--2 days after the Quest notification--
As the clock ticked away, I knew I had to make the most of the time I had left. With only 24 hours to complete the quest, every minute was counted.
Over the past two days, I continued my training routine, pushing my body to its limits. I woke up every morning at dawn, jogging through the empty streets to get my blood pumping. After that, I followed up with a series of exercises, focusing on building his strength, agility, and endurance.
In the afternoons, I had dedicated my time to crafting my own armor. I knew that venturing into the supermarket would be a dangerous endeavor, and I needed to be protected. Using thick leather scraps that I had scavenged from an abandoned tailor's shop, I crafted a sturdy jacket, complete with metal plating on the shoulders and chest. I fashioned a helmet to protect my head, complete with a visor to shield my eyes. Gloves and boots followed, once again, each reinforced with metal plates to protect my hands and feet.
Even though all of it was roughly made, they were better than nothing.
As I worked on my handmade armor, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had never done crafting, but I knew that this was a necessary process needed in preparation to complete the quest. After all, I don't have any equipment which were recognized by the system to protect myself. So handmade is the only option for me.
The leather creaked and groaned as I moved, but I only felt a sense of security in the weight of my armor.
At least that's what I want to believe.
"It's ugly... wearing it make me looks stupid, but there is no one here to judge my appearance anyway, so whatever"
Aside from making my armor, I also dedicated my time to building my arsenal. I scavenged through the nearby neighborhood, searching for materials to craft my weapons. I settled on building five homemade javelins, using iron rails I had found in an abandoned construction site as the base, I began to forge it simply by making the tip sharper with meticulous care, making them lethal projectiles. Thus simple rough javelins were made.
I tested each one, throwing them at a makeshift target I had set up in my backyard.
Swuush! Stahb!
The sound of the javelins thudding into the target was like pleasant music to my ears, making me feel a sense of satisfaction.
"Not bad, even tho the balance is kinda off, at least I can still kill something with it... too bad I am not american, I bet using gun is more practical rather than throwing this sh*t out like some poor *ss medieval militia"
With my armor securely in place and weapons in hand, I set out on the journey to locate the supermarket.
The Quest notification had given me no other clues, so I had to start with the only lead I had. He trudged through the empty streets, his senses on high alert as he scanned his surroundings wary of any possible danger which might come.
As I walked, I noticed that the city was changing. Wild plants had started to grow, sprouting from the cracks in the pavement and wrapping themselves around the buildings. The air was thick with the scent of wild grass, but there was a hint of rotten and pungent smell that made my stomach turn.
Knowing that the environment will be much harsher than I currently experienced later, I decided to bear with it, and keep moving my feet to continue my journey.
As I went ahead in my journey, I saw an unknown insect festooning the buildings, its wings were blur as it flitted from surface to surface. It seemed to be making nests out of the concrete jungle, leaving behind trails of sticky silk and shimmering eggs.
Looking at the spectacle from the distance, I shuddered at the thought of what might be hatching from those eggs later.
Realizing my bleak future ahead where I should be facing whatever monstrosity hatching from that thing, I couldn't help but grimaced.
Leaving the insects aside, from time to time I caught glimpses of giant rats scurrying through the alleys. They were the size of cats, their beady eyes glinting with a malevolent intelligence. my skin crawled as I watched them disappear into the shadows, trails of scurrying feet and twitching whiskers were left, as they hid with just a mere of my presence.
As that was not worse enough, something that made me stunned was the presence of the dogs. They were the size of calves, their coats matted and dirty, their eyes glowing with an unsettling intelligence. I saw them watching me from afar, their heads cocked to one side as they studied me with an unnerving intensity.
What made my unease grow was that these dogs seemed to be aware of my presence, watching me with a calculating gaze before disappearing into the shadows. They didn't attack, didn't even bark or growl. They simply vanished, making me feel lost.
'Seems like the dogs already begin to mutate, and just for the sign of it,they become more intelligent after absorbing just a little of chaos energy' I was wondering if they will evolve into a new species later'
With my head full of anxiety, I slowly moved my feet heading to the nearby supermarket direction based on my memories, as I went closer and closer to my destination, my senses went on high alert.
I was about 1 kilometer away, but I could already see that something was off. The building itself looked different, its walls scarred and dented as if it had been through a war. But it was the surrounding area that really caught my attention.
A mess of scrapped cars formed a barricade around the supermarket, as if someone had deliberately arranged them to block entry. And then, I saw the dogs. Mutant dogs, different from the previous big dog I saw before, this time, they had their bodies twisted and distorted, as a few spikes visibly sprouted from their back, looking lethals.
These abominations jumping between the cars with an unnatural agility, They seemed to be patrolling the area, as their disturbingly calm eyes kept scanning the surroundings with an eerie intensity.
Looking at the spectation, my heart raced as I realized that these dogs were not just mindless beasts. They were organized and coordinated, and seemed to be controlled by someone.
The impression I had on them were they had become an army, answering to some mysterious being that lurked in the shadows.
The thought sent a shiver down to my spine.
'I faced many dangers before, but fighting against intelligent beings was a different story altogether... What kind of Quest did the system give me?? As expected, are you an "S" system? do you know how much reader hate a system who like to torture their host in the novel right? That kind of thing is not popular anymore, so please leave me out in your mischief okay?!!"
Joke aside, I knew that I couldn't underestimate the danger ahead, not when I was facing an enemy that could think and plan.
As I continued watching the dogs patrolling the area, my nervousness began to grow. my palms began to sweat, and the grip on my javelin tightening.
At this moment, my mind raced with worst-case scenarios.
'What if I got caught? What if I couldn't take out those stupidly spiky dogs quickly enough? What if... the one who controls them are nasty horny goblins?.. and after they catch me, they will.... blurggghh!! No!.. I don't want to even imagine that kind of nasty scenario right now! Fvvkn hell!'
my breath came in short gasps, his chest constricting as he tried to calm himself down. I forced myself to take slow deep breaths, trying to push aside the creeping fear that was threatening to overwhelm me.
But it was no use. My worry and anxiety were palpable, my entire body tense as a cold sweat began to drench my back. I knew that I needed to be careful, I knew that one misstep could mean disaster.
And so, I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I turned around silently.
**From his eyes, there was still determination hidden, Thus we can cross that his apartment was what his feet tried to bring him...**