As I sat on my bunk, I heard the familiar sound of Craig and Liam strutting into the rec center. The fighters must have gotten back from their trip. Danny lived with his dad, the pastor, and a few of the other guys had gotten their own house. Craig and Liam were the exception. They either enjoyed the rec center or just didn’t care enough to buy a place from the system.

“Fuck yea. I knew you could do it, Liam.” Craig brushed his blonde curls back and smiled.

“What happens if I out-level him? Do I get to be in charge?” Liam’s tall frame made even his large claymore seem small. I casually ran my hands over my pistols. I was pretty certain that I could beat him, even if his profile showed he was Level 11 as well.

“I don’t think so. Danny’s been pretty clear on that.”

I rolled my eyes and laid back down, checking my profile to look for improvements.

NAME

Jeremiah, L.

CLASS

Ranger

LEVEL

11 (84%)

GOLD

1,042

STRENGTH

6

DEXTERITY

16 (12+4)

WISDOM

3

AGILITY

17 (12+5)

CRAFTING SKILLS

Cooking (1)

SPECIAL SKILLS

N/A

ACTIVE SKILLS

Multi-Shot (5), Quickdraw (4)

PASSIVE SKILLS

Tracker (6), Resolve (4)

MAIN-HAND

Dual Pistols (3U)

[+2 DEX]

OFF-HAND

N/A

HEAD

Roughrider Hat (5C)

[+1 DEX, +1 AGI]

CHEST

Ranger Tunic (6C)

[+3 AGI]

LEGS

N/A

BOOTS

Stealth Boots (4C)

[+1 DEX, +1 AGI]

There wasn't much I could do. Gear dropped very rarely from monsters in the wild and Eastland did not have a whole host of gear crafters. The combatants in town were stuck with what they either looted or bought off of the Marketplace. There was no way I'd be paying the Marketplace "shipping" fees to get a piece of gear that would presumably be useless in 2 months. Everything was a hard gamble. Budgeting your gold was important. Do you really need that extra snack you saw on the Marketplace? Do you really need that incredibly expensive health potion? Do you really need a house?

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

I had enough gold to buy a very small house if I wanted too. What was the point? I didn’t have anything I wanted to store. The farmers were producing potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, onions, and chicken faster than we could eat. Additionally, I was bringing in dozens of pounds of wolf and deer meat every week. I could eat here, sleep here, drink here, and everything else I needed. The only benefit would be to get away from these morons.

After three months of this, I’ve more than gotten a handle on things. I’m nowhere near the top of the leaderboards either globally or nationally, but for Texas I am in the top 5%. Out of the 30 million or so humans in Texas before the start, only around 300,000 are left. 99% of the population has gone out one way or the other. I've gotten to Rank 14,272 in Texas. Although, I have a feeling that in a real fight, I’d be significantly higher. A lot of craftsmen and merchants have levelled up skills that I’ve never touched and raised their power level through that. I chose early to focus on combat, and it’s something that’s done well for me. The risk is high, but the rewards are great.

The hunting trip I went on this morning went well. I returned to Eastland with almost two hundred gold, an assortment of animal pelts and other crafting materials, and a decent improvement to my experience. It wouldn’t be long before I was up to Level 12. I was watching that leaderboard with a near obsession. In had been three months since everything started, and 2 and a half since my sister was taken from me. The Red Liberty Guild in Lubbock was stronger, bigger, and a hell of a lot meaner than I was. I was going to solve that. It was just going to take time.

A lot of the craftsmen and a few important town figures like the preacher had been able to afford their own houses, some even getting their old ones back. The Eastland Guild was formed a few months ago and consisted of the 31 other people who survived in the town. We all mostly holed up in the rec center or the church as every private residence was locked out. By the time the first month had passed, it was clear who was leveling up what. I had gotten my experience through combat and had specialized skills and items to do so. Additionally, 6 other men from Eastland had chosen the same route. Their leader, Danny, was Level 11 as well. He kept trying to talk me into joining, but I wasn’t interested in the tax.

Happy with my loot, which I was able to keep 100% of due to my guild-less status, I rolled over and grabbed the thin and scratchy blanket on my cot. I pulled it up my body and tried to stay warm in the cold January air of the rec center. The system may have removed the most extreme temperatures, but you could still feel too cold or too hot. I laid my head down on the thin pillow and watched the wall. Tomorrow, I'd be doing everything again. One day, I was going to be strong enough.

--------------------------

When I woke up the next day, I was in a decent mood. Life had gotten easier since I had out-leveled the stronger creatures in the area. The deer were level 1 critters and relatively easy to hunt down. The wolves were 2-3 and were aggressive, but easily dispatched now. Even Alpha Wolves are only level 7 and not much of a challenge anymore. Many other animals are in that 1-3 range. At level 4-7, you get the Kobolds. On their own, they are easy to kill. Kobolds are pack creatures though and even I still have to be careful. At level 6-9, Gnolls are a bigger issue. They are also pack creatures and a variety of weapons and attacks can still pack a punch. One of the Eastland fighters died a few weeks ago to one of the packs. Levels 9-10 are the Bisonmen. The Bisonmen are incredibly strong and the spellcasters do incredible damage. I can take one or two out with some effort, but more than that and it’s safer to run.

