glass of water and places the gun inside his jacket. Leaving the table on top of the van, he returns to the manhole and resumes the killing of zombies.
At the end of the day, Ryan sleeps under the van. He''s gained a large sum of credits for the day''s zombie killing, but most went to skills and the earplugs. Ryan wonders what the battery life on the earplugs is, but they were only on for a few minutes, so he thinks they will last a while longer. Even if they need to be replaced every day, the cost would only be a few dozen credits for each battery.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 9968 ?
>Str: 16
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs
>Current Injuries: Cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40?
Chapter 13
In the morning, Ryan climbs down to the bottom of the manhole to take care of his business. Unbuttoning his pants and pulling everything down is easy enough, and a roll of toilet paper only costs 10 credits. However, when Ryan hears a person shouting when he''d mid-way through a push, things become difficult.
''Oh shit,'' Ryan thinks and hastily finishes his business. The sewer is bound to be filled with shards of glass and dirty toilet paper at the rate Ryan has been dropping them, but he doesn''t regard it as important. Whatever monster killed his friend on the first day, Ryan sees no reason to impose on its territory.
"Is anyone down there?" A voice says from the top of the manhole, and Ryan looks up like a deer in headlights. The unknown man and Ryan''s eyes meet.
"Just a moment and I''ll be up," Ryan says, half way though pulling squares from the roll of toilet paper.
"Excuse me..." The man at the top says and backs away.
Ryan finishes his business and climbs to the top of the ladder, leaving his spear in the plastic bag at the bottom. Once at the top, Ryan sees the feet of several people walking around the van and his car. Deciding against pulling the gun and killing the people, Ryan crawls out from under the van.
The four people who were circling the van now stand and look at Ryan. Of the four, two of them have pistols and two of them have baseball bats with nails stuck through them. All of them are wearing hearing protection, but they have the earmuffs around their necks.
"We come from a large settlement just a few blocks away. If you''re willing, we''d be glad to have you as a member," The closest man with a baseball bat says to Ryan.
"What do you mean ''settlement''?" Ryan asks. Though he asks, he is almost entirely sure he doesn''t want to join their settlement. The only thing which could change his mind is if his parents were with them.
"We have secured a highrise on 4th street. All zombies on the inside have been cleared, and we have food stored to last of for several weeks," The man replies.
"I''m sorry, but I''m actually waiting for my parents. Eric and Cathy Stone, have you heard anything about them?" Ryan asks.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"No, have any of you?" The man asks his teammates.
"No," Is the resounding response.
"It doesn''t sound it like," The man says to Ryan.
"Then, I''ll have to stay here," Ryan says and goes back under the van. If a fight were to break out, he''d want to be inside the manhole where he could shoot the four men without fear of them having too high of a chance of hitting him.
"That''s unfortunate but fair," The man says and crouches so he can still talk to Ryan. "We''ll be sending men every few days to keep the streets clean. If you want to join us, just ask one of them,"
The four men walk away from Ryan, further in the direction of the car dealership. Ryan sighs and descends to the bottom of the manhole, resuming his collecting of credits.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 9958 ?
>Str: 16
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1,
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs
>Current Injuries: Cuts along legs, calloused hands, bullet stuck in back, bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40?
Chapter 14
For Ryan, each day is monotonous and repetitive. Killing zombies in the morning, killing zombies in the evening, and sleeping at night. After a morning of killing zombies, Ryan bought the skills Sprinting. However, once testing that Sprinting only allowed him to run about fifty feet, Ryan bought another upgrade to hit. This increased his range to one-hundred feet but was still not adequate for traversing the city.
After having spent 600 credits on those, Ryan spends 3000 credits to buy Running and raise it to level 10. With this, Ryan hopes to never be stuck in a situation where he''s unable to outrun a hoard of zombies.
Next, Ryan takes a visit to Jacob, the man at the dealership. With his sword out, Ryan runs from his manhole to the dealership in twenty minutes. The time needed is not excellent, but Ryan didn''t require any breaks, which helped.
"Where''s the car?" Jacob asks when he sees Ryan coming in front of the gate.
"My base isn''t too far from here, so I ran," Ryan says and sticks his hand through the gate. ''Purchase fifty boxes of Wheat Flakes, purchase forty boxes of corn wheels,''
The ninety boxes of cereal expand from in front of Ryan''s hand, inside the parking lot, and Ryan losses 3150 credits.
Why Ryan waits for something to happen to mark the contract as completed, Jacob tries to think of a way to get more food from him. Ryan gave him the first ten boxes on Saturday, and now it was Wednesday. For him, it was clear that Ryan could produce large quantities of food in a short amount of time, which would be perfect for the creation of a gathering place for survivors.
>Your contract with Jacob Mills has been completed!
The box of text appears when Jacob touches the boxes of cereal.
"Well, that''s it for me. Seeya," Ryan says and walks away from the gate. Jacob, unable to produce a strong argument to make Ryan stay, says nothing.
Ryan returns to his base and spends the rest of the day killing zombies at the bottom of the manhole. The next day, Ryan spends it too collecting credits. However, at around two in the afternoon, a block of text appeared in front of Ryan''s vision.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
>Congratulations on making it through the first week.
>However, this was just the calm before the storm.
>Think of it like going from the tutorial to insanity mode.
>And so, the game begins!
For a few seconds, Ryan is stunned. He watches the blocks of text disappear, but nothing seems to happen.
"Ger," Ryan hears, and he looks down. At the bottom of the manhole, the zombies are looking up at him with angry expressions.
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 23818 ?
>Str: 16
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs
>Current Injuries: Bullet stuck in back, bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40?
Chapter 15
At the closing of the day, Ryan climbs to the top of the ladder and lays on the ground beneath the van. He''s exhausted after a long afternoon of killing zombies.
''They''re so much stronger,'' He thinks, and reflects on the credits he earned. While he still maintains the advantage by being able to stab the heads of the zombies from above, he only gained 2560 credits, more than a thousand less than he''d expected.
At night, while he tries to sleep, Ryan is kept awake by the sound of gunshots and roaring beasts. He suspects it''s coming from the settlement on 4th street. Closer, there are gunshots coming from the car dealership.
''Should I go help out Jacob?'' Ryan asks himself, but stops from leaving his hidden position when he sees a new creature.
It stands approximately five feet tall, but it''s body is three times as wide as a regular zombie. On it''s hands, it has claws extending several inches. Every step is audible as the beast passes the van, taking a brief look at Ryan and then continuing on towards the settlement.
''In a few minutes,'' He resolves, and waits until he determines it to be safe to move out.
To prepare, Ryan buys two magazines for a total of 800 credits, then fills them with twelve bullets each and adds two bullets to his existing magazine. This enables Ryan to kill thirty-six zombies before he needs to load a magazine. That is, however, assuming he only needs one shot to kill them.
Also, he buys Sneaking and ranks it to level five for 1500 credits, and Night Vision for 500 credits. The effect from Night Vision 1 is immediately noticeable, so Ryan purchases it a second time for another 500 credits.
With his sword in his right hand and his pistol in his left, Ryan rolls out from under the van and carefully sneaks towards the direction of the car dealership. He leaves the car, since he doesn''t want to damage it against the harsher new zombies.
There are very few zombies immediately nearby, but Ryan dispatches them easily with the sword. With Sneaking, he doesn''t make a single sound as the blade removes the heads from the bodies.
Running makes a slight amount of noise, but Ryan progresses almost silently. Certainly, he travels silently enough to bypass the majority of the zombies. Almost a half hour later, Ryan reaches the car dealership and witnesses the zombies clawing at the iron bars protecting Jacob and the cars.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Ryan begins the assault. He shoots his pistol at the small crowd and they turn to face him. The zombies shuffle toward him at differing speeds, allowing him to attack them with the sword without being caught in the group.
Six bullets into his second clip, Ryan has killed all the nearby zombies. Fearing the arrival of more zombies, attracted by the sound, Ryan rushes to the iron gate.
"Jacob, you in there?" He shouts, ignoring how much sound it might make.
"Ryan? Get in here!" Jacob shouts and runs to the iron gate. He quickly unlocks the padlock and slides it open for Ryan to enter, then closes and locks it again. "The zombies are outrageous tonight."
"Yeah, I thought you might need some help," Ryan says and walks with Jacob to the back of the lot. "Have you fought any of the giant ones?"
"Yeah," Jacob says and motions towards the second iron gate entrance to the parking lot. One of the giant zombies is laying against the iron bars.
"Shit," Ryan says, and buys ammo to reload his magazines. "At least they die like the rest."
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 23536 ?
>Str: 16
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bullet stuck in back, bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40?
Chapter 16
Jacob checks his remaining shells as Ryan places his sword in his scabbard. There are no living zombies at the gates, so they''ll be safe for at least a few minutes. After counting six shells, Jacob looks at Ryan and his gun.
"Where''d you get a gun?" He asks, slightly cautious.
"I uh... traded a guy some food for it," Ryan replies, quickly thinking of cover stories for whatever else he might be asked.
"You have many bullets for it?" Jacob asks.
"Just two more magazines," Ryan replies.
Outside the first gate, the one Ryan entered through, one of the huge zombies comes barreling into the iron bars. The bars sway but Jacob reacts quickly and places a well-aimed shell into the head of the zombie. As the zombie''s head explodes and its body falls back, the gate returns to normal. However, more zombies approach the gate.
"This is how it usually is," Jacob says, taking another shot at the crowd. "One of the brutes will charge the gate, then the smaller ones will follow it.
At the second gate, Ryan turns to see several two-foot-long rodents tearing zombie corpses to shreds and dragging the remains away.
"What are those things?" Ryan asks and shoots one. The bullet hits the rodent on its side, and the rodent abandons its haul to scurry away.
"Some kind of scavenger. They don''t seem hostile, so I''d conserve your ammo," Jacob suggest, and fires another shell into the wall of zombies at the first gate.
"If we want to conserve ammo," Ryan says, holding out his spear. "Let''s fight with these."
"Yeah, good idea," Jacob says, and takes the spear from Ryan.
The iron bars of the gate are far enough apart to fit an arm through, so a sword or spear has no problem. Jacob has no problem stabbing the zombies at a slight range, but Ryan''s sword is blocked from full swings by the top horizontal bar on the gate. Instead, Ryan uses small slashes and cuts the arms off zombies reaching in.
"I''ve noticed the zombie''s bones are much more brittle than a regular human''s," Jacob comments. "Something like this," He stabs a zombie through the skull, "Would have gotten much more resistance from a living human''s skull."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"I guess I haven''t been thinking about it," Ryan says and easily cuts a radius and ulna pair.
After a few minutes, the zombies at the gate have all been killed. Severed arms lay across the ground inside the gate, and a thick layer of blood coats everywhere else. Behind the gate, the pile of zombies reaches waist height. Luckily, the gate the surrounding brick wall are all over ten feet tall.
After placing his sword in his scabbard, Ryan purchases two glasses of water for 20 credits and hands one to Jacob, who trades it with the spear.
''Pretty intense,'' Ryan thinks, and silently returns to the back of the lot. There is an office chair behind a table in the corner, but Ryan chooses to lean against the brick wall.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 23578 ?
>Str: 16
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 12
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bullet stuck in back, bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
Chapter 17
Throughout the night, waves of zombies come almost fifty more times. Jacob runs out of shotgun shells, but Ryan is able to kill the brute zombies with several well-aimed shots from his pistol. The regular zombies die from a single bullet to the skull, but the brute takes at least two. When morning arrives, Ryan only has four bullets left.
"Finally," Jacob says, exhausted, and slouches in the office chair. Most of his body is covered in blood, and the bloody spear rests against the brick wall. A small puddle slowly forms under it.
"I wonder how The Sanctuary held," Ryan says and also sits in an office chair. He dragged it out from the building between the third and fourth wave. "Did you see the scouts come by a few days ago?"
"Yeah, but the way they talked about their base, they probably did find," Jacob replies.
In both their heads, Ryan and Jacob are wondering if they should join The Sanctuary. Jacob has little reason to stay in his car dealership, so he certainly wants to leave. Ryan, however, is less certain. His class is undoubtedly valuable, so he contemplates revealing its true nature to Jacob.
At any point of the night, Ryan could have bought more shotgun shells for Jacob''s gun. The enter night would have gone by much more peacefully if he used his class''s ability, but Ryan kept to the lie he made several days prior, that he had a chef related class.
"They offered me a home and fair compensation if I sold them my cars," Jacob says. "I might just take them up on their offer."
Now it''s clear, Jacob will be joining The Sanctuary. For Ryan, he could still pose as a food merchant, but the real question is how well he could protect himself. If the manhole remained a safe area, and nobody moved the van from over top it, staying there would be a feasible plan. If he could use the shop to buy building materials, staying in Jacob''s lot would be feasible.
The choice of joining The Sanctuary seemed obvious, but had several flaws. For one, Ryan didn''t know about what classes people living there already had. If another person had an ability that allowed them to access a shop, and it had food, he''d be out of a monopoly. Also, if The Sanctuary can send scouts to scavenge supplies, his food might not be needed.
Most of these things could only be confirmed after visiting The Sanctuary, so Ryan had not choice but to at least pay them a visit.
"I''ll go with you," Ryan says.
"I just need a few minutes, then I''ll get all the keys from inside and we''ll drive there," Jacob says, closing his eyes. "I''ve also got toilet paper, water, paper plates, bowls, cups, plastic utensils, and coffee."
"All I''ve got is what I have with me," Ryan says. He thankful he''s not tied down to any single place and doesn''t have many supplies he needs to carry with him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
For someone like Jacob, being a nomad is out of the question. For someone like Ryan, it''s a huge possibility.
"Ah," As Ryan leans further back in the chair, a gasp escapes his mouth.
"What is it?" Jacob asks.
"It''s this bullet," Ryan replies, and takes off his jacket, vest, and shirt. He shows his back to Jacob, where the bullet is still stuck inside.
"Shit, how long has that been in there?" Jacob asks.
"I got hit about an hour before meeting you the first time," Ryan replies.
"That long? I can try fishing it out if you give me a minute," Jacob says.
"Please," Ryan says and waits for Jacob to stand and retrieve something from inside the dealership. A few minutes later, Jacob returns with a handful of supplies.
