<Author's note: The things (racism, sexism, political views, etc.) depicted or mentioned in this story do not reflect the real world and are purely coincidences. If they do, please keep in mind that they are simply for world-building and are only work of fiction. Thank you for your understanding.>
Nathan was sitting at the helicopter's cockpit with a flashlight in hand and reading the folder that he "received" from Makeda.
Unfortunately, there were some parts that were too complicated for him to understand. If he was a scientist or at least someone who had a medical background, he could understand it.
He flipped a page.
'Hmm… I already know this part.'
It was the part about the 30-point threshold regarding the stats.
He flipped another page.
'Heh~ Interesting…'
'A person has an average of 10 VIT which gives him/her between 80 -100 years of life. But with each point increase in VIT, it gives that person an additional 1 year in his/her lifespan?'
'Heh~ I have 37 (+10) VIT so that gives me an extra 37 years.'
He flipped another page.
'Another interesting topic…'
'20 VIT increases a human's natural recovery by 2. And 30 VIT by 3. So it's by 10 points…'
'So with my VIT, my natural recovery is at least 4 times faster than that of an average human…'
He flipped another page.
'It seems to be about regenerating limbs…'
'A human can regenerate lost limbs if he/she has at least 51 points in VIT?'
An image of Amir as a human dog flashed inside his head.
Tch!
He made a clicking sound with his tongue and he quickly tried to erase the image inside his head.
He flipped another page.
'This topic... I already read this earlier…'
It was about the brain and heart and how many seconds until the human dies after suffering from a physical trauma if not healed.
He flipped another page.
'Hmm… About the healing potions from the System.'
'Let's see… Hmm… Yeah, healing potions can repair broken bones and skin tissues. I already know this.'
'However, healing potions can't regenerate severed limbs or bones. It can only cover the wound. Yeah, sounds about right.'
He recalled back when he got shot with a sniper rifle on his right cheek in Haven Town. And even though he was able to heal that wound with the help of the [Small] Healing Potions, the right side of his face remained hollow and he needed Ashleigh's help to recover the lost bones on his cheek.
'Hmm… the Antidote potion of the System…'
'I have at least 13 of these with me but I never got to use them. Let's see what does it do…'
'Heh~ Cures poison, simple diseases and infections…'
He flipped another page.
'This section is a combination of healing potions and regeneration concerning inborn disabilities and deformities…'
'According to the report, healing potions and having high VIT can't erase a person's inborn disabilities and deformities…'
'If a person was born blind, he/she will remain blind….'
'If a person was born lacking one arm, he/she will remain the same…'
'If a person is born with a mental disorder, he/she will remain as a person with a mental disorder…'
He flipped another page.
'Wow… They have information about the Divine Tears. However, there's nothing about the [Artifact] Divine Blood. Interesting…'
'I'm really surprised that they were able to gather all this information.'
He flipped another page.
As he read, his eyes widened and he almost dropped the folder.
On this page was a list of known Chosen Ones in Womania with their picture and information.
There were 12 names on the page.
A few of them he even recognized.
'Ashleigh von Hiedler. 21 years old. Student at Womania Academy of Fine Arts. Skill name [Heaven's Treatment]. Allows the user to heal any wound, diseases and even repair lost limbs with the cost of 20 mana points…'
'Derek Giuntoli. 30 years old. Architect at Rossi Architects Without Borders. Skill name unknown. Allows the user to greatly increase STR and VIT but sacrifices AGI. Requires no mana and cooldown...'
'Rose Haven. 24 years old. Chief Financial Officer at Haven International Realty. Skill name unknown. Allows the user to transform the body into white crystal that boosts defense and can also alter the shape of arms and legs. Requires no mana and cooldown...'
'Harry Gamberini. 28 years old. Lawyer at Bianchi LLP. Skill name unknown. Allows the user to slow down targets within his vision. Requires no mana and cooldown…
And finally…
His eyes widened as he read the information.
'Nathan Makhad. 24 years old. Editor at The Young Progressives. Skill name unknown. Allows the user to be invisible even against thermal imaging. Loses invisibility when attacking and possibly with any physical contact. Requires no mana and cooldown...'
