The air in Midtown was really hot that afternoon. I kept wiping my face and neck with the small towel I had slung over my shoulder. Sweat was pouring down my body because my job had required me to fight the sun since the morning.
"Leon! Take the cement to the east side!" Without asking many questions, I went straight to where Jack's foreman was standing. He was standing with both hands on his hips. His bulging belly was visible through the tight shirt he was wearing. His breathing sounded heavy, even though Jack was sitting in a chair with a fan in front of him.
I crouched down with my back to the pile of cement. With a tug, the cement was on my back. I rested my strength on my knees before getting up and walking to the east side.
I did this every day as a construction worker. But even though I'm just a construction worker, I'm grateful for my life. I also have a very understanding wife. She never insults my work and always greets me with a happy face when I come home.
"Leon. We're going to a bar after work. Do you want to come?" Roman approached me while Jack was nowhere to be seen. I ignored him and continued with the work Jack had given me. But he didn't seem to give up on asking me. It was the weekend, and we were about to be paid. Some of my colleagues went to bars to get drunk and play with women.
Many times, Roman has asked me to go to the bar after payday, but I have always refused. I never drink alcohol, and I don't want to betray Sofia, my wife. I loved her very much, and I didn't want her to be hurt if she found out I was sleeping with another woman.
"Leon! A man shouldn't be so rigid. You should enjoy life and have fun once in a while." Roman was still following me. Irritated by his attitude, I turned to Roman after putting the cement on the pile.
"I don't want to. After all, today is our first anniversary. I want to go home and buy a present for Sofia." I wish Roman would stop bothering me and let me work in peace. I'm afraid Jack will come back and find us talking. I went back to work, ignoring Roman as he muttered incoherently.
Finally, it was time to leave work. I asked Roman for permission not to work overtime and asked for my pay in advance. He didn't give me permission at first, but after I promised that I would work overtime tomorrow without getting paid, he finally gave me permission.
I left immediately after receiving my pay. I rode my motorbike into town to buy a present. A while ago, Sofia said she wanted a pair of high heels that were on display in a shop window. I saw that the price was so high. I started to save and put aside my wages so that I could buy them.
When I arrived at the shop, I parked my bike and walked confidently into the shop. But just inside the door, two big men blocked my way.
"You can't go in," said one of them, who had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. The other guard, who had short hair, just nodded in agreement.
"I want to buy shoes in this shop." I saw them look me up and down, then smile mockingly.
"The things here are expensive. You can't afford them."
The short-haired guard insulted me just by looking at me. My messy hair and shabby clothes clearly showed that I didn't have much money. I wasn't rich, but that didn't mean I couldn't buy one of the items on sale."I brought some money with me. I want to buy those shoes in front. I took out all the money in my pocket and pointed to the shoes in the display case. I hope they will let me in. I want to see Sofia's face, smiling from ear to ear because she got the shoes she wanted.
The two men looked at the dirty money in my hand and smiled wryly. "You'd better go before you disturb the other customers."
I don't care if I have to beg them, I really want to buy those shoes for Sofia. I was about to kneel down, but before I could, a voice behind me stopped me.
"What's going on?" I turned to see a rich woman with expensive clothes and bags staring at the two guards behind me. They immediately looked down in fear at the sight of the woman, which was quite different when they saw me.
"Look, miss. This beggar wants to come in. We didn't allow it because it would have disturbed the other guests. But this beggar won't go," said the long-haired guard, his head still bowed.
I'm used to being insulted, so such insults are meaningless to me. My emotions are immune to such remarks. But their behaviour was really rude. If it hadn't been for the shoes Sofia wanted to buy in this shop, I would probably have decided to leave.
"I am not a beggar. I have money, and I want to buy shoes for my wife. I showed the woman the money in my hand. The woman let out a short breath and then looked back at the two guards.
"Let him in! You can't treat customers like that. Everyone who comes into this shop is a customer."