"This will probably hurt," Jacob says, but it doesn''t fully prepare Ryan for the surging pain on his back.
''Pain resistance!'' Ryan imagines the skill and quickly buys five levels. Immediately, the pain is reduced to a level at which he can hardly feel it. A few seconds later, Jacob pats Ryan on the back.
"Got it," He says, and holds up a set of pliers with the bullet firmly held in them. The bullet is bloody, but Ryan''s thankful to have it out. "I surprised you''ve been able to go this long with a bullet in you back like that."
"Yeah, it must be another doing of the system," Ryan shrugs and puts his clothes and equipment back on.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 21259 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
Chapter 18
After briefly napping, Jacob enters the dealership and transfers everything useful he can find to the trunk of a car in the lot. In the center console, Jacob drops the keys for all the cars in the lot. He plans to sell them once at The Sanctuary, not let random raiders and scavengers take them. Once he has everything packed, Jacob wakes Ryan.
"It''s time to go," Jacob says, and Ryan enters the passenger seat after placing his spear and sword in the back seat.
The drive to The Sanctuary is short, but the zombie presence as noticeably increased. Instead of a zombie every twenty feet, zombies are every five feet with a brute spaced between every hundred zombies. Ignoring these, Jacob drives past them all. His car is not meant for driving on rough terrain, but it can handle the occasional zombie or two.
On 4th street, the carnage is unbelievable. Scavenger rats cleaned the areas near the gates of Jacob''s lot, but here it looks like someone used a shovel to pile the pieces of zombie bodies against the glass windows of buildings. Crude barriers made from office desks, filing cabinets, and various other devices line the pavement, but were clearly ineffective at keeping out the waves of zombies.
Since the barriers block their way, Ryan and Jacob have to leave the car and advance on foot. Ryan takes his sword and spear with him, but Jacob leaves the keys in the center console. Further inside the gore covered section of road, one building is mostly clear of blood on its windows. From a set of glass doors, a man steps out.
"Hey, welcome to The Sanctuary," The man says with a gloomy face. His clothes are bloody and his left arm is heavily bandaged.
"I brought supplies with me, in my car," Jacob says, pointing back to the car.
"Oh, great," The man says, and ducks back inside the building. A few seconds later, eight more men come walking out with the first man.
Jacob unlocks the car and pops the trunk. While the men walk past, Ryan can see that over half of them have handguns on their waist.
"The supplies are in the trunk and the back seat," Jacob says, and stays with Ryan and the first man at the door.
"Well, follow me inside," The man says, and walks through the glass door. "I''m Terry, by the way."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Jacob," Jacob says.
"Ryan," Ryan says.
Inside the building, the back of the room is dedicated to two counters with a small hallway between them. In the front of the room, there are many rows of seats. In the hallway, there are three elevators on each side, and a stairway on the far end. Light from the front windows helps illuminate the room, but the emergency lighting makes up for the lack of regular lights.
"David is on the second floor. He''ll have to meet you before anything else," Terry says, and leads them to the stairs in the back.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 21259 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
Chapter 19
The second floor of the building is home to two conference rooms. Terry leads Ryan and Jacob into the room on the left, and they sit at a long wooden table, after which Terry excuses himself from the room.
"For all the mess outside, they don''t seem to shaken up," Jacob comments.
"Yeah, I worried they might have been taken out," Ryan says. The zombies that attacked The Sanctuary easily outnumbered those that attacked Jacob''s lot by three times. The injuries sustained appeared to be limited to scratches and minor cuts. Compared to Ryan and Jacob who didn''t receive any injuries, this might not seem like much, but Ryan and Jacob still valued the show of defensive ability.
Around twenty minutes later, a man in a suit came through the door to the conference room, followed by Terry.
"These two want to join us," Terry says, and the man with him sits down across from Ryan and Jacob. Terry continues to stand at the door. "They''ve also brought some supplies in their car."
"Hello, I''m David," The man says and reaches out with his hand for Ryan and Jacob to shake. "You''re the car dealer, I presume?"
"Yes," Jacob says and shakes David''s hand. "I have more cars at the dealership I can sell to you."
"I''m not so much interested in joining than trading goods," Ryan says and shakes David''s hand. At Ryan''s words, David frowns.
"Not joining us? If you have family waiting for your return, we''d welcome them here with you," David says, returning his frown to a smile.
"I''ll keep that in mind," Ryan says and returns a smile.
"Well then, we have a simple procedure for new members of our sanctuary," David says and turns to face Jacob. "You just need to raise your right hand and say ''I will join the community of David Nash.''"
"That sounds like a kind of contract," Jacob says, himself all too familiar with contracts.
"It''s the ability of my class, Leader," David says, clearly somewhat proud of his class. "I receive a small amount of credits every day for every citizen who is a part of my community, and every member of my community gains a small increase of stats."
"Well, I''d like to draw up a contract between the two of us for, you know, personal assurance," Jacob says.
"Does that have to do with your class?" David asks.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"Yeah, Dealmaker," Jacob replies.
"That''s fine," David says and turns to Terry, who is still standing at the door. "Can you get us a sheet of paper and a pen?"
"Sure," Terry replies and exits the room. Less than a minute later, he returns with the two items and hands them to David.
While Jacob and David reach an agreement on the terms of the contract, Ryan contemplates the effects from David''s class ability. A small amount of credits was not a certain amount. One, five, ten, a hundred, Ryan had no way of knowing which one counted as ''small''.
''I wonder if I can learn skills from another person''s class...'' Ryan thinks, and tries to add the system-binding contract skill to the shop. However, after several seconds, nothing happens. Curious, Ryan enters the ''Hacks'' section of the shop, then tries to add the contract skill.
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
The resulting skill costs less than a 9mm handgun. It doesn''t have a rank, meaning that just one purchase will either have Ryan able to use it to the maximum ability, or only able to use it a fraction of the way Jacob can. Hiding a smirk, Ryan waits to Jacob and David to finish their deal.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 21259 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 11
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 1, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 4, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 20
After Jacob and David sign a contract, and Jacob states his oath to David, David turns his attention to Ryan.
"Since you won''t be taking the oath, we can''t allow you past this floor. If you have any good to trade, someone from the first floor can take a list and pass it on to our residents," David says and stands. "Come with me, Jacob. Terry will show your friend out."
Jacob gives short look to Ryan and follows David out the door. Once the door closes, Terry walks to Ryan.
"Alright, let''s go," He says and takes Ryan by the arm, leading him out of the room.
''This is some kind of cult,'' Ryan thinks as he is led out down the stairs and out the building. At no point did his weapons get taken away, but the way he was treated shifted once he declared he wouldn''t be joining.
Alone, Ryan walks past Jacob''s car and back to the manhole several blocks away. The walk takes much longer than any of Ryan''s previous walks. Not because the distance was longer, which is was, but because of the huge amounts of zombies Ryan had to kill. Along the way, Ryan decides to raise his Swords skill to level ten for 2700 credits.
Just looking at his credits is surprising for Ryan. He has enough to buy Jacob''s class skill or a more powerful weapon, or several skills.
Comparing his options, buying Jacob''s class skill or the gun come last. They might help in limited circumstances, but nothing yet that Ryan had encountered. Instead of buying those, once he reached the manhole, Ryan buys skills for resistances.
First, he takes a long look at the skill Bullet Resistance. Several theories come to mind as Ryan looks at the skill. Theories such as, did Bullet Resistance only protect against bullets, would a skill such as Piercing Resistance or Physical Resistance have the same effect or less of one, and how many levels of Bullet Resistance would be required for him to be invincible.
Almost an hour after arriving at the manhole and laying under it, Ryan decides to upgrade the skill Bullet Resistance to level ten for 3000 credits. Then, he purchases the skills Slashing Resistance, Piercing Resistance, and Crushing Resistance, and upgrades them to level 10 for 15000 credits.
This leaves Ryan with only 559 credits remaining, but this is of little concern. To test the new resistances, Ryan tries to pierce his arm with the tip of his spear. The result is red but unbroken skin with no pain.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
For the rest of the day, Ryan kills zombies at the bottom of the manhole. Furious hands from zombies make many more attempts at grabbing the spear or swatting it out of the way, so Ryan has a harder time killing the zombies, but he still manages a decent amount before having to call it a day.
After looking at his stats, Ryan doesn''t regret refusing to join The Sanctuary.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 5695 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries: Bruised back
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 21
Thought Ryan would normally continue killing zombies for a few more hours, he has to stop because the battery from his flashlight started to go dead. At the top of the ladder, Ryan can buy a replacement 18650 battery, and does so. However, instead of going back to killing zombies, he decides to fortify his position.
The concrete blocks have worked well against normal zombies, but Ryan didn''t how know well they''d fair against the brutes. So, he figured it would be a good time to upgrade his defenses.
Around the van and car, Ryan places a wall of concrete blocks. With the help of strategic buying, he doesn''t have to move the blocks very much, and easily makes a wall sixty blocks long and four blocks high. This costs 3600 credits, but the extra protection is worth it, for Ryan.
Since he''s limited on his credits, Ryan buys ten more blocks for 150 credits and blocks off the remaining base of the van. Ryan hopes this will sway zombies away from his little area, and, in the worst-case scenario, protect him from zombies that try to get under the van.
At the same time that he places concrete blocks, Ryan kills the zombies in his surroundings. Only at one time did a brute attack, but Ryan easily killed it with his pistol. It took almost half a magazine, since the brute was moving and harder to aim at, but it fell before getting ten feet close to Ryan.
When light no longer shined on the road, Ryan finished his building and retreated to under the van. This night, since making sound while the zombies were much more dangerous would be unwise, Ryan adds many foods to the shop. He intends to make a list of everything he can think of, with a slight markup, and bring it to The Sanctuary the next day.
After a dozen entries, a box of text appeared in front of the shop text
>Would you like to make a category "Food & Drink"?
"Yes, accept," Ryan says, and the category is made inside the Items section of the shop. All food and drinks already in the shop are added to the category, and additional food get added too.
At the end of the night, Ryan has a much longer shop and decides to sleep.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 1945 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries:
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>>Food & Drink
>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ?
>>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>>Jug of Water, 10 ?
>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ?
>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ?
>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ?
>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ?
>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ?
>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ?
>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ?
>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ?
>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ?
>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ?
>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ?
>>>Orange, 12 ?
>>>Lemon, 8 ?
>>>Lime, 8 ?
>>>Watermelon, 50 ?
>>>Corn, 5 ?
>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ?
>>>Honeydew, 30 ?
>>>Pepper, 10 ?
>>>Carrot, 4 ?
>>>Cauliflower, 25 ?
>>>Cucumber, 10 ?
>>>Pineapple, 30 ?
>>>Celery, 25 ?
>>>Garlic, 6 ?
>>>Romaine, 10 ?
>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ?
>>>Can of Beans, 15 ?
>>>Can of Sour, 23 ?
>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ?
>>>Can of Corn, 10 ?
>>>Can of Peas, 10 ?
>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ?
>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ?
>>>Can of Stew, 25 ?
>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ?
>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ?
>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ?
>>>Can of Pear, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ?
>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ?
>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ?
>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ?
>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ?
>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ?
>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ?
>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ?
>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ?
>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ?
>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ?
>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ?
>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ?
>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ?
>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ?
>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ?
>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ?
>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ?
>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ?
>>>Gala Apple, 14 ?
>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ?
>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ?
>>>Banana, 3 ?
>>>Broccoli, 19 ?
>>>Yam, 18 ?
>>>Potato, 10 ?
>>>Onion, 18 ?
>>>Cabbage, 26 ?
>>>Red Grape, 1 ?
>>>Green Grape, 1 ?
>>>Donut, 6 ?
>>>Bagel, 7 ?
>>>Muffin, 12 ?
>>>Cake, 100 ?
>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ?
>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ?
>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ?
>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ?
>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ?
>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ?
>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ?
>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ?
>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ?
>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 22
The night passes slowly. Zombies push against the concrete blocks, and Ryan can hear then being slightly pushed, but the wall holds. The zombies are ultimately too dumb to understand the wall of concrete blocks is not solid, and they don''t attempt to break it down.
''They must rely on sight,'' Ryan reasons when he thinks about the previous night. Then brutes rammed the gates of the car dealership, but they didn''t run into the concrete block wall. Also thinking back, Ryan couldn''t remember a time where the zombies tried to smash down the brick wall, or the glass windows at the front of the store.
So, Ryan knew three things about the zombies. One, unprovoked zombies traveled at slow pace and occasionally stumbled, but would attempt to stand up before crawling to their destination. Two, the bones and skin of zombies are less resistant to damage than a normal human''s. Three, the zombies will attempt to breach a structure by coming in waves led by a brute.
In addition to these things, Ryan had several theories he was working on. Zombies would try to attack him when he dropped a glass into the sewer. This indicated zombies were attracted to noise. What Ryan didn''t know was why the zombies didn''t attack through the glass windows of the car dealership. The only explanation, Ryan assumed, was a certain level of intelligence by the zombies.
The zombies tried to breach the lot from where the noise was the loudest. This was, however, not the easiest, so they zombies lacked that level of awareness. Maybe if Ryan or Jacob could be seen from the glass windows, the zombies might have tried to breach them.
When morning comes, Ryan realizes he never fell asleep. The entire, time, he had been worrying too much about noises he might make. So help himself, he''d need more defenses. He''d need a larger base.
No longer would the underside of a maintenance van be enough. However, to facilitate this, Ryan needs more credits. Living in the sewer worked fairly well for gaining a large sum of credits, but only when he spent the whole day killing zombies. Regular zombies were worth five credits and the brute zombies were worth fifty, so going out and hunting brutes could potentially be profitable.
Ryan only has 1945 credits, but that''s enough for three or four skills. With the right skills, Ryan could completely change the way he gained credits. However, this would probably take more than his current amount of credits. First, a skill to gain more credits.
>Fortune 1, 300 ?
Since skills didn''t have any explanation for them, other than the name, Ryan has to buy the skill to see what it does. To test the new skill, Ryan exits from under the van and climbs to the top of the van by first climbing on top of the car. Since he doesn''t want zombies smashing into the concrete blocks, Ryan hops down onto the sidewalk and decapitates the nearest zombie.
>Earned 6 ?
