The rules for this game are quite simple. There is an epidemic in a certain world which causes the undead to rise and attack the living. Your fragment will be sent to this world with the goal of finding the cause and stopping it. Succeed, and you win. The victor will be given life force, our usual currency.
As we have agreed upon, your human body will be recreated just how you like it. There will be no reincarnation, only rebirth. You will emerge at your peak, at the age of twenty. That said, although I’ll be making it, you will provide me with the life force necessary. The cost for sending your fragment to that world will also be paid by you.
In exchange, I will offer the support that we’ve decided on. Every kill, whether undead or human, can be used as a currency with which you can buy supplies that I’ll create. Your fragment will be imbued with a connection to me to make it so. Don’t worry, it will only be to make it so and nothing else.
However, you may not come to your fragment’s aid. Of course, I myself will not be interfering, besides for the support that we’ve agreed on. It will make it more fair since this epidemic can’t be overcome with a simple human body.
For the starting point… Let’s see… Your fragment will appear in an immediately safe location. I will provide you with nothing, but you can find what you need there.
Now then, if there’s nothing else, shall we promise? I promise to abide to the rules and conditions that we set up. Good, then let the game begin.
Have fun fighting zombies, Ryner.
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Inside a dim room, a ball of black sludge like tar suddenly materialized. About the size of a baseball, it floated in midair and pulsed like a heartbeat. Slowly, it grew bigger and bigger until it was the size of a person. Then, it silently popped like a balloon and a naked man curled up like a fetus appeared from within before falling to the floor. The scattered black sludge quickly dissipated, leaving behind no trace of their existence except for the black-haired man.
“Ugh… Ooooh… Damn it, her rebirths are quiet, but always give the worst headache…” [Ryner]
Ryner said in between groans, trying to catch his breath and endure the pain he felt from being shoved into existence. After the aching subsided, he proceeded to confirm his surroundings.
“Ok, so it’s a bit dark, there’s no one, and I’m not in immediate danger. Good.” [Ryner]
He was inside a room with beige walls and kneeling on a dark brown wooden floor in a corner. On the ceiling was a light bulb, though it was turned off. There was an opened closet in the wall in front of him. At his back, a bit of light leaked inside from the window that was covered by a white curtain. On the wall to his right was a work desk and a six-drawer chest while on his left was a door that was haphazardly blocked by a mattress.
“Sooo, I’m guessing I’m in someone’s bedroom.” [Ryner]
Ryner said out loud before focusing on what was in the middle of the room.
“Is this your bedroom?” [Ryner]
He asked the one sitting there. Slumped on a chair facing the door was the decomposing corpse of a human girl, wearing a T-shirt and a skirt. From her height, she appeared to be a teenager, around 14 or 15 years old. There were splashes of blood around her, especially on her left side. Ryner slowly got up, taking firm steps and stomping on the floor a few times, and approached the room’s quiet resident.
“Don’t mind me, I’ll be leaving soon. Just give me a minute to get used to my body and make sure that nothing’s out of place.” [Ryner]
He said as he examined his arms, clenched his hands, and looked down at his body.
“… And also to find some clothes.” [Ryner]
THUD
Suddenly, the door began to rattle.
THUD
THUD
THUD
Someone or something was repeatedly hitting it from the other side.
“Riiight… My immediately safe location only includes this room…” [Ryner]
Ryner muttered as he looked at the door with half-closed eyes. It appeared to be holding since the other side wasn’t hitting it too strongly. Moreover, there was a turn button on the knob and he realized that the door was locked.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Don’t worry, kid. That’s probably a zombie, and unless zombies in this world can pick locks or bust down doors, it’s not getting in.” [Ryner]
Ryner said jokingly to the corpse next to him and observed it once again. He then realized that, under the dead girl’s dirty, short brown hair, there was a hole going from one side of her head to the other. Furthermore, he noticed a small revolver had been dropped on the floor to the girl’s right. Ryner carefully picked it up, uncocked the hammer and examined it.
“Oh, a firearm so soon. Is this a Model 2085? An 85?” [Ryner]
The handgun had a black metallic color with a brown wooden grip. It possessed a short barrel and a revolving cylinder that could store five bullets. When Ryner unlocked the cylinder and pushed it to the left side to check the chambers, he confirmed that one shot had been fired, which made him look at the corpse again.
“Suicide, huh…” [Ryner]
He then stared at the gun he held in his right hand and turned his sight back to the door that kept getting hit without pause.
“Two arms, two legs, senses are fine, I’ve grown used to the dark, the scars are there, nothing seems out of place, I can move as I want, no issue with talking either… Yeah, let’s try fighting next.” [Ryner]
Ryner boldly strode towards the rattling door despite being naked. He pushed aside the mattress that seemed to work as a barricade and, closing his eyes, focused his senses.