Still, I wanted to hit Level 12. It was silly, but I knew Danny was trying to beat me so I was determined to beat him. The solution was simple. They all set out at 10am, so I’d set out at 9am. I just had to work harder and smarter and I’d beat them. Besides, they were all splitting XP 6 ways. I didn’t have that issue.

As I crossed out of the safe area, I saw the golden letters appear in the air in front of me.

NOW ENTERING: EASTLAND

(HOSTILE)

It was neat watching us physically change the game map. After buying a few houses and having a constant presence in our secured area of what used to be the town of Eastland, the game now recognized it as a safe zone. The outer areas of the town weren’t much trouble. I saw a Kobold approaching, two in fact.

The two Kobolds carried pickaxes and growled. Their rat faces and tails twitched as they stared me down. I checked the profiles: Level 5 and Level 6.

I shrugged before drawing and firing my pistols faster than would have been possible for anyone in the old times. The Kobolds reacted faster than any creature in the old world would have as well. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough. My bullets pierced both of their hearts and the Kobolds stuttered. As they tried to close the distance, another two bullets pierced their skulls and the two lay dead. I sighed as I looked at my experience bar: 86%.

As I looted the corpses, I gave a half smile. 19 gold. That would be useful. Ignoring my internal sarcasm, I gave a sigh. I wasn't sure what the drop rates were, but they were definitely below 20%. Gear was rare.

NOW ENTERING: EASTLAND COUNTY

(HOSTILE)

I smiled as I saw a pack of 5 Gnolls just waiting for the taking. It’s a good thing I set out early. I checked their profiles and smiled wider. 3 7’s and 2 8’s. I drew my pistols and took careful aim with my [Multi-Shot]. Each gun would fire 3 bullets. I focused on one of the Level 8s and fired. All 5 of them jumped. I could feel the energy draining from me, but I was suited for this. I fired the [Multi-Shot] again. The five charged me, a few bleeding more heavily than others.

I knew I could fire the [Multi-Shot] around 4 times an hour, and I could feel the exhaustion already, but I fired again. Two of the 7’s dropped dead and the other three looked considerably injured. Before any of them closed the gap, I fired three single shots and dropped one of the 8’s and the other 7. By the time the last 8 got to me, it was so wounded that my one single kick to its skull caused it to drop dead. Experience bar? 92%.

I got two bread rolls, a C2 Jerkin, a C1 Dagger, and another 49 gold. The next two hours revolved around trekking out into the wilderness and killing the level 2s and 3s I found. By lunch time, I was exhausted. I knew the EG fighters would be behind me somewhere, but sat down and ate one of the bread rolls. I briefly contemplated buying some honey or other condiment off the virtual market, but the “shipping fees” were intense. It’d be 60 gold for a small jar of honey. Could I afford it? Sure. Why would I though?

By 2pm, my experience was up to 98% and I knew I had to find something dangerous. I smiled as I saw a lone Gnoll. I fired without checking its profile. That was a mistake. The gnoll charged at me and I realized it was stronger than I thought. I hurriedly checked its profile as I fired a few more times.

Brogg - Level 12 ELITE

It was an Elite, Level 12. Damn. I knew it was stronger than me, but flight was not an option.

The Gnoll closed the distance with incredible speed and I felt a searing pain in my shoulder as the pitchfork that it wielded impaled me. I rolled out of the way of another stab and fired a [Multi-Shot] directly into its face. The beast stumbled back with a loud roar. I thought that might have done it and I had gotten incredibly lucky, but it was not enough. Another kick, accompanied by the long bloody scratches of its claws, sent me rolling backwards. I panicked, firing again. The Gnoll took the bullet like a true warrior and continued its assault on me. It only took a moment before it was on me again. My limbs were pinned underneath the strong claws of the creature. This was it. The warm breath of the Gnoll poured over my face as it bit into my shoulder. I could feel my energy fading away little by little…

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! The Gnoll rolled off of me as three arrows portruded from its side. I rolled onto my side and coughed up blood as I heard frantic shouts from behind me. “GET ‘IM DANNY!”

With dirt in my eyes and blood in my throat, it was hard to focus clearly on anything. The only thing I could identify was Danny as he rushed forward with his sword and shield and landed a series of blows on the monster. The Gnoll, weakened from the barrage of attacks, shuddered as Danny’s sword went through its chest. The creature was dead.

I blacked out as I read the system's bright message:

You have reached LEVEL 12!