Waking up to a loud banging on the front door, Gray stood up, sweating and in a foul mood. He grabbed his spear and approached the door silently. Using the peephole, he spotted a zombie smacking its head against the door, "Great, just what I needed."
Opening the curtains slightly, he began to scan the area for more of them. He saw two zombies down the dirt road, in addition to the one at the front door. Deciding to check the back, he moved cautiously, trying to spot any more threats. Not seeing any movement, he opened his shop and glanced at his accumulated gold.
Gold: 308
"Damn... I'd be happy if it weren't for these visitors," he thought.
Without wasting any more time, he pulled out his shotgun and placed the spear on the bed. Looking over his shop again, he quickly purchased a fire axe for 200 gold. As he pulled it out, he noticed its weight, about six pounds, and how good it felt in his hands. He placed the shotgun back into his inventory and began to remove the chair from the back door before stepping outside.
As he walked along the side of the house, he kept his eyes peeled for more zombies. Not spotting any, he remained vigilant. When he reached the corner of the house, he saw the zombie still banging on the door. With the axe gripped tightly in both hands, he crept up on it. Once close enough, he raised the spear overhead and swung down with all his strength.
Gray had expected the axe to be as effective as the pickaxe had been against the earlier zombie, but as he felt little resistance, the axe continued its momentum and struck a metal bucket instead.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"
Panicking, Gray turned around to see the two zombies staring at him and slowly approaching.
"At least I know the system sells really good stuff." Noticing that the zombies were about ten feet apart, he decided to take them on one at a time. He walked up to the first one and swung sideways, effectively removing everything from the nose up and spraying blood onto his clothes.
"Gah! This is my only change of clothes!" Regaining his composure, he prepared for the second zombie, his heart pounding in his chest. He decided to test a theory, swinging sideways once more. This time, he decapitated the last zombie. Watching the head roll away, Gray leaned in to examine it.
"I knew it, even without a body, it's still alive. Destroying the brain seems like the only way to kill them for good." After eliminating the brain, Gray walked back inside and opened the shop.
He purchased a new change of clothes for 20 gold and then headed to the well to grab some water. After changing and cleaning up, Gray finally sat down. Using the remaining water, he began cleaning the axe while looking out the window.
"It's a good thing I barricaded those windows, but even then, this place isn't as safe as I thought." After finishing with the axe, he locked the back door and wedged a chair against it.
Sitting on the bed, he began to ponder, "I didn't even feel nauseous when killing those three. Is the system acclimating me to this world, or is it just a survival instinct, kill or be killed...?"
Feeling peckish and tired of eating only sweet bread, Gray treated himself to a pizza for 8 gold and two cans of Coke for 2 gold each. "Oh, this is nice! The pizza is actually hot, and when I got the drinks, I had the option of choosing them cold or at room temperature."
After eating four slices and drinking both beverages, he had an idea. "I wonder if the inventory stops time for anything inside it..." To test it, he placed the remaining pizza into the inventory and waited.
After 30 minutes, he pulled the box out and was surprised to find the pizza still piping hot, as if he had just gotten it.
"No wonder every inventory space is so expensive...it stops time! But what about size? Is there a limit?"
Since he hadn't considered this aspect before, Gray began testing the inventory's limitations, starting with a small backpack he found. Not seeing any issues, he placed his tools inside it and tried again.
"That works? Oh, this opens so many possibilities!" Excited, Gray continued testing the limits. "It doesn't work if I put the axe inside the backpack since it sticks out and doesn't close... What about something bigger?"
He approached the fridge, touched it, and, surprisingly, it appeared in the inventory. He tried again, putting a bunch of items inside the empty fridge, including the axe and even the backpack; it worked.
"Oh yeah, this is the tech! I need a big container to keep all my stuff." Finally satisfied with his findings, he walked outside and noticed it was close to sundown. "One last test for the day."