An immediate gain of one credit per kill. The effect of the skill could be a flat plus one to all kills, or a twenty percent increase, but neither mattered. Ryan could, and will, buy more skills to increase his rate of gaining credits.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 1651 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 13
>Int: 11
>Wis: 10
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 10, Sprinting 2, Fortune 1, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight: Dead Battery, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
>Current Injuries: Sleepy
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>>Fortune 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>>Food & Drink
>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ?
>>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>>Jug of Water, 10 ?
>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ?
>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ?
>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ?
>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ?
>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ?
>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ?
>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ?
>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ?
>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ?
>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ?
>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ?
>>>Orange, 12 ?
>>>Lemon, 8 ?
>>>Lime, 8 ?
>>>Watermelon, 50 ?
>>>Corn, 5 ?
>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ?
>>>Honeydew, 30 ?
>>>Pepper, 10 ?
>>>Carrot, 4 ?
>>>Cauliflower, 25 ?
>>>Cucumber, 10 ?
>>>Pineapple, 30 ?
>>>Celery, 25 ?
>>>Garlic, 6 ?
>>>Romaine, 10 ?
>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ?
>>>Can of Beans, 15 ?
>>>Can of Sour, 23 ?
>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ?
>>>Can of Corn, 10 ?
>>>Can of Peas, 10 ?
>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ?
>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ?
>>>Can of Stew, 25 ?
>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ?
>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ?
>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ?
>>>Can of Pear, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ?
>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ?
>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ?
>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ?
>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ?
>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ?
>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ?
>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ?
>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ?
>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ?
>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ?
>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ?
>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ?
>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ?
>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ?
>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ?
>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ?
>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ?
>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ?
>>>Gala Apple, 14 ?
>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ?
>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ?
>>>Banana, 3 ?
>>>Broccoli, 19 ?
>>>Yam, 18 ?
>>>Potato, 10 ?
>>>Onion, 18 ?
>>>Cabbage, 26 ?
>>>Red Grape, 1 ?
>>>Green Grape, 1 ?
>>>Donut, 6 ?
>>>Bagel, 7 ?
>>>Muffin, 12 ?
>>>Cake, 100 ?
>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ?
>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ?
>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ?
>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ?
>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ?
>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ?
>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ?
>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ?
>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ?
>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 23
Ryan only needs one hand for his sword, so he keeps his pistol in the other. When a brute finally comes near, Ryan shoots it in the head twice to kill it.
>Earned 51 ?
This ruled out the percentage explanation, and left the explanation of the Fortune skill giving a flat bonus to credits earned. For the next test, Ryan buys another level of Fortune and kills a zombie. The result is seven credits earned.
Smiling slightly, Ryan buys four more levels of Fortune. This gives him eleven credits per zombie killed. Once the street is clear of zombies, Ryan climbs over the concrete block fence and crawls under the van. He then climbs down the ladder and uses his spear to kill many zombies and buy increases to the Fortune skill.
After two hours, Ryan has raised the Fortune skill to level fifty-five. He had to replace the battery in his flashlight for 80 credits, but the sum was inconsequential. Even the barbecue ribs Ryan ate for lunch while sitting on the top of the van costs less than a minute worth of killing zombies.
After eating lunch, Ryan decides he''s killed enough zombies. He buys a sheet of paper for 1 credit and one of his favorite pens for 30 credits. The pen has a .3 mm needle tip, and writes in a smooth line of pitch black ink. Though his salary working for city maintenance didn''t allow him to squander his pay on fancy pens, the world''s new system would.
Ryan writes down all the foods and drinks he can think of, all the he added to the shop the night before, and he starts running in the direction of The Sanctuary. With a Running level of ten, Ryan can run the distance from the manhole to The Sanctuary without a break, but the zombies he kills along the way enable him to buy another five levels, which makes running even easier. This leaves Ryan with 490 credits.
Once at The Sanctuary, Ryan makes his way through even more widespread zombie corpses, and a few scavenger corpses, to reach the entry door. A woman takes Ryan''s list and thanks him before sending him away, never even allowing him inside.
''Well, I hope Jacob is doing fine,'' Ryan thinks and starts back the way he came.
Instead of returning to the manhole, Ryan runs past it and stops at the car dealership. A padlock keeps the gate to the lot closed, but Ryan simply waits in the center of the intersection. A few minutes go by, and Ryan buys five more levels of Running for 1500 credits, which places him at level twenty.
Ryan can only run for about three miles before he needs to rest, but the twenty-six mile trip to his parents'' house is completed before sundown. The house looks the same as the previous week, but zombies are more prevalent in the streets.
Even inside the home, nothing has changed. The note Ryan left a week ago is still where he left it, and no zombies have populated the house. The only change is the lack of running water when Ryan tries to wash his hands in the sink.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 35984 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 14
>Int: 11
>Wis: 11
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 20, Sprinting 2, Fortune 55, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Ice Pick, Hammer, Flashlight: Dead Battery, Sword, Spear, Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Safety Helmet, Heavy Work Gloves, Textile Motorcycle Jacket, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
>Current Injuries: Sleepy
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>>Fortune 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>>Battery: Size 18650, 80 ?
>>Food & Drink
>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ?
>>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>>Jug of Water, 10 ?
>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ?
>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ?
>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ?
>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ?
>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ?
>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ?
>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ?
>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ?
>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ?
>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ?
>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ?
>>>Orange, 12 ?
>>>Lemon, 8 ?
>>>Lime, 8 ?
>>>Watermelon, 50 ?
>>>Corn, 5 ?
>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ?
>>>Honeydew, 30 ?
>>>Pepper, 10 ?
>>>Carrot, 4 ?
>>>Cauliflower, 25 ?
>>>Cucumber, 10 ?
>>>Pineapple, 30 ?
>>>Celery, 25 ?
>>>Garlic, 6 ?
>>>Romaine, 10 ?
>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ?
>>>Can of Beans, 15 ?
>>>Can of Sour, 23 ?
>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ?
>>>Can of Corn, 10 ?
>>>Can of Peas, 10 ?
>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ?
>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ?
>>>Can of Stew, 25 ?
>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ?
>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ?
>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ?
>>>Can of Pear, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ?
>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ?
>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ?
>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ?
>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ?
>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ?
>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ?
>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ?
>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ?
>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ?
>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ?
>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ?
>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ?
>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ?
>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ?
>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ?
>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ?
>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ?
>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ?
>>>Gala Apple, 14 ?
>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ?
>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ?
>>>Banana, 3 ?
>>>Broccoli, 19 ?
>>>Yam, 18 ?
>>>Potato, 10 ?
>>>Onion, 18 ?
>>>Cabbage, 26 ?
>>>Red Grape, 1 ?
>>>Green Grape, 1 ?
>>>Donut, 6 ?
>>>Bagel, 7 ?
>>>Muffin, 12 ?
>>>Cake, 100 ?
>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ?
>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ?
>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ?
>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ?
>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ?
>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ?
>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ?
>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ?
>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ?
>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 24
Ryan sleeps through the night without any issues. Though a week has passed since Ryan last visited the house, not even the windows had been broken for a looter to get in. As opposed to laying under the van, sleeping on the couch in his parents'' basement is much quieter and more comfortable.
''I need to make this my base,'' Ryan thinks as he gets up in the morning. He stretches and walks to the bathroom, making use of its facilities.
Once he''s ready to flush, Ryan takes the lid off the back and peers into the tank. As expected, there is no water inside. Using the same principle as when he built a wall with the concrete blocks, Ryan purchases a gallon of water from the shop for 5 credits. The result is a ball of water falling into the toilet''s tank, with some water missing or splashing out.
With two gallons of water, Ryan has the tank almost entirely filled, so he flushes it and watches the waste in the bowl get washed away.
Ryan repeats this same process over the skin to wash his hands, then in the bathtub to give his body a soak. For 10 credits, Ryan can purchase a gallon of hot water, and use forty gallons to fill the tub. Instead of buying soap or shampoo, Ryan uses the bottles on the side of the tub.
After getting out of the bath, Ryan looks at his equipment. Not mentioning the minor garments, Ryan has an orange safety helmet, heavy work gloves with slight burns, a textile motorcycle jacket with slight burns and a hole in the back, slightly burnt jeans, and a slightly burnt yellow safety vest.
To replace the jacket, Ryan buys a bulletproof leather jacket for 12000 credits. It''s black and cover''s his entire torso, and has pockets for a handgun and extra magazines.
To replace the helmet, Ryan buys a black ballistic helmet with a glass face guard for 3700 credits. The face guard can flip up, so Ryan only needs to deploy it when things get bloody.
To replace the jeans, Ryan simply buys a new pair for 400 credits. After putting on the jacket, Ryan decides that bulletproof jeans would weigh too much. As it was now, he might have to abandon the jacket if an emergency situation came about.
To replace the gloves, Ryan buys a pair of motorcycle gauntlets. Their black to match the rest of his outfit, and cover a few inches past his wrist. On the palm, the gloves have quality grips to help when wielding a spear or sword, and on the knuckles they have a hard material for protecting. The gloves cost 2700 credits.
For a shirt, Ryan buys a new white tee for 50 credits. For socks and underwear, Ryan buys luxury pairs for a total of 300 credits. To be safe, Ryan replaces the batteries in the electric earplugs for 80 credits.
Since he''s replacing much of his equipment, Ryan decides to forgo his lesser used tools. The hammer and the ice pick are placed on the coffee table to never be used again.
After putting on his new equipment, Ryan exits the house by the front door. He briefly thinks about replacing his shoes, but figures they''re good enough for his needs.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 16204 ?
>Str: 17
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 14
>Int: 11
>Wis: 11
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 20, Sprinting 2, Fortune 55, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Flashlight, Sword, Spear, .22 Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Bulletproof Leather Jacket, Ballistic Helmet with Visor, Leather Gauntlets, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
>Current Injuries:
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Leather Gauntlets, 2700 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Bulletproof Leather Jacket, 12000 ?
>>Basic Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet with Visor, 3700 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>>Jeans, 400 ?
>>White Tee Shirt, 50 ?
>>Luxury Socks, 120 ?
>>Luxury Underwear, 180 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>>Fortune 1, 300 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>>Battery: Size 18650, 80 ?
>>Food & Drink
>>>Gallon of Water, 5 ?
>>>Gallon of Hot Water, 10 ?
>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ?
>>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>>Jug of Water, 10 ?
>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ?
>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ?
>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ?
>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ?
>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ?
>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ?
>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ?
>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ?
>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ?
>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ?
>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ?
>>>Orange, 12 ?
>>>Lemon, 8 ?
>>>Lime, 8 ?
>>>Watermelon, 50 ?
>>>Corn, 5 ?
>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ?
>>>Honeydew, 30 ?
>>>Pepper, 10 ?
>>>Carrot, 4 ?
>>>Cauliflower, 25 ?
>>>Cucumber, 10 ?
>>>Pineapple, 30 ?
>>>Celery, 25 ?
>>>Garlic, 6 ?
>>>Romaine, 10 ?
>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ?
>>>Can of Beans, 15 ?
>>>Can of Sour, 23 ?
>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ?
>>>Can of Corn, 10 ?
>>>Can of Peas, 10 ?
>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ?
>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ?
>>>Can of Stew, 25 ?
>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ?
>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ?
>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ?
>>>Can of Pear, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ?
>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ?
>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ?
>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ?
>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ?
>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ?
>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ?
>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ?
>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ?
>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ?
>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ?
>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ?
>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ?
>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ?
>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ?
>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ?
>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ?
>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ?
>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ?
>>>Gala Apple, 14 ?
>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ?
>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ?
>>>Banana, 3 ?
>>>Broccoli, 19 ?
>>>Yam, 18 ?
>>>Potato, 10 ?
>>>Onion, 18 ?
>>>Cabbage, 26 ?
>>>Red Grape, 1 ?
>>>Green Grape, 1 ?
>>>Donut, 6 ?
>>>Bagel, 7 ?
>>>Muffin, 12 ?
>>>Cake, 100 ?
>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ?
>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ?
>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ?
>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ?
>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ?
>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ?
>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ?
>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ?
>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ?
>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 25
Standing in the front yard, Ryan doesn''t see many zombies. In the street, there is a single zombie shuffling towards the city. The next closest zombie is at least fifty feet away, further away from the city.
When the zombie notices Ryan, it begins to charge. A simple slash of Ryan''s sword is enough to kill the zombie, and its two halves fall on the grass of Ryan''s parents'' front yard.
''I should build a wall,'' Ryan thinks and walks back inside the house to open the garage door. The electric opener doesn''t work, so Ryan manually opens it to let the sunlight in.
His parents'' car is gone, but nothing else seems out of place. The missing car reassures Ryan that his parents escaped safely, and he continues to look around. Against the walls of the garage are many tools that Ryan''s father had gathered over the course of his long marriage, and many of them will help when building the wall.
Ryan wheels the wheelbarrow to the front yard, then carries out a shovel, a hoe, and a tamper. With the shovel, Ryan stabs into the ground for where he wants to make the wall. From the side of the house to the sidewalk, on both sides of the house, Ryan makes a line. Then, with the hoe, Ryan loosens the dirt to spread it evenly and throw clumps of grass into the neighbor''s yard.
Once two rows of dirt have been made, Ryan follows them with the tamper to compress the loose dirt. Almost two hours have passed by the time Ryan has made two, two-foot wide rows. After a quick snack and drink, Ryan continues to work.
By purchasing a fifty-five pound bag of mortar mix for 170, Ryan can mix it with water in the wheelbarrow and create a sloppy mix. Using the shovel, Ryan places the mix along the dirt rows and places two rows of concrete blocks in the mix.
Each row is thirty feet long and takes sixty concrete blocks for just the base. With a trowels from the garage, Ryan prepares the base row of concrete blocks for another row. After five staggered rows, Ryan takes a stepladder to keep going higher.
After two more rows, Ryan is left with 2494 credits and a wall only covering two-thirds of the yard. The wall is high and sturdy, but it won''t protect from zombies that simply try to go around it. Without enough credits to complete the wall, or a good idea on how to make an entrance, Ryan heads inside.
While he was building, Ryan killed six zombies. Before, this would only give him thirty credits, barely enough to buy something to eat. Now, Ryan gets enough from those six kills to last the whole day.
Walking around and doing work while in the armor helps Ryan get used to it, but Ryan hopes for a better way. Perhaps, a skillful way.
After spending the rest of the day on the couch, resting in his underwear while thinking of skills, Ryan had one for each stat.
Spoiler:Status Screen
>Name: Ryan Stone
>Class: Tycoon
>Credits: 2434 ?
