2024-02-12 11:52:43The door of the storeroom opens and Mr. Thompson gets out. “Hey, Zack, I will be back in an hour,” he informs. “Don’t make any mistake again!”
Zack nods and watches as Mr. Thompson leaves the store.
“Damn, your boss is still so antsy. You should look for a new job.”
“As if it’s easy to find a job with my qualifications.”
As Sophia makes her way back to the counter with a basket full of items, Zack can’t help but look at her. She really looks perfect, beautiful and curvaceous. Her face is like that of an angel.
“Hey guys,” Sophia greets them with a smile as she places the items on the counter. “What are you talking about?”
“What do you think of our campus?” Mason asks, trying to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics.
“It’s amazing,” Sophia gushes. “The buildings are becoming so modern and the atmosphere feels so alive.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying it,” Zack says politely while ringing up her purchases.
Mason places his arms on Sophia’s shoulders and invites her to the back of the store. “Come on, maybe I’ll show you around some more.” He flashes her a charming smile. “But first, let me get some item first.”
Sophia looks at him hesitantly, but eventually agrees and follows him to the back of the store. Zack watches them leave. He takes a deep breath and tries to focus on his work, but his mind keeps wandering back to the two of them.
After a few minutes, the two are still not returning, so he decides to take a break and follow them to see what they’re up to. As he gets closer, he can hear faint moans coming from inside the stockroom. His heart starts racing as he realizes what might be happening.
He peeks inside the room and sees Mason and Sophia locked in a passionate embrace. Their clothes are scattered on the floor, and they seem lost in their desire for each other.
Zack’s heart is racing as he watches the scene unfolding before his eyes. His shock turns to anger as he sees Mason push Sophia against the shelves and pound into her with such force. Despite the roughness, Sophia seems to be enjoying it, her moans echoing through the stockroom.
“Oh… Mason…”
Then their lips meet hungrily, their bodies entwine like vines around each other, the scent of body odor fills the air. They moan in unison as their tongues dance against each other, oblivious to their surroundings. Zack’s heart shatters at the sight.
He can’t believe what he’s seeing. Sophia, the girl he has admired from afar for so long, is cheating on her wealthy boyfriend with Mason. Is this why Mason was so certain about her cheating? Zack’s fists clench in frustration.
Mason locks eyes with him and a smile crosses his sweaty face, as if telling him, ‘I told you so.’
Zack turns and storms away from the room. He can’t bear to see them together any longer. He feels betrayed and disgusted by the both of them.
Mason emerges from the room a few minutes later with a smug look on his face. But when he sees Zack’s angry expression, his confidence falters.
“I will just go to a bathroom,” Sophia says, fixing her tousled hair. “I will be back.”
“What the hell was that?” Zack seethes at him.
“What are you talking about?”
It’s very obvious. Their faces are still flushed, their clothes still a bit messy. Sophia’s hair is even tousled from when Mason is clutching tightly to it!
“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” Zack growls. “You’re sleeping with Sophia behind her boyfriend’s back!”
“I’m just making a point to you,” he says, glaring back at him.
But Zack doesn’t want to hear it. He cuts him off with a sharp gesture. “I trusted you as my friend, Mason. You know how I felt about her!”
“You were denying it earlier! Besides, don’t tell me you still want to sleep with her even after seeing that?!”
The Quickfix door chimes again and Sophia comes in, back to her angelic self.
“What are you guys talking about?” she asks again, a sweet smile on her face.
“Nothing,” Zack answers.
“We are talking about your dinner date. Zack wants me to come with you. It will be a threesome, he says.”
“Oh!” Sophia exclaims, a blush coming to her cheeks. “You heard that?”
Mason places his arms around her and whispers, “Your moans were pretty loud earlier, so of course, he will hear.”
Sophia chuckles. She gazes at Zack, and looks at him up and down, judging him.