Kneeling next to the corpse, he touched it and willed it into the inventory, noticing the body actually disappearing. Gray smiled.
"The question is, can I put living beings or an 'alive' zombie inside? I'll have to test that when another one shows up."
After clearing the bodies from the dirt road and the front of the house, he piled them to the side and walked back into the house, finally locking it up and not expecting to leave until sunrise.
Seeing that it was pitch black outside and he wasn't tired yet, Gray decided to start working out. "If I do the Saitama workout, it should help me get back in shape, right?"
After an hour, he found himself lying on the floor, drenched in sweat and muttering, "That was so lame... I knew I wouldn't be able to complete all one hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, but damn, my arms were already shaking after just five push-ups..."
Not feeling sleepy yet, Gray continued walking around the house until he finally gathered enough gold for his next upgrade.
[New Upgrade]
(500 Gold) 60 Gold/Hour ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
123 Gold/Hour
"Triple digits, baby!" he exclaimed, feeling excited about his future. Finally, he lay down, thinking, 'As soon as I wake up, I'll go for a jog to start building my stamina.'
When Gray finally awoke, disoriented and groggy, he opened the window. He was surprised to see the sun high in the sky, casting a warm glow across his face. "What the...?" He muttered.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up, hastily checking his surroundings. "damn muscle soreness." After seeing that the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and walked out.
"It must have been late when I went to bed...not having a clock is really messing me up."
Checking on the horse and refilling his water, Gray took off jogging around the farm, taking breaks here and there and stopping after around 30 minutes.
Huffing and breathing hard, he sat down at the front of the house, looking out into the distance... buying a cold water bottle, he checked on his gold.
Gold: 1246
"Fuuuuuuck, my gains! If only I had woken up 2 hours ago!" After buying the next upgrade, Gray finally decided to buy the first multiplier.
[New Upgrade]
(1000 Gold) 120 Gold/Hour ✔
(200 Gold) +0.05x ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
255 Gold/Hour
"sheeeeeeeeeeesh." Seeing the remaining 46 gold and feeling a bit peckish, he opted not to eat the leftover pizza from the day before. Instead, he scrolled through the shop and got himself a 16-oz ribeye steak for 20 gold, 2 servings of white rice for 2 gold each, and finally a cold can of Coke.
After eating and resting for a bit, Gray decided to explore a bit more. Before leaving the house, he finally decided to buy a new inventory space.
[Inventory]
{Pizza}
{Shotgun}
As Gray ventured onto the highway, he decided to head north since he had originally come from the south when he discovered the farmhouse.
After traveling two miles, he stumbled upon another farmhouse. However, this one was in worse condition than the one he was currently staying in, with a broken door and shattered windows. Approaching it cautiously, he used his axe to make noise and then stepped back. About ten seconds later, he heard growling and spotted a zombie slowly crawling toward the sound.
Noticing that it was just one, Gray chose to test whether he could store a 'live' zombie in his inventory. He took out his shotgun and set it aside, inching closer to the creature and touching its back. "Damn, it doesn't work..." he muttered. Stepping back, he swung the axe and killed it with one clean blow, making sure to avoid getting any blood on himself this time.
After cleaning the axe and putting the shotgun back in his inventory, Gray entered the house, checking every cupboard and closet. He discovered a few useful items: a couple of cans of food, a large hunting knife, and a big camping backpack.
"Jackpot!" he exclaimed. He packed all the cans and the knife into the backpack, setting it aside as he continued his search. In the bedroom, he found a few pieces of clothing, but nothing that would fit him. After thoroughly checking the house and finding nothing else of value, he decided it was time to move on.
After looting two more houses and dispatching a couple more zombies, Gray decided to head back. "I'll explore a bit more once I purchase a few skills. Marksmanship should be my main priority; there's no need to take unnecessary risks," he thought.