>Str: 18
>Dex: 14
>Vit: 15
>Int: 11
>Wis: 11
>Luc: 12
>Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 20, Sprinting 2, Fortune 55, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 10, Piercing Resistance 10, Crushing Resistance 10
>Current Equipment: Flashlight, Sword, Spear, .22 Pistol, Belt Scabbard, Bulletproof Leather Jacket, Ballistic Helmet with Visor, Leather Gauntlets, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
>Current Injuries:
>Weapons
>>Iron Dagger, 100 ?
>>Steel Sword, 300 ?
>>Steel Ice Pick, 100 ?
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.>>Steel Spear, 300 ?
>>9mm Semi-Auto Pistol, 14000 ?
>>Pistol Ammo: .22 LR, 1 ?
>>Molotov Cocktail, 200 ?
>Armor
>>Heavy Work Gloves, 150 ?
>>Leather Gauntlets, 2700 ?
>>Textile Motorcycle Jacket, 2000 ?
>>Bulletproof Leather Jacket, 12000 ?
>>Basic Ballistic Helmet, 2400 ?
>>Ballistic Helmet with Visor, 3700 ?
>>Electronic Earplug, 3200 ?
>>Jeans, 400 ?
>>White Tee Shirt, 50 ?
>>Luxury Socks, 120 ?
>>Luxury Underwear, 180 ?
>Skills
>>Ice Picks 1, 300 ?
>>Spears 1, 300 ?
>>Swords 1, 300 ?
>>Shooting 1, 300 ?
>>Sneaking 1, 300 ?
>>Sleep Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Hunger Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Thirst Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Bullet Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Fire Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Pain Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Slashing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Piercing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Crushing Resistance 1, 500 ?
>>Sharp Hearing 1, 500 ?
>>Night Vision 1, 500 ?
>>Climbing 1, 300 ?
>>Running 1, 300 ?
>>Sprinting 1, 300 ?
>>Fortune 1, 300 ?
>>Strong 1, 500 ?
>>Dexterous 1, 500 ?
>>Vigorous 1, 500 ?
>>Intelligent 1, 500 ?
>>Wise 1, 500 ?
>>Lucky 1, 500 ?
>Items
>>Plastic Bag, 1 ?
>>Concrete Block, 15 ?
>>High End-Table, 400 ?
>>Roll of Toilet Paper, 10 ?
>>Steel Dinner Fork, 20 ?
>>Steel Dinner Knife, 25 ?
>>Porcelain Dinner Plate, 30 ?
>>Belt Scabbard, 120 ?
>>Pillow, 400 ?
>>Lighter, 50 ?
>>Magazine: .22, 400 ?
>>Battery: Size 10, 40 ?
>>Battery: Size 18650, 80 ?
>>Food & Drink
>>>Gallon of Water, 5 ?
>>>Gallon of Hot Water, 10 ?
>>>Bottle of Water, 5 ?
>>>Glass of Water, 10 ?
>>>Jug of Water, 10 ?
>>>Cup of Coffee, 10 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Cherry Cola, 15 ?
>>>Two Litter Bottle of Root Beer, ?
>>>Box of Spaghetti, 15 ?
>>>Bag of Egg Noodles, 25 ?
>>>Cup of Ramen, 5 ?
>>>Bottle of Salad Dressing, 43 ?
>>>Jar of Mayonnaise, 40 ?
>>>Bottle of BBQ Sauce, 23 ?
>>>Bottle of Steak Sauce, 30 ?
>>>Bottle of Ketchup, 30 ?
>>>Can of Tomato Sauce, 18 ?
>>>Jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Alfredo Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Cup of Parmesan Cheese, 40 ?
>>>Orange, 12 ?
>>>Lemon, 8 ?
>>>Lime, 8 ?
>>>Watermelon, 50 ?
>>>Corn, 5 ?
>>>Cantaloupe, 30 ?
>>>Honeydew, 30 ?
>>>Pepper, 10 ?
>>>Carrot, 4 ?
>>>Cauliflower, 25 ?
>>>Cucumber, 10 ?
>>>Pineapple, 30 ?
>>>Celery, 25 ?
>>>Garlic, 6 ?
>>>Romaine, 10 ?
>>>Bag of Rice, 25 ?
>>>Can of Beans, 15 ?
>>>Can of Sour, 23 ?
>>>Can of Green Beans, 10 ?
>>>Can of Corn, 10 ?
>>>Can of Peas, 10 ?
>>>Can of Carrots, 6 ?
>>>Can of Potatoes, 18 ?
>>>Can of Stew, 25 ?
>>>Can of Peaches, 20 ?
>>>Can of Oranges, 13 ?
>>>Can of Pineapple, 17 ?
>>>Can of Pear, 20 ?
>>>Jar of Apple Sauce, 26 ?
>>>Can of Tuna, 12 ?
>>>Bag of Flour, 52 ?
>>>Bag of Sugar, 25 ?
>>>Bottle of Maple Syrup, 34 ?
>>>Jar of Honey, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Vegetable Oil, 36 ?
>>>Can of Coffee Grounds, 60 ?
>>>Jar of Salt, 30 ?
>>>Bag of Cookies, 37 ?
>>>Box of Crackers, 30 ?
>>>Stick of Butter, 12 ?
>>>Carton of Eggs, 11 ?
>>>Block of Cheese, 55 ?
>>>Bag of Shredded Cheese, 27 ?
>>>Carton of Ice Cream, 50 ?
>>>Bottle of Orange Juice, 40 ?
>>>Jug of Milk, 36 ?
>>>Jar of Peanut Butter, 44 ?
>>>Jar of Jelly, 28 ?
>>>Bag of Bread, 30 ?
>>>Red Delicious Apple, 10 ?
>>>Gala Apple, 14 ?
>>>Golden Delicious Apple, 14 ?
>>>Honeycrisp Apple, 26 ?
>>>Banana, 3 ?
>>>Broccoli, 19 ?
>>>Yam, 18 ?
>>>Potato, 10 ?
>>>Onion, 18 ?
>>>Cabbage, 26 ?
>>>Red Grape, 1 ?
>>>Green Grape, 1 ?
>>>Donut, 6 ?
>>>Bagel, 7 ?
>>>Muffin, 12 ?
>>>Cake, 100 ?
>>>Box of Raisins, 40 ?
>>>Box of Wheat Flakes, 35 ?
>>>Box of Corn Wheels, 35 ?
>>>Pound of Ground Beef, 44 ?
>>>Chicken Breast, 26 ?
>>>Cheap Cheeseburger, 10 ?
>>>Cooked Hotdog, 30 ?
>>>Cooked Cheeseburger, 50 ?
>>>Cooked Bacon Cheeseburger, 60 ?
>>>Cooked Sirloin, 130 ?
>>>Cooked Cheap Filet Mignon, 140 ?
>>>Cooked Ribeye, 200 ?
>>>Cooked Filet Mignon, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Prime Rib, 210 ?
>>>Cooked New York Strip, 210 ?
>>>Cooked Baby Back Ribs, 220 ?
>>>Cooked Porterhouse, 280 ?
>Hacks
>>Contracting, 10000 ?
Chapter 26
In the morning of the next day, Ryan takes a warm bath and then eats a bowl of cereal. Besides some ground-shaking tremors, nothing interrupted the night. Sadly, not even Ryan¡¯s parents came knocking on the door, wondering why there¡¯s a concrete wall in their yard.
After dressing and leaving the house, Ryan locks up the house and walks to the road. The wall is still incomplete, but Ryan needs more credits to finish it, so it¡¯ll have to remain how it is for now.
While he does a slow run back to the manhole in the city, Ryan easily kills nearby zombies with his gun. A bullet only costs one credit, but a kill gains him sixty. Even if a zombie took several shots to kill it, the reward would be worth it.
After a couple kills, Ryan adds another skill to the shop to save him credits when buying things.
Discount 1, 300 ?
After buying it and a bullet, Ryan doesn¡¯t see any difference. However, when buying two bullets, Ryan only has a single credit taken away from him. Grinning, Ryan purchases three more levels for 900 credits.
Ryan arrives at the manhole before lunchtime, so he keeps on going to The Sanctuary. He plans on eating a rack of ribs outside while the residents watch with watery mouths. However, when Ryan reaches the part of the street where The Sanctuary held their ground, he sees the side of a building smashed in.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Glass and concrete rubble has poured out onto the street, making travel very difficult for Ryan. To make it worse, blood and skin are strewn everywhere, even in large blotches on the sides of neighboring buildings.
Even the entrance to The Sanctuary, which held up during the first night of the brute zombie attacks, has had all the glass broken. Support pillars inside the building are undamaged, but the security breach is undeniable.
¡°Hello?¡± Ryan yells inside the building but doesn¡¯t see anyone nearby. The staircase at the rear of the lobby has been blocked by a long conference table, but blood covers the floors and walls on both sides.
Not hearing a response, Ryan proceeds inside. He hopes for the best but prepares for the worst. It saddens him to think that his new friend may have recently died, but Ryan continues with his gun drawn.
At the staircase, Ryan vaults over the table and walks up the stairs. The blood lessens as stairs get higher, and the second floor is almost completely devoid. At the door that would lead to the second-floor conference rooms, another table has been placed to block the door.
Ryan knocks on the door and takes a step back. He still had his pistol in his hand, but the area seems safe from zombies.
¡°Yeah? Oh, you¡¯re new,¡± The man who answers the door says. He doesn¡¯t have any visible injuries but looks upset when he sees Ryan.
¡°I came by two days ago with a list of food I had to sell. Is, uh, Jacob here?¡± Ryan can¡¯t remember the name of the boss, so he asks for his friend inside.
¡°Just a minute,¡± The man says, and closes the door. Half a second later, he opens it back up. ¡°Wait inside.¡±
Ryan climbs over the table and waits on the other side of the door as the man walks into the conference room on the left. A few seconds later, he comes back with the leader of their group, and a woman wearing fancy blue robes.
¡°Ryan, it¡¯s good to see you again!¡± The leader says and shakes Ryan¡¯s hand.
Chapter 27
¡°Yeah, good to see you too,¡± Ryan says, still unable to remember the man¡¯s name. ¡°Is Jacob around?¡±
¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s on higher floors since he doesn¡¯t have a combat class. Have you decided to join us?¡± The leader asks with hopeful eyes.
¡°Not yet, I just wanted to see if I could sell you any of my food,¡± Ryan says. Internally, he wonders if selling food to The Sanctuary would be profitable enough to waste his time on it. After running from his parents¡¯ home to The Sanctuary, Ryan had amassed over eighty thousand credits.
¡°That too bad,¡± The leader says, putting his head down. ¡°We don¡¯t have any need for extra food, but we could use help with defending The Sanctuary at night.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have a combat class,¡± Ryan says, and shrugs.
¡°And yet, you¡¯re coming here armed to the teeth and covered in body armor. Terry!¡± The leader finishes speaking to Ryan and turns around to yell. A few seconds later, a heavily injured man comes walking out from the right conference room. He as a light limp, and both his arms are covered in bandages.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Yeah, David?¡± Terry asks the leader.
¡°Escort our friend to the door,¡± David says and leads the robed woman back inside the left conference room.
While Ryan and Terry walk back to the first floor, Ryan asks Terry about The Sanctuary. From his answers, Ryan doesn¡¯t get any clues to how Jacob is being treated. The cars from Jacob¡¯s dealership have already been transported to the rear entrance of The Sanctuary, where zombie are less likely to gather, and since Jacob doesn¡¯t have a combat class, he spends most of the day on the higher floors of the building with others who don¡¯t have combat classes.
The new damage to the outside of The Sanctuary, which Ryan learned happened the previous night, was caused by a giant. Not a zombie that¡¯s three times as large as the others, similar to the brute, but an actual fifty-foot tall zombie.
After seeing the crushed houses near his parents¡¯ home, Ryan expected some kind of super-giant zombie to be around somewhere but is still surprised to hear it from Terry. Apparently, the giant came before a wave of twenty brutes, which came before a wave of over a hundred regular zombies.
The front defenses fell almost instantly. At a stomp of the giant¡¯s foot, the glass on the ground floor of The Sanctuary shattered, allowing the smaller zombies to enter the building. The guards fell back to the stairs and managed to hold off until a magician could be brought in.
¡°A magician?¡± Ryan asks as Terry says it.
¡°Yeah. She was the woman in the blue robe you saw earlier,¡± Terry replies. ¡°We had to pool our credits for a mana potion, but she shot a fireball from her hands and blew the thing to bits.¡±
Chapter 28
On the run back to the manhole, Ryan opens his status.
Name: Ryan Stone
Class: Tycoon
Credits: 86734 ?
Str: 18
Dex: 14
Vit: 15
Int: 11
Wis: 11
Luc: 12
With so many credits, he has enough to upgrade fortune quite a bit, and add buy Discount. First, Ryan buys a hundred levels of Discount, which reduces the price of everything in the shop by one hundred credits. To get the best value, Ryan buys each level separately.
However, since he has so many credit remaining, Ryan decides to get another hundred levels... and then another hundred levels. This only costs a total of 45150 credits and reduces the price of next upgrade to a single credit.
At this point, Ryan has already reached the manhole and still has over forty thousand credits remaining. With those, he levels the Fortune skill to level twenty-thousand. For kicks, Ryan stands on top of the van and shoots a zombie in the head.
Earned 20005 ?
Ryan gleefully picks skills from the shop and raises them a thousand levels. First, he raises Discount to level one-thousand. Then, levels the fire, slashing, piercing, and crushing resistances to one-thousand. He thinks about taking off his protective gear, but decides it''s important for his ''chef'' ruse.
After resistance skills comes the stat skills. One-thousand levels to each one makes Ryan feel like an entirely new person. His clothes are suddenly lighter than air, and his mind is sharper than a knife. The increase in resistances didn''t change Ryan''s body, but the increase in stats made him into an entire different person.
To replace his weapon, Ryan buys a gold plated FN SCAR-H 17. It fires 7.62x51mm NATO, and a magazine holds twenty rounds. Instead of manually loading the magazine, Ryan buys one fully loaded and sticks it into the gun. The rifle is fully automatic, so Ryan holds down the trigger to sweep the street.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
With a strength stat of over a thousand, Ryan can easily hold the rifle with one hand. One bullet is enough to kill a zombie if it hits the head, and Ryan gains eighty-thousand credits from the sweep. That''s only four zombies, but give more credits than used to be able to earn in a whole day.