“Hmmm, unfortunately, I am only really thinking of free dinner,” she says with a sly smile. “I may be a slut, but I also choose who I will fuck.”
Zack’s jaw clenches. He can’t believe how casually she talks about sleeping with someone else while in a relationship. It also hurts his pride to hear that she thinks he is even undeserving of a quick fuck!
“You know what? Forget it,” he says with exasperation. “I don’t even want to go to dinner anymore.”
Sophia chuckles. “Suit yourself,” she says as she wraps her arms around Mason’s waist. Abruptly, she tiptoes and places a quick kiss on Mason’s lips.
“Should we enjoy ourselves tonight, then?” she purrs.
To say the least, Zack is stunned, but as her words sink in, instead of feeling jealous, he feels disgusted.
“You...” he can’t even form the correct words to describe her.
Sophia laughs, seeing his confusion. “I didn’t know you were such a prude, Zack.”
“I’m not a prude, I just have morals,” he retorts.
Sophia rolls her eyes and turns to Mason. “Let’s just forget about him. I love what you did there. Do it again to me tonight.”
Mason nods in agreement, and they start walking towards the exit of the store.
“Wait!” Zack calls after them, feeling frustrated and confused by the whole situation. “You can’t just leave like that.”
Sophia turns around with an amused smile on her face. “Just stop, okay? I don’t like you. You reek of being a loser,” she taunts.
Zack feels angry at her lack of remorse, but it’s not her that he is worried about. His gaze falls on Mason, who is now walking away with Sophia like she is some kind of prize to be won.
“Aren’t you in love with Celeste?” he asks.
Mason stops in his tracks, his face turning serious as he turns to face him. “I’ve been waiting for her to see me as a man, Zack,” he says through clenched teeth. “I’ve been waiting for years. But you were there last night. You’ve seen how she rejected me… again.”
Zack looks at Sophia with disgust and shakes his head. “And you think sleeping with Sophia behind her boyfriend’s back is going to make Celeste suddenly fall for you? That’s messed up, man.”
Mason’s expression turns defensive. “I don’t need your judgment, Zack,” he snaps back. “You have no idea what it feels like to be constantly rejected by someone you love.”
Zack’s heart softens at the pain in Mason’s voice, but he refuses to let him off the hook that easily. “But what if—”
“It’s none of your business!” he snaps at him, cutting him off.
And with that, the two leave the store, leaving Zack looking at them with frustration.
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Zack stands outside the store, still reeling from an encounter with Mason and Sophia. He can’t believe what he just witnessed — his ex-crush openly admitting to cheating on his boyfriend and showing no remorse for it. And Mason, who has already given up on Celeste and is now fucking a cheater and a whore.His mind is racing with questions. How can Mason do this? Is he really that desperate for Celeste’s attention?But as Zack continues to mull over the situation, a loud commotion from inside the storage room snaps him back to reality. He rushes in, only to see a furious Mr. Thompson.“What’s going on?” he asks breathlessly.“You think I won’t find out?!” he yells at Zack. “You think you can get away with this?!”Zack’s heart drops. He looks around frantically, trying to figure out what he is angry about. Did he forget to arrange something? Any missing stocks, perhaps?“What is it?” Zack asks, his voice trembling.Mr. Thompson storms towards him, his face red with fury. “I can’t believe
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It is a hot day as Zack lies on his bed and stares at the ceiling, doing and thinking nothing. Suddenly, his phone buzzes. He automatically picks it up, thinking that it’s Mason, and starts the call.“Mason?”“Brother? Zack?” she starts, her voice trembling. It is his sister, Trina.“Hi, Trina, how are you?” he asks.“Zack, thank god! I finally reached you!”He scratches his head. For the past few days, he is not answering any calls from them. He knows what they want — more money. And it is something he doesn’t have. He doesn’t even know how to survive the following weeks. He tried to look for work, but none were asking him to come for an interview.“Zack, are you still there?” she asks.“Yes, I am still here.”“My tuition is due, and if it’s unpaid, I won’t be able to graduate.”His gaze sweeps across his tiny room. What can he even do? He can’t even fend for himself.“The fees are due next week, Zack,” she continues, her voice filled with desperation. “If I don’t pay, I can’t take my