Once he returned to the farmhouse, Gray emptied the contents of the backpack onto the kitchen table. He found ten cans in total: four beans, three tuna, two spam, and one corn; one hunting knife; two can openers; and two rolls of electrical tape. On the tools side, he also discovered a hacksaw and a sledgehammer.
"Surprisingly, the sledgehammer works great for killing zombies, though it's a bit heavier than the axe," he noted. After organizing everything, Gray decided to take a break. He sat down on the couch, ate some leftover pizza, and opened his notebook to browse the shop, a Coke in hand.
'I stopped at the doom items last time. I'll finish the list today.'
[Terraria]
{Angel Wings} (250,000 Gold)
{Bottomless Water Bucket} (400,000 Gold)
{Stardust Tool} (8M Gold)
{Terraspark Boots} (2M Gold)
{Zenith} (100M Gold)
{Phasesaber} (5M Gold)
{Meowmere} (40M Gold)
{Daybreak} (15M Gold)
{Phantasm} (18M Gold)
{S.D.M.G.} (22M Gold)
{Stardust Dragon Staff} (35M Gold)
"Infinite source of water seems op in an apocalypse world, and isn't a Phasesaber just a lightsaber? What about modded Terraria?"
[Terraria Calamity Mod]
{Seraph Tracers} (25M Gold)
{Earth} (150M Gold)
{Ark Of The Cosmos} (1.2B Gold)
{Murasama} (500M Gold)
{kingsbane} (220M Gold)
{Soma Prime} (650M Gold)
{God Slayer Armor (Full Set)} (9B Gold)
{Auric Tesla Armor (Full Set)} (25B Gold)
{Demonshade Armor (Full Set)} (50B Gold)
{Terrarian Physiology} (600B Gold)
"Calamity for the win! God, I love that game." Getting excited about the future, Gray kept going, "It seems I can buy anything I want, as long as I have the gold."
[Minecraft]
{Cow (Pair)} (1.5M Gold)
{Chicken (Pair)} (1M Gold)
{Pig (Pair)} (1.2M Gold)
{Seeds (Bag of 10)} (500,000 Gold)
{Saplings (Bag of 10)} (750,000 Gold)
{Diamond Tool} (8,000 Gold)
{Netherite Tool} (40,000 Gold)
{Diamond Armor (Full Set)} (50,000 Gold)
{Netherite Armor (Full Set)} (250,000 Gold)
{Minecrafter Physiology} (500B Gold)
"Animals seem a bit too expensive, maybe they are the same as in the game? pretty much infinite food as long as you feed them, I'll have to buy some once I'm settled somewhere more permanently."
[Cyberpunk 2077]
{Basic Ripperdoc Skills} (500,000 Gold)
{Intermediate Ripperdoc Skills} (5M Gold)
{Advanced Ripperdoc Skills} (50M Gold)
{Sandevistan} (20M Gold)
{MaxDoc} (50,000 Gold)
{Guts} (30,000 Gold)
{Skippy} (125,000 Gold)
{Malorian Arms 3516} (20,000 Gold)
{Byakko} (10,000 Gold)
{Breakthrough} (250,000 Gold)
"Ripperdoc skills could come in handy if I find survivors. I could give them some sick prosthetics."
[Helldivers 2]
{RS-422 Railgun} (200,000 Gold)
{AWP-1 AMR} (120,000 Gold)
{R-6 Deadeye} (20,000 Gold)
{PLAS-39 Accelerator Rifle} (250,000 Gold)
{Stratagem System} (5B Gold)
"Clearing out a city or a horde with democracy sounds like fun...hit 'em with the good ol' ↑→↓↓↓."
[Dragon Ball]
{Hoi-Poi Capsules Technology} (50B Gold)
{Bulma's Knowledge} (120B Gold)
{Dragon balls} (1T Gold)
{Saiyan Physiology} (600B Gold)
{Legendary Saiyan Physiology} (900B Gold)
{Namekian Physiology} (250B Gold)
{Frost Demon Physiology} (700B Gold)
"Holy fuck! That's the first thing I see at a trillion, how long would that even take me...but transforming into a super saiyan is a man's dream!"
