'How would I know what's the required amount to upgrade my individual parameters?' I frowned as I opened my status screen, finding no indication of the amount of EXP needed to upgrade my parameters.

[You only need to concentrate on the parameters you wish to upgrade, and a window will appear to inform you of the required amount of EXP.] The system's emotionless voice quickly replied, and I frowned as I concentrated on my strength parameter.

Strength: F+ (Requires 20 experience points to upgrade to E-)

[The higher the parameter's rank becomes, the more experience points it will require to upgrade.] The system explained without needing me to ask.

'Are there any other ways to upgrade my parameters?' I asked after some thought as I began checking how many experience points the rest of my parameters needed to upgrade.

[There are other ways, of course. The most simple of said ways is to train your body.] The system replied in its usual robotic point, but I couldn't help feeling the mockery hidden in its tone.

My strength is my lowest parameter, so it would require the least amount of Exp to upgrade, which isn't strange at all. The question is, do I prioritize upgrading it with Exp or try to increase by training?

'Still, now is not the time to think about that.' I sigh as I feel my empty stomach growling despite the bloody scene I created recently, which goes to show how long it's been since this body ate anything.

I sigh again as I resume rummaging through the shop, and my effort is finally rewarded when I find several intact tins of canned food that had no labels. I smile as I randomly pick one of the tins, opening it and devouring its contents.

It was baked beans. Expired baked beans, to be more precise. Still, beggars can't be choosers.

The human digestive system also seems to have evolved into tolerating expired foods over the past century, as it was the only stable food source available for anyone for at least two decades after the unveiling, which made eating old foods a lot more tolerable.

I spent several more minutes looking for more food and possibly water, but I found nothing and had to leave the store after creating a make-shift backpack by tying together some rags I found on the ground to carry my food.

Forcing myself not to sigh and keep a neutral expression, I resolutely turned around and started walking in the opposite direction as soon as I exited the shop and saw number 121 dead body.

I kept to the edges of the buildings as I traversed the streets of the dark, battered city, never straying away from cover while keeping my guard up for any surprises, with what the announcer said gnawing on my mind.

"Survive for one month in this hellish city of the dead."

Zombies, or the undead, were an actual thing in this world and were one of the main reasons the human civilization suffered so much destruction during the unveiling.

Basically, every dead human and his mother with a relatively intact corpse rose from the grave when the unveiling began. They were also the ones responsible for most of the casualties humanity suffered during these catastrophic times because of their sheer numbers and tireless nature.

But luckily, the undead were slow, half-witted, and most importantly, they didn't infect healthy humans by simply biting or scratching them and turning them into new zombies, which was the only bright side of the whole undead ordeal.

And humanity quickly eradicated most of the undead on the planet, but the damage was already done, and even now, any intact corpse will turn into an undead if you leave it unattended.

Kaden had also heard about unique undead creatures that had special abilities or were smart enough to talk and think for themselves, but he dismissed such words as nothing but gossip and rumors.

'I really hope you were right, Kaden, for my sake.'

Dealing with humans was no problem for me, and dealing with slow dimwitted zombies was probably even more straightforward, but I was in no way ready to deal with anything with special powers, not yet at least.

"Hmm?" I hummed as I stopped in my tracks upon discovering a half-demolished building that seemed like it was a mall at some point in the past before whatever hit this city caused It to decay to such a state.

'I should be able to find some much-needed supplies inside of it, but there are bound to be other people who thought the same thing too,' I frowned in thought, finally firming my resolve and heading towards the demolished mall after several seconds of debating the pros and cons.

I carefully approached the mall from the side, making sure to be as stealthily as possible without drawing any attention to myself, and quickly made my way inside by walking through a hole in one of its walls.

'Footsteps,' I noted as soon as I walked through the hole in the wall after noticing several footsteps on the dusty floor of the clothing shop I found myself in.

The several footsteps I found were not the only signs of human presence, as the shop's already decaying counters and furniture pieces were already turned over by people who were most likely searching for supplies.

