A young man, barely in his twenties, tore through the deserted streets with wild abandon, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he fled from his pursuers. His clothes were torn and tattered, his hair in disarray, as if he had been running for hours on end. The hunters chasing him were hot on his trail, their footsteps pounding the pavement behind him like a relentless drumbeat.

A few moments later, he reached what appeared to be an abandoned building. The crumbling bricks loomed before him, the broken windows a reflection of the shattered state of his mind. Without hesitation, he rushed inside, his breath ragged and uneven.

The stairs were steep and narrow, and he stumbled several times as he climbed up, his fear giving him wings. Finally, he reached the seventh floor, and his eyes widened in relief when he saw an open apartment door. He raced towards it, his heart pounding louder than ever.

As he entered the apartment, he slammed the door shut behind him, his trembling hands fumbling with the lock. The room was dark, illuminated only by a flickering streetlamp outside. Dust coated every surface, and the musty smell of disuse filled his nostrils.

The young man collapsed onto the floor, his body shaking with fear and exhaustion. He wrapped his arms around himself, as if trying to hold himself together. But the fear and desperation he felt were too much to bear.

He knew he couldn't outrun his pursuers forever, and the thought of being caught and taken to a place he couldn't escape filled him with dread. In that moment, he made a decision, he would end his own life rather than let them take him alive.

He stumbled towards the window, tears streaming down his face, and pushed it open. The drop was far enough to ensure a quick death. He climbed onto the windowsill and prepared to jump.

Just as he leaned forward, a gunshot rang out, and he was sent hurtling back into the room. Pain consumed him as he crashed into the wall and fell unconscious.

When he awoke, he was surrounded by three people, two men and a woman, all clad in leather armor. He couldn't move, his chest felt heavy, and he knew he had been shot.

"Lenna, heal him quickly," one of the men said. "This one will fetch a good price."

The woman stepped forward and pointed a staff at him. "Minor Heal," she said, and a green light enveloped him. He felt the pain recede and his wounds begin to close.

"OK, he's good now," she said, casting the spell a few more times before taking a seat to restore her mana.

The other man tied him up while the group discussed their next move.

"Call for Joseph to get here," the first man said. "I need to have a word with that retard. He almost killed the prey this time. His shooting is getting worse from all the booze and drugs he's doing."

A few hours later, the group was walking back to their camp. James was carrying the prisoner on his shoulder casually, and he had a huge wooden shield and a big morning star hammer on his back. Alongside his towering height and huge stature, he looked like a mini-giant.

The captain was carrying a two-handed broadsword on his back and a small dagger holstered to the side of his right leg. He was also a very tall man, but not as tall and big as James was.

Joseph, on the other hand, was shorter and leaner. He had a long rifle and a crossbow on his back, alongside a quiver full of bolts. He was walking at the back of the group with a sulking impression, murmuring under his breath.

"Dumb*** captain. If I didn't react fast enough, that garbage would have jumped. How dare you question my accuracy, you dumb motherf***?" Joseph spat on the ground.

Lenna froze in her tracks, her senses suddenly on high alert. She turned to the captain and spoke urgently, "Captain, there is movement ahead. I can sense something big is coming our direction." Her words were barely above a whisper, but they cut through the silence like a knife.

The captain's eyes narrowed as he drew his weapon. He knew they were in for a fight. "Prepare for battle, get in your positions," he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

James, the group's tank, threw the tied prisoner into a nearby building and braced himself for the impending battle. He knew his job was to be in the front and stop whatever monster was coming their way.

Meanwhile, Joseph climbed to the roof of a nearby building, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. He got in position, his hands gripping tightly onto his weapon.

Lenna, as the group's healer, would stay in the back. She had no offensive capabilities, but she would try her best to heal her comrades if they were injured in battle.

Suddenly, everyone could feel small tremors under their feet. A 5-meter giant humanoid zombie was running toward them, its heavy footsteps echoing through the deserted streets. James raised his shield, but the monster smashed through it easily, sending him flying.