''I don''t need this,'' Ryan thinks and jumps off the van, onto the road. He looks to the sky for a few moments and jumps. He arcs hugely and passes several buildings before coming back down and creating a small crater.
Ryan takes the scabbard off his belt and leaves the spear on the ground with the sword. He then reloads the rifle and adds a hack to the shop.
Hacks
Flight, 50000 ?
Ryan buys it and Contracting, then takes to the skies. The flying is much faster than running, jumping, or even riding in a car. In a few minutes, Ryan has reached his parents'' house and sets down on the driveway.
Spoiler:Status Screen
Name: Ryan Stone
Class: Tycoon
Credits: 284614?
Str: 18
Dex: 14
Vit: 15
Int: 11
Wis: 11
Luc: 12
Skills: Ice Picks 1, Spears 5, Swords 10, Shooting 10, Sneaking 5, Sleep Resistance 1, Hunger Resistance 1, Thirst Resistance 1, Sharp Hearing 1, Night Vision 2, Climbing 1, Running 20, Sprinting 2, Fortune 20000, Discount 1000, Bullet Resistance 10, Fire Resistance 1000, Pain Resistance 5, Slashing Resistance 1000, Piercing Resistance 1000, Crushing Resistance 1000, Strong 1000, Dexterous 1000, Vigorous 1000, Intelligent 1000, Wise 1000, Lucky 1000
Hacks: Flight, Contracting
Current Equipment: Flashlight, .22 Pistol, FN SCAR-H 17 Rifle, Bulletproof Leather Jacket, Ballistic Helmet with Visor, Leather Gauntlets, Electronic Earplugs, Extra .22 Magazines *2
Current Injuries:
New Shop Contents:
Weapons
Gold-Plated FN SCAR-H 17, 28000 ?
Armor
Skills
Items
7.62x51mm NATO Magazine: Full, 400 ?
Hacks
Flight, 50000 ?
Chapter 29
Ryan paces around driveway while thinking of what to do next. He has all the credits he could possibly need, so nothing is impossible. All that mattered was that he think of the right thing in the shop, not that is was cost effective. To help with this, Ryan adds a hack to the shop.
Placement Preview, 2000 ?
With this, Ryan adds more abstract objects to the shop, such as a concrete wall and a rolling steel gate. After placing these, the front yard of Ryan¡¯s parents¡¯ house is protected from zombies. Nothing will stop the giant zombie from crushing the house or the wall, but Ryan can¡¯t think of a way to stop it without totally changing the scenery.
Without any unfinished business at his parents¡¯ house, Ryan walks into the middle of the street and buys a motorcycle. It¡¯s an extremely fast and luxurious sports bike that he¡¯d never be able to afford in the pre-system world, but the 360000 credit cost is barely a drop in the bucket for him now. After all, that¡¯s just eighteen zombies.
Ryan takes off down the street, further away from the city, and buys Impact Resistance 1000 and Wind Resistance 10. He¡¯s unsure of the effects of Wind Resistance, so decides that ten levels will help enough with the wind in his eyes.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The effect from the skill doesn¡¯t take away too much from his speed, so Ryan levels the skill to 100, and then to 1000. The result is a barrier around his body where the wind doesn¡¯t pass. It¡¯ll make summer breezes less enjoyable, but riding the motorcycle without a helmet will be much better.
Ryan knows he could fly to wherever he wanted, but riding the motorcycle is for fun. After his first motorcycle got stolen out of a parking garage, Ryan never bought another one. Instead, he kept to watching motovlogs on the internet and wishing he could afford a fast bike.
A few miles past his parents¡¯ home, in a poorer area of the suburbs, Ryan comes across a well-fortified position. It¡¯s not a house, but a fenced off basketball court, where all kinds of materials have been placed against the fence to strengthen it.
¡°Ay yo! Nigga got a bike!¡± Ryan slows down enough to hear this from someone inside the court, and he stops completely.
¡°Hello, citizens! Call me Mr. Money Bags!¡± Ryan cheers and walks over to the opening of the court.
Not even a bullet bouncing off his head if enough to stop him.
¡®Scary,¡¯ Ryan thinks as he continues walking forward. The bullet hit his chest, but the jacket protected him.
¡°What the hell you want?¡± A man behind the fortifications yells.
¡°I¡¡± Ryan begins to speak but needs a few more seconds to think of what to say. ¡°I want to make a deal.¡±
Chapter 30
Several hours later, Ryan has finished making contracts with the survivors inside the basketball court. Many of the non-combatants forwent the contracts, but the ones who could fight, the majority, decided to accept Ryan¡¯s offer.
In exchange for helping find Ryan¡¯s parents, the signers would receive a motorbike, a handgun, and a fried chicken dinner. However, while searching for Ryan¡¯s parents, the signers could not attack humans who didn¡¯t pose a threat to them. If a signer found Ryan¡¯s parents, they would receive a sports car and a sixty-gallon tank of gasoline.
Ryan made sure to place it into the contract that only telling him the location of his parent would be good enough if the finder was completely certain Ryan¡¯s parents were there. If someone said the wrong place, they¡¯d have their hands cut off.
¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my hands,¡± Some of the signers said as opposition to Ryan¡¯s condition.
¡°All you have to do is not lie,¡± Ryan said to them as simply as he could, and most signed.
Following the signing of the contracts, Ryan gave the survivors an extravagant dinner. Chicken, steak, ribs, soda, and all kinds of vegetables on the side. To brighten up the area, Ryan also bought tables and sofas for people to eat at.
These purchases cost Ryan several tens of thousands of credits, so he flies around the neighborhood several times and kills enough zombies to level the Fortune skill to 100,000 and the Discount skill to 100,000. These allow Ryan to buy more upgrades to the court and leave them some certainty that they won¡¯t fall overnight.
¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow to hear your progress. If you manage to find my parents before then, I¡¯ll give you one of these,¡± Ryan says and holds up his gold-plated assault rifle.
Ryan leaves the court and gets back on his motorcycle, then starts riding back to his parents¡¯ house. However, as he does, Ryan can feel tremors echoing through the ground. Somewhere, far away, a giant is moving.Stolen story; please report.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away from The Sanctuary, two cars from Jacob¡¯s dealership are blazing down the deserted streets of downtown Detroit.
¡°Red One to Base, we¡¯re moving past 16th, over,¡± The man in the passenger seat says into his walkie-talkie.
¡°Base to Red One, continue past 14th. Do not loose speed, over,¡± A voice replies from the radio, and the driver of the car shakes his head.
¡°They¡¯re going to get us killed!¡± He lashes at the bad news, but continues to speed down the road. He¡¯s rapidly using the blinker to indicate debris on the road but doesn¡¯t change his path off the current road.
As the pair of cars passes 14th street, a fireball the size of an apartment comes flying into the space they once were, just barely shooting past a giant zombie that reaches past some of the smaller building tops.
¡°Base to Red One, Operation Fireball Four failed. Continue to 8th and swing back on 5th, over,¡± The voice from the walkie-talkie sounds.
¡°Shit!¡± The driver curses and steps on the peddle. ¡°That¡¯s the fourth one she¡¯s missed!¡±
The two cars turn left onto 8th street, then turn left again onto 5th street. Each time he turns, in addition to using the blinker, the driver gives a lengthy honk. The second car makes the tight turn, but the giant stumbles at the sudden change of trajectory and falls on the ground. However, the giant stands back up in just a second, quickly resuming the chase.
On 14th street, a woman in blue robes is followed by six men and women while they run towards 5th street. As they run, the woman drinks down a bottle of blue liquid.
¡°I¡¯ve got it this time,¡± She says, just like the two times before. ¡°I feel good about this one.¡±
The women behind her admire the strength she¡¯s gained from the system, and the men want to make it their own. None of them challenge her nor call her out for her incompetence. Each mana potion is costing them 500 credits, which takes sometimes an hour to procure.
After drinking the potion, the woman¡¯s mana has been fully recharged and she is ready to fire another fireball at the legs of the giant. The first car goes by, and the woman begins to count up. The second car goes by, and the woman begins to count down and charge the spell. When she reaches one second left, she releases the fireball and it quickly expands at it leaves her hands.
A second later, the fireball makes contact with the left leg of the giant. The giant is flung into the corner building of 14th and 5th, breaking the glass windows which shower upon its body.
The explosion of the leg makes it impossible for the giant to support its weight, and it will easily be killed by the fighters who were following the woman.
¡°Great shot, Jess,¡± A woman says as she passes the mage, running towards the giant to finish it off.
¡°Thanks,¡± The mage replies and wipes sweat from her forehead.
Chapter 31
Ryan rolls around restlessly in the king sized bed he bought for the basement of his parents¡¯ house. Though he knows he should sleep, he doesn¡¯t feel tired at all. A thought is slowly forming in his brain but disperses just before it can be materialized.
¡°Fine, no sleep!¡± Ryan rolls off the bed and yells. ¡®I¡¯ve got things to do, people to find, and skills to buy,¡¯ He thinks, and the final piece of the puzzle is put together.
Locate 1, 300 ?
Ryan adds the skill to his shop, then buys ten levels. In his mind, Ryan has a general direction for his parents. Somewhere to the southeast, he¡¯s sure they¡¯re still alive. After putting on his equipment and stepping out the front door, Ryan takes to the sky toward the Detroit River.
As Ryan flies, he passes by six giants. They are all in a group, sitting on the tops of buildings in a small shopping center. All around the giants, brutes and regular zombies gather in groups of hundreds.
¡®They¡¯re getting organized,¡¯ Ryan thinks as he passes overhead. The way the zombies attacked in waves during the night showed the zombies had some tactical awareness, but the gathering around the giants was like the forming of an army.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Further southeast, off the coast and on the small island of Grassy, Ryan can see the flames from several fires burning. These fires go around almost the entire island, and people stand behind them with spears in their hands.
Ryan¡¯s Locate skill points him to the southwest corner of the island, and Ryan touches down at the halfway mark between the north and south side.
¡°What the hell,¡± A spear-wielding individual says when they see Ryan standing behind them. He and a few others heard Ryan¡¯s feet hitting the ground, and they aren¡¯t certain if he¡¯s a human with a special class or a zombie that can fly.
¡°Hello,¡± Ryan says with his rifle slung behind his back and his hands in the air. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Douglas and Rachael, I¡¯m their son.¡±
¡°Then, they¡¯ll be happy to see you,¡± Says a man as he comes forward. In addition to the spear in his right hand, the man also has a gun on his hip, but it¡¯s a flair gun. ¡°They¡¯re down that way a little bit.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± Ryan says and walks in the direction the man pointed. The direction indicated by the skill Locate is pointing Ryan in the same direction, so he¡¯d not worried about being misdirected. At least, the people on this island seem friendlier than those in The Sanctuary.
Ryan continues to walk down the coast, occasionally past more defenders who point him in the right direction. After a few more minutes, Ryan reaches earshot of his parents.
¡°Hey, Doug, Rachael, there¡¯s a Ryan over here to see you!¡± A man with a wooden spear calls out, and two heads turn to face him. Ryan instantly recognizes the faces as those of his parents.
Chapter 32
¡°Mom, dad!¡± Ryan says, exasperated at the time he wasted when trying to find his parents.
¡°Oh my gosh, Ryan,¡± Ryan¡¯s mother, Rachael, gasps and runs up to Ryan.
¡°Damn, it¡¯s good to see you again,¡± Ryan¡¯s father says, slowing walking toward him.
¡°How¡¯d you get on this island?¡± Ryan asks and enters a hug with his mother.
¡°I should be asking you that!¡± Rachael says. ¡°Mr. Woods took us over on his boat.¡±
¡®Logan¡¡¯ Ryan internally groans, thinking about his much more successful classmate. While Ryan was performing maintenance, Logan was designing the things Ryan would later maintain. ¡°That sure is nice of him to help you.¡±
¡°Yep, he¡¯s got a real handy class,¡± Ryan¡¯s father says, stopping a few feet from Ryan and Rachael. ¡°It¡¯s called Prepared.¡±
¡°Never mind that, how¡¯d you get here?¡± Rachael asks again.
Ryan thinks about telling his parents he flew to the island but quickly dismisses the thought. If they knew he could fly, they¡¯d probably want to know all kinds of other things. In fact, Ryan took this approach to many of his accomplishments, he never told his parents about them.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°I swam,¡± Ryan finally says.
¡°How¡¯d you swim the whole way?¡± Ryan¡¯s father, Douglas, asks.
¡°I got a lot stronger because of my class, so now it¡¯s not hard for me to swim that distance,¡± Ryan said. He knew some parts of his changed physique would need to be explained. He also waited for when he¡¯d have to explain the assault rifle on his back.
¡°What class did you get?¡± Douglas asks.
¡°I¡¯ve got Explorer,¡± Ryan says, stating his class as the one Ron had.
¡°Hey, that¡¯s pretty good,¡± Douglas says.
¡°Yeah, that is good,¡± Rachael says and backs away towards Douglas. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few people here with the class Explorer.¡±
¡°Right. Can you use an inventory and crafting menus?¡± Douglas asks.
¡°Yeah,¡± Ryan says, and tries adding the skills. Inventory is a skill, but the crafting gets added as a hack.
Inventory 1, 300 ?
Craft, 30000 ?
Obviously, Ryan buys them both and starts to upgrade Inventory.
¡°Do you mind if we take our son to our tent?¡± Rachael asks a man behind her.
¡°Sure, just come back in a few minutes,¡± The man replies, and walks away. Now, Ryan has upgraded Inventory enough for it to store the assault rifle, and he places it inside.
¡°Let go meet Logan,¡± Douglas says and walks towards the center of the island.
With Douglas in the lead, the Stone family walks into the wooded section of the island. After a few minutes, they arrive at a heavily fortified position. Instead of like inside the city where office supplies are being re-purposed as barricades, the fortifications on the island are made from fallen trees and stones.
A tower at the center of the fortification has a man operating a spotlight, and it briefly shines down on Douglas, who waves it away. Douglas is the first to arrive at a wooden gate that gets taken down by a man inside the fort. Once the logs are removed, Douglas, Rachael, and Ryan walk inside.
Chapter 33
Inside the fort, tents are propped up from one side to the other. In the center, a watchtower made from ladders has been made. The grassy is heavily packed down, indicated frequent travel inside the fort. Unlike at the shoreline, there are no fires burning inside the fort.
