Mr. Red
A week has passed since he took the medicine and fainted—or rather, since the apocalypse descended on that very same day.
The days that followed were spent testing the limits of his newly awakened skill—[SleepBond Spell]—and uncovering the true depth of its power.
Zane had experimented with various Dormant-rank monsters—zombies, goblins, and snickers—all of which rewarded him with 50 Coins and 50 EXP upon defeat. Only hundred exp left to reach level 1.
Among them, the snickers were the most unsettling. Small, rabbit-like creatures barely a foot in size, they possessed black, soulless eyes and a single sharp horn protruding from their heads.
However, their true lethality lay in the deadly stinger attached where a tail should have been—a natural projectile weapon they could launch at terrifying speeds.
Zane had narrowly avoided being impaled during one of his encounters. Had that stinger struck him, he wasn't sure he would have survived.
Fortunately, he had discovered a crucial flaw in their biology: once a snicker fired its stinger, it needed time to regrow a new one.
And Zane had no intention of giving them that chance.
The moment their initial attack missed, the snickers would attempt to flee.
"Not so fast," Zane muttered with a smirk before uttering a single word.
"Sleep."
Instantly, the creatures collapsed mid-leap, slamming into the ground in unconscious heaps.
Through relentless testing, he had uncovered two critical conditions for his [SleepBond Spell] to take effect:
1. The target must hear his voice. If they were deaf or out of range, the spell would fail.
2. The target must be within his line of sight. If he couldn't see them, the spell wouldn't activate.
The realization sent a cold shiver down his spine.
"If I ever encounter an enemy or monster that's deaf…" The thought unsettled him. His fists clenched involuntarily.
An adversary immune to his most powerful ability simply because they couldn't hear him? That was a terrifying possibility.
For the first time, he found himself praying—praying that in this new era of chaos, there wouldn't be beings cruelly afflicted with such a disability.
Where he had another discovery that he could use his sleep skill multiple times if didn't use at five target at same time.
Each time he awoke from a deep, satisfying sleep, a system message greeted him:
[Slumber's Blessing : You have taken a satisfying nap. +1 to a random stat.]
This was [Slumber's Blessing], a passive skill that allowed him to grow stronger even in rest.
Description: Every satisfying nap grants +1 to a random stat, allowing continuous growth through rest.
Condition: The user must experience a truly fulfilling sleep.
Zane had experimented to understand its mechanics. Sleeping for one or two hours had no effect. However, when he allowed himself to sleep in a state where his body truly felt restored, he would receive the stat boost.
It didn't matter if the nap lasted three hours, six hours, or even eight—as long as it was a fulfilling rest, the effect triggered.
For the past four days, he had carefully maximized this skill, ensuring his body was always tired before sleeping. On the first day, he gained 1 point. On the following days, he managed to gain 3 points per day.
His strength was growing, even in slumber.
Zane's food supply was nearly depleted. The last of his bread sat in the fridge, untouched.
The electricity was still running—at least, for now—but mobile signals were completely dead.
He had spent hours investigating the System's 'Shop' feature, where he found both sell and buy options. After browsing the categories—clothes, weapons, maps…—he discovered that many items had level restrictions.
There were weapons ranging from simple knives to legendary swords and axes, with prices starting at 100 Coins and reaching a staggering 100 million Coins.
Even food was available, but it required Level 10 to purchase and to use the option to sell—something Zane found absurd.
Reluctantly, he spent 100 Coins to buy a regional map, only to curse the system for its extortionate pricing.
"Metro City? Wasn't this Beijing before the apocalypse?"
The name had changed. The map covered an area of 50 kilometers, revealing marked Shelter Zones and Danger Zones.
Zane knew he couldn't stay hidden forever, living like a hermit, killing only stray goblins. The number of monsters in his immediate surroundings had dwindled, and his supplies wouldn't last.
It was time to move.
He packed a backpack with his last piece of bread, two bottles of water, a knife, and a rope—the bare essentials for survival.
Exiting his house, Zane surveyed the surroundings. Silence holding an iron rod.
No humans. No monsters. Only the shattered remnants of a city lost to catastrophe.
The floating digital map projected his location with a blinking indicator. He set his sights on the shelter and began his journey.
The city was a graveyard. Collapsed buildings, shattered storefronts, and deep craters marred the once-bustling streets.