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Zack scratches his head as he stares at the emails on the computer that Celeste allows him to borrow. His eyes scan through dozens of rejection emails, each one a punch to his gut. He rubs his temples, trying to ease the tension building up.He glances at his tattered leather wallet and takes another heavy sigh. His phone lights up and he reads the message from Trina. It is the amount of tuition he needs to pay and how to pay it. And now, his situation presses him down further, making it hard to breathe.Feeling defeated, Zack continues to search for job posts, his desperation creeping in. Finally, he comes across an advertisement for an online loan facility. He hesitates for a moment, but then clicks on the link. Maybe this is his last chance to make enough money to pay his tuition and survive until Celeste arrives and he can look for a new job.“Hello, Borrower,” a flashing marquee greets him as the website loads. “We’re here to help you with all your financial needs. What can we do
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The Zenith System Chapter 015
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Then Zack notices something else as well. At the man’s head, there are small horns protruding from his forehead. No, not just any horns. They are black and twisted and seem to pulse with an otherworldly energy.And so he grips his katana tighter, trying to steady his trembling hands. He knows that this will not be an easy fight, but he also knows that he cannot back down either.“What are you?” Zack manages to ask, his voice shaking slightly.The dark mage chuckles. “I am a human and a dark mage,” he declares proudly. “I think you know that by now, given how you are looking at me.”“Then… how are you affiliated with the loan agency?!”“Ah, that? Well, I get my fresh supplies of humans to experiment on from them.”“What kind of experiments?” Zack demands, his grip on his katana tightening even more.The dark mage chuckles, a sinister gleam in his eyes.
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Zack takes out the katana from his weapon storage. Holding the weapon in his right hand, he pushes open the door with his left.In the middle of the room, a man stands before him who is eyeing him warily. “An attack, huh?”Zack places the katana in front of him. “It might be,” he answers.“But why is there only a single person? Are you crazy?”“The others asked the same earlier.”“This place. Is this your doing, too?”“No,” he admits.“You have a weapon. Do you know how to use that?”“We’ll find out.”Zack keeps his guard up as the man suddenly lunges at him with his bare hands. He swiftly dodges the attack and counters with a slice from his katana.The man stumbles back, surprised by Zack. “Ugh, where are my gun and knife, anyway?” he mutters to himself.The man attacks again, but Zack is faste
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Zack steps inside. The place behind the fourth door is dark and musty, with only a small beam of light shining through a crack in the ceiling. In front of him is an old man who seems lost and is looking around.The instant Zack enters, he looks at him.“A young man,” he remarks. “Care to tell me where I am and who you are?”“I am sent to destroy a loan shark agency,” he admits.“Oh,” the old man says, looking up at him. “So, you’re here to defeat me.”“You?”“Are you hesitating because of my age?”Zack swallows. He doesn’t want a repeat of the zombie dungeon. He doesn’t enjoy hurting the elders.While he is hesitating, the old man takes his stance and prepares for battle.“I really—”Suddenly, the old man moves surprisingly fast for someone his age. He launches punches and kicks towards Zack. Thankfully, he has a Quick Dodge, and he is able to evade each surprise attack.“You’re good,” the old man comments as they circle each other. “But can you keep up?”Their movements become faster
Chapter 028
Zack opens the Zenith system interface. He presses on the Level Up? text and sees that he only gained one level from completing the first floor. He also only earned eight chests and a hundred thousand zeniths. It feels weird. This is a loan agency, and he is earning fewer zeniths than the zombie dungeon? So, he proceeds to open the items instead, hoping that there are some good items in there. However, there are only four health potions, one ability point, and the rest are zeniths. Disappointed, he stands up. He searches for the staircase and ascends it. He pushes the door open and is met with a line of goons on the second floor. Zack swallows hard. Unlike the goons on the first floor. These people are tall and very muscular. They look as if every single one of them is a VIP bodyguard. He won’t even be surprised if they are using guns. On the other hand, he has the same strength as the first floor. He hasn’t moved his available skill points into his stats yet. Hopefully, they only