¡°Logan¡¯s tent is over here,¡± Rachael says, and leads her son and husband to a dirty tent beside many newer looking ones.
Unlike the other survivors on the island, Logan had his own tent to bring with him. The others, who did not own one, had to loot them from a sports store off the island. When they reach the tent, Rachael is the first one to pull back the flap.
¡°Logan, our son has arrived,¡± She says, walking inside. Ryan and Douglas follow soon after her and stand at the entrance.
Inside the tent, a bearded man, Logan, is sitting on a small folding chair and looking at sheets of paper spread out on a folding table in front of him. A battery powered lantern illuminates the tent, but is dim enough to not shine outside.
¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad you survived,¡± Logan says and looks up from his papers. ¡°Excuse my abrasiveness, but do you have a powerful class?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got Explorer,¡± Ryan replies, slightly upset that Logan is trying to fit him into one of his plans.
¡°I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about the water,¡± Logan says and pushes a sheet of paper across the table towards Ryan. It¡¯s a depth chart for the Detroit River. ¡°We¡¯re safe from the undead, but something will be coming from the water soon.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡± Ryan asks.
¡°My class. It gives me a sixth sense for when something bad will happen, and how to prepare for it,¡± Logan replies.
¡°That¡¯s pretty cool,¡± Ryan says. He knows his own class is cooler, but the utility of Logan¡¯s class cannot be denied.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°Yeah, and right now it¡¯s saying something is going to attack from the water,¡± Logan says and takes a few steps towards the tent¡¯s exit. ¡°Can you help us defend?¡±
¡°Sure, I¡¯ll defend near my parents,¡± Ryan says, and everyone leaves the tent.
¡°Good to hear,¡± Logan says and shakes Ryan¡¯s hand. ¡°Douglas, Rachael, you can take Ryan to your tent for a few minutes before you go back to your station.¡±
On the walk to his parents¡¯ tent, Ryan thinks about what Logan said. If something attacked the island, he¡¯d want to protect his parents to the best of his ability. That might mean showing them the power of his class and the extent of his new abilities. Also, Ryan knew he¡¯d have to stop the hoodlums from searching for his parents, now that he¡¯s found them.
¡°Do you have guns?¡± Ryan asks his parents when they reach the tent.
¡°Yeah, do you need one?¡± Douglas asks.
¡°No, um¡ let¡¯s go inside the tent first,¡± Ryan says and follows his parents inside a small tent.
Inside, two sleeping bags are rolled out next to each other and Douglas¡¯ gun bags are pushed to the side, locked with both a combination lock and a padlock. At the far end of the tent, there is an electric lantern. Douglas and Rachael sit on the sleeping bags, and Ryan sits on the floor of the tent.
Though Ryan does not want to tell his parents that he has an incredibly useful class, he cannot disregard what Logan said. First came the zombies, which were avoidable if a superior position could be found. Then came the brutes and nightly waves, which were much harder to defend against if in a group. After those came the giants, which could stomp down even The Sanctuary.
Throughout middle school and high school, Logan always had things figured out. He started on the track team in middle school and got a girlfriend soon after. In high school, he broke up with his girlfriend and got another, but stayed with the track team. In addition, he also took up extra architecture classes. After breaking up with his second girlfriend, Logan constantly pulled tail even from other schools.
After high school, Logan went to college out of state on a track scholarship. Eight years later, he came back to Detroit and designed several of the most prominent buildings in the city.
Ryan knew Logan had a god-given talent for always getting his way. If Logan said everybody needed to defend the shoreline, there would definitely be something to defend against. Whatever the situation, Ryan knew he needed to help his parents protect themselves.
¡°So, I¡¯ve got this class that¡¯s a little different from what I said earlier¡¡±
Chapter 34
Ryan finishes explaining his class and the things he¡¯s bought from the shop, and holds the gold-plated assault rifle in his lap.
¡°Can I have one of those?¡± Douglas asks his son.
¡°Oh yeah, sure,¡± Ryan replies, and buys another assault rifle from the stop, then hands it to his father.
¡°We should tell Logan about your class,¡± Rachael says. ¡°He¡¯d be able to help you use it the best way possible.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need any help using my class,¡± Ryan says, slightly angry that Logan is being mentioned.
¡°Ryan, these are serious times,¡± Douglas says, sternly facing Ryan. ¡°You take help from whoever is willing to give it. Don¡¯t forget that Logan helped us when we needed it. You need to help now, too.¡±
Ryan wants to disagree, but cannot. As he thinks about it, the possibilities of mixing Logan¡¯s architecture with his own ability to buy anything Logan draws are almost endless. Logan didn¡¯t specialize in just nice looking buildings, he also knew how to design for utility.
¡°Fine, let¡¯s go back,¡± Ryan says, standing and exits the tent.
Ryan take fives steps outside the tent before a screech can be heard coming from the north. The ground rumbles and the trees shake, and the spotlight at the center of the fort is swung around to face the direction of the screech.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
At the north shoreline of the island, a huge monster towers above the trees. Its body is undoubtedly even larger than the island itself, and two giant, triangular eyes gaze downward. On each side of the monster¡¯s body, three tentacles whip the air and crash into the ground, causing clouds of dust to float up.
¡°My God¡¡± Rachael mouths when she sees the monster. Douglas and Ryan are too stunned to speak, their confidence totally shattered by the enormous beast.
¡°Everybody, evacuate the island! Evacuate through the west side!¡± The man in the watchtower yells and jumps down from his position.
He clearly has the right idea, and the Stone family follows him. The spotlight falls down, removing Ryan¡¯s view of the monster. Now, only the moonlight and lack of stars behind it show where the monster is.
¡°Do you have anything that can kill that?¡± Douglas asks Ryan as they run.
¡°Of course not!¡± Ryan replies. He¡¯s too scared to even think of something to combat the monster. After a few more steps, a layer of water rushes past Ryan and his parents, causing them to stumble and fall.
¡°Mom, dad!¡± Ryan shouts, and runs to grab is parents. Due to his enhanced strength and dexterity stats, Ryan doesn¡¯t fall in the water and can grab their arms before they are pushed away too far.
The monster screeches again, and Douglas and Rachael are helped to their feet. Both their clothes are soaked, and Douglas has dropped the assault rifle, which is now washed away somewhere in the mud. Ryan turns his face north and sees the top of a white circle below the monster¡¯s eyes.
¡°This is too insane,¡± Douglas says, hardly able to support himself. ¡°This island has been safe for weeks, how can this be happening?¡±
He asks nobody in particular, perhaps God himself, and the enormous sea monsterbegins to move forward across the island.
Chapter 35
The monster jumps a hundred feet into the air, then comes down with a crash on par with an earthquake, even causing water to splash up. At the same time, Douglas and Rachael fall down again but are still held by Ryan, who only slightly looses balance.
¡°Do you know any way off the island?¡± Ryan asks his parents and helps then run away from the monster.
¡°There are boats all around the island. If they haven¡¯t washed away, they¡¯ll be our best bet,¡± Douglas says as he barely keeps up with Ryan¡¯s pace. By now, water is almost reaching their waists.
¡°Then, we have to-¡± Ryan starts to say, but is pushed to the ground by a log hitting his back. This causes him to let go of his parents and fall face first into the muddy water flowing over the island.
Bushes, trees, and small rocks are all being pushed south by the rushing water. Even if Ryan wants to regain his footing, nothing protects him from the disorienting torrent of muddy water. Every time Ryan tries to stick his hand into the ground or grab a tree trunk, the object he¡¯s grasped comes flowing along with him.
Then, the monster jumps into the air for a second time. This time, unlike the hundred feet it jumped last time, the monster jumps three hundred feet high. When it lands, many of the larger trees on the island come tumbling down.
Ryan wants to stand up, to fly, to find his parents again, to kill the monster, but he cannot. All he can do is keep himself from drowning.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Several miles away, on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, a young woman wakes up from her sleep.
¡®What the hell was that?¡¯ She thinks and rolls out of bed with an abnormal grace. She spends a few seconds putting on a long brown robe over a hazel tunic. Around her waist, she fastens a belt with a large flashlight-looking tool. A few seconds later, the woman stumbles as the ground shakes once more.
¡®Something in the west,¡¯ She thinks and exits her hotel room from the window.
She glides through the air with little difficulty, easily hopping from one building to the next, even as they distance over a hundred feet apart. When she comes across six zombies shuffling on the roof of a building, the woman pulls the tool of her waist and clicks a button on the side.
The resulting electric-blue light sword easily cuts the zombies, and the woman continues on her way.
Back on Grassy Island, Ryan has thoroughly been separated from his parents. A particularly strong and deep-rooted tree was able to stop his being dragged on by the water, enabling him to buy a thousand levels in Swimming. His Locate skill pointed to the southwest side of the island, so Ryan took off flying in that direction.
The number of trees remaining standing on the island could be counted with both hands as the water continuously became higher and faster. Now, in addition to rocks and foliage that drifted along with the water, a new monster appeared, partially submerged in the muddy current.
Ryan saw as the creatures swam with the current, like jellyfish, and piled up on whatever solid mass they could find. Fallen tree trunks quickly became floating harbors for the strange jellyfish. Now, Ryan worried even more for the safety of his parents.
He uses the assault rifle to empty a magazine into the water below him, but Ryan can¡¯t see any change in the swarm of jellyfish. The combination of it being night out, the jellyfish body being black, and the muddy water rushing all around them would make it very difficult for Ryan to see any difference in their numbers. All he can do is hope his efforts are not in vain as he flies towards his parents.
Chapter 36
On the western shoreline of Fighting Island, the young woman looks on with horror at the huge sea monster progressing across Grassy Island. With her enhanced senses, she can see it¡¯s monstrously huge body sweeping its arms through the Detroit River to push water onto Grassy Island. When the water calms, the monster jumps again.
The woman jumps too, to avoid being hit with the blast of the impact of the monster hitting the ground. Because she¡¯s standing close to the water, some of it splashes on her robes.
¡®Damn, I¡¯ll have to wash them again,¡¯ She curses, thinking about how hard it is to find a good place to wash her robes. However, he thoughts are cut short when a black jellyfish jumps from the water and lashes out with four claws in her direction.
The woman zips her laser sword in front of her body, cutting the jellyfish in half and covering her robes in black goo.
¡°Damn it!¡± She yells and slashes six more of the jellyfish that come flying at her. As she does, she also tries her best to avoid the falling corpses of the jellyfish. Unfortunately, not everything can be avoided and her precious cosplay is covered from the shoulders down.
The woman gets an alarming sense to her right, and she steps left just moments before a spear flies through the place she once stood. This is not the end, and soon dozens of spears come flying at her while she defends against the jellyfish. She retreats towards the center of Fighting Island, which helps against the jellyfish, but the spears continue to fly at her.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡®They don¡¯t stop!¡¯ She internally yells as the spears number almost a hundred soaring through the air. At her current position where the jellyfish cannot reach her, the woman raises her hand and motions to the right. The result is all the spears in the air making a sudden change in trajectory, and they harmlessly impact the ground to the right of the woman.
The spears continue to fly from the river, but the woman easily pushes them away with a flick of her wrist. The giant sea monster jumps again, and the woman jumps to avoid its impact. As she is in the air, she can see flashes of light accompanied with small booms coming from above Grassy Island.
¡®Someone¡¯s using a gun,¡¯ She things and enhances her vision even further so that she can see that dark figure floating in the air. ¡®And they¡¯re flying!¡¯
The woman wants to investigate the flying person over Grassy Island, but is much more concerned with the giant sea monster. At a wave of the giant monster¡¯s arm, its three large tentacles come crashing into the flying person. The woman cannot see what happens to them, but the giant monster prepares to jump again.
The spears are easily redirected into the ground, and the jellyfish are easily killed, but the woman cannot say anything about the giant monster. It moves tons of water with ease, and jumps hundreds of feet into the air.
The giant sea monster reaches the end of Grassy Island, which is no longer existing in the path of the monster, and it falls into the water. The monsterswallows water in its mouth at the front of its body, then ejects it through the back, further pushing it into the water.
A few minutes later, the giant sea monster is causing a similar disruption at Stony Island. As the monster¡¯s distance from Fighting Island increases, the assault from the strange jellyfish and spears lessen, and the woman gains the chance to look at the remains of Grassy Island. Where once stood a wildlife refuge, there was now a wider section of the Detroit River.
Chapter 37
When Ryan wakes up, it''s daytime. He can barely feel the bed he''s laying on, and in the bed next to him is a young woman. She''s asleep, but covered in a black slime that also covers the bed and most of the floor of the room.
He failed, Ryan knows it. He tried to fight the giant sea monster, but it slapped him aside like a mosquito. Most importantly, using Locate did not give Ryan any sense for where his parents were at. When trying to find Logan, Ryan felt a pull from the west, showing the skill was still functioning.
Ryan sits to the side of the bed, facing the mysterious woman, and places his head in his hands. ''I failed,'' He thinks and sits there for a few minutes.
"You''re awake," The woman says, facing away from Ryan. "I thought you''d be out for days after getting hit by that thing."
"That thing, where is it?" Ryan asks.
"It swam south, probably in Lake Erie somewhere," The woman replies and slowly begins to panic. "Ew, I fell asleep in this!"
The woman rolls off the bed and begins pacing back and forth. The black goo has mostly dried to her clothes, but small amount flick off and land on the walls, carpet, and furniture.
"Oh, I''m Mindy, and I kinda saved your life," The woman says and walks to the door. "Stay put for a while."
Mindy leaves the room, leaving Ryan alone. He didn''t know what to say to the clumsy woman, so he kept his mouth shut the entire time she was in the room. Now that she''s gone, Ryan stands up and looks at his body. Most of his clothes are torn, and the assault rifle is gone. His shoes, socks, and helmet are nowhere to be found, and the electronic earplugs are gone too.
In several places on his body, where the clothing has been completely ripped, Ryan feels several inches of scar tissue. Ryan''s injuries consist of three long scraps on his abdomen, a chunk missing from his left leg, dozens of smaller cuts on his arms and legs, and a bump on the back of his skull.
When Mindy comes back, Ryan has finished examining his body and is back to laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Mindy is now wearing a too-large sweatshirt and sweatpants, and has a pair of huge circle sunglasses resting on the top of her head.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"The people who lived here were really overweight, but you can probably find something to wear in the next room over," Mindy says, stopping at the door.
