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Lord Shadow-Chapter 11: The outside world
Azief woke up at approximately 6 in the morning. It was still dark out, though the pitch black of night had been lightened by a sun that was just below the horizon. ππ³ππ²πΈeππ―ππ―eπ.cππ
Why so early? He did only sleep for a few hours after all.
Perhaps it was a combination of his strained nerves and his old habits.
Drowsily getting up, he rubbed his eyes open.
He was half-convinced and half-wishing that everything he experienced just yesterday was some terrible nightmare. Ζππππ€π¦ππ·oπeπ.cπ¨π’
Unfortunately for him, as he looked around, he quickly realized that it wasnβt a dream. He wasnβt in his room and, looking back, he also woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling.
Shit.
βYesterday wasnβt a dreamβ¦β He sighed. βThe stiffs, the aliens, the monstrous beastsβ¦ It seems none of it was a figment of his imagination. How lamentable. The world really did end yesterday. On the bright side, a new world begins today, I guess.β
All he wanted was to lay back down, but reality was harsh.
If he wanted to stay safe, he couldnβt stay in one place for too long and he had already overstayed, what he felt was, his welcome.
Even if Tan wouldnβt mind, would the zombies be as kind?
Though they lacked intelligence, who could say if some freak coincidence would lead them to discover him.
Furthermore, he was constantly learning new things about this new world. He didnβt like that. He hated the feeling of ignorance.
Especially now that it could lead him straight to the jaws of death.
And though he didnβt fear death, he much preferred to see death on his terms.
If he had his way, he would only die when he was old, decrepit, and living in a lake-side with his lover.
He wanted to die of old age not because of illnesses, gory accidents, or drugs.
Of course, now, he had to update his list of ways not to die to include getting eaten by some monsters.
Actually, now that he was thinking about it, he wanted to die doing something erotic. Maybe sex? He laughed at his unreasonable thoughts.
βToday will beβ¦ eventful. Hopefully, everything goes wellβ¦β
Thinking this, he got up and equipped his armor.
Clad in the mysterious clothing, he drew a striking resemblance to Altair from Assassinβs Creed.
The only difference was that his outfit was black and enveloped him in a nearly imperceptible aura.
However small it may be, it was still there and added an air of mysteriousness to his being.
Looking outside the window, he saw a horrifying view.
The streets were filled with, not only, corpses, but reanimated ones as well. Luckily, the vast majority of them had already shambled away from the house.
His perception then enveloped everything in a radius of 100 meters, sensing nothing particularly dangerous.
βGood,β he said, satisfied with the passive skill he learned yesterday.
Now that he was ready, he began to organize his thoughts.
Goal? Food. Where? The mall.
Thankfully he got the storage ring which increased his carrying capacity. Using that, heβd drain the mall of its resources.
Canned foods, first aid kits, and medicines. Heβd take everything useful. But to do this efficiently, heβd need a helper. This is where Tan came in.
He opened the door and went down the stairs. Looking at the sofa in the living room, Tan was there, sleeping peacefully.
Azief approached the sofa and nudged him.
βWha-β Tan blurted out groggily. The moment Tan recognized Azief he quickly regained his composure. βAzief. You scared me. I thought the zombies breached my defenses and got in somehow.β
βThey didnβt. I wouldβve noticed and you wouldβve died. Get up. Weβre moving.β
βYesβ¦β Tan said bitterly. Azief didnβt give him one iota of respect.
Both of them cleaned their faces and got ready. Tan brought his backpack. It wasnβt big and wouldnβt hinder his running. It even has back support. Azief didnβt bring much that wasnβt already on his body as he already stored pretty much everything he wanted in his storage ring.
Just as they were about to leave, Azief decided to say something to Tan before they ventured outside.
Tan needed to understand what they would be doing outside. βTan, do you know where we are going?β
Then Tan, who was behind Azief, stopped and said, βThe mall, right?β
βYes. Hereβs what I want you to do. You will store food, drinks, and anything useful. Donβt pick up anything else. Pick up anything, and only anything, that you deem useful for our survival. Thatβs your job.β
Tan nodded.
βNow I want to know, what level are you at, what are your highest stats, and your World Orb items?β Azief interrogated.
Tan replied honestly, βIβm level 1, my highest stat is Spirit, and my weapon is a staff.β
βDid you bring the staff with you?β Azief asked incredulously, seeing nothing that resembled a staff on Tanβs person.
βNo.β
βWhere the fuck is it?β
βIn the kitchen.β
βGo bring it then!β
Tan went into the kitchen and brought the staff. Arriving in front of him, Azief then quickly said, βI also want you to level up when we leave.β
Hearing this, Tanβs face paled. βBut Iβm afraid of the zombiesβ¦β
βDonβt worry, Iβll weaken them. You need to gain some type of power if you want to survive. Besides, if you become a dead weight Iβll leave you. Itβs that simple.β
βYouβ¦you wouldnβt do that, would you?β Tan said, trembling. Could this young man have the heart to leave him to be eaten by the zombies?
The answer would be yes. Azief doesnβt know Tan. He doesnβt even owe him anything. If he became dead weight and hindered Aziefβs survival, then he would leave him in a heartbeat. After all, if he couldnβt benefit from helping Tan, what function would he serve? A mascot? Tan wasnβt cute and he certainly wasnβt beautiful. And even if he was, Azief hated mascots with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
He was helping Tan precisely because Tan could help him. Tan wanted his strength and Azief wanted a pack mule. He didnβt ask much. And if Tan leveled up, it would benefit both of them.