The captain flinched when he saw James flung above his head. He screamed, "Tier 2 Berserker!" as he unhooked his belt that had a few grenades attached to it. He opened the pins and threw the entire belt at the monster.

"BOOM!!”

A huge explosion rocked the ground, and for a moment, it seemed like the monster was stunned. "It's just stunned, run!" the captain shouted as he, Lenna, and Joseph sprinted away, leaving James behind, without any hesitation.

The zombie monster regained its composure and locked its attention on James' broken body. James was barely alive, most of his bones were broken, and he was bleeding internally. He knew he had no hope of surviving this. In these end times, everyone was only concerned about themselves, and morals and such were a thing of the past. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

The monster lifted James' body and started consuming him alive. It was a gruesome sight, that would make the stomachs churn with disgust. After it finished, it looked in the direction the others had escaped and started running after them.

The young man's eyes snapped open, jolted awake by a thunderous explosion. He groaned in discomfort as he realized that he was bound, his hands tied tightly behind his back, and his feet immobilized by a rope so tight that it seemed to bite into his skin. He squinted, trying to adjust his vision to the gloomy surroundings of the room. What had happened? He had no recollection of how he got here, but he knew one thing for sure- he needed to get out of this place, and fast.

As he struggled to free himself from his restraints, his eyes scanned the room, frantically searching for something- anything- that could aid him in his escape. And then, he saw it. A few meters away, glimmering in the dim light, was a shard of glass. He gritted his teeth, summoning all the strength he could muster, and began to wriggle his body inch by inch towards the glass. It was excruciating, the rough floorboards scraping against his bare skin, but he kept going. Inch by inch, he drew closer to his goal.

Finally, he reached the glass. With trembling hands, he positioned the shards near his bindings and started to cut. Blood welled up on his hands, and his heart pounded against his chest as he worked. But he didn't stop. He couldn't afford to. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, he was free.

He crept towards the door, peeking outside. His eyes widened as he saw the scene before him- a monster, a zombie, feasting on someone's remains. His mind reeled in horror, but he Urged himself to remain calm.

He waited, his heart in his throat, until the zombie had left. Then, moving stealthily, he approached the remains. It was a gruesome sight- a messy corpse, organs and flesh strewn about. But he forced himself to look past the gore, searching for something useful. And he found it- a small dagger, a pouch of crystals, and a pair of leather boots.

He looked at the small dagger, its blade still sharp and deadly despite its obvious wear and tear. The young man turned it over in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship that had gone into its creation.

He then checked it’s stats.

[ SMALL DAGGER (LV 5 TIER 1) DURABILITY 9/10 +2 AGI ]

The boots were battered and worn, but still serviceable. He slipped them on, feeling the soft leather molding to his feet.

[ LEATHER BOOTS (LV 10 TIER 1) DURABILITY 2/10 + 4 VIT ]

Tucked away in a small leather pouch, he discovered a cache of twenty-five small white crystals. They sparkled in the sunlight, each one a tiny treasure waiting to be claimed.

Max also looked at His attributes

Maxwell Payne

Age : 21

Height : 5,7 f weight : 125 P

Level : 0 Tier O ( absorb 10 crystals to upgrade )

Str : 6

Vit : 7 (+4)

Agi : 5 (+2)

Int : 11

Abilities

None

Equipment

Small dagger + Leather boots

 

He examined his newly acquired items, marveling at their stats. He felt a glimmer of hope- with these tools, maybe he stood a chance.

He had always been weak, a coward who survived by leeching off others. But now he knew that he couldn't rely on others anymore. He had to find the courage to fight and get stronger.

As he thought back to the early days of the zombie invasion, Max remembered how the zombies were weaker and easier to defeat. And those who took advantage of that got more powerful and thrived. While people like him, who chose to hide and cower behind, watched as the zombies got stronger with time. Now, even the weakest of zombies were 10 times stronger and faster than an adult human, and immune to bullets. If you were not at least a level 20 tier 1, you didn't even stand a chance.

Max knew he couldn't face any zombies or humans for that matter, without awakening his ability and leveling up. His only hope now was to survive long enough to do so.