Having said that, the woman simply walked away from us. As her body passed us by, I could smell a very fragrant scent. I wanted to thank her, but she had gone too far. I could only hope that we would meet again, and I would thank her sincerely.
The two guards were out of the way when I walked in. I immediately asked the waitress to get the shoes for me. After paying, I left quickly. I wanted to go home right away and give Sofia a surprise. She'll be so happy when she sees what I've brought her.
I get off the bike and feel strange when I see a luxury car parked in front of it. What kind of rich person would come to my house? I didn't have any rich friends in town.
Curious, I entered my house. But just as I opened the door, I heard a sound that made my blood boil. My hands clenched involuntarily. I walked towards my room with quick steps. The damned voice was getting louder and louder, and I was losing my mind.
I kicked the door in front of me, causing the two people having sex to jump and look at me. My blood boils as I see Sofia naked under the other man.
I can't imagine how red my face is right now as my anger continues to rise to the surface. Especially when I see the face of the man who crushed my wife's body.
"Leon!" Sofia looked surprised to see me. I saw her pale face, but she still didn't move from her position. How could the woman I trusted betray me like this? I threw away the paper bag containing the shoes that had been a gift for Sofia.
With my hands clenched in anger, I walked over to them and pushed the man's body hard on top of Sofia's until she fell to the floor. I was disgusted to see their naked bodies. I took a blanket and covered Sofia's naked body.
Then I walked over to the man, and a slap landed on his face. "You bastard!" I hit the man blindly. My brain couldn't stop imagining the man's body continuing to beat on Sofia's body until my wife made a sigh.
"Leon! Stop!" I felt Sofia's arms embrace me from behind, pulling my body away from the man.
"Let me go! I'll kill the bastard!" I wasn't satisfied, even though the man's face was bruised from my punch. My anger was still so great that I wanted to kill the man.
"I said stop!" I immediately froze when I heard the snapping sound coming from my wife's mouth. Sofia pushed my body with all her might, but she couldn't make me fall. "What are you doing? Why did you hit him?" Sofia's high-pitched question left me speechless.
"Sofia..." I tried to walk towards her, but she kept avoiding me. "Tell me that bastard made you do it. I'll beat him up for you." I think if Sofia was a faithful wife, she wouldn't have betrayed me.
Sofia shook her head. "I'm tired of being your wife, Leon!" Her sweaty face showed her disappointment in me.
I felt like a bolt of lightning when I heard Sofia say that. I must have misunderstood. There's no way Sofia would say something so hurtful.
"No! It must be that man who influenced you." I pointed at the man who was wearing his trousers. Remembering the moment he had walked into my wife's room, I felt like punching him again.
The man rubbed the corner of his lip that had been split by my punch and smiled mischievously.
"I'm tired of being poor, Leon!"
My heart felt like it was being squeezed when the woman I loved said that. "Sofia, I..."
"I want a divorce, Leon! I'm marrying Ian."
My world seemed to collapse when I heard Sofia's words. I was still hoping that what she had just said wasn't true. "You're joking, right?"
But what Sofia said next made me realise that I really had lost my wife.
Sofia shook her head. "I'm not joking, Leon. I want us to divorce."
"You've made the right decision, dear. As soon as you're divorced, I'll marry you." The man moved closer to Sofia. He hugged my wife's waist and kissed Sofia on the forehead.
"You're just a loser with nothing. A woman as beautiful as Sofia doesn't deserve a poor man like you."
"Just so you know, Leon. Ian is the manager of Quinion Corp. You're nothing compared to him!"
I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the anger that I really wanted to vent. I looked at the two people in turn, the glow of anger clearly visible in my eyes.
"I will not forget your treachery today, Sofia. I swear, from this moment on, you are no longer my wife. And mark my words, I will not return to you even if you beg and plead before me." I pointed my index finger at Sofia's face. "Scratch that!"
