Learning

Bang...Bang...Bang...

A brief ear-splitting noise rang in Thomas's ears as he consecutively pulled the trigger of his pistol, shooting down zombies who are congregated below with their hands held up high. Some zombies jumped on their fellows while the others kept piling up corpses one after the other.

It was like a never-ending wave of suicidal maniacs who is so keen on killing him.

Unfortunately, he has the high ground.

Luckily, the rain that has been going on for an hour hadn't yet subsided. Seemingly, the zombies are attracted to sounds.

While shooting at them, Thomas analyzed their behavior, using movies and drama series as references.

If he were to compare the behavior of the zombies in this world, it would be similar to World War Z or the zombies in Train to Busan.

If that was the case, then getting their attention is tantamount to committing suicide.

Thomas pressed his thumb onto the magazine release button. He is down to the last two mags.

[Zombies killed: 35/50]

Killing them is harder than he anticipated. A single shot to the head didn't end their miserable and pitiable life. It would take two or three to the head to take them down. There are times that he is lucky to kill them in one tap, but looks like it's running out.

Reloading the M9 Beretta with a new mag, Thomas continued firing at the zombies until the gun has nothing to spew.

[Zombies killed: 44/50]

Thomas inserted the last mag, last 15 rounds. After that, it's no more.

He again looked at the zombies.

Their feet, like howls and shouts, their bodies twitch and jump, their mouth is open and they moan.

The groans and gnashing of dead teeth will keep one' awake for a week and it's despairing Thomas.

A moan that runs the spectrum of human pain. A breath that soothes your nerves. A joy that sets your spirit free. This zombie's moan is a symphony of despair and the sound of a bell that you want to ring.

Yes, those abominations that had destroyed every aspect of life three days ago, he is killing them now as a power source to his system.

Bang!

The last bullet was fired.

[Zombies killed: 50/50]

Thomas plucked out the magazine and the last round.

He set the M9 Beretta on the ground, wiped off his sweat, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The rain continued to pour.

Thomas's back is exposed from the cold and he shivered. The cold rain felt so good on his skin.

He then panted, heaved.

He felt like the blood in his veins has been drained.

The rain is cold but he is hot, too hot.

He is sweating profusely, but he felt like he is freezing.

Like how a marathon runner feels when he or she reaches the finish line.

Thomas looked at the zombies down below once more, there were still 10 remainings and are increasing ever so slightly.

[Congratulations on completing your first quest!]

A floating monitor screen appeared in his line of sight.

[You received: 100 Souls, 40000 Apocalypse Dollars]

Seeing that the rewards were credited to his account, Thomas's lips curled into a grin.

He is the only one who knew that there wasn't a thing to smile about but he did it anyway.

In his lifetime, he had never killed a human being. Obviously, he is just a high-schooler. Though many considered him nerd or smart in academics, that's it.

Yet, he didn't feel remorse for killing a zombie. Yes, they were human beings days ago, but now they are a killing machine programmed to eat every living thing in their sight. On the other hand, he is programmed to survive, in order to survive, he needs to kill. For his survival, he must take up arms.

"So..."

Thomas said, wiping off the rain on his face and staring at the monitor screen.

"Now that I have 50 souls and 40,000 apocalypse dollars. What to do now?"

Thanks to his perks, he was able to receive a large number of resources. But to have it again, he must complete nine missions to activate the bonus effect.

To calculate, if his completion rewards are 50 souls and 40,000 apocalypse dollars. Divide it by 10, then the original reward for this mission is only 5 souls and 4,000 apocalypse dollars.

[Notification: The system has leveled up!]

[System Level: 9]

"Ow?" Thomas mused at the late notification. "The system? Not the user?"

In anime or light novels, normally the user would be the one leveling up, not the system itself. But looks like things are different here.

"Uhm...system, can I see how many experience points I received from this mission if there are any."

[Answering the user: You receive experience points by killing zombies and missions. But the mission you just completed didn't offer experience points. 20 experience points are credited per each confirmed kill. You killed a total of 50 zombies, which means you have 1000 experience points. Multiply it by 10, it'll become 10,000 points.]

"I see, so experience points are also affected by the bonus effect. That explains the huge jump. So how much more to reach level 10?" Thomas asked.

[Answer: The user need 2,926 experience points. (10,000/ 12,926)]

"It requires that much?" Thomas rubbed his head and let out a stiff smile. "Without the bonus effect, I would have to kill 147 zombies." Thomas mentally calculated the answer as easy as pie.

"Okay, last question. What are the benefits will I receive for leveling up the system?"

[Answer: The user will be able to purchase locked contents in the shop tab. There are level restrictions in the shop that no matter how badly you want it, even if you have apocalypse dollars, you'll have to work hard to reach the level needed to purchase it.]

Thomas propped up his chin with his left hand and leaned forward and stared at the monitor screen.

"So if I want to buy some high-quality stuff in the shop, which are probably locked, I need to level up my system as soon as I can. To do so, I need to kill as many zombies as possible and complete the mission. Okay, that seems fair."

Thomas waved his hand swiftly as he manipulated the system, directing him to the shop tab.

Earlier, the time he first saw the shop features, some icons are greyed because of level restrictions, but now, some of them are available.

A pistol is not going to cut it. If he wants to survive in an apocalyptic world, he's going to need a better weapon.