"That''s fine," Ryan says and buys clothing from the shop to replace what he had, minus the helmet and gloves. After buying each piece, he places it into his inventory. "Do you want to... meet in another room?"
"Oh, sure," Mindy says and backs out the door. "Down the hall on the right, that''s where I''ll be."
Mindy closes the door behind her and Ryan beings to change clothes. Most of the floor is covered in black goo, and some of Ryan''s body is too, so he cleans himself with water before putting on his new clothes. After putting on his new pair of shoes and adding an assault rifle to his inventory, Ryan exits the room.
Down the right hallway is a living room area, where Mindy is laying down on a sectional. When she sees Ryan enter, she perks up.
"You took a shower too?" She asks, unsure how Ryan cleaned himself.
"Yeah. And, uh, my name is Ryan," Ryan says and walks to a recliner to sit down.
"Nice to meet ya, Ryan!" Mindy says with her thumb up.
"Why''d you save me?" Ryan asks. It''s clear to him that Mindy took him from wherever he landed to this house, and at some point healed his wounds. Either that or his enhanced stats made his body heal at an accelerated rate.
"I did it because you can fly!" Mindy says. "You must have a powerful class if you can do that. It''d be a shame if you died because of some freak sea monster."
"Yeah, it''s a pretty powerful class," Ryan says, unconcerned for further secrecy. "It lets me buy anything I can think of from the system, including objects and skills."
"Wait, what? You can buy anything? From where?" Mindy asks, sitting further up than before.
"The system," Ryan states and buys a motorcycle in the center of the room. "If I have enough credits for it, and I can properly imagine it, I can buy it."
"So, can you buy me a Galaxy Knight cosplay?" Mindy asks.
"Sure. As thanks for saving my life," Ryan says and buys the cosplay outfit from the shop, then hands it to Mindy. "Here you go."
"Thank!" Mindy says and walks back into the hallway she and Ryan came from. "Wait here a minute."
When Mindy comes back, she''s changed clothes and is wearing the robes Ryan bought. The cosplay fits perfectly, as special adjustment from the shop filling in details Ryan forgot to mention when adding the cosplay to the shop.
"This is great," Mindy says and presses the side button on a flashlight-looking tool in her hand. "Yeah."
"How''d you get a laser sword?" Ryan asks, marveling at the electric-blue laser sword in Mindy''s hand.
"Oh, it''s part of my class." Mindy says and reaches out to make the television remote on the end table levitate. "Cosplayer."
Chapter 38
Ryan sat silent for a few moments while he thought about what Mindy said. While he thought, Mindy performed acrobatics over the living room furniture and use a telekinesis ability on several items in the room.
He knew what cosplayers were, and even worked as a custodian for a few of their conventions, but he never understood the appeal. They liked to dress up as characters from various forms of entertainment, but it was a costly hobby. Sometimes, cosplayers would spend thousands of dollars on an outfit.
Apparently, Mindy received a class based on her hobby. This could be considered true for Ryan too, who immensely liked to exploit shop mechanics in online games. Jacob, conversely, gained a class based on his career, and Logan gained one based on a character trait.
"Hey, can you buy some food from that shop," Mindy says, stopping her acrobatics and standing flat on the floor. "I''m really in the mood for some ribs."
"Alright," Ryan says and stands. To the side, he can see the kitchen and dining room. "I''ll some food for lunch."
Ryan first covers the table in plates and bowls, then starts filling them with food. Steaks, racks of ribs, burgers, salmon fillets, crabs, and lobster tails fill several plates. Baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes fill the bowls, and Ryan finishes prepping by setting two plates with knives and forks.
"Amazing," Mindy mutters as she watches Ryan place the food, then she moves in for the attack.
An hour later, Ryan and Mindy are stuffed from all the food they''ve eaten. Though Mindy started with the ribs, she made her way through every dish on the table. Ryan too ate large amounts of every dish he bought. When they finished, both of them laid back in their chairs.
"Yours is a really convenient class," Mindy comments, thinking about the meal. It was the best she''s eaten in years, even before the system took over and turned people into zombies.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"It has its perks," Ryan says and stands. "I''m going to lay down on the couch."
Ryan returns to the living room, Mindy following behind him. The two take a seat on different sets of furniture, and Ryan quickly falls asleep. Mindy, though, continues to think about the possibilities of Ryan''s class.
"Hey, Ryan," Mindy says, shaking Ryan awake. "Can you buy me a Ultra Woman costume?"
"Yeah, sure," Ryan says, groggily, and buys the costume of a popular superhero from the shop, then hands it to Mindy.
While Ryan tries to go back to sleep, Mindy runs to another room to change clothes. When she comes back, she''s dressed in the signature red and gold spandex of Ultra Woman. She looks at the sleeping Ryan, the holds her palm out towards the outer wall of the room.
A small, light-blue sphere of pure energy forms in Mindy''s hand. It hovers half an inch from her skin and makes Ryan wake up.
"What''s that?" Ryan asks, eyeing the sphere.
"Watch," Mindy says and releases the sphere at the television hanging on the wall. The resulting explosion destroys most of the wall, and sends Ryan flying back with the room''s furniture. "Yes!"
"That was pretty cool," Ryan says and stands. He''s unhurt by the blast, but slightly shaken from the display of power.
"Yeah," Mindy says and teleports in front of Ryan. "Consider your debt paid in full!"
"Glad to help," Ryan says and beings to add skills to the shop. "Just don''t kill me, okay?"
"Of course," Mindy says and sits on the couch that has been pushed against the wall. "We''re going to be partners now."
"Partners?" Ryan ask, and is upset that Invincibility cannot be added to the shop. Physical and Magical resistance can, but nothing absolute even in the hacks section.
"Yeah," Mindy says and makes a fist. "We''re going to kill that sea monster thing, then take over the world!"
"We''re going to kill that sea monster thing," Ryan repeats Mindy''s words, agreeing with her. His anger, his failure to protect his parents, is fully directed towards the giant sea monster that came from the Detroit River.
"Yeah!" Mindy shouts and walks with Ryan out of the house.
Before they''ve left, Ryan has bought and leveled six skills to level one thousand.
Physical Resistance 1, 500 ?
Magical Resistance 1, 500 ?
Energy Blast 1, 300 ?
Energy Beam 1, 300 ?
Teleport 1, 300 ?
Danger Sense 1, 500 ?
Chapter 39
Ryan and Mindy use their teleport skill to travel down route 20. It takes almost two hours, but the pair eventually reach Amherstburg and take a short break. They spent a few minutes after each teleport to kill all the zombies nearby. Mindy used energy beams from her cosplay to disintegrate zombies, but Ryan preferred to use the SCAR-H.
The energy blast allowed Ryan to kill zombies quickly and easily, but it did not give him a satisfying kick after he launched it. The abilities of Ultra Woman felt too much like an ''I-win'' button, which Ryan didn''t like. He didn''t want to chance loosing, but he wanted something to make his blood rush. Mainly, he wanted something to take his mind off his failure to protect his parents.
On their break, Ryan has his first combat experience with a giant zombie. The ones in Amherstburg were spread out when the two of them arrived, but came together to support each other when attacking Ryan and Mindy.
As if they planned it, four giants come running at Ryan and Mindy from all outlets of an intersection. Since the giants are so large, and move so much faster than the smaller zombies and brutes, a wave of brutes and normal zombies lags behind them.
When the giants reach within a hundred feet of Ryan and Mindy, they jump into the air. Their leg muscles tense and balloon up in size, then the giants jump several tens of feet into the air. Before they can descend, Ryan and Mindy target two giants each and obliterate them with energy blasts.
Body parts from the annihilated giants rain down on streets and buildings, and the horde of zombies and brutes slow to a stop. They stare for a few moments at Ryan and Mindy, who have both teleport to the roofs of separate nearby buildings.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Dammit!" Mindy yells and wipes gore off her spandex cosplay. Though the two missed most of the falling carnage, some still splashed on them.
''Purchase, twenty hot water,'' Ryan thinks, and twenty gallons of water pour over him, cleaning most of his clothes.
Seeing Mindy in distress, Ryan teleports to her and helps her clean off.
"Really convenient," Mindy comments as Ryan dumps water on her. "Can you get me a few towels too?"
"Sure, no problem," Ryan replies and buys the items for Mindy.
"Gah, ger, greh, gah!" Sounds come from the streets down below, and Ryan walks to the edge of the roof to look down.
Around the building they''re standing on, zombies and brutes gather into groups and chant their strange song. Near the base of the building, a brute picks up a zombie by its chest and around the ankles, then throws it up at Ryan. In unison, dozens of brutes emulate the action of the first, throwing zombies to the roof of the building.
"We''ve got incoming," Ryan warns and takes several steps towards Mindy after shooting a energy blast at the ground.
"What?" Mindy says, looking out from between towels that she''s rubbing her head with. As she does, a zombie hits her and bounces off. "Ah!"
Mindy kills zombies with her energy blasts, and Ryan kills the zombies with his SCAR-H. Mindy''s energy blasts are slower than Ryan''s bullets, but kill the zombies in just one shot. Though Ryan needs to use multiple bullets per zombie, he doesn''t take any more time per zombie than Mindy.
When the raining zombies stop, Ryan and Mindy look down at the streets of Amherstburg to see the brutes fleeing. There are no longer any normal zombies on the streets, all of them having been thrown by the brutes.
"The zombies are getting smarter," Ryan says.
"They''re strategizing," Mindy comments, shooting energy blasts at the fleeing brutes.
Some of the brutes are vaporized, but some sustain only minor injuries. Of these, the uninjured brutes help pull them away from danger.
Chapter 40
The pair continue down route 20 and arrive in Willowood. There are few zombies in the streets, and the house Ryan and Mindy decide to stop in doesn''t have a single zombie.
"We should rest here while we make a plan," Mindy says as they gather in the living room of the house. It''s only one story, so there wasn''t much to check.
"Alright," Ryan says and buys two dry-erase boards and markers for them. He hands on to Mindy, and on his own he draws his best image of the giant sea monster that attacked Grassy Island. "This is the thing we''ve got to kill."
Ryan and Mindy pool their knowledge of the giant sea monster, which ultimately comes to very little that would be useful for killing it. It''s approximately a third of a mile wide, and a fifth of that high. It has two legs that are used for support, and two arms. On each arm, it has four leg-like tentacles that help it move, and three tentacles on the end that can be used for attacking and picking things up. In the center of its body, it has two triangular eyes and a huge mouth.
When the sea monster attacks, it either jumps high into the air and crashes down with its two legs, or swings its hand-tentacles. Also, it will use its arms to push water over surfaces. When it eats, it swallows huge amounts of water and expels it through a port in its back, somehow filtering solids out.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
As the first part of their plan, Ryan and Mindy set conditions that absolutely cannot be allowed to happen. First, they cannot be stomped on. Second, they cannot be eaten. As the second part, they identify places they should attack on the sea monster''s body.
The eyes are an obvious first choice, but secondary targets are needed. In the end, Ryan and Mindy settle on right leg trunk and the left arm if the eyes aren''t possible or have already been destroyed. Destroying the trunk will inhibit the sea monster''s jumping ability, and destroying an arm will make it unable to cause too much damage with pushing water.
For dinner, Ryan fills the table with the most expensive steaks credits can buy. That is to say, the most expensive steak he can think of. In addition, Ryan places sides of carrots, rice, and sweet potatoes topped in brown sugar.
To drink, Ryan and Mindy have their own bottle of their favorite alcohol. Mindy choose a fruity vodka, and Ryan picks an aged bourbon. Unlike Ryan, who pours his bourbon into a glass, Mindy drinks straight out of the bottle.
"Bah! It''s been a while since I was able to get drunk," Mindy says, already intoxicated after drinking half the bottle.
"Why''s that?" Ryan asks, amused at Mindy''s drunken state.
"Because of the zombies," Mindy states and glares at Ryan. "You''re not very smart, are you?"
"You got me, I''m an idiot," Ryan replies, hands up.
"I knew it all along," Mindy smirks and walks into the other room.
''Maybe we both are,'' Ryan thinks and feels his Danger Sense going off towards Lake Erie.
Chapter 41
Ryan is the first one to wake up in the morning. He found a bed to sleep in, but Mindy chose a comfortable spot on the carpeted floor and sprawled out with a few of the couch cushions.
Before waking Mindy up, Ryan takes a bath. The warm water is refreshing, but gives Ryan flashbacks of being pulled along by the muddy water on Grassy Island. Regardless, he pulls through and cleans his body to a degree acceptable in a pre-system world.
Instead of waking up Mindy by kicking her, Ryan sets out a breakfast of scrambled eggs, country fries and ham, bacon, and very light coffee. A few minutes into eating the breakfast himself, Mindy stumbles into the dining room.
"Smells goo-" Mindy beings to say, but projectile vomits on the table and the food Ryan''s displayed.
"Mindy!" Ryan yells and flips the table into the ceiling. It comes crashing down, throwing food and vomit and dishes everywhere, but none of it gets on Ryan or Mindy.
"I''m sorry," Mindy says and walks runs out of the room holding her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other.
Ryan returns to the living room and sits on the couch after replacing the cushions. Mindy''s doing something in another room, probably vomiting more, and Ryan is bored, so he buys some things from the shop to entertain him.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
CD Player, 1500 ?
Speakers, 340 ?
In addition to these, Ryan buys a few CD''s from his favorite bands and inserts them into the CD player. A few second later, he remembers the house doesn''t have electricity, and buys a portable CD player with built-in speakers.
A few minutes later, Mindy walks into the room with her hair messy as a broom. "Can you make me a bath?" She asks, and Ryan nods before following her into the bathroom.
After making the bath and stocking it with new soap and hair care products, Ryan returns to the living room to listen to his CD''s. Most are old rock songs, but some are soul and Motown.
Half an hour later, Mindy comes walking out of the bathroom wearing her Ultra Woman spandex cosplay and a towel around her hair.
"Don''t ever let me drink vodka again," She says and sits next to Ryan on the couch.
"I''ll keep that in mind," Ryan says. It''s been a few weeks since he''s heard these songs, and he switches to Walk on By, by Isaac Hayes.
After a few minutes of listening to the CD player, Mindy is the one to speak.