I quickly exited the shop, not wanting to waste my time searching through a place that other people had clearly picked clean already, and began searching the other shops on this floor for supplies.

I found nothing but dead bodies of people who seemed to be participants of the greed game, like myself, based on their clothes, and so I moved up to the next floor, and despite my caution, I ended up being spotted by another game participant as soon as I set foot on the second floor.

Luckily, the participant, a woman with long red, bloody hair wearing a badge with the number 50 written on it, merely took a look at my badge and creepily smiled as she turned around and left, but there was something off about that woman, especially her smile that frankly creeped the fuck out of me, so I'm more than grateful that she left without starting anything.

Although I wanted to leave the mall as I did not want to be anywhere near that creepy woman, I still had to find supplies because I had to survive here for at least thirty days, as starvation and dehydration were things I wanted to avoid, regardless of the cost, since I already had enough of them to last me an entire lifetime from Kaden's memories alone, but I digress.

I kept searching the second floor for supplies for what roughly felt like an hour, luckily encountering no more game participants, but my luck quickly ran out when I decided to move to another floor, causing me to frown as I found myself staring at yet another player near the second floor's staircase.

This particular participant, number 28, was a thin, seemingly malnourished teenager, probably two years younger than me. He was carrying a rusted crowbar with one hand and a bag, not different from the one I made with rags.

My eyes involuntarily moved to the bag he was carrying as it was bulging a lot more than mine was, and number 28 immediately reacted, bringing the sack closer to his chest, guarding it jealously as he glared at me.

"What do you have there, kid?" I asked as I moved my eyes to look directly at number 28's face and he responded by brandishing his crowbar, pointing it at me with a scowl.

I said nothing else as a status window appeared above number 28's head, and I glanced through it while keeping my focus on him in case he made any sudden movements.

Name: Aubrey

Age: 16

Race: Human

Bloodline: None

Parameters:

Strength: F

Agility: F-

Endurance: F+

Intelligence: F-

Energy: Locked

Overall evaluation: F

"No one needs to get hurt. Just hand over the bag and be on your way," I said, firming my resolve despite feeling complicated about what I was about to do.

I might have done some shady things in my past life, but outright robbing someone or killing them for their possessions was where I drew the line. But I needed the supplies to survive, and robbing number 28 or looting his corpse for what I needed to live was much more appealing than trying my luck against the unknown upstairs.

Number 28 heard my words and understood that I wouldn't take no for an answer, and looked conflicted for a second, but his expression turned firm as he dropped the bag to the ground and protectively stood in front of it, crowbar in hand.

"Giving away this bag is the same as dying," number 28 said in a firm tone. "If you want it, then you have to get it yourself after walking over my dead body," Aubrey concluded, holding his ground with a fierce expression on his thin, slightly malnourished face.

"So be it," I replied in an icy tone as I began slowly approaching him, holding blood sport with one hand and twirling it in an attempt to intimidate or distract him.

Aubrey's eyes involuntarily moved to look at Blood Sport for the briefest of seconds, and that was all the time I needed to take the knife I looted from number 121's corpse and throw it, aiming for his head.

The knife moved at an incredible speed as it spun in the air and buried itself in number 28's forehead, right between his eyes before he could even blink, causing him to collapse on the ground, dead with a scowling expression, forever frozen on his countenance.

[You have slain an F class enemy. You have gained seven experience points.]

I held back a wince as I began walking towards the now dead body of number 28, struggling to keep a neutral expression, and reached for Aubrey's corpse, squatting to close his eyes as a final sign of respect for the dead and retrieve his badge.

I didn't dally, quickly standing up straight, and intending to make my way to my prize which number 28's bag, but my body suddenly froze as I heard movement coming from straight behind me.

"Artfully done, Mon Chéri (my dear)." A feminine, playful voice with a tinge of French accent sounded from behind, confirming that someone had indeed managed to sneak up on me.

 

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