But first, he checked his balance.

[50,000 apocalypse dollars.]

"Wait...wait, that doesn't seem right."

[Inquiry: what is?]

"Shouldn't I have 40,000 apocalypse dollars? How come I have 50,000 apocalypse doll..." Thomas's face paled as he just realizes it. But the system answered in his place.

[Didn't you remember? You can gain apocalypse dollars by killing zombies? Each zombie gives you 200 apocalypse dollars. Killing a zombie is hard so I believe this reward is fair. Don't worry, the points you receives are not fixed. So it'll increase as you progress.]

"Ah, what a relief." Thomas sighed, in the future, he will have a large army which he will need a copious amount of apocalypse dollars to maintain.

Speaking of the army, he has 100 souls...No 150 souls! The completion reward and killing the zombies in the process are different.

To summon one soldier, one soul is required. So it's an equivalent exchange. But for special forces, it's three to one.

But in this situation, a soldier is enough.

"Let's try summoning five of them."

The reason why he'll only summon five of them is that he wants to test how summoning in real life works.

[Do you want to summon five infantry for five souls?]

[Additional notice: The infantry you'll summon comes with a full-gear and are armed but it's limited. Once they are out, that's it. You'll have to resupply them yourself if such a situation arises.]

"Hoh?" Thomas mused at another discovery. That's super convenient. That means he won't have to buy the weapon himself instead he'll only resupply them with ammunition.

"Okay, I agree."

[Summoning 5 infantry.]

A magic circle appeared in the ground, shimmering blue shine that seems like a mirror. It's humming in low pitch as five figures protrude from the circle.

Their figures were covered in light. In another seconds or so, the light dissipated and a soldier in active combat uniform armed with what seemed to be an M4 Carbine stood before him.

They saluted, their fluid movement of hands was sync and swift, showing dedication and respect to their leader.

Thomas's mouth gaped. Magic circle and the soldiers standing in front of him. Things that only happen in fiction, he witnessed it.

He walked over to them and scanned them one by one. Their fully equipped from head to toe, like they'll be sent out to a mission or be stationed in another country.

They're tall too, well over six feet. Thomas's height is only 178 cm.

If they are in that uniform, he should copy them as well. It'll be awkward and embarrassing to be so close to them in a school uniform covered in dirt, sweat, and blood.

So he went to the Shop Tab to buy their equipment. For a total of 3,000 apocalypse dollars.

Yes, it was that cheap.

A holographic mirror appeared in front of Thomas, showing his appearance. The reflection showed a young man with black hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face. What was once a figure donned in school uniform, Thomas was now dressed in a combat uniform, with a tactical vest. With the gear on him, he had a full look of a soldier.

"Ow." Thomas struck his head. "I forgot to ask the system to give us names."

[Names are already given. The militia, from left to right, Ezra, Daniel, Jacob, Joseph, and Brian. Rename them?]

So the system already gave the summon troops a name prior to a summoning...that's new.

"No, I think it's fine."

To return their show of respect, Thomas mimicked the actions of the soldiers and saluted to them.

Then his eyes flickered to the soldiers and faced them with a serious face. "From this point on, you're my soldiers. As your commander, I need you to acknowledge that I have your best interests in mind. Am I clear?"

The five soldiers snapped to attention and saluted Thomas. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good." Thomas slightly nodded his head. The soldiers returned his acknowledgment with a nod. "Okay, you may put your hand down now."

The soldiers returned back to their position, this time with a soft smile.

"As your commander, I'll answer all your questions about the mission and the systems. But on the battlefield, you'll only give the commander the basic information, e.g., the number of enemies and the situation. I'll be the one to give out orders to the entire unit. Any questions?"

The five soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads.

Eh? What the hell did I just say to them? It came out of his mouth naturally like he is a real soldier.

Thomas sighed internally, it's the system again.

[Correct, the system has uploaded basic knowledge to the user to command the summon troops with ease.]

"Basic knowledge...huh? You're providing me with anything I lack system. You're making me feel miserable you know?"

[So do you want me to take them back?]

"No, no...I'll try to figure things in the future all on my own. It'll spoil the fun of learning. But I must say this knowledge you have me is essential to lead my summoned troops.

The system didn't respond, like giving him a cold shoulder.

"Permission to speak sir?"

One of the soldiers spoke.

Thomas's eyes flickered to the soldier who spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Daniel, sir!"

"Very well Daniel, I allow you to speak."

"Thank you, sir!" Daniel cleared his throat before speaking. "May I ask the mission, sir?"

"Mission?" Thomas tilted his head to the side. There's no mission...

"Ah, System!" Thomas called. "What's the next mission?"

[You can see it on the quest tab.] the system said flatly.

Thomas opened his quest tab and saw the next quest.

[Quest#2: Build a base for your stronghold.]

[Completion of Reward: Random Blueprint and 50,000 Apocalypse Dollars.]

"New stronghold?" Thomas rubbed his chin. "I think this school is a perfect place to build a base. But it's infested with zombies...Hmm...why don't we just sweep the place?"

"Sir?" One soldier noticed him muttering under his breath.

Thomas cleared his throat. "Our primary mission is to find a stronghold but I figured this school is a perfect candidate. The secondary mission is...to purge the zombies in the school premises."