[My Hero Academia]
{One For All (Deku)} (7.5B Gold)
{All For One} (12B Gold)
{Rewind} (35B Gold)
{New Order} (100B Gold)
{Overhaul} (5B Gold)
{Decay} (3.5B Gold)
{Copy} (1.5B Gold)
{Manifest} (900M Gold)
{Creation} (2B Gold)
{Support Gear Engineering} (20M Gold)
"Some of these are expensive...I wonder if buying quirks from here would bypass the quirk singularity, or if I could hold an unlimited amount of quirks."
[One Piece]
{Goro Goro No Mi} (320B Gold)
{Pika Pika No Mi} (400B Gold)
{Mori Mori No Mi} (250B Gold)
{Hie Hie No Mi} (220B Gold)
{Mera Mera No Mi} (220B Gold)
{Gomu Gomu No Mi} (200B Gold)
{Gura Gura No Mi} (500B Gold)
{Ope Ope No Mi} (450B Gold)
{Uo Uo no Mi Model: Seiryu} (450B Gold)
{Tori Tori no Mi Model: Phoenix} (300B Gold)
{Basic Observation Haki} (50M Gold)
{Basic Armament Haki} (75M Gold)
{Basic Conqueror's Haki} (1B Gold)
{Rokushiki (Each)} (25M Gold)
"Wait a minute...Luffy's fruit is only 200 billion? But that seems like the most busted fruit out of all those...granted, it needs to be awakened, maybe that's why?" After thinking about it for a few minutes, he continued, "The other fruits would be op as soon as you get them, yeah, maybe the shop prices things for their instant value, if it gets stronger with time and effort, it's cheaper..." After thinking about it for a bit, he continued down the list.
[Naruto]
{D-Rank Jutsu} (100,000 Gold)
{C-Rank Justsu} (1M Gold)
{B-Rank Jutsu} (10M Gold)
{A-Rank Jutsu} (100M Gold)
{S-Rank Jutsu} (1B Gold)
{Senju Bloodline} (5B Gold)
{Uchiha Bloodline} (5B Gold)
{Uzumaki Bloodline} (4B Gold)
{Ōtsutsuki Bloodline} (300B Gold)
{Bijuu} (1-7 Tails 10B Gold) (8 Tails 30B Gold) (9 Tails 50B Gold) (10 Tails 250B Gold)
"I'll probably avoid the Uchiha bloodline, but the Senju, on the other hand...making a giant wooden buddha seems like fun, even more if I find a way to world travel..."
[7 Deadly Sins]
{Ban's Immortality} (100B Gold)
{Escanor's Sunshine} (180B Gold)
{Merlins Infinity} (350B Gold)
"Ban's immortality seems rather cheap compared to the list, but if I remember right, it has some drawbacks...the other two are self-explanatory: throw some suns at people and spam magic."
Finally done with the list, Gray spent the rest of the day doing mundane things, working out, and checking the perimeter.
The next day, waking up at the first signs of dawn, the first thing he did was check on his gold.
Gold: 5,018
Before buying any upgrades, he did his morning routine, checking around the house for any signs of zombies. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he got to it.
[New Upgrade]
(3000 Gold) 240 Gold/Hour ✔
(550 Gold) +0.05x ✔
(1150 Gold) +0.05x ✔
[New Hourly Rate]
555 Gold/Hour
With 318 gold remaining, Gray got an omelet for breakfast along with a cold bottle of orange juice for 15 gold.
10 minutes after finishing his breakfast, he had enough gold to buy his first skill.
[New Skill]
{Basic Marksmanship} (500 Gold) ✔
Right after buying it, Gray felt a rush of information flood his mind, causing him a bit of discomfort. After about two minutes, it was over.
