The monster within isn’t there to destroy you; it’s there to teach you how to survive.

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It was a long walk—one that felt like it would lead to freedom. At the end of the highway, Kai finally saw it: a massive city stretching out in the distance. But freedom? Not quite. From where he stood, it was clear the place was far from perfect. The city was in ruins. Buildings were half-collapsed, walls were riddled with holes, and the streets were littered with debris. It was huge, though—wide and sprawling, covering a ton of ground.

Kai’s eyes landed on a nearby signpost. The original city name was there, but someone had spray-painted over it, leaving behind a new name: "Ruin City." .

"Huff," Kai exhaled quietly, keeping low as he moved down the road, careful not to draw any unwanted attention.

Once he reached the outskirts, he chose a building close to the road—one that wasn’t completely destroyed. The interior was still somewhat intact. There was a couch in the corner and a bathroom he hoped had running water.

"This is heaven," Kai muttered, collapsing onto the couch. It wasn’t much, but right now, it felt like a five-star suite. His body sank into the cushions, and before he knew it, he was out cold.

[Logging out...]

[Failed.]

[Logging out...]

[Failed.]

Darkness. Complete and total darkness. There was nothing here—no objects, no people—just an endless void. Kai could feel it, though. It was a dream. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had one. He was floating, weightless, in something that felt like water. It wasn’t dirty, but it was pitch black, like ink.

Huff.

When Kai woke up, the sun was already starting to set, painting the sky with streaks of orange and purple. He groaned as pain shot through his body. Every muscle ached, his legs were stiff, and moving felt like torture. Not surprising, considering how far he’d walked.

Rrrrumble.

His stomach growled, loud enough to make him wince. That’s when it hit him—he hadn’t eaten anything since entering this game.

"Loot," Kai muttered, his voice weak. He forced himself to stand, his legs protesting with every step.

Before nightfall, he had to find food. Supplies were everything here. He could already feel his energy draining faster without food, and he wasn’t about to let himself collapse from hunger. This was a city—there had to be stores, warehouses, or something that hadn’t been looted yet.

"I just hope I’m not too late," he whispered, limping toward the door. Time was against him, and if he didn’t move fast, someone—or something—might beat him to it. As he opened the door to the building and it creaked open, a splattered rocks from walls are scattered in the ground and he can step on it, he is right. There is commercial buildings beside, not too far, there are restaurants, arcades, and finally convenience store his primary target.

Kai walked quietly through the empty streets, but something felt off. Why weren’t there any zombies? This was a massive city—wide and abandoned—yet it was dead silent. Too silent.

Where the hell are they?

There were bullet casings scattered across the ground, clear signs of a fight, but not a single walker in sight. It didn’t make sense. Maybe someone had already raided this place?

Creak.

Kai pushed open the door to a convenience store. To his surprise, it was untouched. The shelves were still stocked, food piled up as if no one had been here. High-calorie snacks, canned goods—basically gold in a survival situation.

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He moved toward the shelf, grabbing a few cans. Canned food was perfect for survival—long shelf life, lightweight, and easy to carry. He scanned for the most calorie-dense ones, stacking them in his arms like they were holy relics.

Blessings from above.

But before he could even open one—

Chk-chk!

"Don’t move."

A woman’s voice. Familiar, but sharp and commanding.

"Drop the supplies. And drop your weapon," she ordered.

Kai slowly set the cans down, his pistol clattering to the floor next to them.

She wasn’t panicking. He could hear it in her voice—steady, confident. If she’d been nervous, he might’ve taken a chance, but this wasn’t the time to fight back. Survival came first. Comply, buy time.

"I’ve dropped it, alright?" he said, raising his hands slowly.

The gun wasn’t close enough to his head to be a real threat. That gave him an opening. If the barrel was right against him, any sudden move would’ve been suicide. But this? This he could work with.

I just need a distraction.

“Damn,” Kai muttered under his breath, already formulating a plan.

He opened his inventory mentally:

[INVENTORY]

• Healing Aid x1

• Thick Cloth

• Protection Mask

[Thick cloth]

It was perfect. He could use it to throw her off balance. His supplies were scattered on the ground, and his pistol was within reach—not too close, but not too far either. If he was fast enough, this could work.

"Turn around," she ordered.

"Right," Kai replied, snatching the thick cloth and whipping it over his shoulder.

Whoosh!

The cloth sailed through the air, catching her off guard.

Huff.

In one smooth motion, Kai dropped low, sliding across the floor toward his gun. His knees scraped against the ground, but he didn’t stop. He grabbed the pistol, spun around, and aimed it directly at her.

