It has been three days since I started hunting zombies, and the results have been pretty good so far.

There was still the problem of increasing demands on farming experience points since my parameters required more and more EXP with each upgrade.

So in other words, the act of hunting zombies for EXP will soon become an inefficient use of my time, but I'll deal with that when it happens, as I can't think of anything to remedy this situation right now.

'Let's focus on the present for now. System show me my status screen.'

Name: Kaden Solomon

Age: 19

Race: Human

Bloodline: None

Parameters:

Strength: F+ -> E+

Agility: E- -> D

Endurance: E- -> D

Intelligence: E+

Energy: F+ -> E

[Energy to Aura conversion efficiency: 55%]

Overall rating: D-

Perks:

[Waslander: You know your way around a desert, a snowy area, or any other harsh environment.]

[Undetermined Fate: Despite what most people want to believe, everyone has a fate that they can't avoid, but you are the exception and, as such, you have the power to decide your destiny and change the inevitabilities of those around you.]

[????????]

[Intuitive Aptitude: You can learn and understand the complexity and exactness of any organism or object with no need for long-term or special education.]

[Aura master: the ability to transform pure Energy into Aura, the subtle, luminous radiation that surrounds a person or object]

I poured most of the EXP I received into upgrading my Endurance and Agility, as I needed more stamina to hunt for longer times and needed to be fast to get out of any hairy situations I might find myself in.

I only stopped pouring EXP into those two parameters when the required amount of EXP became too expensive, so I began upgrading my Strength parameter instead.

I didn't put any EXP in Energy despite my earlier intentions because I used it sparingly, rarely needing to make use of it while fighting the slow-witted zombies, so I decided to cultivate it naturally and see how it goes.

I used a circulation technique that I grasped when I first used Aura, thanks to Intuitive Aptitude. The application of the said technique was reasonably straightforward; Control my Energy and circulate it in my body through a distinct pattern until I run out of Energy.

I then would recover my Energy through a meditative technique, which, as you might have guessed, I also grasped due to Intuitive Aptitude working its magic.

Though the process was tedious, the results weren't poor. Still, I'll have to start pouring EXP into Energy too, sooner or later, especially when all my other parameters reach D rating as the amount of EXP I would need to increase their rating was too big for me to rely on farming Zombies for it.

And speaking of zombies, there was no end to them, and I discovered that not all of them are F rated, with the undead that had more broken bodies being F- and naturally rewarding less EXP upon killing them.

There were also zombies with ratings higher than F, but they were a small minority, and E was the highest overall rated one I've seen so far, but I digress.

I have also scavenged for supplies while hunting zombies, managing to stockpile a decent amount of food and water back in the hotel room that should last me for a week, possibly ten days, if I use my supplies sparingly.

I, fortunately, didn't have any unpleasant encounters with other game participants. I did spot many of them, with some spotting me too, but that was the extent of these happenings with no violence required as they stayed out of my way.

Still, not everything was going well, as I tried to scavenge some parts to whip out a decent ranged weapon while moving around and hunting undead near the hotel, but I found nothing.

More and more game participants are also making their way into this area because it had a relatively lower number of undead compared to the surrounding areas because I had kept culling their numbers every day for the past three days.

All the game participants in the area already knew me because of my daily habit of killing zombies, wisely choosing not to associate with me.

None of them came close to the hotel I was staying at, and most of them would turn around and walk the other way when they saw me hunting outside, and I didn't bother with them myself.

All of them have been ordinary humans, so I left them alone as I would gain nothing by making enemies out of them, but it's only a matter of time before things become troublesome as more and more people make their way here.

'I'll probably have to do something about it or leave this area.' I sighed as I stood near the window in my hotel room, looking at the streets below.

Moving my supplies and finding a relatively safe, intact place like this hotel won't be easy. 'I really don't want to leave. Maybe I should just kill everyone who comes here and get it over with?' I shook my head, and with it, this dangerous line of thought out of my mind. I was an asshole, not a psychopath.

I stopped thinking about the troublesome future, frowning as I noticed someone waving a white rag in the air wildly while taking cover in front of the hotel.

The man seemed to have realized I'd noticed him and began jumping up and down while waving his white rag even more wildly. 'What the hell is this guy doing? Maybe he wants to talk or something?'

'I was feeling bored anyway, so I might as well see what he wants on my way out to hunt again. I'll merely have to kill him if he tries anything funny.' With that thought in mind, I gestured for the man to come inside the hotel as I made my way downstairs to meet him.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" I asked, trying to cut this short with the least amount of nonsense possible as soon as I spotted the man in the hotel's reception area.

"My name is Zackery, and I'm here to speak on behalf of the participants who are staying in this area," the man replied with a nervous tone, taking a step backward.

"Oh, yea? And what do the game participants who are staying in this area have to say, exactly?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling a little curious.

"We first like to thank you for making this area safer by killing so many undead creatures every day and allowing us to stay here," Zackery said as he took a deep breath, gathering his courage to speak.

"Cut the crap, and get to the point," I said in an annoyed tone, frowning at Zackery's meaningless words of gratitude, causing him to gulp.

"It's like this, sir," he quickly said, trying not to test my patience. "We got together to talk things out, and we decided to form a group to watch each other's backs and make sure that this place will remain as safe as possible until the first stage ends at least," he added.

"What does that have to do with me? I'm not going to bother with you lot as long as you don't bother me or get in my way," I remarked with a shrug of my shoulders, losing interest in this conversation.

"Now go away. I have things to do," I concluded as I turned around, making my way towards the exit. "Please wait!" Zackery exclaimed as he ran, putting himself between the hotel's entrance and me.

"Do you want to die?" I asked in an icy tone, finally feeling annoyed. "No, sir. Please, just listen to what I have to say," he replied in a panicking tone as he began taking several steps backward.

"How about this? I'll listen to what you have to say, but I find what you say uninteresting or a waste of my time, then I'll kill you right here and now," I stated with an annoyed expression, hoping that this much should be enough to scare him away.

I had no problem with killing people, but it had to be for a purpose. I killed number 121 because he attacked me, and I killed number 28 because he had something I wanted.

However, killing this guy serves absolutely no purpose despite the annoyance he's causing me, so I want to refrain from doing so if possible to avoid making a habit of killing people for petty reasons, but I digress.

Zackery seemed shocked at my words, freezing in place for a second until he gathered his wits again. He hesitated for several seconds, seemingly torn between accepting my offer and walking away.

"I don't have all day," I said in a cold tone, glaring at Zackary, finally causing him to decide. "I accept those terms," He replied with a resolute expression on his face.

'Goddamnit, I really thought that would work.' I mentally sighed at the man's persistence. 'Still, what he had to say might not be a waste of time if he's that insistent on talking.'

"What are you waiting for, then? Hurry and talk!" I urged him with an annoyed expression. "You see, most people who came to this area are regular people with no special powers," He explained, and I nodded my head as I already knew that much since I made it my job to check every single person who comes near my turf by reading their Auras.

"So you can understand why an area with fewer undead creatures is a godsend and why we want to keep it as trouble-free and safe as possible," he stated, and I nodded again, urging him to continue.

"And that's why we created the group, and why I'm here," he remarked and did the mental equivalent of a fist pump at the fact that he's finally getting to the point.

"We want...,"

 

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