"This is a nice song," She says, leaning back and enjoying it.
"Yep," Ryan says. When the song finishes, he replaces the CD with on by Led Zeppelin.
"Are you ready to go?" Ryan asks after a few tracks play.
"Just a few more hours," Mindy answers, laying back with her eyes closed.
"Alright," Ryan says and adds a handheld videogame to his shop.
Chapter 42
A few hours later, after taking a nap, Mindy is ready to head out with Ryan. Since she fell asleep in her cosplay, she''s ready to immediately after waking up. Ryan offers her some food first, but she pushes it away.
"No, my body isn''t ready yet," She says and walks out the front door.
Ryan follows after her, closing but not locking the front door whose frame he had to shatter. There are much less zombies near the shore, and the beach is entirely devoid of them. If Ryan had been to this beach a week before, he''d have noticed that much of it has been washed away.
You gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes back into you. From the depths, a lone challenger comes to face you. Fight or die; this is the new reality of the world you live in.
"Did you get the message too?" Ryan asks Mindy.
"Yeah, it''s kinda ominous," She replies, staring questioningly at the system message. Ryan looks past it, toward the lake, and watches swarms of black jellyfish monsters begin to gather at the shoreline.
"It''s the jellyfish," Ryan says, pointing at the creatures.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"Watch out for flying spears," Mindy says, and teleports a hundred feet into the air. She levitates their, looking down at the lake''s surface.
"The what?" Ryan asks, but is hit by one of the spears before Mindy can answer him.
The spear pushes him to the ground, but fails to pierce his skin. The same cannot be said about his jacket, which sustains a fairly large rip. After the first spear comes dozens more, each of them ricocheting off him and impaling the ground. Fed up with their assault, Ryan teleports to Mindy and flies.
"You could have told me about those earlier," Ryan says, upset that his clothes got damaged.
"Look at the water," Mindy points, ignoring Ryan.
A few miles from the shore, an enormous gray mass swims towards Ryan and Mindy. It has all the limbs identified by Ryan and Mindy earlier, so they must be looking at its back. Although the creature is enormous in size and its arms account for more than a third of its body length, it moves very slowly.
"We could try killing it from here with energy blasts," Mindy suggests, and Ryan shrugs. It''s a good idea as any, and Mindy tries with the first energy blast.
The ball of pure energy, about an inch in diameter, zips down towards the giant sea monster at a rate of 600 feet per second. It''s almost at the speed of sound, but the energy is like radiation in that it doesn''t interfere with the air. When the sphere of energy hits the back of the giant sea monster, it goes it up a blast of steam.
"Hell yeah, that had to do something," Mindy says while watching steam rise up past them.
Slowly, the steam dissipates over the lake and into the sky, and the body of the giant sea monster is revealed. Several times faster than before, it closes in on the shoreline.
Chapter 43
For the next phase of their attack, Ryan and Mindy bombard the giant sea monster with energy blasts. The resulting steam cloud blocks most of their vision, but they don''t stop. Ryan can use his Danger Sense and Locate skills to find it under the cloud, and Mindy follows his lead.
Only when a glob of water dozens of feet wide comes crashing into the pair do they stop. more globs of water are shot from below, but they teleport to dodge them. Even if they didn''t the water wouldn''t damage them very much. The biggest negative about the water is that energy blasts can''t be shot from inside it.
"This isn''t getting us anywhere," Ryan says, noticing the giant sea monster circling below them.
"Yeah, let''s let the steam go away," Mindy says, and the pair wait while dodging water blasts from the giant sea monster.
When most of the steam has cleared, they can see it briefly falling under the surface of the water, then floating back up and jetting water from its back. Jellyfish monsters have now completely covered the shore, and the spear monsters repeatedly jump into the air.
"Should we go down?" Mindy asks. Standing on the ground or floating slight above it might make the giant sea monster stand on its feet, opening its eyes to attack.
"Let''s do it," Ryan says, and he flies to the roof of a beach house while Mindy teleports to one.
A few minutes after they land, the giant sea monster begins to approach on its two legs. Once its arms cannot be used to push the body any more, the giant sea monster jumps.
Ryan and Mindy use this chance to attack it with energy blasts. The first few blasts cause more steam to erupt off the giant sea monster''s body, but eventually the force from the blasts are enough to give Ryan and Mindy a clear view.
Though Ryan and Mindy were targeting the vital points they identified the previous day, hitting the giant sea monster on its eyes was easier said than done. Apparently, the eyes were not in a fixed location and could move freely over the monster''s entire body.
The giant sea monster comes crashing down onto the beach, shaking the house Ryan and Mindy are standing on till it collapses. Ryan flies a few feet into the air, and Mindy levitates. Like that, they attack the ground at the giant sea monster''s feet, causing it to fall.
As it falls, Ryan and Mindy back up several hundred feet. The giant sea monster is several hundred feet in height, so Ryan and Mindy have to teleport back even further than that. Now, they stand in the middle of Willowood and watch as the giant sea monster''s falling body crushes houses.
"Use energy beams and we might cut off those arms," Ryan says and uses an energy beam from each hand to strike down on the giant sea monster like a whip.
Mindy does the same, and attacks the monster''s right side while Ryan attacks the left. The energy beams are a solid line of energy that does less damage than an energy blast, but can be used like a blade.
The giant sea monster takes several seconds to stand, during which Ryan and Mindy pummel it with the energy beams. Once back on its two feet, the giant sea monster jumps over Ryan and Mindy, far more horizontally than it ever has in the past.
Ryan and Mindy continue shooting their solid beams at the giant sea monster as it soars overhead. The mouth of the giant sea monster positions itself to facing Ryan and Mindy, and it lets loose a blob of unidentifiable mass.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Mindy first tries to blow the blob apart by hitting it with an energy blast, but the attack does nothing except spread it out a little more. Ryan and Mindy teleport to the side, dodging the blob, and watch as it corrosively eats though the road''s pavement. The blob stays together when it hits the ground, and very quickly has descended out of sight.
"Try not to get hit by that," Ryan says, thankful Mindy''s energy blast didn''t break the blob into many smaller splatters.
"Yeah," Mindy says, and shoots two energy blasts at the falling giant sea monster. "It doesn''t seem like we''re getting anywhere with that thing."
The sea monster stands near the center of Willowood after having jumped about a thousand feet. Its two eyes are unharmed, safely swirling around its body, and all the limbs are still attached.
"I got an idea," Ryan says and looks around. "Distract the thing for a minute. Try to keep it from moving."
Ryan teleports away where Mindy cannot see him, and she looks at the giant sea monster. ''How am I supposed to do that?'' Mindy thinks while looking at the giant sea monster. She resumes hitting it with energy beams, but it''s very clear they aren''t doing any damage to it.
Ryan has teleported three miles into Canada, past Knapps Island, and now flies above a field. The giant sea monster is visible where he''d flying at, so targeting it from so far away will be possible.
First, Ryan waits. Half a minute go by while Ryan waits and watches Mindy''s pointless assault on the giant sea monster. The sea monster jumps into the air, this time around also going more horizontal than vertical, and Ryan begins his attack.
He shoots an energy blast from each hand, but then teleports two hundred feet forward and shoots two more. After that, he teleports two hundred more feet and shoots two more. Ryan repeats this process thirty times before teleporting to Mindy.
"Let''s get out of here," He says, grabbing on to her, and teleports a couple hundred feet higher.
"What''d you do?" Mindy asks, looking down.
"Just wait," Ryan replies, and they both wait.
Several seconds later, Ryan''s energy blasts hit the giant sea monster, all at the same time. Four energy blasts might not have a large effect on the giant sea monster, but sixty?
The giant sea monster is blown back by the force of the blasts. Chucks of gray flesh erupt off the giant sea monster, showing that a major hit has been done to it.
"Yeah!" Mindy shouts, fists in the air. "Fuck you!"
"It might not be dead," Ryan states but doesn''t break her mood.
"I know, but you can just do whatever you did, again," Mindy says.
Ryan watches the giant sea monster skips over the surface of the lake. After about a thousand feet, it floats at the surface of the water, heavily bleeding.
Ryan wants to celebrate, but cannot. He inwardly smirks at having possibly killed the beast that killed his parents, but he knows it will not bring them back.
The body of the giant sea monster spreads out like a pancake mix poured above a pan. The trail of destruction caused by Ryan''s missed energy blasts and the force of the giant sea monster being pushed back are undeniable, but something is missing.
Ryan did not earn any credits for killing the giant sea monster. The jellyfish and spears awarded credits, both insignificant compared to the Fortune bonus, nothing came from the giant sea monster.
He had not killed it.
"It''s still alive," Ryan says.
"What?" How''s that..." Mindy says but stops when she sees a huge shadow approach from under the waves.
It''s at least two miles wide and three times as long. From the front, two mandibles reach out and pull the giant sea monster underwater. Slowly, the shadow disappears.
You have fought with an abyss challenger and survived. Though you did not kill it, you managed to inflict significant damage. You will not receive a prize, but you will live to see another day.
Isn''t the gift of life the greatest prize of all?
The two look at their system notifications, both slightly upset they failed to kill the giant sea monster.
"Dammit," Mindy swears. "What now?"
"Now?" Ryan asks, unsure of what he wants to do. "Where are your parents at?"
"Toronto. Your''s?" Mindy replies and asks.
"That thing kill them on Grassy Island," Ryan replies.
"Damn, that sucks," Mindy says.
"I need to take care of a few things, then let''s go make sure your parents are safe," Ryan says and looks away from the water.
"Alright, I''ll follow you," Mindy says, and the two teleport away.
Changes for rewrite
I''m going to rewrite this all before I start volume two, so I need ideas on what to change about the story. I''ve ignored your complaints for the most part so that I could have the ending where I want it to be, but now that''s time to change.
Here''s what I''m going to do first thing: Limit the ''Just think of it to add it!'' part of the skill. The MC will have to actually find and hold an item before adding it, and skills will be added naturally as he performs the task and wants the skill to be added. For instance, to add a brick, the MC will have to touch a brick. To add a spear fighting skill, they''ll have to use a spear in combat. To add a bullet resistance skill, they''ll have to be shot by a bullet.
Second thing, I''ll have the MC try to get a regeneration skill. He''ll cut his hand or something and try to buy it, so I won''t have a hard time implementing that idea.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Third.... embarisingly, I actually meant to have the story taking place in Chicago. I based the map on the video game Watch Dogs, but I google mapped Detroit. I don''t know if I should change this, so I''ll take a vote.
Forth, I forgot about Ryan being shot. You wonder how he goes 6 chapters after getting shot in the back and doesn''t meantion it a single time? The author forgot it happened. I''ll make sure he gets that thing taken out soon.
Fifth, skill leveling is really broke, I''ll I''m going to change it. I didn''t show it, because I hate POV''s, but non-MC characters naturally gain skills and level them. For the rewrite, I''m thinking of the MC needing (Skill_Level)Factorial credits to level the skill. So, a level 1 Sneaking skill will cost 1 credit to upgrade, but a level 3 will cost 6, and a level 10 will cost3628800. If anyone thinks they have a better algorithm, I''d be open to suggestions.
Sixth, I dunno, but I want a sixth thing.
So, tell me in the comments what you want changed and I''ll see what I can do.
Chapter 44
In the center of a walled-off marketplace, residents gather around two robed figures. They¡¯ve come here to buy good from the robed figures, trading whatever credits they¡¯ve managed to scrape together in the past few days. The two robed figures do not come at any set interval, and it¡¯s never known when they might not come again.
After buying his weekly provisions from the pair, a man tries to stab them in the back. He has the class Backstabber, which gives his quadruple damage against someone who just helped him. It¡¯s a dubious class, but he undoubtedly deserved.
¡°Back, fiend,¡± Says the robed man, swinging a laser-sword behind his back. Nobody knew how he and the woman he traveled with managed to procure the science-fiction weapon, but it appeared instantly and cut the knife from the backstabber¡¯s hand.
Immediately, the backstabber ran off, followed by a slew of residents who wanted to earn the merchants¡¯ favor. The male merchant inwardly chuckled, certain the attack would have done zero damage.
¡°Was there any response to our notice?¡± The female merchant asks a familiar face, the leader of the walled-off marketplace.
¡°Not yet, but we¡¯ve been asking anyone who comes near our gates,¡± Replies the man, stroking his beard. He himself has spent several days asking passing travelers if they require services for locating missing friends or family.
¡°Then it¡¯s all fine,¡± The woman says and backs away, closer to her male companion. The two exchange brief words, then turn to the leader man.Stolen story; please report.
¡°We¡¯ll be staying for a few days this time. If you could give us a place to sleep, that¡¯d be very appreciated,¡± The man says.
¡°Of course. We still have your last residence available for you.¡± Says the leader, glad the merchants will be staying another day.
¡°Then, all is good,¡± The man says and smiles. He turns to the woman next to him, and they walk off to where they will be staying. They stayed for three days just two weeks ago and, during that time, provided a slew of improvements for the settlement.
The merchants could not be asked to fix a problem, but they would fix anything they stumbled upon. They said it was to avoid greed so that only those with luck and good fortune would see him at their abode.
These two merchants are Ryan and Mindy, now traveling as cosplayers of galaxy knights. When Ryan could not locate Mindy¡¯s parents, they both decided to travel from city to city and help others who were looking for their children or parents, brothers or sisters, or just friends.
Five miles away, to the northeast, explosions go off, alerting everyone in the walled-off marketplace settlement.
¡°What do you think that was?¡± Ryan asks Mindy.
¡°Let¡¯s check it out,¡± She replies, and the two leave their residence.
In the walled-off marketplace, residents are already gathering at the northeastern wall, looking through long sheets of glass that make the majority of it. In the distance, Ryan can see an explosion¡¯s cloud of flames reaching the sky.
¡°Someone with heavy ordinance,¡± Ryan groans, remembering the injuries he sustained the last time he fought with someone who managed to obtain a rocket launcher.
¡°We better see if they¡¯re friendly before they have the chance to blow up this place,¡± Mindy says, standing right beside Ryan.
¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Ryan says and jumps over the high wall that separated the settlement from the rough streets of Toronto. Mindy followed suit, flipping several times in the air.
¡°Let¡¯s,¡± She says and follows him, running down the street.