He gritted his teeth and thought, 'How?! Where did they get this information about me?! Was it that bitch Rose?! Was it that bimbo Ashleigh? Was it that booty warrior Derek?! Was it someone from Red Dust?! Who?!'
'Shit… shit... shit… SHIT!'
"FUCK ME SIDEWAYS!!!" he shouted and threw the folder against the helicopter's windshield.
Pah!
He facepalmed.
'Sigh… I've been so careless…'
Although Nathan wasn't exactly a very smart person, he was at least aware that the main reason why he was thriving in this zombie apocalypse was his skill [Coward's Way] which allows him to do sneak attacks.
Nathan doesn't care if you've been practicing martial arts for 50 years or 100 years. If you can't detect your enemy, let alone see where their attacking is coming from, you will get hit.
Those action movies and documentaries where a martial artist is blind, blindfolded or closing their eyes and is able to block an attack?
Complete and utter bullshit!
Nathan is Asian and martial arts is their thing!
If Nathan had a Dollar for every Asian guy he met in Muwin trying to "demonstrate" some form of martial arts to him, he would be a millionaire already.
He glanced down at the folder on the floor.
'No, I shouldn't be surprised that they have this…'
'After all the killings and destruction I've done, it would be more of a surprise if they didn't have this…'
'I can't stay here any longer, especially after knowing this…'
'I really have to leave…'
'And when I get to Muwin I should stay low and not use this power as much as possible if there are witnesses…'
All of a sudden, he started hearing roars of zombies and their heavy footsteps.
Roar!
Roar!
Roar!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
'Hmm… It sounds like nearby…'
Roar!
Roar!
Roar!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
'And they're getting closer…'
He then heard someone's voice.
"MISTER!!! HELP ME!!! I'M SORRY!!!"
It was Zita's voice and it sounded like she was so afraid and about to cry.
Nathan ignored her cries and picked up the folder to continue reading.
Roar!
Roar!
Roar!
"MISTER!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!!"
This time, Zita's voice became more desperate.
Images of the things he did back in Corn Town flashed inside his head.
He closed his eyes for a moment and then cursed under his breath, "Fuck!"
He got out of the cockpit, deactivated [Coward's Way] and jumped to the rooftop of the nearest building.
***
Zita was running as fast as she could and there were tears flying from her eyes.
Behind her were 7 zombies.
Fortunately, there were no other Rank 2s other than the D2 that has been chasing her from the beginning.
"MISTER!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!! I'M SORRY!!!" she screamed once more and was almost out of breath.
And just when she was about to finally give up…
Bam!
She saw Nathan jumped from the rooftop of the 10-story apartment building to the rooftop of another building.
Bam!
After that, he jumped to the ground.
A sense of relief washed over her and she ran towards Nathan.
Nathan also ran in her direction.
When he got to her, he intercepted the zombies.
He summoned his [Grade D] Great Sword and started cutting them down.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
And finally the D2…
He swung his sword against the zombie's waist.
Whoosh!
The zombie was sliced into two and it came crashing on the ground.
He quickly rushed to where the upper torso landed and chopped off its neck.
Whoosh!
He unsummoned his sword and began extracting the [Grade C] Nucleus inside the D2's head.
He absorbed the nucleus into his [Artifact] God Spatial Finger and got up.
All of a sudden, someone hugged him by the waist.
Thud!
"Huhu… Mister… I'm sorry… Huhu… I'm so sorry… Huhu… Si'mk sreallyk ssorryk… Huhu… Spleasek sdon'tk sleavek smek… Huhu… Si'mk ssok sscaredk… Huhu…" she said as tears and snot ran down her face.
He looked at her and felt his chest tightened a little bit.
He could feel her body trembling as she bawled her eyes out.
He placed his hand on top of her head and softly caressed it.
