The impact was dull.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just flesh meeting steel.
Master, someone got hit by a car. Wait what the
Why is he waking up on his own, and why doesn't he seem like a normal person at all?
Listen, Sophia, the world is about to get changed.
Normal people become zombies and animals, soon beginning to mutate.
It will become like a game where you have to fight to survive.
The evolved dangerous species on Earth will become food for those who are stronger than us.
The vehicle slowed to a stop. Arien didn't swear. He didn't gasp. He simply turned off the engine and opened the door.
The man lay on the road, twisted, broken.
Then he moved.
Not like someone in pain.
Like remembering how to move.
His neck bent at the wrong angle. Blood leaked from his mouth, but his eyes were open—clouded, unfocused, empty. His fingers scraped against the asphalt as he began to crawl.
No scream.
No plea.
Just hungry, trying to stand.
Sophia froze behind him. "M—Arien…"
"Stay back, just watch first," he said.
His voice was flat. Controlled. As if he were pointing out bad weather.
The man's jaw unhinged with a wet crack. A low growl bubbled out, raw and unfinished.
System Notification:
⚠ Zombie Detected
Status: Reanimated (Early Stage)
Threat Level: Low
Arien didn't hesitate.
The machete came down.
Once.
The head split cleanly. The body twitched, then went still.
System Notification:
✔ Zombie Eliminated
Progress: 1 / 100
Arien stepped back, wiped the blade on the corpse's clothes, and returned it to his grip.
No breath released.
No reflection.
To him, it wasn't a man.
It's a different feeling when I do it in real life rather than on a PC. I can move myself more efficiently, rather than in a programmed way, but the risk is real, too, as I think about when a system window pops up.
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ SYSTEM STATUS ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ PLAYER: Arien ║
║ LEVEL: 1 │ EXP: ███▒▒▒ 0 / 200 ║
║ ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 1 ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ATTRIBUTES (BASE) ║
║ • Strength : 10 [+0] ║
║ • Agility : 8 [+0] ║
║ • Endurance: 9 [+0] ║
║ • Perception: 10 [+0] ║
║ • Intelligence: 10 [+0] ║
║ *Allocate points to increase stats* ║
: ║
║ • Eliminate 100 Zombies ║
║ Progress: █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 1 / 100 ║
There is no need to think that I have to improve my agility first.
║ • Agility : 8 [+1] ║
Sophia swallowed hard. She didn't scream. It's like, as you said, master, you're truly magnificent,
There is no need to flatter me; you also need to kill your first zombie, then you can get a status window and become a player like me. I hope you don't mind killing when ordered. I will not show even the slightest hesitation, master; your word is my command.
Arien looked at her.
We have to leave now.
—
They drove on.
The city was already rotting. Traffic lights blinked useless colours. Sirens screamed somewhere far away, then died one by one, like lungs collapsing.
Arien slowed near a supermarket.
"Stop here," he said.
Sophia frowned. "Crowded places are dangerous."
"Exactly."
He stepped out and said, " That's why we are here. In the beginning, the zombies' mutation level and adaptability were low, so we can farm exp here to level and rip the rewards.
Farm.
The word settled uncomfortably in the air.
Inside, bodies staggered between shelves. Some dragged legs. Some crawled. Some simply stood, heads twitching as if listening to voices only they could hear.
Arien raised his bow.
Thud.
A zombie dropped.
System Notification:
✔ Zombie Eliminated
Progress: 2 / 100
Thud.
Another fell.
Progress: 3 / 100
Sophia watched.
"Shoot," Arien said.
She obeyed.
After Sophia's first kill, she also went to see the status window for the first time.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
FIRST KILL REGISTERED
Human Player Identified
Game World Access Granted
║ SYSTEM STATUS ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ PLAYER: Sophia ║
║ LEVEL: 1 │ EXP: ███▒▒▒ 0 / 200 ║
║ ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 1 ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CURRENT QUEST║ ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 1 ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ATTRIBUTES (BASE) ║
║ • Strength : 8 [+0] ║
║ • Agility : 9 [+0] ║
║ • Endurance: 8 [+0] ║
║ • Perception: 7 [+0] ║
║ • Intelligence: 8 [+0] ║
║ *Allocate points to increase stats* ║
║ Quest: Kill 10 Zombies ║
║ Progress: 1 / 10 ║
║ ║
║ REWARD: ║
║ • Experience Points ║
║ • Attribute Points ║
║ • System Interface Access ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ SIDE QUEST ║
║ Name: Adapt or Die ║
║ Objective: Kill 3 Zombies Using ║
║ Any Weapon ║
║ Progress: 1 / 3 ║
║ ║
║ REWARD: ║
║ • Basic Combat Proficiency ║
Master the status window appeared good, you have also become a player now.
Kill as many as you can for now and try to complete the quest. The arrow pierced an eye. The zombie collapsed.
I will try my best, master.
Progress: 4 / 100
She didn't smile.
She didn't speak.
She simply adjusted her grip and waited for the next target.
They moved methodically. No panic. No wasted movement. When one got too close, Arien stepped in and cut it down without emotion.
System Notification:
✔ Multiple Eliminations Registered
Progress: 19 / 100
The mall had gone quiet again.
Bodies lay where they fell, arrows lodged in skulls, blood pooling between broken tiles. Arien stood near the shattered entrance, breathing steadily, blade resting loosely in his hand. Outside, the city groaned, distant and endless, like something wounded but not dead.
He stepped over a corpse and raised his weapon once more.
Then—
"Help."
The voice was hoarse. Humans.
Arien froze.
To be continued…..