The vertigo of teleportation hit me like a sledgehammer to the back of the head.
For a second, it felt like a giant invisible hand crumpled my organs into a ball, then rudely shoved them back into my body.
"Urp—"
I dropped to my knees, stomach churning violently. Dry-heaved a few times before I could breathe again.
When I opened my eyes, the warm bedside lamp was gone. The neon city view was gone.
Replaced by that suffocating, lead-grey sky. The air was thick with dust, smoke, and that distinct smell of decay—like a heavy, wet cloth smothering my face.
We were back on the abandoned street at the edge of Sector C.
It was dusk when we left. Now, it was dawn. Grey-white light filtered through the cracked clouds, illuminating the ruins in a bleak wash.
"We're back..."
I pushed myself up, hands on my knees. The hiking backpack felt like a boulder crushing my spine. The straps dug into my shoulders, but the weight gave me a strange sense of security.
This was my entire net worth on my back.
"Shadow?"
I looked around. The golden Shiba Inu was perched on the roof of a wrecked car nearby, facing the wind, nose twitching. Re-acclimating to the scent of this world.
"Quiet," Shadow's voice echoed in my head, not looking back. "Perimeter is safe for now. But... you might want to check your precious backpack."
"Backpack?"
I blinked.
I was too busy trying not to puke earlier. Now that my senses were clearing, I smelled something weird.
Not the background smell of corpses. A sour, pungent stench. And it was coming... from my back.
My heart dropped. A bad feeling washed over me.
I scrambled to take off the pack. Unzipped it just a crack. A wave of concentrated, sour rot blasted out. It nearly knocked me out cold.
"What... what is that smell?!"
Panic setting in, I ripped the bag open and dumped everything onto the ground.
Splat. Splat.
The compressed biscuits, originally vacuum-sealed bricks, were now black, sludge-like paste, reeking of fermentation. The expensive Spam cans were bloated like balloons. Some had already burst, leaking yellow-green pus. Worst were the chocolates and candies. They had melted into a sticky black tar, gluing everything together in a disgusting mess.
Even the water bottles—the water inside had turned cloudy yellow, with unknown white flakes floating in it.
My "Last Loadout," my "Second Life," was now a pile of stinking garbage.
"What... what happened?!"
I fell to my knees, hands trembling as I scooped up a bag of biscuit sludge. My mind went blank. "I just bought these! They weren't expired! How did this happen?!"
"Energy conflict."
Shadow hopped down from the car roof, gracefully avoiding the puddle of sludge. He sat on a clean patch of concrete, tone flat as if discussing the weather.
"Matter from Reality—your peaceful world—contains rules that conflict with this world. Without System conversion or protection, organic matter brought here undergoes hundreds of years of decay in an instant."
He tilted his head, looking at the trash. "Simply put: it rotted."
"Rotted..."
I repeated the word numbly. Mentally, I crumbled.
I starved myself for days. Sold my iPad and laptop. Carried twenty kilos like an idiot practicing rucks. All for... this?
"Why didn't you tell me?!" I snapped my head up, glaring at Shadow. "You watched me buy all this stuff like a moron! You watched me carry it over! And you just stood there?!"
"You didn't ask."
Shadow replied self-righteously, golden eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Besides, you were packing with such enthusiasm. I didn't have the heart to crush your spirit. After all, this is a necessary lesson for every Newbie."
"I..."
I almost coughed up blood. This dog did it on purpose! He was enjoying the show!
"So what now?!" I pointed at the garbage. "Can't drink the water. Can't eat the food. Do we eat air?"
"See? Humans are so high-maintenance."
Shadow sighed, giving me a what am I going to do with you look.
The blue rune on his forehead suddenly flashed.
Vmmm.
A strange ripple distorted the air. Beside Shadow, space split open into a black slit. Like a pocket appearing out of thin air.
"What... what is that?" I gaped.
"System Space," Shadow said blandly. "Every Host bound to a System gets a personal storage dimension. It's small, only one cubic meter, but time inside is frozen. Stores any non-living matter. Including, of course, food from your world."
With a thought, items floated out of the rift.
Two clean bottles of mineral water. A pack of vacuum-sealed beef jerky. I recognized the packaging. I bought it for him as a treat.
"You..." I pointed at the rift, finger shaking. "You have an inventory? You can carry stuff? Why didn't you help me carry mine?!"
"Like I said, you didn't ask."
Shadow pinned the beef jerky with his paw, tore it open, and started eating. "Also, this is my space. Why should I fill it with your garbage?"
Looking at his punchable face, I really wanted to draw the Tang Dao and fight him. But logic told me I'd lose. And that beef jerky looked damn tempting.
"Save some for me!"
I dove forward, abandoning all dignity, and snatched half the bag from the dog's mouth. Shoved it into my own mouth. Chewed furiously. Salty, savory meat exploded on my tongue. Best thing I've ever tasted.
Gulp...
I grabbed a water bottle and downed half of it. Finally felt alive again.
"Remember this lesson, Scooper."
Shadow licked the crumbs off his paw, tone turning serious. "In this world, experience is worth more than supplies. Blindly trusting the common sense of your world will get you killed."
I ate silently. Didn't argue. The dog was an asshole, but he was right. It was an expensive lesson. The tuition fee was my entire food stockpile.
Suddenly.
"Uhhh... grrr..."
A familiar, bone-chilling groan drifted from the end of the street.
Shadow's ears perked up instantly. The lazy posture vanished. Muscles coiled. Combat mode.