"Si'mk sreallyk ssorryk… Huhu… Spleasek sdon'tk sthrowk smek sawayk… Huhu… Spleasek… Si'mk ssok sscaredk… Sik sreallyk samk… Huhu…"
'I can't believe I was seriously holding a grudge against a little kid. When did I become so pathetic?' he thought. "There, there. Stop crying. The zombies are all dead. You're safe now."
Zita unwrapped her arms around his waist and then grabbed the hem of his shirt which wasn't covered by his [Grade D] Back Leather Armor and wiped her tears and snot on it.
Seeing what she did, Nathan chuckled.
He waited for her to finish wiping before kneeling down in front of her.
She continued crying as she rubbed her eyes and sniffled.
"Huhu… Si'mk sreallyk ssorryk… Huhu…"
He squinted his eyes.
'She wasn't this dirty when I left her earlier. She really must've been through hell...'
"Huhu… Sik spromisek sik swon'tk sbek sbadk skidk sanymorek… Huhu… Sjustk spleasek sdon'tk sleavek smek sherek salonek… Huhu…"
'Wait, what was this kid's name again? Si-- She-- Sha…w-- Raw-- Wawaw -- No, I think it started with a z. So Zi-- Za-- Zxa-- Zab-- Zac…ku-- Za…bu-- Zahaku -- Wait, that sounded like Heiwan. Ziii…r…l..a-- Zita! Yes, Zita!' he thought. "Zita, listen to me."
"Huhu…" Zita stopped rubbing her eyes for a moment and looked at Nathan.
"You can wait here with me until the sun rises. I can't bring you back at the Government Shelter at this hour because people might mistake you for a zombie or something and accidentally kill you."
"Huhu… Mister, I don't want to go back... Huhu… I want to stay with you…"
"I'm sorry but --"
"Please, mister… Huhu… Please don't leave me. Huhu… I promise I won't be a bad kid anymore… Huhu… I promise I'll follow whatever you say… Huhu… I promise I won't get mad if you call me a kid… Huhu… Spleasek sdon'tk sleavek smek salonek… Huhu…"
'She's still in shock. Talking to her would be pointless,' he thought. "Come, let me take you back to your room so you can take a bath and rest."
"Please, mister… Huhu… Please don't leave me… Huhu… I really promise that I won't be a bad kid anymore. Huhu… I promise si'llk sfollowk swhatk syouk ssayk --"
He scooped her up in his arms and said, "Yes, yes, yes… I know. Don't worry. I promise I won't leave you. Let's just go back to your room, okay? We'll talk about this in the morning."
Zita wrapped her arms around his neck and continued crying, "Spleasek sletk smek sstayk swithk syouk, mister… Huhu… Sik --"
"Yes, yes, yes… I understand," Nathan said and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, you're safe now. No zombie is going to hurt you now that I'm here. I promise you that."
"Huhu…"
Nathan entered the apartment building with Zita in his arms.
I haven't properly edited this chapter yet. I'll probably do some edits later.
<Author's note: The things (racism, sexism, political views, etc.) depicted or mentioned in this story do not reflect the real world and are purely coincidences. If they do, please keep in mind that they are simply for world-building and are only work of fiction. Thank you for your understanding.>
7:30 am.
Nathan wasn't wearing his System items except for the ring, amulet, boots and the [Artifact] Gold Spatial finger as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen.
Some of the food that he was preparing needed to be cooked so he was using a portable gas stove, while the others were MREs.
The MREs was among the boxes of food he had taken from the Saint Holy Child Hospital.
Last night, he only slept for less than 3 hours because he had to prepare things while Zita was asleep.
As someone who used to exercise regularly before the zombie apocalypse, he preferred to sleep at least 5 hours a day for a calmer and clearer mind and a more energized body. But with the current VIT he has, it was enough for him to function properly.
Ka-cha!
Zita stepped out of her room.
Her hair was a mess and she was rubbing her eyes.
The room that she slept in was one of the bedrooms inside the apartment that Nathan chose for himself.
Last night, due to her near-death experience with the zombies, she was too afraid to sleep alone inside her own apartment so she asked to sleep in Nathan's apartment.
