Green pressed his eyes on the pinhole and watched a lanky middle-aged man stumble away in the corridor.
The middle-aged man had gray skin; his eyes had turned completely dark, and painful groans escaped his mouth, accompanied by a yellow liquid that dripped from his mouth.
A zombie.
One of the terrible results of the end times.On the initial day, many had been zombified, biting people and transmitting a dreadful disease. Fortunately, as long as he did not make noise, they would leave him alone.
Green backed away from the door lightly, tiptoed around the stacked supplies, and slightly pulled back the window curtains. From the 10th floor, he could get a pretty good view of the destruction and mayhem spread out before him.
Numerous abandoned cars littered the community parking lot, and the whole ground was filled with all sorts of garbage and debris. Faint smoke could be seen rising from a distance, perhaps a fire or something else?
Green squinted his eyes, taking in the scene. Various strange creatures roamed around—some small, others large; some crawled, some walked on two legs, and fur-covered beasts trod on all fours.
It felt as if the doors of hell had swung wide open, unleashing all sorts of monstrosities to roam the earth. Green shook his head and drew the curtains close.
Surveying the room, Green let out a small sigh of relief. At least, he still had food and drinking water. With careful rationing, it could last for quite a while.
For three weeks, Green clung to this simple anchor, preserving some shreds of sanity. Closing his eyes, he reopened them to find a short sword in his hands—no magic trick, just another anchor of his, appearing as if by miracle.
In the apocalypse, Green found a mysterious anchor more crucial than food or water. Three weeks in, reflecting on the hardships, he was grateful to even be alive, and it all started on that initial day of the apocalypse.
That dreadful night, Green slept and found himself in a dark, narrow tunnel, a strange place that defied explanation.
[A dungeon.]
In that mysterious place, Green encountered strange creatures, monstrosities akin to those crawling in the community grounds.
In those initial days, Green faced many near-death experiences, his life hanging by a thread. A simple cut could have ended it all, but somehow he survived.
After battling the lowest creatures for a couple of nights, Green emerged a new man, learning when to run, hide, and fight. Simple concepts etched into his mind through countless near-death experiences.
Green had even started to appreciate the simplicity of that place. Exploring its depths became an escape from the grim reality that loomed just beyond his doorsteps.
__________
Green clenched the wooden handles of the sword in his hands and closed his eyes. Upon reopening them, a simple translucent panel materialized before his eyes—glowing with a light blue hue, strikingly conspicuous against the dark room.
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Name: Green
Class: Warrior
HP: 65/65
Level: 2
Stamina: 150/150
Attack: 15
Defense: 25
Gold: 21
Battle Log
A familiar status screen, simple in nature and reminiscent of role-playing games, unfolded before Green. He touched the battle log, and a long line of text appeared under his eyes.
《 Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 30 | Damage received: 3
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold 》
《 Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 20 | Damage received: 3
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold 》
《 Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 30 | Damage received: 2
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold 》
《 Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 24 | Damage received: 3
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold 》
...
Green gazed at the numerous spiders he had vanquished over the past few nights, rendered speechless. It wasn't that he harbored any special hatred against spiders. In truth, the level 1 spiders were no ordinary arachnids.
Sized like dogs and armed with poisonous claws, they proved a nightmarish challenge that eluded him for the first six nights.
Hearing their demonic screech, Green had to hide in the dark, praying they wouldn't find him.
These spiders weren't solitary either; despite being the lowest dungeon level, they moved in groups of three or four, often found in their little caves like a hornet's nest. Startling one meant being pursued by a swarm.
Roaming without purpose until the seventh night, Green never considered hunting monsters in the dark dungeon, always cautious of potential big threats.
As he hid like a rat in dark corners, he stumbled upon a discovery, a trick to deal with the fierce low-level creatures safely; he would lure them out with a simple throw of a stone.
The spiders, simple creatures, would investigate, and separate from the group, allowing him to deliver a deadly blow from behind.
In the dark tunnels, stones were scattered everywhere, and Green finally annihilated his first of many spiders using this simple trick. Cautious, he tackled a single spider cave each night, spending the rest of his time hiding from higher-level monsters. This method gave him a bit of confidence.
[Hey, this place doesn't seem to be too bad.]
But he was too young, too simple and a bit naive.
Arrogantly, he believed he had mastered the dungeon and could defeat any enemy. The ancestors' warning about pride came true on the seventeenth night when Green, in a foolish move, tried to face off against a level 2 giant rat.
Reflecting now, he acknowledges his ridiculous overconfidence after dealing with the level 1 spiders.
Green scrolled through the Battle Log and arrived at that fateful day when he came perilously close to death.
_________
Day 17 Battle Log
《Encountered Level 2 Giant Rat
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 30 | Damage received: 12
Rewards: 7 XP, 2 Gold》
《Encountered Level 2 Giant Rat
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 28 | Damage received: 13
Rewards: 7 XP》
__________
Looking at this simple log, one might assume Green had gloriously triumphed over the lowly rats. However, what the text didn't reveal was how close to death he had come.
Unlike the spiders, whose attacks his defense could withstand, the level 2 giant rats inflicted significant damage with their ferocious claws and whip-like tails. The pain was overwhelming, and Green felt on the brink of death.
Initially his plan was to lure just one giant rat, but another appeared right after dealing with the first, forcing him to fight even while injured. Luckily, he somehow managed to defeat the second giant rat before collapsing.
Name: Green
HP: 5/50
Level: 1
It took a long time for Green to realize that his HP wouldn't regenerate, there was no auto-heal. The revelation struck him: this was not a game!
While he always knew it, he had pushed it to the back of his mind. When his health hit rock bottom, and death loomed, he could no longer ignore it.
Panicking, with a muddled mind, the thought of encountering another monster sent shivers down his spine. Thankfully, he didn't attract any monsters and safely returned to his apartment.
Bruised all over, Green lay on the ground, utterly exhausted. It finally dawned on him that he might not be dreaming of the mysterious dungeon summoning.
If he died there, if his health points reached zero, it could very well be game over for him. With this realization, he no longer wanted to return to the strange tunnels or engage in monster battles. However, that night, he couldn't resist as he was dragged back into those dark, lifeless tunnels.
Green scrolled to the last entry in the Battle Log, and a small smile crept onto his lips.
_________
Day 18 Battle Log
《Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 24 | Damage received: 1
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold》
《Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 28 | Damage received: 1
Reward: 5 XP, 1 Gold》
《Encountered Level 1 Spider
Fight: 4 stamina
Damage dealt: 30 | Damage received: 2
Reward: 5 XP, 2 Gold》
HP : 1/50
Congratulations! Rank Up, Level 2 Warrior
Rewards: +15 HP, +5 Attack, +15 Defense
HP : 65/65