As I trudge back to my bedroom I survey the landscape, looking out for any more zombies hanging around. While I seemed to have handled that last zombie pretty readily, I still believe that I am more than able to screw up at key moments in a fight. The last thing I want to do is be caught off guard out here.

The only things I spot, though, are the dead trees and rolling rotten hills. There is nothing moving here and it is a little disturbing (this place is plenty disturbing already) to see and hear no life out there whatsoever. I guess it makes sense though, the fungus would probably kill anything that could potentially be life. Let me be clear here, this place is super dreary.

These thoughts lead me to my next question. Where had the zombie even come from? The zombie had clothes on, partially destroyed, true, but doesn't that mean something? Was the zombie just spawned here out of thin air, clothes and everything? If I was keeping with my theory of this place just being inside my head, the obvious answer is yes. Other than that, that seems impossible.

Continuing down my line of thought, my face twists in a grimace. Maybe that zombie was another person, brought to this place just like me. Unfortunately for that person though, he had been killed and zombified. If that was the case, were there more of them out there, more people, potential alive, brought here at the same time I had been? I scan the horizon again, looking closely for movement. I suppose that means I should go exploring soon and try to confirm my theories.

Another idea is that there is some sort of settlement here, but that seems unlikely in this deathly place. Or maybe the settlement is further away and this person somehow died here and became corrupted. I have no idea, but I guess none of these questions matter now. Maybe later I can pursue the answers but for now I need to focus on my immediate problems, food and water.

And speaking of food and water I am both parched and hungry after my hardcore activities of zombie killing.

I enter my room again and head for the half empty water jug sitting on the floor in the corner. I grab it and bring it up to take a drink. Just before I let the water fall into my mouth though, I am struck with a sense of foreboding. Was this water clean?

I hesitate for a second and then put the container down and unscrew the lid to it. It comes off in an unpleasant squelch and I peer inside with dismay.

My suspicion is correct, what once was nice clear water now has something that looks like a mix between my moldy containers of food in my fridge and algae floating on water. It also smells very bad.

I don’t want to think what it would have been like to take a mouthful of that stuff, but I suppose the nozzle to the jug would have been clogged anyway.

I am not about to give up though and with my newfound confidence in my cleanse ability I boldly stick my hand into the sludge, happy to find that only the top layer had solidified, and, ignoring my new infection notification, I softly say “cleanse.”

I had to finagle with the skill for a few moments in order to remember the feeling of directing the skill outside my body, but I watch closely as my skill makes short work of the algae, turning it from an unhealthy green to a sickly dusty grey.

My skill, does not, however, make the particles in my water disappear. That is very disappointing because I now have a, theoretically, clean half gallon of water with a bunch of floating particles in it. It makes the backwash of a friend look tame in comparison. I am not about to straight up drink that, no matter how thirsty I am.

Fortunately, I have some other options available to me, such as filters. Specifically, shirts I can use as filters. I put the jug aside and grab a clean shirt from my dresser and I also empty a plastic container filled with important personal documents. Those documents go unceremoniously on the floor as I do not think I need my W-2 statements in this place. I still had them because instead of filing my Tax return in April, I filed for a delay so that my new deadline was in October. I suppose though, if I ever get back, I will need them....

Whatever, I can always ask my employer to reprint them.

Placing the plastic tub on the floor and securing a dark blue t-shirt around it, I bring over my water jug and slowly poor its contents over the shirt.

…

Eww, that is a lot of scum on that shirt now.

But thankfully, I now have a plastic tub full of clean, clear water! Great success! And even better, I take my shirt back and shake it out, applying liberal amounts of the cleanse skill in the meantime. See? Good as new.

Now, with only a slight hesitation to sniff my water, I take a well deserved drink. Mmmmm. Yeah, that’s the good stuff. Nothing like nice clean water after a hard day’s work. Well, a morning’s work at least. It’s not easy dragging dog or zombie corpses around, let me tell you.

Man, this is good stuff. I don’t even get an infection notice as I drink it. I should really consider bottling this up and selling it here, I bet clean water is in short supply, I could make a fortune. Perhaps this new drink could help clear up Mr zombie’s skin too.

…

Yeah, it was just a joke, but I thought it was funny. With only myself to talk to, I got to keep the spirits up.

I smack my lips in satisfaction, noting that I had drank up about half of my supply. I bet in a few hours though it would all be contaminated again. I’m not sure storage of water will have a very good return on investment, not unless I can figure out a way to really seal it up.