“… Only one presence. Good. Let’s do it.” [Ryner]
He turned the turn button, unlocking the door. When he swung it open, a zombie greeted him on the other side. It was the foul-smelling corpse of a man with bits of flesh missing. The clothes it wore were dirty and stained in blood. Its eyes were cloudy, reflecting no light, the teeth were exposed for there were no lips and the veins under its pale skin were black and swollen.
It was in the middle of swinging its arms down to hit the door, so Ryner kicked it away lightly. As the zombie stumbled backwards onto the wall behind it, he took a quick glance on both sides of the hallway to make sure that there were no enemies. Then, he turned his attention back to the undead that was letting out strange groans from its mouth. The walking corpse shuffled towards him and reached out with both hands, attempting to grab him.
“Predictable.” [Ryner]
Ryner swatted his arms away with his left hand.
“Weak.” [Ryner]
He then pushed it on its chest to make it take a step back.
“Slow.” [Ryner]
The zombie attempted to grab him again with its jaw opening and closing.
“And dumb.” [Ryner]
Ryner swept its feet from under it and it fell heavily on its side.
“Great, you’re a simple zombie that’s easy to deal with when alone. Now, the question is…” [Ryner]
He kicked it to force it on its stomach and repeatedly stomped on it.
“Will, you, die, if, I, hit, you, hard, enough?” [Ryner]
Over and over, he hammered the body, crushing the rotting flesh, breaking the bones of the undead. When it tried to change direction and crawl towards him to bite his ankle, Ryner kicked its head. Moreover, he stomped down hard on its knees and shoulders to break the joints. Afterwards, he continued to one-sidedly crush the zombie while analyzing its movements.
“So, you don’t feel pain, don’t react to getting hit, don’t try to defend yourself or escape. Just a mindless zombie trying to bite me. Oh, and you don’t die even if I destroy your spine.” [Ryner]
Ryner remarked after a minute of trying to flatten the zombie, ending his test.
“Maybe blades or guns would work? But, first…” [Ryner]
He watched the undead man that could only squirm on the floor, and stomped on the back of its neck. A loud crunch was heard as the bone broke. He waited for a few seconds, but the results remained the same.
“So breaking the neck’s also no good.” [Ryner]
The zombie was still groaning, still moving and still trying to kill him. Ryner raised the revolver in his right hand, thought for a few seconds, and decided to lower it.
“Guess I’ll try crushing the head next. Guns are loud and bullets are precious.” [Ryner]
He walked back into the room where he first appeared.
“Just let me find something to smash your skull in and some clothes. Thinking about it, I probably should have tried to avoid the blood splatters first. It might be contagious.” [Ryner]
Ryner searched the closet and drawers, and found some socks, underwear and clothes that fitted him. Picking randomly, he put on a pair of blue jeans, a red T-shirt and a brown jacket. Sadly, though he found a shoebox in the closet, he couldn’t find any shoes. However, he could take those that were worn by the immobilized zombie. Moreover, the shoebox contained five bullets for the revolver.
Ryner now had nine bullets in his possession. But, he didn’t seem too happy. Instead, he was puzzled. He inspected the top of the desk that had some stationary items like staplers and pen cups, a laptop and several sheets of paper strewn about. He looked through them before picking up a sheet of paper and reading what was messily written on it.
I’m sorry, dad. I couldn’t do it.
I’m so sorry.
Ryner gazed at the corpse of the girl that was sitting on the chair facing the door.
“So, this wasn’t your room.” [Ryner]
He said softly and stared at the zombie that could be seen lying on the floor in the hallway. Despite being beaten to a pulp, with broken limbs and neck, it was groaning and trying to move to bite the living. Ryner alternately looked at the dead girl and the undead man, turned his eyes to the ceiling, and then sighed. He walked up to the zombie, pointed the revolver at its head, cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger.
BANG
There was a flash of light and the sound of a gunshot reverberated loudly. The expelled bullet blew a hole through the skull of the former human. The undead no longer moved and went back to being a regular corpse.
“… That was stupid of me.” [Ryner]
Ryner muttered. He gazed at the remains of the girl one last time and then went to the window covered by a curtain. Sliding it aside, he looked outside and saw a peaceful neighborhood under the blue sky.
“… Yup.” [Ryner]
There were rows of residential houses built with steel and red bricks. Cars of different colors were parked in front of the garage doors or by the sidewalks made of greyish white concrete. Black paved roads ran along the land in a straight line, dividing it like a grid. A tree was planted on the green lawn in front of every house. It was a quiet scenery of an urban area for residents.
“Pretty stupid of me.” [Ryner]
And shuffling about were the figures of several zombies. Having heard the gunshot, they slowly made their way towards Ryner’s location while moaning and groaning.
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Item of interest
Model 85:
* Small revolver.
* Holds 5 rounds.
* Was bought by a father to protect his daughter.