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2024-10-29 19:42:56Zack’s consciousness flickers like a faulty bulb of light, thrusting him back into the realm of the living with a jarring dissonance. His eyelids pry open, his gaze fixed on the bland ceiling. A sterile scent mingles with antiseptic as he realizes that he is back in the hospital again. He can even hear the sound of a machine beeping in a steady cadence.
Zack sits up, but his body is aching. He feels weak and there are some tubes connected to him.
He is about to take it off him when a voice says, “Easy now.”
He shifts his attention to the voice and finds the same male nurse who acts more than a friend to Celeste. He snorts. He is about to say something when he realizes that he feels exhausted.
“You are in a hospital, Zack,” he says. “Do you remember me?”
He looks away. “The man Celeste is fucking,” he says. His throat is raw and dry.
“Oh, you are still jealous,” he says, chuckling while giving him a glass of water.
“She’s my cousin. I am not jealous.”
“Just angry, huh?” he asks.
He glares at him, and then he realizes that if he’s in the hospital again, surely he needs to pay Celeste again?!
“The payment…”
“Don’t worry about that,” the nurse reassures him. He’s now adjusting the IV drip with practiced hands. “You’re covered. You’re one of Celeste’s beneficiaries. She’s taken care of everything.”
Her again?! He purses his lips. She just really wanted him to fail, didn’t she?! No, that’s not it! But the other explanation will gnaw at him until the end of his life, so he refuses to admit it.
“Why do you hate your cousin anyway?” the nurse suddenly asks.
“I don’t hate her.”
“Then why do you keep on creating troubles for her?”
“I’m n—Ah!” he groans at the pain of his sudden movement.
The nurse looks at him. “You know, Celeste is a dear friend of mine. Please, don’t keep stressing her out, okay?”
He glares at him because that’s all he can really do against him, especially when his body is still tingling in pain.
The nurse gives him a charming smile and adds, “Rest now, okay? I will call for Celeste.”
The nurse hasn’t even stepped away when the door opens. Celeste strides into the room, her presence slicing through him like a blade. There is indifference on her face and Zack can only look away.
“Zack,” she begins, her voice low but sounding dangerous, as if a whip coiled tight with restraint. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
He purses his lips, afraid to say the wrong words. Celeste moves closer, her heels clacking against the floor as she approaches his bedside.
“Look at yourself,” she continues. “You think that this… this selfish stunt will make us realize something?!”
He opens his mouth, but in front of her, his throat constricts and he can’t utter a word. He wants her to feel his absence and finally realize his worth in her life. Yet, he’s not even able to do that.
“You are so blind,” she whispers.
Then silence engulfs the room. She studies him for a moment, her gaze sweeping over his bandages.
When he doesn’t respond, she continues, “Should I tell your sisters?”
This time, he meets her gaze, even if his expression is marred with negative emotions.
“No…” he finally manages, his voice barely a whisper.
She then turns to the nurse, who is still hovering around.
“Can my cousin leave already?” she asks.
The nurse looks at her, and then to Zack, then he nods. “Yes, he’s stable and is ready to be discharged, but do check on him from time to time.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Then can you leave us for a few minutes?”
Zack watches as the nurse nods and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. He turns his attention back to Celeste.
“Why did you do it?” she asks again. “Why do you keep pushing me away and causing trouble for everyone?”
Zack lets out a bitter laugh. “And you’re so perfect, right?” he retorts. “You should have just let me die.”
Suddenly, her fist connects to his cheek in a swift movement. He winces in pain, but he doesn’t flinch or try to defend himself. He is already expecting it, anyway. She has always been violent towards him.
“You think I want you dead?!” she seethes, her voice laced with venom.
Zack glares up at her, his eyes burning with resentment. He wants to lash out at her, too. He wants to tell her that he is still a patient in the hospital and she just can’t keep hitting him like this!
“You think I enjoy seeing you hurt?!” she screams at his face.
