Chapter 3: The Zombie Test
At present, no one had bought the venomous snake Kai Ren listed on the exchange, but he wasn't worried. Someone desperate enough might eat it raw, fire or not.
Right now, Kai was still short—12 kilograms of wood and 98 kilograms of iron—before he could upgrade the crypt.
He glanced at the pack of instant ramen in his hand and swallowed. Hunger was setting in. Breaking down the office furniture had used up a lot of energy, and he hadn't eaten since.
> "Water first."
He drank a few gulps from the bottle he found on the park floor. It helped a little.
The crypt door shut automatically.
—————
The next day, Kai was jolted awake—not from noise, but from hunger and an urgent need to pee.
> "Damn… should've held off on that water."
He groaned, clutching his stomach. He couldn't just relieve himself in the crypt—this space was still his living quarters.
Luckily, it was now 10:00 AM, only two hours until the next floor opened.
Then came the voice:
"Ding. The floor the host is about to enter contains five weak zombies. If armed, you may attempt to eliminate them. There is a supply crate at the center of the floor containing: 3 bottles of water, 2 cans of beef, and 1 special antibiotic. One zombie carries a windproof lighter."
"Ding! Selection mission triggered. Please choose."
[Option 1: Enter the floor and eliminate all 5 zombies. Reward: P229 pistol + 3 magazines.]
[Option 2: Stay inside the crypt. Reward: Sharp fruit knife.]
Kai hesitated, then tightened his grip on his machete.
> "Let the brave feast and the cowards starve. I'm going in. Option One."
He exhaled slowly and warmed up his limbs.
> "Left kick, right kick, two slashes! Let's go!"
[Ding Dong! The crypt is descending. Hold steady.]
Kai's heart pounded as the crypt lowered. He had never fought anything before, let alone zombies.
> "I could just... stay in."
A voice of fear crept in.
> "No. Not after getting a system. No more cowardice."
The descent ended. He pressed the open button.
> "Where are the zombies?"
The space outside was dim and empty. Confused, Kai stepped forward. The air stank.
Ahead, he spotted a rusted iron gate. Gulping, he pushed it open—
> "ROAR!!"
A zombie charged at him.
> "SHIT!"
Reflexes kicked in. Kai swung wildly. Puff. The machete cleaved the zombie's head clean off. Black blood splattered across his hand.
> "That was... way easier than I thought."
But there were four more. He heard their growls.
> "Nope. Not fighting them head-on."
Kai bolted back to the crypt. The zombies followed—but halted at the gate. They didn't seem able to detect the crypt.
> "Wait… is this a bug?"
He tested it—stepping out with one foot. They noticed him.
He stepped back—they froze.
> "Oh ho… let's abuse this."
Kai baited them one by one, inching close enough to slash without getting caught.
> "One down."
> "Call your sister!" Slash. Two down.
Finally, all five lay dead.
The machete, still razor sharp, had performed beyond expectations.
"Ding! Task complete. Rewarding now…"
A sleek P229 pistol materialized in his hand with 3 magazines. Thirteen rounds per mag. No spare mag loaded, though.
> "Lazy devs."
With half an hour left, he dashed toward the floor's center and found the supply crate.
> "Also made of iron? Jackpot."
He dragged the crate back to the crypt and searched the zombie corpses. It was foul, but necessary.
> "Lighter… gotcha. Windproof, too!"
He slipped it into his pocket.
Then…
> "Ugh… I gotta pee NOW!"
The adrenaline had masked the urge earlier. Now it returned with a vengeance.
Ten minutes left on the countdown. Kai found a private corner and relieved himself with a deep sigh of relief.
> "Comfortable~"
Just as he was heading back, he paused.
> "Wait. That gate was iron."
He turned around, picked up the machete, and went to work. A few well-aimed blows at the rusted hinges—
CLANG.
He wrestled the heavy door off its frame.
> "One minute left. I AM the time management king!"
He wiped zombie blood off his hands and grinned.
Still, he'd better clean up properly. Infection was no joke in a world like this.