"God, that felt weird..." he said as he grabbed the shotgun, getting a feel for it. "Handling this feels almost natural now. I know how to reload it safely, and I have some knowledge about almost all types of weapons. You're telling me this was just the basic one?"
He packed all his supplies and tools into his backpack and added it to his inventory. Before heading out to explore again, he refilled the horse's water and food, then walked off into the distance.
After about an hour and a half of walking, Gray came upon a gas station. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and he noticed four apartment buildings looming nearby, their windows shattered and doors hanging ajar. It was the kind of desolate scene you'd see in movies, but now it felt all too real.
As he approached the gas station cautiously, he noticed movement. His heart raced as he counted at least thirty zombies rambling down the street, shuffling aimlessly in search of their next meal. They were scattered, wandering in small groups and alone, their decaying bodies barely managing to stay upright.
Gray ducked behind a car, trying to stay hidden. "This isn't good," he muttered under his breath, gripping the axe tightly. His mind raced through the possibilities. There were too many to take on head-on, especially with his limited supplies.
He scanned the area for an escape route or a way to gather supplies without attracting attention. Gray could feel his pulse quicken, the scene unfolding in front of him like a nightmare. The apartment buildings were tempting for potential refuge and resources, but they were also a nightmare waiting to unfold if he wasn't careful.
Finally deciding staying wasn't worth the risk, he got up, but in doing so, he didn't notice the axe had scraped the car, triggering the alarm. Going pale, he looked up and saw all the zombies start making their way towards him.
Making a run for it, Gray headed back to one of the farmhouses he had cleared the day before. Not seeing any zombies behind him, he took a moment to rest.
Seeing that he had accumulated enough gold to buy his first gun, he got right to it. After spending 1,200 gold, he finally retrieved the Glock-19 from his inventory. As he familiarized himself with the weapon, he noticed the magazine was fully loaded.
"That's a nice touch, not having to spend gold on ammo," he thought. "But with so many zombies around, I doubt 15 bullets will make much of a difference."
With 267 gold remaining, Gray purchased two extended magazines, each holding 30 rounds, for 70 gold each, and they came fully loaded. Now better armed and feeling a boost of confidence, he was sure he couldn't miss a shot within a 15-yard radius. He began making his way back toward the gas station.
On his way back, he encountered a few stragglers roaming along the highway. Deciding to test out his new gun, he aimed and shot the closest one, hitting it with a headshot. Observing the others, he tested the weapon's accuracy.
After missing a few shots at the last remaining zombie, he decided to get closer and was able to take it down from a 20-yard distance. "I can still hit them from a 30-yard distance, but getting a headshot is challenging. From 15 yards and under, it's super easy to make one," he noted. Keeping an eye out for any potential threats after all the noise he had made, he took a seat on the highway.
With his remaining 127 gold, Gray bought a box of ammunition containing 50 bullets for 100 gold. After reloading the 10 bullets he had already used, he placed the box in his backpack and continued on his way.
"The gun was louder than I expected," he remarked. "I know I'll need a suppressor eventually. Although movies and TV shows exaggerate how much noise they actually make, it can't hurt to make less noise."
When Gray finally reached the gas station, he noticed about 15 more zombies than before. "The noise must have attracted more from the buildings," he thought, preparing himself. He dragged his axe along the ground to lure a few zombies at a time. Once they approached the 15-yard mark, he started shooting.
After running out of bullets, he quickly reloaded using one of the extended magazines, maintaining a steady pace of one shot every two seconds. One headshot after another, he cleared the streets until the small intersection was silent, save for the blaring alarm.
"Phew! That took me about five minutes, but shooting is fun! No wonder so many people were obsessed with firearms in my past life," he said to himself.
Taking the time to reload the magazines, he ended up using 60 bullets, leaving him with 55 remaining. He left the standard-sized magazine empty and reloaded both extended magazines, with one of them having 5 rounds missing.
