Chapter 3: Addictive

You earned 10 Tutorial coins.

Note: Tutorial coins can be used in [Mystery Shop] to purchase materials.

“I’m unusually nervous. I’m getting scared by mere zombies?” Teo slapped his cheeks to set himself straight.

When the world went to ruins, zombies were the first monsters to threaten humanity. However, in the following two decades, people had built up an immunity to their very presence. Zombies were reduced to the same status as a bug, albeit a poisonous one.

How many zombies had Teo killed? The number might exceed but would not be lower than a hundred. It was illogical of him to freeze at the sight of a single walking corpse.

“Get your shit together, Teo.” Teo reminded himself as he carefully advanced in the narrow tunnel.

A few seconds later, he noticed a stumbling figure heading his way.

He didn’t need [Observe] to know the zombie had a similar strength to the one he flattened not long ago. He clutched the handle of the sword tighter and boosted his confidence, “I can do this!”

Teo stuck his back to a wall and tiptoed sideways like a crab. His every step was calculated to minimize the sound of footsteps. Sweat dripped from behind his ears, and nervousness made his hands shake.

The zombie approached, stumbling on its own. Black blood streamed down from its hollow eye sockets, leaving a trail of tar-like pus on its pale cheeks.

Teo made a gulping sound as he put his right leg ahead. Slightly bending forwards, he leaped at the unsuspecting monster of plague. The wooden sword swung horizontally, landing squarely on the zombie’s scalp with all the force Teo could muster.

With a spine-chilling wail, the zombie clutched its head and crumpled to the ground. Half of its skull had caved in and oozed black pus.

**Critical Hit**

You’ve successfully dealt 10x damage!!

You killed a zombie Lv 1

+20 EXP

Quest Progress: 2/50

You earned 10 Tutorial coins.

Total: 20 Tutorial Coins

“Phew!” Teo wiped imaginary sweat from his brows. His heart was beating like a drum inside his chest. “Why am I so damn nervous?”

Shaking his head at himself, Teo stared at the wall of texts floating seamlessly.

“Hitting their head triggers a critical hit? And critical strike deals ten times damage!” Teo was amazed at the power of [Akashic Record]. It made sense that [Players] were so powerful.

And then;

You heard the wails of a wraith.

Status effect [Fear] inflicted

Agility -40%

Strength -70%

Tip: Add points to WIL to counteract the status effects.

“Fuck!” Teo dropped to his knees after losing control of his legs. His mind fell into disarray, preventing him from thinking straight. All sorts of pessimism invaded his psyche.

The effect lasted for a good few seconds before it disappeared. Yet, the after-effects persisted as Teo couldn’t stop shaking like a leaf in the face of a storm. Luckily, there were no monsters around. Else, things might’ve turned sour for him.

“Got to level up! Must add more points to WIL.” Teo shivered while chanting the phrase like a mantra.

He finally recognized the most dangerous aspect of this dungeon, Lyria’s Cemetery. Monsters were the least of his worries. His biggest threat was those random assaults of [Fear].

They come without warning and leave him vulnerable for a few seconds. Thankfully no monsters were around during the previous two times it happened, but would he keep getting lucky like this? Sooner or later, it’ll run out, and he’ll be in trouble.

“I’ll have to add more points to WIL. That’s the only way I make it out alive.” Teo made up his mind. It was a hard decision to make, but for the sake of his survival, he had to grit his teeth and take it.

[Players] who used Awakening stones had one advantage over the naturally awakened ones. They can choose their own Class.

Throughout the tutorial, how an aspirant allocated their attribute points gained from level-ups will decide what class they will get in the end. Those who preferred close combat would add points to STR or AGI. Those who preferred to tank would add points to DEF and VIT. And finally, for those who liked to play with magic, their points would definitely go to MAG. They’d get the classes they desired because of their preferred points allocation.

Such luxury isn’t available to naturally awakened [Players]. They will have a Class from the moment they synchronized with [Akashic Records]. It was all about luck.

Teo would be losing his once-in-a-lifetime chance. But, for the sake of his survival, he was determined to take this step.

After taking a short break, Teo continued on his journey. The tunnel seems to stretch on and on with no end in sight. Such a setup was a good thing for Teo as it eliminates the threat of getting ambushed from behind.

Not long after, Teo noticed a zombie leaning against the wall head first. Without much delay, he made a short work out of it. Luckily, he managed to deal another critical strike when hitting the head. The zombie died without making much of a fuss.

Congratulations!! You gained a level.

Level 1 -> 2

+10 Attribute points.

+2 Skill upgrade points.

+50 bonus Tutorial coins.

Suddenly, a warm sensation overwhelmed Teo’s nerves. It was like taking a soak in a hot spring on a cold day. Teo nearly moaned in delight. Years of fatigue melted away, leaving behind only a relaxing feeling.

“So this is how it feels when a [Player] levels up!” Teo clenched his fingers into a fist before relaxing them. “Quite addictive….” He noted.

After the pleasurable moment passed, Teo added all ten attribute points he obtained from level-up to WIL.

Adding points to WIL

WIL becomes 27

After this round of adding points, Teo felt nothing special. But, in the back of his head, there was a nagging feeling that something huge had changed in him. He couldn’t quite put his fingers on it, though.

“I hope this helps… I don’t want to add any more points to WIL.” Teo rubbed his scalp. He really didn’t want to waste this chance. It was once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

Teo opened his attribute sheet and took a peek.

Name Teo

Level

Exp

2

[0/100]

Attributes:

Unused Points: 0

STR: 9

DEF: 5

AGI: 11

VIT: 16

WIL: 27

MAG: 0

Skills:

Skill Upgrade Points: 2

Observe Lv 1 Health 160/160 Stamina 32/32 Tutorial Coins 70

Teo carefully observed the changes that occurred to his attributes after the level-up. The first thing he noticed was the required EXP necessary for the next upgrade. It was twice of what he required before. While it was alright in the initial stages, things would be a lot of more taxing during higher levels.

Pushing the worries of the future into the back of his head, he continued with his observation.

The second thing that changed was a single-point growth in VIT.

VIT, which stands for vitality, was an attribute that affected his Health and Stamina. Influenced by this one-point increment, Health increased by ten points, and Stamina increased by two points.

“Does VIT grows on its own every time I level up?” Teo scratched his chin, trying to recall if he had heard anything similar ever mentioned by [Players].

“Sigh! Forget it. Let’s continue.”

Dismissing the panel, Teo carefully proceeded ahead.

After several minutes, Teo encountered something even stranger than zombies. To a side of the road, a humanoid figure was sitting comfortably. A cloth mat was spread in front of them with various kinds of items arranged neatly on it. Among them, there were potion bottles, knives, swords, and rolled-up scrolls.

“A roadside vendor?”

The system was quick to answer his doubt.

You found [Mystery Shop] for the first time.

You’ll get a 70% discount on your first purchase.

You have entered [Green Zone]. Monsters will not attack you here.

Warning!

You can still get affected by negative status effects.