003 -

This is his first time holding a gun. His adrenaline starts to race up. The image of him shooting zombies with the handgun starts playing in his head like in the video game. How fun it would be.

But soon he returns to reality. “No way! There’s no way I can do that!”

Having enough with all the strangeness and his endless anxiety, he rushes down from the top of the hill.

“Oh, God! How am I going to get home now?”

And suddenly…

[!]

[Would you like to go back to your home?]

“Eh, I can go back? Um, yes! Take me home! Take me back home now!”

[Sorry! You need to be inside the portal circle to use the portal]

“Portal circle?”

It reminds Jimmy about the weird circle he found on the ground inside the shallow cave. Hence, he rushes back to that place.

And just like what he thought…

[!]

[Would you like to use the portal?]

“Yes, of course! Finally I can go back to…”

[!]

[Sorry, you don’t meet the minimum requirement. It needs two portal scrolls to transfer you back to Iodrana]

“Portal scroll?”

[!]

[Would you like to buy a portal scroll?]

[1 Portal Scroll = 5 gold coins]

[Your Current Balance = 0 gold coins]

“Ah, I only have…”

Jimmy takes out the little money he has in his pocket and starts counting. But he immediately gets rejection.

[!]

[We don't accept such a useless paper]

“What the hell?”

He snaps and throws money into that holographic interface. But they just pass through.

“How am I supposed to get gold coins here?!”

[!]

[You can complete a quest, and get some interesting rewards.]

[Displaying all Lv. 1 Quests available on this island]

[Loading menu…]

[!]

[There’s only one Lv.1 Quest available on this island]

- Clearing Leawell Isles Lv. 1

Requirements :

- Kill 7 Dread Rheas.

- Kill 15 Zombies.

- Clear the Serene Den from rats until the quest is completed.

- Complete the quest within 7 days. If you die, or leave the island, or fail to complete the quest within 7 days, all the count will be reset back.

Reward :

- 1 Portal Scroll.

- 15 Gold Coins for each slain Dread Rhea.

- 25 Gold Coins for each slain Zombie.

- 5 Gold Coins for each slain rat.

[!]

[Would you like to take the ‘Clearing Leawel Isles Lv. 1’ Quest?]

***

The next day, Jimmy goes down the hill while checking the condition of his handgun. He has spent one night in this island, without eating anything except a few pieces of guava.

He definitely needs to hunt those rheas. It’s not only to complete the quest so he can get home, but also to find food to stay survive.

Unfortunately, after more than an hour of searching rheas, he is surprised by the appearance of a zombie.

The ugly undead walks so slowly, looking so stupid like a street junky. But the fear it emits unfailingly sends down the chill on Jimmy’s spine.

“Ooh, God! Not now! I’m not ready for this yet!”

Driven by fear, he immediately walks away. However…

“Wait a minute! Looks like it’s not that dangerous. Why don’t I use it as a shooting target for practice?”

There are 17 bullets in his gun, while there’s another spare magazine in his inventory. With 34 bullets at his disposal, he is determined to be proficient in using a handgun.

But using a handgun is not as easy as he thought. To make things worse, his first shot has caught the other zombies’ attention in the swamp, not too far away from that place.

Jimmy keeps his distance, not wanting to get bitten. Slow as it may be, but that one zombie is not just a mere zombie. It keeps swaying like a master of drunken fist.

Either it has a great reflex to avoid the bullets, or maybe it’s Jimmy who is too naïve. He keeps aiming at the zombie’s head, and has always missed it.

“Damn! There must be something wrong with this gun! Only the sound is loud!”

Annoyed, he takes out a crowbar from his inventory, intending to vent out his irritation directly.

As he comes, the zombie also looks ready to have a fight. It swings both hands, like performing a windmill in a basketball dunk contest.

“Woooaa!!” Jimmy gets away in fear. “That was close!”

Terrified, Jimmy simply swings the crowbar blindly.

Dsh!!!

The zombie's head is somewhat soft and easily broken. A kind of green smoke comes out of the zombie's flesh.

The smell is so foul and pungent. Feeling of wanting to vomit, Jimmy moves away and throws everything up. Soon, he notices a legion of zombies slowly approaching.

“Oh, God! What should I do now?”

Tired and annoyed, he rushes to get away. He climbs back up the hill, without realizing he has been poisoned by the one zombie he hit earlier.

Until then...

[!]

[You've been infected by zombie poison, and it has significantly decreased your vitality]

[Your critical condition is at 67 % at the moment. You will turn into a zombie if your critical condition reaches 90 % while the poison still remains in your body]

Jimmy is stunned with a pale face, falls to his knees looking completely resigned. “Why didn't you warn me much earlier, you fucking stupid system! Can't you be smarter than this?”

[!]

[You are the stupid one here]

[Shouting out loud in such a manner will only make the poison spread faster.]

“Fuck off!”

He pants, with both legs feeling so weak. Death! That is the only thing that comes to his mind at the moment.

And even worse…

[!]

[If you become a zombie, you will still be able to see, feel, and think, but mostly unable to control your body. You will stay like that until something kills you]

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”