"Something's coming," he growled low.
"Zombies?" I tensed, hand reaching for the hilt on my back.
"More than one." Shadow stared ahead, nose working. "It's your trash pile's fault. The smell of rotting food in these ruins is like a lighthouse in the dark. Pulled them right in."
I looked back at the stinking sludge. Cursed internally. When it rains, it pours.
Around the corner, swaying figures appeared. One, two, three... five zombies.
Some missing arms. One with a hole in its gut, intestines dragging on the ground. But all had that hunger in their cloudy eyes. They smelled the rot, and they smelled the fresh meat—us.
"RAH!"
The lead zombie shrieked. Its dragging shuffle turned into a sprint. Charging us.
"Five E-Ranks. Trash," Shadow evaluated. But he didn't move. He turned to me. "Last time, you swung blindly with your eyes closed. This time, let me see the results of your training."
He hopped onto the car roof, looking down at the battlefield. Clearly sitting this one out.
"Me again?"
"You are the Battle Pet. Fighting is your job," Shadow said coldly. "Besides, with that gear you're wearing, if you can't handle a few walkers, you might as well die here. Save the food."
I looked at the charging zombies. Looked at the bulky magazine armor on my arms. Fear was still there. Heart still hammering.
But this time, beneath the fear, something else surged in my blood. Anger. Anger at this damn apocalypse. Anger at my own uselessness. And... anger at losing thousands of dollars worth of supplies!
"Come on then!"
I roared. Not for courage, but to vent.
CLACK!
Right hand reached back. Gripped the hilt. Pulled hard.
Blade drawn.
The straight Tang Dao sliced a black arc in the morning light. Pitch black body, gleaming white edge. The heavy, powerful weight in my hand grounded me. This wasn't a rusty machete. This was Judgment.
The first zombie reached me. Male. Tattered security uniform. Mouth open wide, lunging for my neck.
Old me would have stepped back. New me stepped forward.
I raised my left arm, blocking horizontally.
CHOMP!
Teeth slammed into my forearm.
Through the thick magazines and tape, I felt massive pressure. Like a vice grip. But that was it. It didn't penetrate! The dense glossy paper acted like a shield, jamming its teeth.
"It works!" Ecstasy surged.
The zombie paused, confused why the human's skin was so hard. As it tried to let go and bite again, my right hand moved. No fancy moves. Just the simplest, most direct—Stab.
SHUNK!
A soft sound. Blade slicing muscle, piercing bone. Smooth as butter. The straight blade went right through the eye socket and out the back of the skull. No resistance. Like cutting hot fat.
The zombie went rigid. Then collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
"One."
I kicked the corpse away. Pulled the blade out. Barely any blood on the steel. Still shining. Good sword!
The sharpness exceeded my imagination. Confidence skyrocketed.
The other four surrounded me.
"Watch your back!" Shadow called from the roof.
I spun around. A claw was already swiping at my back.
But I was wearing the massive hiking pack.
RRRIP!
Claws shredded the outer layer of the bag, tearing fabric, but didn't touch my skin. The backpack I cursed for being too heavy was now armor.
"Die!"
Using the momentum of the turn, I swung the Tang Dao horizontally. A slash I practiced hundreds of times in my room. Full power.
SLASH!
Cold light flashed. The sneaker zombie's head flew off. A fountain of black blood erupted from the neck.
"Two!"
Once the killing started, muscle memory took over. Adrenaline burned. The fear of zombies was replaced by the thrill of controlling life and death.
I moved, circling. Magazine guards blocked scratches. The Tang Dao delivered fatal strikes. Chop. Slash. Stab. Simple moves, refined in blood. This wasn't a game. No HP bars. Only life or death.
One minute later.
The last zombie hit the ground. I had chopped its legs off; it was still crawling, trying to grab my ankle. I walked over. Two hands on the hilt. Aimed at the nape of the neck. Staked it.
Silence.
I stood amidst five corpses, heaving for breath. Sweat stung my eyes. The magazine guards were shredded, paper exposed, but my skin was untouched.
I looked at the bodies. Looked at the sword. No vomiting. No terror. Just a solid, grounded feeling.
I got stronger. Not a superhero yet. But I wasn't the useless trash relying on luck and a dog anymore. I can kill. I can protect myself.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow, sarcastic applause from the car roof. Shadow tapped the metal with his paw. Tone actually held a hint of approval.
"Form was still ugly. Like a crazed monkey. But... efficiency was acceptable. In your hands, that blade is finally more than a fire poker."
I looked up at him, grinning despite the black blood speckling my face.
"Of course. Look who's my Host."
"Don't get cocky." Shadow hopped down. He pawed at the security zombie's head skillfully. "Lucky. This guy had something good in his brain."
He dug out a small, grey-white crystal. Size of a fingernail. Glowing faintly in the dim light.
"Crystal Core." Shadow picked it up with his mouth and walked to me. "Keep it safe. This is the currency of this world. And the key to getting stronger."
I took the brain-goop-covered crystal. Wiped it with a tissue. Pocketed it. My first "paycheck" in this world.
"Let's go."
Shadow shook his fur, looking down the street where a massive shadow loomed in the fog. "The noise might bring more. We need to find that Sector C Shelter before the sun is fully up."
I nodded. Shouldered the torn backpack. Gripped the Tang Dao.
"Let's move."
Man and dog, stepping over gravel and corpses, walking into the unknown. Supplies gone. Future uncertain.
But I knew. The real survival story started now.