As Gray entered the gas station, the first thing he noticed was how cluttered it was, along with the blood on the floor. Not thinking much of it, he cleared a path before heading to the candy aisle, where he grabbed as much chewy candy as he could fit into his backpack. Then, he made his way to the alcohol section and picked up a couple of bottles. "It wouldn't hurt to have a few of these; they might help me make some new friends..."
Going behind the counter, he grabbed as many boxes of cigarettes as he could. After loading up, he decided to leave the apartment buildings alone for now. On his way back, he encountered a couple of zombies. Using his axe, he dispatched them to save ammunition and avoid making too much noise.
Once he returned and ensured everything was okay, he took a break to drink some cold water. Just as he was starting to relax, he was startled by someone shouting outside.
"Hello!? Police officer out here! Anyone here!?"
Gray approached a window and looked out at the person who was shouting. "Can I borrow some gas?" As the person got closer, Gray's eyes widened.
"No way…" Not wasting any time, Gray opened the door slowly.
Seeing the door open, Rick instinctively reached for his gun and pulled it out. However, when he saw it was just a person, he let his guard down slightly. Gray peeked his head out the door, trying to ease Rick's tension. "Are you a real cop?"
Rick exhaled, almost a laugh, but the tension never fully left his shoulders. "Yeah, I am." He holstered his revolver halfway but kept his hand near it. "Are you alone?"
"Yeah."
That answer seemed to affect Rick more than Gray expected. Rick looked down for a moment before quietly asking, "Have you seen a woman? Dark hair. And a little boy, maybe around twelve years old."
Gray knew exactly who he meant.
"No," Gray answered honestly. "Not here."
Rick swallowed, nodding, his disappointment evident. "My wife and son," he explained. "They were gone when I got back home. A neighbor told me folks were heading to Atlanta. Safe zone, military, and all that."
Gray looked past Rick and asked, "Is that why you needed the gas?"
Nodding, Rick replied, "If you have any to spare, I would appreciate it."
Gray studied him for a moment. This was Rick before the prison, before Shane, before losing everything piece by piece, just a husband trying to find his family.
"I might have something. Hold on."
Going back inside, Gray rummaged through the shop and retrieved two gallons of gasoline for 20 Gold. He pulled out his backpack and shotgun, slinging them over his shoulders before walking back outside.
"What are you doing?" Rick asked, confused.
"I'm going with you. If what you say is true, then there's a safe zone in Atlanta, right? Besides, there's safety in numbers. Being alone isn't as great as you think. I've been talking to myself a lot lately." Gray handed Rick the can of gasoline. "Unless you don't want the company... I wouldn't mind either way."
Rick regarded Gray for a long moment, sizing him up, just as Gray had measured him. The sheriff's eyes moved from the shotgun to the axe and then back to Gray's face.
"You always invite yourself along like this?" Rick asked.
Gray shrugged. "Only on important occasions. Besides, I'm already paying with gas, right? The least you could do is give me a ride."
For a second, Rick was silent. Then he offered a tired half-smile and took the gas can. "Could use the help."
Gray nodded. "Good. Give me a minute."
He stepped off the porch and headed toward the small fenced area beside the farmhouse. The horse lifted its head as Gray approached, snorting softly.
Rick followed a few steps behind, surprise crossing his face. "You've got a horse?"
"Yeah, I found him with the house. It's a miracle he's still alive."
"What are you going to do with him?" Rick asked, confused.
Gray smiled as he opened the gate, letting the horse roam free. "Since we don't know if it's safe or if we're coming back here, I figured he'd have a better chance being free than being stuck in there, right?"
After watching the horse run away, Gray and Rick began walking back toward the car. Fifteen minutes later, they found it and filled it up. Once inside, Gray asked, "Do you think that will be enough gas to make it to Atlanta?"
Starting the car, Rick replied, "I guess we'll find out."