My thirst is now quensched but that does not really solve my problem. In my business classes at university they taught us about the importance of sustainability and I have taken those lessons to heart. Temporary and short term solutions have very little value to me if there is no long term plan that ensures my survival. It would be like a retailer not purchasing more inventory from the profits of his sales. In short term that might mean more cash for him, but in long term he has shot himself in the foot. Not smart.

I wipe out my water jug and then pour my remaining clean water back into it, my mind working out an idea.

Fortunately, there seems to be a simple and straightforward solution to my water issue and it thankfully does not involve me trying to cleanse my own urine and drinking it. I’m pretty sure that I am standing in a bog or marsh of some kind (I’m not sure what the difference would be between those two things) so there is actually water everywhere. Unclean and deadly water probably, but with the capabilities already demonstrated by my skill, I think it won’t be a problem.

I take my plastic tub out with me along with the same blue shirt to see it if can find a pool of gross water nearby I can either scoop out, mop up, or in some way, fill my plastic tub up. The ground I am stepping on is soft and squishy so I assume that if I get desperate I can try to sponge up some water, but that sounds time consuming and tedious. I am hoping for some kind of pond.

I walk quietly forward in the putrid green forest, keeping an eye out for more potential zombies or other creatures. I carry my tub under my right arm but I am keeping my barrel firmly in my right hand, ready to flare up at a moments notice. I am also being careful not to move too far away from my bedroom, keeping it well in sight as i slowly scout out the areas around me.

…

Only the soft squelching sounds of my footsteps are heard throughout the dead forest.

…

Oh man, this is terrible. Being away from the familiarity of my bedroom is much more unnerving than I thought it would be. Walking out here, I feel that I am truly alone and I can feel the fear starting to rise up in me, the awful reality of this place closing in around me. I am only yards away from my room, but now an ugly set of brush is blocking my view of it and I feel well and truly in a place where I do not belong. Where now civilized person belongs.

...

I feel like running back to my room, shut my door, and never step out here again. I can feel my breathes starting to become short and quick and I see a notification come up again telling me I am infected. Snarling at it, I quickly use cleanse and promise myself that after I get my water, I’ll lock myself in my room for the rest of the day. I can figure out food tomorrow.

Before I lose my nerve and rush back to my bedroom I finally spot what I am looking for. What seems to be a small slow moving stream of green sludge about 3 feet across appears in front of me, not 15 yards from my house. Looking back, I can see my roof through the trees and brush.

And when I say slow moving, I mean slow moving. Like molasses and a cold january morning slow. I stand still, observing it, and I can barely tell that it is flowing, the sticks and rots moving barely perceptively down the stream. I look that each way, but the stream quickly disappears around bends in both directions.

Looking at it, I wonder if there is actually any water in there, or if it is all just goo and gobs of algae and worse rolling down the incline. At this point, I am ready to just give up in fear and disgust but then I remember that I am supposed to have more determination. Earlier me was full of it, remember?

…

Barely, that moment hardly even seems real anymore. I don’t even recognize him, why should I trust him?

…

Enough joking aside, I need to get serious. Screwing up my courage, I shakily get down next to the toxic sludge river and set aside my barrel so that I can grab my tub with both hands and dip it in.

I scan the horizon once more to make sure I am alone and then get to work.

The stream is surprisingly deep and while the top few inches of the stream is basically solid mucus, below there is much more liquid stuff and I quickly fill my container with a good test sized portion, careful not to let it get too full and pull away from my hands.

I actually have experience with that issue as I clearly remember the traumatic experience from my childhood.

You see, when I was much younger, 7 or 8 I believe, our parents decided to take us 4 boys on a three week vacation during summer, driving while towing a camper to Yellowstone National Park and then back to Michigan. We made lots of stops along the way at various campgrounds too.

However, for my parents the vacation was a nightmare as what had been, until that point, a dependable car, quickly became the car from hell as at every other city it seemed new problems arose with it, forcing my parents to get tow trucks, auto repairs, and everything else under the sun along the way. Having four boys to manage between the ages of 12 and 8 did not help either.

This all came to culmination in Wyoming where the care finally went caput, dying out in a small town with a population of 143. I recall my mother scrambling out of the overheated and smoking car screaming for all she was worth that she was never going to get back into it ever again.