Nathan didn't mind and agreed. Last night, the main reason why he decided for them to have separate apartments in the first place was to be able to do that test with Dylan.
"Breakfast is ready. Have a seat."
"I can help, mister," Zita said and approached Nathan.
He turned to her and said, "It's okay. Just grab a seat."
"Okay," Zita said and took a seat at the dining table.
Nathan grabbed a few plates and other eating utensils and then placed them on the table along with the food.
He wasn't exactly sure what Zita eats so he prepared a generic Caucasian kid breakfast he could think of that was available in his stock.
Her meal consisted of two slices of bread and a glass of chocolate drink which were taken from his MREs. There were also 4 slices of cheese, a bowl of cereal, and a jar of peanut butter.
Nathan's meal, on the other hand, was 3 cups of rice, corned beef, mushroom soup and a cup of coffee.
There were also two bottles of water and an opened can of pineapple for dessert.
Unfortunately, he doesn't have any fresh vegetables or fruits because they're already started to rot in the food markets that he came across.
"Let's eat. If you don't like the food, just tell me," he said and then started eating.
Zita was amazed at the meal presented to her.
Ever since the zombie apocalypse began, although she was still able to eat, the food was always rationed that it was just enough for her small stomach not to starve.
In fact, last night, it was the first time in days she has eaten candies.
Moreover, traveling with Nathan outside the Government Shelter gave her this some sort of bubble of peace and relaxation which is both a weird and scary feeling because once you stay away from him, that bubble would immediately pop and quickly reveal to you the sad and scary reality of the world they currently live in thanks to the zombie apocalypse.
Nathan noticed Zita not eating.
"Is the meal not to your liking? Don't be afraid to be honest."
Zita shook her head and said, "No, it's fine."
She grabbed the glass of chocolate drink and poured it into her bowl of cereal.
"You don't have to finish all of them if you can't."
"Okay."
"Also, you can have some of my food if you want. Don't be shy. I have a lot."
"I'm fine with this."
Nathan resumed eating.
"Mister, is there a spellbook that makes me sinvinciblek like you?"
"What?"
"Sinvinciblek, like how you can be gone."
"Gone?" Nathan thought about it for a second. "You mean like disappear or invisible?"
"Yes."
"As far as I know, Chosen Ones like us can't learn other spells or skills aside from the one that we're given."
"Okay."
There was a 30-second silence before Zita asked another question.
"Mister, what's your full name? You haven't told me your full name yet. My name is Zita Vestergaard."
Nathan swallowed the food in his mouth and then answered, "Nathan Mahkad."
"Makhad? It sounds like a last name of a brown-Caucasian. There are many of them there back in Iskaldia. I always see them on the TV. But you don't look like them."
Nathan swallowed his food and then said, "It's because I'm Asian, not brown-Caucasian."
"You're not Xudonian?"
"Asia is a continent, Xudonia is a country in Asia, a Xudonian is from Xudonia. I'm Muwinian from Muwin which is also an Asian country."
"Oh… You're the first Muwinian I know."
Nathan didn't answer and just continued eating.
"Why do Muwinians and brown-Caucasians have the same last name but don't look the same?"
Nathan swallowed his food and then said, "I don't know. It just happens."
"Why are you so tall? The Asians I've seen weren't tall at all. What did you eat to get so tall? Are all Muwinians tall like you?"
Thanks to the [Artifact] Divine Blood that he drank, aside from the bonus +30 stat points on a single attribute and his new body size, 20% of his skin is also covered with these white spots but they're aren't like a Caucasian person's skin. It was close to greyish or deathly pale as if he was a corpse.
Furthermore, there was also "Transformation: 20%" written on his status chart. Whatever it meant, he could only guess.
'It's best that she doesn't know everything,' he thought. "Just genes."
"What are those white spots on your skin?"
"Genes."
"And what is that gold finger on your left hand?"
"Kid, it's bad manners to talk while eating. Finish your meal first."
"Okay."
A few minutes later…
Nathan was smoking and sipping coffee as he glanced at Zita who was still eating.
She already finished her bowl of cereal mixed with the chocolate drink and was currently eating pineapples.