βI would,β Azief stated matter-of-factly.
Hearing this, Tanβs face paled further, but then a face of determination appeared.
He understood the world today is different from the world yesterday.
Even back then, if you were useless, youβd be disposed of. After all, people were replaceable. And so he made a decision.
βWhat do I have to do?β Tan asked, determined to survive.
Azief was delighted when he saw the middle-aged manβs will. If possible he didnβt want to be needlessly cruel to people.
The world may have changed overnight, but he couldnβt do the same.
There were still some traces of sanity in Aziefβs mind. This might change later but, for now, at least, he was still the same as yesterday.
He was a bit twisted, but he still had certain boundaries. No rape and donβt touch children.
Those actions crossed his bottom line.
He hated forceful people and really fucking hated those sickos who could touch children.
Both people disgusted him and, no matter how the world changed, Azief would never break these two rules.
But apart from those two big NOs, there werenβt many other restrictions. He didnβt like to kill, but he would if push came to shove.
Oh, and he didnβt like smokers.
Azief looked back at Tan and said, βEasy. Donβt be a dead weight.β
βBut Iβm afraid of the zombies and too weak. If I was just afraid, I could deal with it, but Iβm also weak. Bravery isnβt enough. Iβm not as strong as you, if Iβm bitten Iβll die, yβknow?β
Azief nodded in understanding.
He acknowledged that he was lucky.
If not, he, too, might be walking aimlessly and groaning in the street like the other zombies.
If not for his luck and gambling, he might be as unconfident as Tan. It was only because he had fought the zombies and won that made him this confident. Strength breeds confidence.
Of course, he understood the fear in Tanβs heart. He also was fearful before. But itβs not as if fear was a bad thing. If he wasnβt afraid, he wouldnβt have survived. Fear was good. Fear kept him alive.
βItβs not like I wonβt help you. Here, take these,β Azief said as he opened his palm with a flashing light. Following the flash, a robe, a knife, a boot, and a glove appear beside them. βEquip them all.β
Tan took them all and examined them. They helped him to avoid infection from levels 10 to 15 as well as giving him some fairly mediocre stat bonuses.
Azief didnβt have such equipment, but he knew that his Shadow Lord Set was capable of enduring infection. After all, when he examined his attire he realized that it had some special properties. Anything that wasnβt level 5 higher than him couldnβt infect him. βOne of the perks of a unique class.β he thought at the time.
After Tan was done equipping his items, Azief continued talking.
βI need you to understand something else. I am the main DPS and the vanguard. You are the support. So, when you level up, I want you to invest in spirit. When you reach level 10, quickly class up and choose a healer profession. If you can promise me this, then I can promise that I will do my best not to ditch you.β
Tan just smiled bitterly.
Did he even have a choice?
Still, he wasnβt that bitter.
He played a few RPGs and knew that being a healer had its advantages. Not only did he act as the support in most of his parties, but he also wouldnβt have to fight on the front lines in real life.
βI agree,β Tan said.
βOk, so hereβs the plan. In the elementary school, there is an alien. From what Iβve seen, heβs the boss around here. Most of the other beasts have moved to other places, maybe theyβve become the bosses of other regions or states. Anyway, theyβre not our problem. Right now, most of ours are the stiffs.β
βYou mean zombies?β Tan asked.
Azief rolled his eyes and said, βI mean stiffs. They may be slow, weak, and stupid, but they might also have the ability to evolve. If we can rise in level, maybe zombies can too. Either way, theyβre our main enemies right now.β
βSo whatβs the plan?β
βThe plan is to level up. Iβm pretty sure that near the mall there will be many more stiffs waiting for us. I might be powerful against individual stiffs, but a horde? Even I canβt win. So hereβs what I propose. A cleaning up operation. We wonβt raid the mall yet. Itβs too dangerous and stupid. We level up first. Only after we strengthen ourselves can we raid the mall.β
βI thought you said that you would raid the mall today?β
βThereβs been a change of plans.β
He might have been too rash and optimistic. Thinking about it, Temerloh had quite the population. Itβs not as great as the big cities, but it was still a lot. Dealing with all of those zombies and survivors was too much for him right now.
Tan just shook his head. Even though Azief changed his plans at a drop of a hat, he couldnβt do anything but follow along. Going outside alone would be equivalent to suicide.
βAnd how do you propose we level up?β Tan asked. He was worried, but he already accepted his role.
βBy killing the stiffs, of course. Look. This residential area is filled with back alleys and narrow roads. The environment is perfect for kiting and grinding.β
βBut Iβm not like you. I canβt one-shot these zombies.β
βI know. Thatβs why Iβll cut the stiffsβ hands and feet. You just need to smash them with your staff. Sooner or later a skill book will appear. If itβs a sword skill or body technique you concede it to me. If itβs a magic or healing skill, I will concede it to you. How about it?β
Tan just nodded.
βGood, now we leave.β
They opened the door to the dimly lit outside and saw a couple of zombies around. They were still walking, not realizing that, behind the high walls and decorative bushes, two men were walking into the city of the dead.
βHere we go,β Azief said and smiled.
***