Curiously, the small town actually had a small car dealership in it along with a campground and sympathetic residence. On the spot, my parents sold their old car and purchased a brand new one.

A the small campground though, there was a tiny decorative stream that I was playing in with our main bucket used in camping. I had gotten careless and lost control of it and I calmly watched it slowly float away. I could have chased after it and gotten the bucket, but for some reason I didn’t. I was, like, 8 at the time, give me a break.

When my parents found out I lost the bucket though, they exploded. I recognize now that they were just really upset at the whole situation and they really were not as mad at me as they made it out to be. But they put the fear of God into me then and ever since I have been extra careful around creeks. Some traumas never go away.

So I paid careful attention to the tub and expertly took out of the creek a good portion of the disgusting poison water. The water was truly horrible and I grimaced as I simply took my hands and manually scooped out as much solid waste as I could before cleansing it.

The process worked though, and while the the cost of mp was higher than I would have liked it, I was left with dirty gray water that I could now filter and drink. Great success again, I believe. Even with the almost constant notification of infection, I was left feeling accomplished. I had used up 15 of my mp in the process though, so I would definitely have to be careful when I do this in the future.

I get up slowly, careful not to spill the tub of water. But then I notice my barrel is still on the ground and I scowl and kneel carefully, balancing the tub one handed on my thigh as I reach out to grab my weapon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a little movement in the creek about ten feet to my left. Turning to it suspiciously I spot no ripples, not that there would be any in the sludge. I stare at the offending spot for a few moments, about to decide it was nothing when the spot suddenly erupts.

A small creature the size of a basketball shoots out of the sludge as if propelled by the arm of God. The creature itself is truly horrible, like a mixture of that starfish creature from Alien that impregnates the crew member and a jellyfish with lots of tendrils.

I was not ready to be impregnated by the alien and then eaten alive on the inside. It sounds too horrible and painful and is best left inside a fictional story and not in my life.

Shrieking out in horror, I drop the tub of water all over myself and fall back on my rear. The creature is zoned in on my face though and only my left hand raised in protection prevents the vile creature from getting to it. My lips hadn't even touched that of a girl’s yet, why would I allow this ungodly creature steal my first kiss? Much like how my right arm protected me from Pesos, now my left arm is protecting me from this new horror. I really need to give these guys a raise.

As soon as the creature touches my left hand it wraps itself tightly around it, digging in and securing its spot like it was permanently claiming its new territory. Oh, the horror.

Intense pain then consumes me as it feels like my left arm is on fire now, a horrible burning, acidic pain. Even worse, through the pain I could still feel the slimy cold trendrils of the creature wrapping aroud and digging into me. I'm prety sure I started screaming like banshee.

My first instinct was to literally cut my losses and dismember myself at the left elbow and run away screaming. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t have a sword, axe, or light saber on me to make it happen.

My second instinct was to fall down and thrash around on the ground while screaming and trying to tear the bloodsucking and flesh consuming beast off of me. While I was able to squash the latter part of that instinct, I did do a fair amount of panicked thrashing.

I still had 15 mp left though, should be more than enough to deal with this little devil.

I wasn't sure what an activiation of flare would do for me though. My trusty marker barrel had fallen to the wayside in my panic and I was sure a stab would be effective against it anyway considering it was attached to my arm. Furthermore, I could probably coat my arm it the Flare skill itself and them slam it on the ground, again, I haven't used the skill enough to understand its effects andi wasn't in a position to start experimenting. Surely, this is important information that I have neglected to study, I'll have to rememdy that when I get back to my room.

So I decided to use my trusty cleanse skill and focus it all on my arm. With any luck the light attribute skill would be super effective against the creature.

Through the pain I barely shout out, “CLEANSE!” and at first nothing happens. A few seconds later though, the creature screams in an unearthly high shriek and its grip loosens up on me and then lets go completely, falling to the ground weakly. It then starts twitching uncontrollably. The tips of its tendrils and soft belly/mouth appear blackened and burnt.

I look back at my left arm, looking bloody, mangled, and much worse for wear. I don’t want to think what that thing would have done to my face.

I look back at the writhing creature and see that it is now slowly crawling back towards the creek in an attempt to escape.

Oh no, you bastard.

Part of being a mature adult is being able to understand yourself and after 28 years I believe I have a pretty good grip on who I am. I am not an ambitious man, I am perfectly happy with my mediocre job, life, grades, house, and material wealth. I value instead a few close and healthy relationships, and above all, close friends and family. Being diplomatic, calm, understanding, patient, gentle, and easy going are the characteristics I choose to prioritize as these are the qualities that keep these relationships rock solid. There is little that upsets me.