"Got you," he said, breathing hard.

The woman turned, now aiming her revolver at him. For a moment, the two of them stared each other down, guns pointed, tension thick enough to cut.

Then—

"Naomi?"

Kai blinked, lowering his pistol slightly.

The woman hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she recognized him. It was Naomi—the same Naomi he’d shared a cheap meal with not long ago. She still wore her glasses, but her expression was colder, sharper.

"Oh," she said, clearly stunned. Her revolver lowered just a fraction. "It’s you."

Naomi looked just as exhausted as Kai, dark circles under her eyes as she shoved her gun into the tight pocket of her jacket. “It’s a mess,” she muttered, walking toward one of the shelves.

Kai knew exactly what she meant. The game. This whole damn nightmare. She knew it too—they were stuck here, and it hadn’t taken long for either of them to realize it.

He quietly reorganized the canned goods before stashing them into his inventory. “You realize we’re literally inside this game, right?” he asked, breaking the silence.

Naomi grabbed a few cans herself before answering. “Yeah. The moment I felt pain in my feet, I knew it was too real to be just a game.”

Kai nodded. It was the same for him. The pain, the exhaustion—it was all too real.

“And we can’t even log out,” she added, scooping up more supplies and slipping them into her inventory.

Kai hesitated, then sat down on the counter, his voice low. “What if there’s a goal we need to finish before we can get out of here? You know, like in any other game.”

It made sense, didn’t it? Most games had an end—reach a certain level, beat the final boss, finish the storyline, or climb the rankings. But this game? It didn’t feel like it had any rules. There was no system telling them what to do. It was like they were writing their own finish line.

“I wish there was,” Naomi said flatly. “But so far, it’s just guns, zombies, and players.”

She wasn’t wrong. In the real world, this game had a goal—kill zombies, rack up points, become the strongest. PvP was the same: fight others, team up, and compete to survive. But here? None of it felt clear.

Breaking the heavy silence, Kai asked, “By the way, did you run into any zombies around here?”

Naomi shook her head. “No. The only reason I came here was because I heard a gunshot. When I saw you looting, I thought it was you.”

Kai frowned. A gunshot? While I was asleep? That was definitely possible. He didn’t remember hearing anything, but the city was huge. It wasn’t far-fetched to think someone else was lurking here.

“It wasn’t me,” Kai said, his voice sharp. “If you heard a gunshot, then someone else is probably staying inside this ruined city.”

The idea made sense. A place like this—high risk, high reward—was the perfect spawn point for players who were willing to gamble. Naomi didn’t respond. Instead, she stiffened, her gaze shifting toward the exit. Slowly, she stood and walked quietly to the door.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Let’s go. Hide. Now.”

Her tone made Kai curious. “What?” he muttered, turning to follow her gaze.

When he looked outside, he saw a massive military tank rolling straight towards them.

"Let’s go." Kai said, grabbing Naomi’s hand and pulling her toward the storage room at the back of the convenience store.

Creak.

The room was pitch black, but not dark enough to completely hide them. All they could hear was their own heavy breathing.

Huff.

Huff.

"Why the hell is there a military tank in this city?" Kai whispered.

"Shhh, quiet," Naomi snapped, silencing him. They weren’t cramped, but they were close, surrounded by shelves of supplies.

Rrrrrrrr...

The noise grew louder. The tank was getting closer, and soon they could hear the sound of boots hitting the ground as a few men stepped out in front of the store. Naomi and Kai stayed still, listening to their voices outside.

"What the hell, man! I told you he’s too slow to drive a tank!" A bald man shouted.

"Shut up and help collect supplies," another man, taller and more muscular, barked. He wore military gear, and as the bald man walked toward the store, the others followed. There were five of them in total, all dressed like soldiers, and they are here to scavenge.

"Just wait and I’ll be the one to drive it later," the bald man grumbled again.

The man with long hair rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and get this done," he snapped.

They began rummaging through the shelves. Some of the supplies were missing, looted by Kai and Naomi, who were still hiding behind the storage room door.

"Boss!" The long-haired man called out.

Isaac, the muscular leader, looked up from where he was leaning against a shelf, smoking. "What?" he shouted back.

"There’s someone who already looted some of the supplies," the long-haired man said, pointing to the empty shelves.

Isaac walked toward the store’s interior, his boots heavy on the floor.

Inside, Kai and Naomi were drenched in sweat. The heat was unbearable, and they could hear every word the men were saying, but they couldn’t risk speaking—they knew any sound would echo through the room.

Isaac crouched by the shelves and noticed the missing cans. "So someone’s already been here," he muttered, scanning the store.