How To Survive The Apocalypse With A Leveling System87.50%

| Chapter 007 | Prologue - Leveling Up

As the metallic doors of the elevator slid open, Everest stepped out and entered the winding hallway where several apartments were lodged. Sauntering through the corridor with a plastic bag full of groceries under the gripped of his hand, a rough voice called out for his name.

"Everest, it has been a while."

Glancing back, his gaze landed upon an old man with rugged clothes who stared at him. It was Old Man Kanor, a retired mechanic who was barely living adequately from his pension. A long time has passed since he had seen the old man.

"Old man, you look as lively as always."

Everest remarked with a grin as the old man waved at him in dismissal. Getting called lively despite being passed his heyday was akin to rubbing salt to an infectious wound. And the annoying kid knew it well.

"Didn't you just dropped out from college? Thinking of finding a job?"

The old man questioned, curious about what plans the kid had in mind. He could enroll again next year, but time would be wasted. Although, younglings did have a lot of time in their lives unlike an old man like him.

Old Man Kanor welcomed any answer that the young man could conjure for it was youth in his eyes. However, Everest's answer made his eyes lit up

"Do you have anything for me, Old man?"

"Hmm... Well, I have friends in many places. Some of them are hiring so I could recommend you to them. But whether you get accepted or get to keep it depends entirely on you."

The old man felt a bit satisfied that even a young man like Everest wasn't merrily living his life like a hippy. Ensuring that you won't become homeless when you have no one and nothing to rely upon was a priority for an old man like him.

Maybe he was merely projecting his regrets to the young man.

"Thanks, Old man. I appreciate your help."

"I'll do what I can, kid."

Old Man Kanor lightly chuckled and opened the door to his apartment, leaving the young man behind in the winding hallway. As the old man disappeared from his sight, Everest released a smile.

To him, the old man was far more than a helpful neighbor. He was a mentor to Everest, and despite his senile body, he wasn't to be underestimated. After all, he was amongst the few that Everest had come to respect. The one who gave him a helping hand when he needed it the most.

It's good to see him alive.

Everest felt nostalgic remembering their short days of survival within the metropolis riddled with dangers and monsters. While the old man was considered to be a retired mechanic, the skills he developed throughout his long life was vital to survival.

So, although he was weak, he was an experienced survivor.

I guess it's time to make a plan regarding the upcoming outbreak.

He calmly thought to himself and opened the front door of his apartment, stepping inside with comfort and familiarity. Resting the plastic bag on a nearby table, Everest turned on the television while taking out the supplies he had purchased.

It wasn't much, to say the least. His budget was tight, and unfortunately, he didn't have a credit card to carelessly spend upon. Otherwise, he would have bought three bags worth of supplies.

But regardless of his tight budget, Everest wasn't too bothered by the lack of supplies before him. Why? The answer was fairly simple. A cold glint escaped his eyes as he opened the status screen with a mere thought.

[ Everest ]

-[ Energy : (85/100) ]-

-[ Class : Operator(★★★★) ]-

-[ Level 0 : ( 100+10/100 AXP - Ready to Level Up! ) ]-

-[ Attribute(s) ]-

--[ STR : 10 ]-[ END : 10 ]--

--[ AGI : 10 ]-[ DEX : 10 ]--

--[ INT : 10 ]-[ WIS : 10 ]--

--[ Attribute Point(s) : 0 ]--

-[ Skill Index ]-

-<[ Marksmanship(★★) ]>-

-<[ Close-Quarters Combat(★) ]>-

-[ Inventory ]-

-<[ Supply Crate ]>-

-<[ 2x Carts of Groceries ]>-

-<[ 4x Boxes of Bottled Water ]>-

-<[ 3x Bags of Hygiene Products and First-Aid ]>-

-<[ 2x Glock-17 9mm ]>-

-<[ 4x Glock-17 Magazines ]>-

-<[ 2x Sheathed Knives ]>-

-<[ 3x Butterfly Knives ]>-

-<[ Suppressed Ruger Mark IV ]>-

-<[ 9x 22LR Magazines ]>-

The bluish and translucent digital screen materialized and hovered before him. Inside were significant changes that had occurred throughout his short journey within the metropolis which lasted for a couple of hours.

First was the energy reduction.

Even though he hadn't utilized any kind of active skills, the energy bar decreased signifying that prolonged energy-intensive activities would diminish his accumulated energy. Sleeping and resting could recover it, but that was for later.

Second was the AXP bar of the status screen.

He attained the required AXP for level up, and advanced beyond the limited AXP requirements. The extra 10 AXP should be redirected to the AXP bar after leveling up. If his conjectures were correct, he could amass AXP and level up rapidly.

However, he was unsure regarding how it may affect his body. Since leveling up required his consent, perhaps it was far more than a change in numbers within the status screen.

The third and final section of the status screen was the Inventory.

It was by far the most developed part of the status, although it should be the result of him collecting materials all throughout his journey within Manhattan. The inventory was filled to the brim with vital supplies that would ensure his survival.

Anyhow, while Everest could only purchase a bag worth of supplies through what remained of his budget. He wasn't against the subject of looting as he wasn't ignorant of it. Some might consider him an experienced looter, a veteran.

In the apocalyptic era, looting was a vital skill for a survivor. Pillaging other survivors was a necessary experience within that age of darkness and strife. It was disappointing, but needed nonetheless.