After traveling nearly two miles, he stumbled upon bodies—both humans and… something else.
Corpses of monstrous creatures lay scattered among the remains of civilians. Blood stained the cracked pavement. The air was thick with the stench of death.
As he observed the scene, he heard voices in the distance.
Zane's pulse quickened. He rushed forward cautiously, keeping to the shadows.
Then, he saw them.
Two men chasing a woman.
She ran, desperation in her movements, but then—she tripped.
The men grinned as they approached her, their intentions unmistakable.
Zane clenched his jaw, hiding behind a twisted metal beam.
The woman looked to be in her early thirties. But despite her predicament, she suddenly smiled—a cruel smile.
Zane's instincts screamed at him—something wasn't right.
She slowly raised her hand.
One of the men froze mid-step, his body convulsing violently before collapsing onto the ground.
Zane's eyes widened.
"What the hell…?"
The man trembled for a few seconds before his movements ceased entirely. His face paled, eyes vacant.
"It's electric current " Zane muttered.
Realization struck Zane like a bolt of lightning. The woman had some kind of electricity-based ability—a power just as deadly as his own.
---
The woman hurled an object at the man. Caught off guard, he barely managed to raise his sword in a hurried attempt to defend himself.
Kach!
"Ahhh! You bitch!" the man cursed, clutching his eyes as a stinging sensation spread through them—the obvious effect of whatever she had thrown.
Blinded and enraged, he swung his sword wildly around himself, trying to ward off any attacks while using his free hand to rub his swollen eyes.
The woman swiftly rose to her feet, pulling out a knife. With the precision of an experienced killer, she slit his throat in a single stroke. His sword slipped from his grasp as he collapsed.
Without hesitation, she turned to the other man who lay twitching on the ground, paralyzed by her electric shock ability. She drove her blade into his chest, ending his life instantly.
Zane watched from his hiding spot, hesitant to approach.
If she could paralyze someone with just a glance… would she electrocute him on sight?
Perhaps it was best to use [SleepBond Spell] on her first.
Fifty meters away, the woman stood over the corpses, her eyes devoid of remorse. Then, without a word, she turned and walked away.
Zane exhaled slowly.
The world had changed. Monsters weren't the only threats anymore. He had to watch out for his own kind as well. Some were monsters in human skin—some revealed their true colors instantly, while others waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Emerging from his hiding spot, Zane approached the bodies.
They were simple men, nothing special. He bent down and picked up a sword from one of them. It was sturdy and sharp enough to serve him for a while. Of course, he could buy one from the system shop, but even the cheapest usable sword cost 3,000 coins.
He rummaged through their belongings, only to come up with a small tube shaped container with greenish liquid fill. On it written 'Mana Recovery '.
"Shit. Poor bastards," he muttered.
Still, the sword in his grasp was a decent find and mana recovery portion. He let out a breath and smirked.
He had played games and read webnovel so he knew who to use it.
"Thanks for the sword, fellas. In this world, everyone has their use. Yours was becoming my free supplier."
He chuckled before turning away, resuming his journey.
After walking some distance, he noticed a cloud of dust rising in the air. Squinting, he focused on the source—something was approaching fast.
A large reptilian monster.
Zane tensed. It was charging straight toward him at an astounding speed. At this rate, it would reach him within a minute.
Instinct kicked in, and he turned to run—but after taking just two steps, he abruptly stopped and glanced back.
Even if he ran, the monster would catch him soon enough.
Besides, why should he run? He had a powerful skill.
The beast closed the distance to 50 meters, rushing at him with the desperation of a starving predator.
It was massive—four meters long, with four powerful legs and a crocodilian face lined with razor-sharp teeth. Its thick, red-scaled skin gleamed under the light, and its yellow eyes locked onto him hungrily.
Zane didn't flinch.
"Sleep!"
The monster's eyes instantly shut, its body going limp mid-charge. It skidded across the ground, inertia carrying it forward until it stopped just before Zane's feet.
<-30 mama>
A message blink in the corner of his vision. Zane frown.
A message blinked in the corner of his vision. Zane frowned.
"Looks like the stronger the monster is, the more mana it will consume. I had be careful. I don't want die with a overpowered skill, can't use it because of little mana I have."
"Thanks for the level, Mr. Red."