“Wha—” he starts, but his voice is a strangled gasp.
As she continues to hit him, the room spins and he feels as if his wounds are opening up. Zack wants to cry. Does she hate him so much that she will abuse an injured person?
“Damn you, Zack! I’ve tried to help you, but you’re the most selfish, proud, arrogant person I know!”
She exhales, her breath trembling as she struggles to compose herself. “I don’t know what to do with you! It’s as if you are spitting on hope itself!”
“Hope?!” he asks, his tone laced with skepticism. “Even if I see it, I am drowning, Celeste! I don’t know what to do anymore!”
“Then allow me to help you navigate away from this! This… this dark abyss you are teetering on!”
She hits him across his face. And yet, now the sting is nothing compared to the ache in his chest. What does he really want? To be seen? Truly be seen? Even if he’s broken?
Zack shields himself from her fists. But suddenly, her punches become weaker. He looks up at her and sees that she is heaving, her eyes ablaze with a storm of emotions.
“You fucking asshole…” she whispers.
And then his eyes widen when he sees tears in her face. To say the least, the sudden change in her demeanor startles him. And then, in an effort to hide her tears, she moves to him and embraces him.
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Zack freezes as Celeste wraps her arms around his neck. He doesn’t know how to respond. She is crying and trembling and the arms around him are getting tighter. “Zack, please let me help you,” she offers again. “You’ve been adrift for far too long.” His throat tightens. The walls he has built around himself are beginning to crumble under the weight of her words. Rather, her words feel like a lifeline tossed to him. Should he really grab it? Will his pride allow it? But he has been receiving her help for quite a while, right? It’s just a matter of finally admitting it. When he doesn’t respond, Celeste says with her voice trembling, “Why do you hate me so much?” Her initial anger, hot and bright, begins to wane, replaced by anguish and pain instead. “I don’t hate you,” Zack finally replies. “I think I just... I envy you.” She continues to cry, his shoulder getting wet with her tears. In truth, Zack wants her to hit him instead, rather than her, hugging him like this, trembling, as i
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*********** TRIGGER WARNING: Violence and Attempted Rape. Consider yourself warned. ************ Zack glances at Celeste, a silent exchange of dread passing between them. “Listen,” he starts, trying to reason with the barging men. “I don’t have money right now, but I promise I will pay.” “And we warned you before,” Adi says. “Just steal it from that woman over there.” “How much was it?” Celeste whispers to Zack. “Don’t bother, Celeste,” he says, not wanting to involve her in it. Suddenly, Celeste steps forward. “How much is his debt?” she asks again, her voice laced with defiance. Zack pales at the sight of her standing up for him, for them. “Celeste…” he tries to intervene, but she brushes him off. “I just told you I will help, right?” she says, before turning to face the goons again. “How much was it?” she asks again, this time louder. “Ten thousand dollars,” Adi replies with a sly smirk on his face. Zack gasps. It has already ballooned that much?! Celeste turns her atte
The Zenith System Chapter 019
Zack’s mind races, trying to make sense of what’s happening now. It looks like the screen of an ordinary video game, but smaller and miniaturized with fewer details. And besides… Attributes Statistics? Death? An empty Consequence? The system? What does it all mean? Then, remembering the urgency of his situation, he shifts his attention to Celeste. Her eyes are closed tightly, her face a picture of fear and disgust. A notification appears again. “Being a first-time user of the Zenith System, all your attributes will be reset and all wounds will be healed.” There’s a ting, and Zack stands up, discovering that his body feels light and energized. There is no more pain and exhaustion. The wounds on his face and body disappear as if they are never there. He looks around, everything is still moving in slow motion. Without a second thought, he moves towards Celeste, who is still struggling under Adi’s weight. He can feel the power coursing through him, urging him to protect her. He grabs
The Zenith System Chapter 020
Zack sits on his hospital bed, his back against the headboard. A few days ago, the police had already visited him and Celeste. After the investigation, Adi’s death was deemed as self-defense. His eyes shift to Celeste. She is sitting on a chair beside his bed, smiling at Kevin, who is telling her some funny story. Thankfully, her wounds were superficial, and she was discharged after a day. As for him, he requires stitches and a few days of rest. However, he still cannot believe that she could fatally injure a man. The way she struck Adi, pressing at the knife to lodge it deeper into him, he had no idea where she got it. Maybe from reading too many books? He notices when Kevin whispers in her ears, and she looks at him. “What is it?” she asks. “No-nothing,” he responds, looking away. He takes a deep breath and glances at the notification instead. It is still hovering in front of him. It reads ‘Activate’, probably referring to the Attributes Screen. He then taps on the glowing ‘Act