'This kid is a slow eater. Well, she is a girl after all.'
As for the second-hand smoke, well, he could care less about it.
There's the System stats and potions anyway.
Zita finally finished eating and was drinking from a bottle of water.
Nathan tapped his cigarette on top of a cup that he used as an ashtray.
"Zita."
She put down her bottle of water and looked at Nathan.
"About last night --"
Zita's face immediately turned pale and looked like she was about to cry, "Mister, I really want to go with you. Please don't leave me. I promise will be a good kid. I promise I'll follow whatever you say. I promise I won't get mad if you call me a kid. I want to be strong like you and I feel safer with you… Huhu…"
"Wait, wait, please don't cry. This is a very serious matter. You can't just cry whenever things don't go your way."
Zita wiped the tears off her eyes with her hands.
"Ehem!" he cleared his throat. "As I was saying, last night, you were under so much stress so I had no choice but to calm you down."
Her eyes were red and she was trying so hard to hold back her tears.
Nathan looked away and rubbed his temples.
'Ugh… This is going to be a headache. I already had a speech prepared but I don't think it will work.'
He stopped rubbing his temples secretly glanced at her.
A single tear ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped it off.
'Dammit. Whatever. I'll still use the speech I prepared,' he thought. "You mentioned last time that your parents already passed away. Do you have siblings? What about your other relatives?"
"I'm an only child. My relatives, they're all at Iskaldia..."
'There's no way I'm going to I'm going to waste my time to go to Iskaldia just to deliver this kid to her relatives,' he thought and sucked his cigarette. "Look, kid. The path I'm taking is going to be a bloody and dangerous journey and what you experienced last night is nothing compared to what I will be experiencing in the future. I can drop you back at the Government Shelter today and you will be safe there. I'll also give you a set of equipment and some weapons and potions so you won't be afraid."
"Mister, why can't I just go with you? I believe it's safer to be with you because I've never seen anyone kill the zombies so easy."
Nathan scratched his nose and then said, "You don't understand, kid. I'm going back to my home country, Muwin, to find my family. It's an Asian country so there won't be that many white people and it's nothing like Iskaldia or Womania. Do you know what third-world country or developing country, corruption and racism are? As a matter of fact, come to think of it, my home country, Muwin, is I think the 3rd or 4th most racist country in Asia."
"Yes. Third-world country and developing country is a country where there are many poor people. Corruption is being a bad leader or politician. And racism is being bad to people who have a different color from you."
'Hmm... Not bad for a kid. At least she gets the gist of it,' he thought. "Then you understand the dangers. Aside from the zombies, you'll also deal with people. Let me tell you, kid, dealing with zombies is so much easier compared to dealing with humans. And if they're Chosen Ones, it's even harder. And there's also the Armored Angels which are way more dangerous than anything else. Trust me, kid, you're better off here in Womania with Sweet Dave and the others."
"What are Armored Angels?"
"They're from the Divine Tower."
"You've entered the Divine Tower? Wow…"
That night when the Second Phase started, everyone received the message from the System regarding the Divine Tower.
"Don't be amazed. The Armored-Angels aren't what you think they are. They will kill you and killing them is no easy task."
"Do they have wings?"
"Yeah."
"Can they f--"
"Enough about that."
"I still want to go with you, mister."
Nathan stared at her as he sucked his cigarette.
He could see the determination and excitement in her eyes.
It was clear that she really wanted to go with him no matter what and there's no way he could change her mind, especially after he mentioned about the Armored Angels and Divine Tower.
"Sigh… Just don't blame me if you come to regret your decision later."
"I won't, mister~. I promise~," she said with a smile on her face.
"Sigh… Okay. Go prepare now. We're leaving for Muwin and the flight would probably last around 12 hours max so be sure to take a bath, brush your teeth, comb your hair and also use the toilet."
"Okay~" Zita said and grabbed her plate.
"Don't worry about that. I'll do that. Just go prepare."
"Okay~" she said and ran back to her room to grab some things.
'Ugh… I feel like I aged a couple of years from that conversation.'