"Don't dream, Leon! Even if you work hard all your life, you'll never be Ian. You're just a construction worker with no future."
I saw Sofia walk over to the bedside table. She pulled out a drawer and took out a folder. He walked over to me and handed me the folder.
"Sign this! After this, we're not really husband-wife anymore."
I took the folder and opened it. I hadn't expected the gift Sofia had given me for our anniversary to be more surprising than mine. I signed the divorce papers without a second thought.
Sofia immediately took the paper from my hand. I could see the satisfied smile on her face when she saw my signature on the paper. He had even prepared all this when our relationship was still good.
"Good! I'm no longer the wife of a poor man like you. Now leave this house. This is the house my parents gave me. Take your things out of this house, or I'll throw them away.
It was only today that I discovered Sofia's true nature. She, who I thought was a perfect woman, turned out to be nothing more than a woman obsessed with wealth.I chose to ignore Sofia's words and turned to leave her. I don't care about my things anymore. I just wanted to leave this place immediately. I'm really disgusted with them. I promise to make them regret it later. I will repay this pain with the same.
I drove my motorbike in an uncertain direction. I have no place to go home to. I've been living in the house Sofia's parents gave us. Sofia is the daughter of the richest man in town. Her parents didn't approve of our marriage from the start, but Sofia insisted on marrying me. I thought she'd always be like that, but this time I realised she couldn't bear a simple life with me.I felt the air around me grow cold. It looks like it's going to rain soon. I even heard the sound of lightning starting to strike. But I don't care. All I want to do now is let out the emotions that are in my heart.Where shall I go tonight? I have nowhere to go home to. I rode on with a wandering mind. When I woke up, I felt something strange. The road had become so empty. There were no vehicles to my left or right. I wondered where all the cars and motorbikes had gone.I looked back ahead, but my eyes were immediately blinded by the white light in front of me. I ignored it and kept my bike moving forward."Wh
I decided to run while the zombies were attacking me. Even though they walked slowly, or even very slowly, if I was attacked by so many zombies, I would naturally lose and become one of them, or worse, become their food. [Why are you running?] "Are you crazy to ask that? If I don't run, they'll definitely eat my brain. Do you want me to die here?"Newt was really annoying. How could he ask such a stupid question? [You can buy weapons with the coins you need to kill them.] I suddenly stopped and digested what Newt had just said. "Why are you saying that now?" After I had run far enough to catch my breath. [I was going to say it, but you ran first.] I rolled both my eyes lazily. Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly gave Newt the order to activate the screen. In a split second, the holographic screen appeared before my eyes. [Please press the INVENTORY button and then the plus sign at the bottom right.] I follo
I looked at the clock on my left wrist. It had only been half an hour since I had left home. When I was in Smoky Hollow, it felt like I had been there for hours. "Newt, what's the date?" [It's the 22nd of January 2024, Master.] That means it's still the same date. Could it be that my clock is broken? But I see that the hands are still turning properly. "Why do I feel so long?" I muttered as I continued to look at the watch. [There is a comparison between time when you are in the real world and in Smoky Hollow. An hour in Smoky is only a minute in the real world. So you can spend time in Smoky Hollow without wasting much time in the real world.] Wow, this is a sign that I can make a lot of money in just a few minutes. But .... "Newt, when is the Smoky Hollow Gate going to open again? And why can't I hunt more than 50 zombies?" Wouldn't it be better if I could hunt more, because that would mean more money for me? [The Smoky Hollow Gate opens every eight hours. You can choose to