Chapter 027
The sun is setting as Zack goes back and forth across the same street where he chances upon the zombie dungeon. However, nothing is changing. It has the same atmosphere, the same clean looking building, and the same living people. No zombie dungeon is opening up! Disappointment washes over him. He prioritizes increasing his Luck attribute all because of this particular problem. His health is at 200/200 and he feels more than ready for a mission, and yet, it is not appearing! He looks at the time. It is close to six PM. He still has time. So, he explores the area again, looking for any clues or signs on how to enter that dungeon. As he walks down the busy street, Zack’s ears pick up on a loud argument coming from an alleyway between two buildings. Curious, he turns the corner to investigate. A group of men have another man backed against a wall, their voices filled with malice. One of the men spots him and sneers, “Beat it, kid.” Ignoring the warning, Zack steps forward and holds h
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Zack wakes up with his stomach growling. He groans as he stretches his aching muscles, still feeling drained from his stay in that zombie dungeon. He slowly pushes himself out of bed and stumbles towards the kitchen. His health has regenerated, and it’s no longer decreasing. As he rummages through the cabinets and fridge, looking for something to eat, he hears Celeste’s voice coming from the living room. “You really need to take a bath, Zack,” she says. “How long did I sleep?” he asks. “I don’t know. I didn’t see you for a few days. But you smell terrible,” she remarks. Zack feels heat rising to his cheeks as he realizes that he must have smelled pretty bad after days without bathing. He’s just too hungry. In fact, he didn’t even notice Celeste when he passed through the living room earlier. “That bad, huh?” he asks, peeking from the kitchen and into the living room, where Celeste has her laptop on. She peers through her eyeglasses and nods. “Pretty bad,” she says, scrunching h
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“AHHHHH!” Zack screams, trying to get courage and curb the pain from all the screaming. The time is ticking. Only five minutes remain and he is still sandwiched between the giant zombie and a wall of a house. ‘I need to kill it…’ he thinks to himself. Zack’s adrenaline kicks in as he tightens his grip on the longsword. He activates his Power Strike skill and uses all his remaining strength to pierce through the giant zombie’s skull. The longsword cracks and disintegrates into pieces, but not before delivering a fatal blow to the giant zombie. The giant zombie lets out a final roar before collapsing onto the ground, lifeless. Zack takes deep breaths, feeling exhaustion wash over him. The timer disappears, indicating that he has completed the task just in time. “Task Completed.” “Title Unlocked. You are now a Zombie Hunter.” “Weapon Storage Unlocked.” He wants to laugh at the absurdity of the rewards. What’s the use of a title? And now that his longsword has disintegrated, he ha
Chapter 024
Zack heaves as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. He doesn’t know how many hours have passed since he pressed that YES prompt to continue defeating zombies. Thankfully, when he increased his Luck to 10. There are no more zombies of babies and young kids that appeared. He glances at the notifications in front of him. There are ten prompts about chests that are almost obscuring his vision. Earlier, he was making count of how often these chests appear and he realized that for a group of ten defeated zombies, there is a chance for at least one chest to appear. Then another notification appears about his Low health. Now, he’s on 5/100, almost dying. Instead of pressing the Level Up? text screen. He starts opening the chests instead, hoping that it contains one or two potions. Besides, potions in the shop are too expensive for him. One health potion in particular is around 200,000 zeniths. A longsword costs two million, while a katana amounts to four million zeniths! After opening the t
