Triumph in Achievement
"Are these system items?" Lucas wondered out loud as he reached for the items and picked them up.
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[System Items Detected, Updating System Profile!]
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As he looked at the items, Lucas realized that the world was turning into a game-like mode. Even though he wasn't a big gamer, the idea of an inventory wasn't difficult for him to understand.
Testing the pouch's abilities, he put the shampoo bottle into it, and it disappeared without changing size. A grin appeared on his face as he slowly started to understand how this mysterious system worked.
Curious, he reached into the pouch and brought the shampoo back into his hand. 'I feel like I just did something illegal,' he thought, a bit mischievous. 'This would have been perfect for smuggling those white powder things if they existed before,' he considered, realizing the pouch's potential.
With quick moves, Lucas put all his stuff into the pouch, except for his trusty baseball bat. He then put the small flat pouch into his bag. Finally, he looked at the black dagger. Even though it seemed sharp, he doubted it was as practical as his spear. However, since it was a system item, he thought it might have some value. He put the dagger in his bag and called upon the system once again.
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Name: Lucas Tharla
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 4 (260/300)
Stats:
Agi: 14 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 24 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
Unallocated Skill Points: 4
Coins:
Achievements Completed: 1 ᐃ
Items: 2 ᐃ
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"I haven't even figured out how to acquire skills, and now there are coins? Seriously?" Lucas said, getting frustrated as he tried to understand the mysterious system.
Lucas couldn't help but complain and sigh at the confusing system. Even though he didn't like the lack of explanation, he knew it gave rewards for his hard work. Arguing with a holographic screen seemed pointless, so he left the market behind and went into the sunlight.
"Whoa! That sunlight is intense!" he exclaimed. The difference between the dark market and the outside world made the sunlight seem super bright. Lucas had spent so much time dealing with life-or-death situations inside the market that the outside seemed extremely vivid.
Having lived his whole life in the village, Lucas knew many of the villagers' names, their families, and their homes. Among the ten zombies he had killed, he thought some might have been people he knew. The village had changed a lot, and many of his old friends were now gone. It was a mix of strange feelings for him.
Social skills were something Lucas felt he lacked, along with money and love. After his parents passed away, he became more introverted, losing the energetic attitude he used to have. As a kid, he often kept to himself, sometimes pretending to be pitiful to get free money. It wasn't illegal, just a way to get sympathy from the villagers. It helped make up for the impact of his parents' passing.
At 14, Lucas started working for himself, catching fish and doing errands for money. His village was on the outskirts of the fourth most populous city in the country, known for being welcoming to travelers. The city had jobs in construction, and even though there were controversies about child labor, Lucas was thankful for the chance to earn money, especially in the dry season when fishing wasn't enough.
The city had two major rivers, and Lucas wasn't too worried about-facing mutated fish. His main goal was to reach the city, where high-level zombies might be. Staying in the village felt like waiting to die. Mutated fish or zombies, survival was the priority.
As he walked, Lucas looked at the long road ahead. It would take about fourteen hours to reach the city. He changed direction and kept walking, finding a car crash, a sight now normal. A lone zombie struggled under a crashed car, surrounded by dead bodies. Lucas watched the zombie's determination, surviving with little food for nearly two days. But that wasn't his concern; he was focused on surviving.
Looking at the zombie crawling toward him, Lucas thought, 'Nice! Free experience.' He knew these creatures wouldn't die unless their heads were destroyed. Using his spear and baseball bat against this stuck zombie seemed too much. He had an idea—to experiment with the new items he got from his achievement.
Taking the new dagger from the small pouch, Lucas crouched down. With a quick move, he stabbed the zombie's eye; the dagger going in smoothly. Pushing the dagger's handle further, he felt the eye give way, the eye juices running down his hand. The blade's force went through the back of the zombie's skull.
Lucas was genuinely amazed. "I think I might be addicted to eye-popping now."
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[Level 1 Zombie Killed, Awarding 50 Exp!]
[Received 5 Coins!]
[Leveling Exp Reach: 310/300!]
[Leveling Up: Level 5!]
[Receiving 2 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!]
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Hearing the notice that the zombie was done for, Lucas was surprised.
"I won't bother figuring out how to earn coins anymore," he said, checking out the dagger. He thought maybe he only got coins by using system items to kill. But not being sure, he knew he had to find more zombies to test and figure it out.
"This is getting trickier," he muttered.
After that, Lucas just kept going, watching out for more zombies. The streets were super quiet, really quiet, like no sound at all. He sighed, "Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the sound of traffic jams."
"Good thing I live on the edge," Lucas said, glad there were no zombies around. The idea of staying in the city gave him the chills, thinking about zombies wandering the streets, looking for survivors.
'Hold up, if they're dead, how are they spotting me?' he wondered while continuing to walk. The sun was going down, and he glanced at his phone—it was 6:24 p.m.
As the sun dipped, the city turned into a dark outline. Lucas, staring at the darkening sky, couldn't help but picture zombie-filled streets. Sticking to the outskirts seemed like a smart move, at least for a break from the crazy city.
'Maybe being dead doesn't mess with their eyes,' Lucas thought, thinking about the weird zombies he'd seen.
"I need a place to crash for the night," he said, sighing at the sunset. Maybe he could find some night vision skills if that was a thing.
Looking around, he saw a few buildings. One in particular caught his eye, and not wanting to go back, he ran toward the only visible building.
After a couple of minutes, he arrived. It looked clear amidst the deserted streets. Sneaking in carefully, he checked for zombies. The inside was basic, except for a strange black table-like thing in the middle.
Approaching the table, he saw something like a button. Pausing for a moment, he reached out. Considering the messed-up state of the world, it didn't seem likely that someone would rig a home with bombs on the outskirts of the city. If anything, the danger would be worse in the city center.
"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered, his curiosity winning over caution. Pressing the button, the black table lit up, showing a holographic screen like the system profiles he often checked.
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[Class Change Initiated!]
[Error, The Player Hasn't Reached the Level Requirement Yet!]
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"No way! A system building?" Lucas said, looking puzzled.
Was it just luck, or was the system intentionally giving him a class change building as the first one he entered, apart from his own? And why would a regular house have a way to change classes?
'Do we really need a house with a simple class change thing?' he said, wondering out loud. He took out his phone to snap a few pictures of the building.
Frustration grew as he thought about when he'd finally meet the requirement for a class change. The system didn't guide him, leaving him clueless about important stuff.
He realized he had finished another achievement.
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Achievement Cleared:
[Silver] Sixty-Eight to Discover the Class Change Building.
Rewards:
Zombie Resistance Vambrace (0/3) [Rare]
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Grabbing the arm protector thing from the floor, he wondered what it was for. The number 68/100 hinted that he was the sixty-eighth person to find this kind of building. He wondered what the first person got, maybe a full set of zombie-resistant armor. It made him feel a bit greedy.
As he settled into the building, he looked around. Everything was just white tiles. He made a makeshift pillow from two layers of his shirt and lay down on the floor. "Life is tough," he muttered, missing the chill days by the river. The building was sweltering.
'Should I open the door?' crossed his mind. After a brief contemplation, he dismissed the idea. The room lacked fresh air and lacked a window. Unlocking the door might welcome a refreshing night breeze, yet it could also invite hungry zombies during his slumber. Frustrated by his internet-less phone, he let out a sigh.