However, pain is an exception. Pain makes me pissed. I mean super pissed. Especially pain caused intentionally to me maliciously by another being. I am sure that pain makes everybody angry, but there used to be very little pain in my life but what little pain I get seems to make be exceptionally angry, perhaps compensating for my lack of passion during normally stressful circumstances.

I know what I should do, use my little remaining mp to help my exposed and bloody arm and then high tail it back to my room for some r and r.

But I see the creature frantically trying to run away and all I can think is this scum thinks it can escape after what it did to me? I want to destroy this bastard that gave me so much torment. And right now I feel I am perfectly justified to doing so; my inhibitions are gone.

Recklessly, I reach out with my right hand and pick up my lost weapon, keeping an eye on the creature and for any more potential jellyfish flying at me. I walk over to it and study it for a moment as it slowly crawls back toward the sludge water. I see the creature, looing cooked, but before I activate flare and bring Thor's hammer down on it, I hesitate.

...

Isn't it odd that a cleanse skill would wound the jellyfish so badly? I have to wonder about the nature of this skill. The description says it removes negative influences from a body, but it doesn't really define what that means. Does my skill define negatives in relation to me and my health? If that was true, I can see why it would reject the jellyfish creature from my body, but I don't see why it would wound it so badly.

I glance up at my status to see that my mp is at 11. I think I have enough for a quick experiment.

Quickly, I take the tip of my finger and poke the jellyfish with the cleanse skill. I jump as it let's out a loud, fingernails scraping across a chalk boad, scream again. Jeez, that's really freaky.

But seeing the new burnt spot I had just made on the creature, I believe I have provided a proof for my new theory. By hurting that creature just now that clearly wasn't influencing me either way it shows that negativity isn't subjective to the system, but rather it is objective.

In other words, I think certain creatures, actions, skills, and attributes are defined as "negative" things and thus my anti-negative skill harms them. Interesting.

Its not a fool proof theory, but it is my now current running one. I also like it because it means that my attribute and skills can be considered "positive" ones. Nice.

After my last touch though, the jellyfish monstrocity has stopped crawling away, seemingly now too wounded to move and I can feel my rage draining away from me. I've never been one to hold onto that kind of thing, I hear its not healthy anyway. The creature is still alive, though, and is slowly breathing and twitching. Suddenly, I feel a little guilty for experimenting on the creature rather than just finishing off. I know I shouldn't feel sorry for the clearly hostile beast, but it's in obvious agony now. I should put it out of its misery.

Warning! You have been infected by instance bacteria!

Negative effects will stack

...

For that matter, I should get myself out of misery.

My mp is back up to 12 so I say, "cleanse" and then "heal", grimacing again as the icy water feeling pours across my body and then concentrates on my left arm. I watch the process intently and am still amazed at the rapid knitting of flesh. Truly amazing, this is an awsome skill, thank you so much Mr system. Oh wait, you got me into this mess in the first place. Nevermind, I hate you, please die.

After the healing my mp is at 2, and I am not confident I can use flare to give the jellyfish a deathblow without using it all up. I'm pretty sure passing out here would leave me in a bad spot as any ol' wondering zombie, another jellyfish, or whatever other creatures are still lurking undiscovered in this place could come and kill me dead. Not to mention another infection. I'm also not willing to stomp, strangle, smother, or in any other way, dispatch the creature without my skill.

Feeling exposed and vulnerable with so little mp and also very wet and uncomfortable, I decide I'm not about to wait around for my mp to regenerate. I grab my tub and move quickly and carefully back to my place. I found water, so quest complete I guess, only another near death experience was the cost. Well maybe not a neardeath experience, deeply tramatizing experience, yes, but I feel that even if it had gotten to my face I would be able to "cleanse" or "flare" it off before it suffocated me. The creature really didn't do that much damage. I suppose if I ran out of mp it would be dangerouse. Jeeze, I feel like my skills are like the ultimate trump card to this place.

...

I guess still have a love/hate relationship with Mr system. If he ever becomes personified I'll give him a big fat hug and that punch him right in the kisser.

...

I'll come back later and get more water when my mp is full again.

Entering my home, I get another notification.

Congratulations! You have leveled up!

Huh, I guess the jellyfish died.