It's been a while since Nathan had to "properly" deal with children.
During his time here in Womania, before the zombie apocalypse, he avoided them like a plague in fear of the political correctness culture of this country.
And during this zombie apocalypse, he really let himself go from the shackles of society.
If he didn't like someone, kill.
If he wanted something, kill.
If he was happy, kill.
If he was sad, kill.
If he was bored, kill.
Life was just bloody simple -- well, at least for the most part.
***
Nathan and Zita were both inside an assault helicopter and wearing headphones so that they can talk to each other during the flight.
As for their stats and items…
***
Level 27:
Exp: %
Stats:
• STR – 70 (+5)
• VIT – 38 (+10)
• AGI – 35 (+26)
• INT – 35 (+7)
Equipment:
[Grade D] Black Helm (15/15): +3 Agi +1 Int
[Grade D] Black Heavy Leather Armor (15/15): +3 Vit, +1 Agi
[Grade D] Black Heavy Leather Gloves (15/15): +4 Agi
[Grade D] Black Heavy Leather Boots (15/15): +2 Vit, +1 Agi, +1 Int
[Grade C] Ring: +6 Agi
[Artifact] Gold Spatial Finger: +5 to all stats
[Grade C] Amulet: +6 Agi
Special Effects:
• 4% Chance to block any physical attack.
Skill:
• Level X [Coward's Way]
Description: Grants user complete invisibility. User loses invisibility status upon attack. No mana required and no cooldown.
• Chosen One
Description: You are unable to learn any other skill. But each level increase gives +1 point to all stats.
Transformation:
• 20%
***
Level: 21
Exp: %
Stats:
• STR – 28
• VIT – 29 (+2)
• AGI – 31 (+1)
• INT – 32 (+28)
Mana:
•120/120
Equipment:
[Grade D] Long Dagger (12/12)
[Grade D] Tiara (15/15): +2 Vit, +1 Int
[Grade D] Heavy Leather Armor (15/15): +3 Int
[Grade D] Black Heavy Leather Gloves (15/15): +3 Int, +1 Agi
[Grade D] White Heavy Leather Boots (15/15): +4 Int
[Grade C] Ring: +6 Int
[Grade C] Ring: +5 Int
[Grade C] Amulet: +6 Int
[Grade D] Spatial Bag
Special Effects:
• 1% Chance to block any magical attack.
• 1% Chance to block any physical attack.
Skill:
• Level X [Lift]
Description: Allows user to mentally lift physical object(s) within 10 meters. Target with higher INT compared to the user are immune. Power, speed and Mental Capacity based on user's total INT. No mana required and no cooldown.
• Mental Capacity: 29.9kg/30kg
Status:
• Chosen One
Description: You are unable to learn any other skill. But each level increase gives +1 point to all stats.
***
Nathan also gave Zita all of his [Small] Mana potions, some potions including his home-made Healing Packets, dagger strap, handgun strap, a handgun, bullets, 2 hand grenades, thermal vision goggles, battery-free night vision goggles, food and snacks including one slice of Cake from the Eternal Village, a quiver, and 80% of his remaining bolts, both the normal and magical ones.
She was playing with a few bolts using [Lift], trying to see if there was any obvious physical difference between the Normal Bolt and Magic Bolt.
He glanced at her and thought, 'Hmm… I guess the normal bolts would be a good weapon for her with her Chosen One skill. She could probably make a tornado of bolts and rain them down on her enemies.'
He looked away and checked their surroundings.
'No zombies in sight, not even M2s.'
Last night, while Zita was asleep, he did a lot of preparation -- cleaning off the zombies nearby, finding an inflatable boat, etc. which gave him some extra time to hunt for more items and potions for Zita.
'Okay, this is it. I've already made the necessary preparations. There's no turning back now…'
He put away the world map and his notes.
'I just have to make sure I don't pass by the powerful countries…'
He switched the engine on.
Tutututututututututu…
The helicopter lifted above the ground and flew to the horizon.
I haven't properly edited this chapter yet. I'll probably do some edits later.
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