He flexed his fingers, feeling the invisible weightless bag against his waist, already imagining all the scavenging and looting he could do in the days ahead.
[When you wish to retrieve an item from your inventory, speak: "Inventory: [item name]". You may also reach into the bag physically to take what you need.]
"Physically? That'll just take time. In real life, grabbing stuff isn't instant. The animation alone will slow me down. Man, I still remember how much the slow grab screwed me over in-game. Every time my avatar fumbled, I nearly had a heart attack thinking I was dead already."
He looked down at the knife in his hands, and then with a grin, he tested the voice command.
"Inventory: Knife."
The knife appeared instantly in his grasp, just like the skill promised. He repeated it several times, pulling the knife in and out, laughing each time at how seamless it felt.
"Holy… this is actually perfect. No messing around with bags and zippers, no bending over awkwardly in an alley."
He clipped the knife onto the side of his belt bag.
"Yeah, this works. Quick reach, no wasted motion. Easier to just move my hand straight to the belt instead of rambling about it. Practical and fast like it should be."
[To view the contents of your inventory, say: "Inventory list."]
"So, since I don't have my keyboard and mouse here… everything's voice command, huh? Alright then—Inventory list!"
The air shimmered in front of him, and a faint, translucent screen flickered into being. Simple text scrolled across, glowing faintly as if projected directly into his vision.
[INVENTORY]
[1x Bottled Water]
[1x Energy Bar]
[1x Bandage]
[1x Lighter]
[Flashlight]
[Starter Map]
"Not bad… real basics, but enough to get me started. This… this could actually work. Hmm, dimensional bag of survival. Who knew my gamer dreams would actually become a literal zombie apocalypse toolbox?"
Sid squinted at the glowing list, eyes locking onto the two things his body screamed for. Water and food. His throat was still dry from shouting when he fell, and his stomach knotted from nerves and adrenaline. He tapped the screen with his finger, almost out of habit, then laughed.
"Right. Not touchscreen. Voice command. Okay… Inventory: Bottled Water."
In an instant, a plastic bottle materialized in his hand, cold to the touch, droplets of condensation running down the side. He twisted the cap, lifted it, and gulped greedily. The water was crisp, clean, and refreshing in a way he never expected. Each swallow cooled his throat and filled his chest with relief.
"God… that's the best water I've had in my life. Better than any overpriced gamer fuel."
He leaned against the railing, savoring it, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Next, he couldn't resist.
"Inventory: Energy Bar."
A familiar, rectangular packet appeared. Sid stared at it with a smile.
"No way… this is it. The starter food item. Every player hated these things. You could practically live on them for weeks, but the taste in-game? Cardboard dipped in chocolate. That was the meme."
He tore open the wrapper and took a bite. His eyes widened.
"Whoa… this is actually… good. Like, real good."
He chewed slowly, letting the chocolate and peanut flavor coat his tongue. The texture was soft but dense, filling him up in a way that felt real, not just numbers ticking on a screen. He chuckled between bites.
"This is legit survival food. Damn, I feel alive right now."
A thought struck him, and he blinked twice. Instantly, a faint overlay shimmered into existence at the corner of his vision—HUD Overlay. Bars pulsed softly, updating in real time. His stamina bar ticked upward with each swallow, the yellow bar rising faster than he ever remembered it doing in the game. The water quenched his thirst, the protein bar fueled his body, and the HUD confirmed it all.
He downed another gulp of water, then leaned back against the wall, exhaling. His stomach settled, the weight of exhaustion easing just a little. For the first time since waking up in this dead world, the hunger, the thirst, the shaking adrenaline… they all quieted down.
"Alright… If the basics feel this good, maybe surviving here won't be hell after all."
Sid had just finished the last bite of the protein bar when the calm voice slipped back into his ears.
[Congratulations on completing the first tutorial. Now, proceeding to the second tutorial mission…]
[Second Tutorial Mission: Gather More Supplies]
[Objective: Scavenge a nearby area for food, water, and other essentials.]
Sid lowered the bottle in his hand, his smirk fading into something more focused.
"Oh boy… here it comes. More scavenging. And knowing this system, it won't hand me freebies this time. Guess I gotta search every damn inch if I want food, water, and whatever else counts as essentials."
Sid rolled the empty wrapper in his hand, eyes narrowing as the mission text glowed. Supplies. Essentials. It sounded simple, but he knew better. He tapped his fingers against the railing, thinking back.
"Alright… tutorial two. I remember this. Years ago when I ran this part of the game, I barely paid attention. Didn't care about food or water… I speedran it. Cleared the waves, flexed the rank, swiped my card for top gear, and called it a day. Essentials? That was just filler content for casuals. Why scavenge when you could buy?"
He turned, scanning the rooftop and the buildings around him. The city looked familiar, yet strange. Crumbling walls, broken signs, alleyways yawning with shadows. None of it lined up with the clean, digital maps in his memory. He muttered under his breath.
"Yeah… this isn't the same? Or this is the… Okay! I never actually looked. Just chased the kill count."
With a shrug, Sid pulled up the map.
"Inventory: Starter Map."
A folded square of parchment materialized in his hand. He flicked it open but before his eyes could lock onto any markings, the paper dissolved into ash like fragments, breaking apart in his hands. His jaw dropped.
"What the hell—hey!"