To awaken his innate ability and become a tier 1, Max knew he had to absorb 10 tier 1 crystals. The only way to obtain them was by digging them out of the zombies' brains, but the chances of finding one were only 1 in 25. Although Max had seen these crystals before, he had never possessed one. Unfortunately, no one would risk their lives to kill zombies for him, since these crystals were as rare as they were valuable. They were used as currency to buy anything and everything, from food to weapons, equipment, and even slaves.

Even someone as powerful as James, who was part of an elite tier 1 team, had only 25 of these crystals. For someone as weak as Max, touching one was a stroke of luck. He looked around and found a building nearby, which he entered and found a place to stay. He needed to get out of there, but he was afraid of encountering zombies. The humans who had captured him before would not return to this area for a while, but he still needed to hurry.

Max sat down on the bed and took 10 crystals out, five in each hand. He closed his eyes and said with a determined expression, "Please, God, Lady Luck, whatever it may be, give me a decent ability."

With that, he began to absorb the crystals. A warm energy surged through his body, and he could feel it growing stronger. He knew that something was growing inside his brain, a core that would give him the abilities he needed to survive.

Max had heard of this phenomenon during awakening, where the core would grow in two places, either in the brain or the chest. Both types of cores conveyed different types of abilities. The first type was either magical or mental abilities, while the second was physical abilities.

As he absorbed the crystals, Max could feel the core growing inside his brain. He didn't know what ability he would get, but he hoped it would be something useful. The energy surged through his body, and he felt like he was about to explode. Finally, the surge subsided.

Max sat in the desolate landscape, his disappointment palpable in the hot, dry air. He longed for a physical ability, something that would make him feel powerful, instead of the elusive magic residing in his brain. He knew that the location of the core represented the type of ability one would have, and his was clearly a mental one. Despite its potency and versatility, it would be useless without the protection of physical types when fighting the zombies.

A few minutes later, Max opened his eyes, feeling revitalized and energetic. His body was in top condition, and he couldn't wait to see what his ability was. He quickly accessed his open status and saw the following details:

 

Maxwell Payne

Age: 21

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 125 lbs.

Level: 1 Tier 1

Str: 12

Vit: 10 (+4)

Agi: 11 (+2)

Int: 18

Natural Trait:

• SPACE DOMAIN ( proficiency 0.01% ) : your mastery of the space elements is unmatched

Skills:

• SPACE POCKET (Rank S).
• TELEPORT (Rank A).

Equipment:

Small dagger + Leather boots

 

His ability was in the Space Domain, with a proficiency of 0.01%. Max felt a sense of awe wash over him as he read further. His skill, Space Pocket, was ranked S and allowed him to create a pocket of space that only he controlled. There was no time limit, and the space inside the pocket was dependent on his intelligence. For every point of intelligence, he had one cubic meter of space to work with. He also had the ability to teleport to any location within a certain radius, with a 15-second cool down.

Max hadn't met many awakened humans, but he had heard rumors about their abilities. The strongest group in his region was led by a tier-3 awakened who supposedly had a powerful Rank B skill called Flame Body.

There was also a famous awakener known as the Dark Hunter, who allegedly single-handedly destroyed a tier 2 Queen zombie nest with his Rank A skill, Dark Reincarnate.

To Max, these figures were just mythical beings beyond his reach. However, to have a skill higher than theirs was a dream come true. He salivated at the thought of becoming as strong as them and looked forward to the future.

Without hesitation, Max activated his skill and could feel something moving and taking shape in front of him. He recognized these as space elements and watched as a dark oval silhouette formed before him. It was 2 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide.

Max stepped inside, feeling a jolt as he was sucked in. It was cold and dark inside the pocket, and he couldn't see anything without his feeling his surroundings through the space elements.

The space was spacious but shaped more like a cave than a typical room. After checking the entire pocket, he stepped back outside, realizing that he would need to find supplies if he wanted to stay inside it.

Despite his skill not being offensive or defensive, They were a match made in heaven for a coward like Max, having a place where he was guaranteed safety from the zombies and humans was heaven compared to the outside world.