[Zombie Level 1 +100 Coins][Zombie Level 1 +100 Coins]I paused for a moment to catch my breath. When the gate opened again, I walked back into Smoky Hollow. Of course, even though I was a little tired, I didn't care because it was all about the money. Hunting like this is the only way I can make a lot of money. Even if I worked all my life, I'd never earn it.I looked to my left, and the zombies were coming closer again. Still holding the hammer in my right hand, I ran towards them. I thought the sooner this was over, the better.I swung the hammer at the group of zombies, and they easily disappeared.[Zombie Level 1 +100 Coins][Zombie Level 1 +100 Coins]"Ah...!" My hammer came loose, and something hit my right shoulder hard. I turned my head to see a zombie biting me. I pressed his head with my left hand to release the bite. I held my breath, not expecting it to smell like garbage when I sniffed it from the front.[HP -1][HP -1][HP -1]"Shit!" My HP was dropping by the moment b
[You are very handsome, Master.]I lifted the corner of my lips as Newt complimented me. I was standing in front of a large mirror in my walk-in closet. I never thought I would have a separate room to store my clothes and accessories. Shirts, suits, shoes, watches, and ties, all famous brands and expensive. All these things have been in this house from the first time."I've always been good-looking, Newt." I'm not lying. Even Sofia is crazy about my looks.After making sure my appearance was perfect, I went downstairs for breakfast. There are several types of dishes on the dining table. I frowned. Who's going to eat all this food? Are rich people always like this? How wasteful."Hello, my name is Fredy, Mr. Durand. I am the chef who will be cooking for you."I smiled awkwardly. This life is new to me. I even cooked for myself all the time because Sofia didn't want to cook. But now it's different; a chef is cooking for me.I didn't want Fredy to see my embarrassment. I cleared my thro
"Newt, how do I get out of this place?" I stared in horror downward. I was still keeping my balance to avoid falling down. As I shifted my feet, small stones shifted and fell down. I didn't dare to imagine the height of this place, I couldn't even hear the sound of falling rocks. I'm sure that there's no bottom down there.[Calm down, Master. You must not panic. Once you lose your balance, I'm not sure where you'll land.]I let out a long breath. Newt's answer didn't help at all. While I was thinking, I heard strange noises. They sounded like crows cawing at each other—more like fighting. I knew this after seeing two giant birds pecking at each other and advancing their wings, as if they were fighting. The two birds were not far from where I was standing now, and were getting closer and closer.My eyes widened when suddenly the two birds were in front of me."Woaaa...!" I screamed as suddenly one of the bird's wings fluttered and hit my body, causing me to bounce. But fortunately, my
I took a long breath. I crossed my legs and folded my hands across my chest. All my muscles felt weak as I remembered what had happened to me. Moments ago, I had been forced to swallow something the mother bird had given me. I had refused and looked away, but the mother bird's gaze made me swallow what she gave me. Her look seemed to say, 'If you don't eat this, I will eat you. Could it be that the brood birds saw me as one of her children? Fortunately, what the brood birds gave me was a sour tasting fruit and not a disgusting, wriggling animal.I let out another long sigh. I was trapped in this bird's nest with nowhere to go. I looked down, and this place was no higher than where I had landed earlier. I couldn't see what was below either, because the white smoke was blocking my eyes again. "Newt, where are you?" I whispered, looking for Newt. But I got no answer again. It looks like he really did run away. [Master, Master...!] I pricked up my ears, as if a voice were echoing in
I lifted my head. I landed on my stomach. But strangely, I didn't feel any pain at all, like someone who had just fallen from a great height. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in the same place I had landed when I first entered Smoky Hollow. My right hand was still closed, holding the pendant I had just received.I didn't even feel any pain in my body. I slowly stood up and scanned my body. There were no wounds. Could it be that I had died and was now in heaven? But is it possible for me to enter Heaven, considering I never worshipped?[You are still alive, Master.]I tiptoed as I heard Newt's voice in my head. I was so shocked that I forgot there was a system inside me."Logically, my body would be destroyed if I fell from that height. But why...?" I didn't have time to finish my question because I saw a bunch of zombies coming towards me.I unconsciously lifted the corners of my lips, feeling happy that I would get money and that I could get out of this place soon. It seemed