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Zack frowns. Why is failure always equal to death?! And why is the consequence always left as blank?! Nevermind that. At least, he got a new task this time. He’s not going to question it for fear that it will disappear. But, seriously? Thugs are following him? Are they in the same loan agency as Adi and the other three men? And so, Zack enters a convenience store. He buys the cheapest drink they have and subtly glances outside. There they are, he thinks, seeing the men outside the store, looking for him. They are wearing their typical dark clothes, their faces obscured by hoodies. Zack can see the telltale signs of their tattoos, peeking out from underneath their sleeves. He can also see the knives holstered to their belts. Thankfully, they don’t have guns, or else this task has already ended — with his death, that is. He finishes the last sip of his drink and heads outside, ready to face them. But before that, he needs to bring them somewhere with no crowd. It should also be a pla
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“What is going on?!” Zack groans, feeling like he’s trapped in some horror movie.He quickly finds himself running down a narrow alleyway, the sound of footsteps behind him growing louder. He takes a sharp turn and sees a door at the end of the alley. Without hesitation, he flings it open and shuts it behind him, leaning against it to catch his breath.“Man... This Luck stat is really NOT working out for me,” he pants between deep breaths. However, he knows that he needs to defeat ten zombies within 24 hours, but to do that, he needs weapons.After gaining his breath, he looks around. He’s in some kind of an abandoned warehouse. Maybe he can find some weapons here? Now, more than ever, he needs that Luck attribute to work!“Come on, where are you?!” he mutters under his breath.Just then, he catches sight of an old metal pipe lying on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabs it and swings it around experimentally. It’s not the best weapon, but it’ll have to do for now.He takes a dee
The Zenith System Chapter 023
Zack quickly turns and heads back towards the front door, determined to leave before it’s too late. As he reaches for the doorknob, he hears growls coming from outside.“Shit,” he mutters under his breath.Instead, he exits through the back door. He rushes out of the house while frantically scanning for any signs of zombies, and a house that seems empty.He runs past houses until he nears the tenth house along the same street. There is something different about it. The house is barricaded with wooden planks over its windows and doors.Zack quickly makes his way towards the house and starts to climb up onto its roof using a nearby tree branch. Thankfully, he’s stronger now, or else he won’t even be able to pull himself up the first tree branch.As soon as he reaches the roof, Zack takes a moment to catch his breath before moving towards a small attic window that was thankfully left open.He carefully climbs in th
The Zenith System 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
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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 a deep breath and tries to calm his nerves. He knows he’s no match for this level 32 woman, but he refuses to back down. He grips his katana tightly and prepares for the fight ahead.The woman rushes towards him with surprising speed, her fists clenched and ready to strike. Zack quickly evades her punches and tries to strike back with his katana, but she dodges effortlessly.“You’ll have to do better than that,” she taunts, her voice filled with confidence.Zack grits his teeth and tries to think of a strategy. He knows that he can’t rely on brute force alone, so he decides to use some of his skills. He concentrates and activates his Power Strike. But she easily deflects it with a flick of her knife.“Not bad,” she comments as she continues to dodge Zack’s attacks. “But you still need more.”Zack’s frustration builds within him as he realizes that none of his skills are wo
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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
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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
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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
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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