The standards of morality adapt through time and necessity, requiring people to conform to their current state of affairs. Otherwise, they would meet death or suffer.

The bountiful supplies within the inventory were provisions that Everest had covertly stolen. It was difficult, but not impossible. At the very least, there was no need for him to leave the apartment building once the outbreak begins.

These should be enough to last me a couple of weeks, or maybe months.

But sadly, I don't plan to move alone, so these supplies might be expended rather quickly.

After checking the plastic bag filled to the brim with canned goods, Everest deposited the grocery bag into the inventory. He had previously tested whether or not the things inside the inventory would experience time.

Luckily for him, the hot cup of coffee remained stable in its temperature even after two hours had passed. He had taken it out in the park and confirmed his conjectures regarding the inventory.

It was overpowered.

The ability to store objects, food, medicines, and beverages without worrying their degradation was breathtaking for a survivor. It provided the solution for most problems in the apocalypse. However, the problem of needing items to deposit into the inventory remained.

There was also the troublesome issue regarding the limits of how much he could store. According to the system directive, the current inventory had eleven storage slots. Each slot could contain 99x of the stored object.

It was a limitation, but a restriction he more or less figured out.

I haven't tested depositing a vehicle into my inventory.

His reasoning was straightforward. If depositing a vehicle was possible, wouldn't it be plausible for him to deposit a food truck loaded with thousands of canned goods? It was a fair theory, although it needed to be tested first.

But for now, I should focus in leveling up.

While he couldn't wait to test the theory he had in mind, leveling up was of greater importance to him. Leveling was directly correlated to his survival, it was his greatest weapon against the apocalypse.

It wasn't something that could be delayed.

Besides, he already wasted too much time during his journey within the city, wandering and looting supplies. Taking this into account, he became determined and resolved himself into leveling up no matter what.

Level Up!

Without any hesitation or delay, Everest commanded the system directive through a single thought. The brief response of the system directive followed as his status screen was replaced with a notification.

[ Affirmative, Leveling Up... ]

[ Consuming 100 AXP... ]

As he observed the bluish tint of the notification display, a sudden, agonizing pain twisted his heart. It was abrupt, yet it ached throughout his body akin to an unstoppable flood. He tumbled into the ground with a thud, clenching his chest and gasping for breath.

No wonder the system directive required his consent. If he had leveled up in the middle of nowhere, without a tinge of protection or security, he wouldn't have lasted a week. But why?

Couldn't the leveling be as plain as altering a single variable? Why does it have to grant him an insufferable, death-inducing pain?

Everest continued to lay on the cold floor, panting heavily with his gaze pointed at the ceiling. Staring at a ceiling never felt so agonizing and soothing. It was as though his body was drugged with euphoria and the lethal injections utilized for death row inmates.

Damn it!

The leveling process lasted for no less than 30 seconds, but it felt no short than an eternity for him. If it wasn't for his experience as a veteran survivor, he would have lost himself into a pitiful coma.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he rested upon the cold floor utterly exhausted. His heart continued to pound while his body trembled. He was disoriented, but the emergence of several bluish and translucent digital screens assisted him in regaining his focus.

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up! ]

[ Level 0 -> Level 1 ]

[ You have received the following: ]

-[ 10 Natural Attribute(s) ]-

-[ 5 Attribute Point(s) ]-

-[ Class Skill Card(★★★) ]-

After taking a deep breath, Everest rose from the cold floor with a scrutinizing gaze. His pounding heart had calmed down while his body stopped trembling. Although it was horrific, it was nothing more but a temporary consequence for leveling up.

It didn't matter if he needed to go through the agonizing pain of having his body ripped apart cell to cell. What counted was none other than the rewards he would be granted after leveling up.

Hm. Ten Natural Attribute... If my conjecture is correct, this should be attributes that are naturally arranged throughout my attributes. However, it might not be as natural as I expect.

After all, my class as an operator exists. It should affect the arrangement of my attributes, prioritizing some over the others.

On the other hand, the Five Attribute Points could be invested in any chosen attributes. These attributes would give me better specialization and could help out in creating my build.

The final one should be the skill card related to my class. Although it's merely a three-star card, it isn't particularly bad. Besides, I'm curious about the operator-related skill I would receive from it.

Everest promptly deduced the application of each rewards he had received from the system directive. For someone who had wasted some time in RPG, it wasn't difficult to understand since the leveling system was based upon RPG systems.

Nevertheless, the rewards were welcomed as they were variables that made him stronger. With enough attributes, even the strongest mutants of the apocalypse wouldn't stand a chance against it.

But the question of whether he could survive to reach his highest potential remained. Outstanding potential didn't matter if he wasn't alive to attain it. For this reason, he humbled himself and turned his attention towards his status.

System, open my status.

[ Everest ]

-[ Energy : (130/130) ]-

-[ Class : Operator(★★★★) ]-

-[ Level 1 : ( 10/200 AXP ) ]-

-[ Attribute(s) ]-

--[ STR : 10->11 ]-[ END : 10->13 ]--

--[ AGI : 10->11 ]-[ DEX : 10->11]--

--[ INT : 10->12 ]-[ WIS : 10->12 ]--

--[ Attribute Point(s) : 5 ]--