NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Realization
Chapter 4: The Realization (Continued)
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Ren stood over the lifeless mutant dog, staring at its body as his heartbeat slowed. His fingers tightened around the club, now returning to its normal state after its cooldown. A notification flashed in front of his eyes.
> [EXP Gained: +50]
Monster: Mutant Dog
New Level: 2
Ren blinked. Experience points? It was just like the games he used to play. He had defeated a monster and gained experience. The weight of the situation was starting to settle in. This wasn't some hallucination. The monsters were real. The apocalypse was real.
He looked down at the mutant dog, still unsure of what to make of it. This thing was just a creature in a game, but now, it was flesh and blood, stinking and grotesque. He poked it lightly with his club, just to make sure.
"Ugh..." Ren recoiled as the vile, almost fleshy ooze stuck to his hand. His stomach churned, and before he could stop it, he vomited on the floor.
He backed away quickly, shaking his head. The realness of it all was hitting him harder than he expected. He wiped his mouth and stood back up, taking a deep breath. Get it together, Ren.
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"So... what now?" Ren mumbled to himself, glancing at the street outside. He wiped his hands on his pants and turned to Lena, who had been watching him cautiously. Her face was pale, and she looked just as shaken up as he was.
He hesitated, then asked, "Lena... where are we going now?"
Lena bit her lip, unsure. "I don't know. I'm just trying to survive..."
Ren ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to make sense of the situation. What would a gamer do in a moment like this? He was in an apocalypse, with no idea how to survive. But then it hit him.
It's just like a game.
Ren's eyes narrowed. If this was anything like the games he'd played, there had to be a way to level up and gain power—just like in the game. He needed to think, strategize, and survive.
Then, the memories from earlier flashed in his mind. The system, the floating window that appeared in the convenience store... the message telling him to grab something.
Ren turned to Lena, his voice steady. "Hey, Lena... when this all started, did you see anything strange? Like, a window that popped up, telling you to grab something?"
Lena blinked, her face scrunching in confusion for a moment. "Uh... yeah, I saw that. I thought it was part of the chaos, but... I grabbed something, a map. It was weird."
Ren's eyes widened. A map? That might be important. He stepped closer to Lena, his curiosity piqued. "You grabbed a map?" He tried to make sense of it. "I... I think that's part of our class, or at least mine."
Lena nodded hesitantly, still on edge. "So, what now? Do we go find something to use?"
Ren smiled, a hint of excitement flickering in his eyes. "You can check your skills now. Just say 'System Window,' and it should show you what you got."
Lena looked at him, confusion written on her face, but after a beat, she shrugged. "Alright... System Window."
A transparent screen appeared before her eyes, and she scanned it quickly.
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Lena's System Status:
Name: Lena
Class: Survivor
Level: 1
HP: 100%
Mana: 50/50
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 8
Endurance: 14
Charisma: 6
Skills:
Map of the Apocalypse: A map of nearby areas, highlighting points of interest, survivors, and potential danger zones. Can be used to navigate the apocalypse and find resources.
Basic Survival: Increases the user's ability to find food, water, and shelter in the wild.
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Ren looked at Lena's status and nodded. "You're a Survivor... Looks like you have the right skills to make it through this mess. The Map of the Apocalypse will help a lot."
Lena glanced at her strength and agility stats. "I guess I'm not a fighter, but at least I have a chance to survive." She paused, considering. "So, what's your class? You said you grabbed something too, right?"
Ren's grin returned, though a bit sheepishly. "Yeah. I'm... not sure what it is yet, but I'll check." He said, "System Window," and a transparent screen popped up in front of him.
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Ren's System Status:
Name: Ren
Class: Itemless Champion
Level: 2
HP: 100%
Mana: 38/50
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 12
Endurance: 10
Creativity: 10
Skills:
Survivor's Instinct(Lv1): Increases awareness of surroundings, boosting danger avoidance by 20%. Passive Detects weak points in enemies within close range.
Weaponization (Lv.2) – Convert objects into weapons for a short time. Costs 10 MP per transformation. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Durability Boost (Passive) – Transformed weapons last twice as long as normal objects.
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Lena stared at Ren's status. "Itemless Champion? That's... an interesting name. Can you really turn anything into a weapon?"
Ren nodded, a bit too proudly. "Yeah, looks like it. I just need to use my creativity." He grinned, looking around. "And it seems I can do a lot more than just fight with whatever I find."
Lena raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "So, you could turn anything into a weapon?"
"Exactly. And it costs mana, but once I'm better at it, I think I'll be able to do it more efficiently." Ren glanced back at the mutant dog, then at the wrecked streets outside. "Let's see how creative I can get."
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The Journey Begins
With his new weapon and Lena's map, Ren felt a little more confident. As much as he hated to admit it, this was starting to feel like a game—but with real consequences.
"Alright, let's move," Ren said, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "We've got to get to safety."
They moved cautiously through the wrecked streets, trying to avoid making too much noise. As they walked, Ren couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread. This wasn't the world he knew, but it was the world he had to survive in now.
But one thing was for sure: he wouldn't be doing it alone.