He entered the Store with anticipation glinting in his eyes, clicking on the icon on the floating screen. This time, it worked as a wide range of written options appeared on the interface.
[System Store.]
[Only Boyfriend Credits and Gacha Allowances are spendable here.]
[Screw Dollars.]
"What the f**k? Is this how you welcome a citizen of the United States to your store?" Ethan shouted with a glare.
However, the system seemed to think ignoring his question was the best way to add to the rage-bait.
Ethan was already getting more pissed, but still, he went ahead to the options anyway.
[Store Menus:
-Items & Resources.
-Weapons.]
He quickly clicked on the Weapon menu at once, not even sparing a second glance at the Items and Resources section.
His mind flashed quickly, considering the fact that the only way to get out of this mess was to have something to protect him... No, them.
He looked at Anna, who was sleeping on the small bed in the corner, and sighed.
She was his responsibility now.
He would have slightly hated to say this, but he knew it was what he had to do, not just because it was what the system had tasked him with, but because regardless of everything that had happened, she was still his best friend.
Anna's family lived in the same apartment building where Ethan's family had lived since they were kids. They were so close that even both fathers worked in the same factory, where the disaster that cost them their lives had happened.
Growing up, he couldn't pretend to act just like a brother figure to her.
He wanted her...
However, we all know how that ended.
Now, life had just turned its head in a different direction. Anna was the only child and family her mother had left, and she definitely wouldn't want to lose her.
He knew that the best thing he could do was get Anna back to her mother.
Turning back to the interface, he continued exploring.
[Only Melee and a limited amount of Long-range weapons are available at this point. To have complete access to all weapons, at least one Core Mission has to be completed.]
[Melee.]
[Long-range (limited).]
"Ughh, too bad," Ethan shook his head as he smashed the Melee icon.
[Melee Weapons]
[Name: Combat Knife.]
[Cost: 15 BC.]
[Description: Military-grade short blade. Balanced and sharp. Effective for silent kills. A great starter melee weapon.]
.
[Name: Baseball Bat.]
[Cost: 20 BC.]
[Description: Common aluminum bat. Durable but heavy. Can do a great job bashing a zombie's skull depending on the user's hit force (Strength).]
.
[Name: Crowbar.]
[Cost: 12 BC.]
[Description: Sharp, solid, and good for taking down a zombie with a single stab to the skull, reaching its brain.]
Ethan went through each and every melee weapon available, and there were also things like a Fire Axe, a machete, and a hammer available.
Judging by the knowledge from movies and shows he had watched, he knew that silent killers were the best choice.
Sure, it could be said that all melee weapons are silent, but there were still some more preferable than others.
Ethan didn't hesitate before picking the baseball bat. He happened to remember a character in a TV show he had watched some years ago.
It was a villain who had a baseball bat as his signature weapon but then had to bury it when he was redeemed, turning from evil to good.
The baseball bat might have been a vile weapon in that series, but for Ethan, he was going to make it the other way around.
Not because he only liked it, but because it would be the most important weapon for him at this point in time.
The limited Long-range weapons were only a bow and a crossbow.
Ethan didn't even know how to use one, so what was the point of getting one?
The Boyfriend Credits (BC) were the Store's currency, and Ethan ended up buying one Baseball Bat from the Store.
He could swear he had no idea how he would get what he bought, but he still went ahead, watching his twenty credits disappear before his eyes.
[Common Melee Weapon, Baseball Bat has been successfully purchased. You have been debited 20 Boyfriend Credits.]
At that instant, a grayish, tough-looking Baseball Bat materialized in front of Ethan.
"Whoa!" His eyes widened at once as he flinched, taking a few steps back.
[There's what you bought, host.]
"Did it just appear???" Ethan asked, still stunned.
[No, it emerged. Idiot.]
At that point, Ethan couldn't respond, as he went ahead and grabbed the bat which was floating midair.
With a faint grip, he observed it and soon confirmed that it was real. Everything was perfect, just like a real Baseball Bat.
But what frightened him was how the bat had materialized. Sure, he was glad that he had earned himself a good weapon, but he was still shaken by the wonders of the system.
First a great disaster happened, and now he suddenly got a strange entity that had bullied and helped him at the same time.
"What the hell is happening?" Ethan couldn't help but wonder.
And then...
[This is the New Age of Humanity. The Old Age has fallen.]
The system voiced.
"What the hell do you mean?! Some stupid bunch of monsters attacked our university and you are telling me about some New and Old Age shit?!" Ethan shouted.
"Enough of this shit, man. I wanna go home."
[An Apocalypse doesn't only happen in universities, dummy. You're not the only ones in this mess. Your world is screwed.]
"Ah! Wait... You mean... The Mutants attacked every part of the world?" Ethan's heart skipped as he asked.
[That's what an Apocalypse is, host.]
The realization hit him again.
The whole world?
Suffering the same disaster?
That was news that changed the look on his face completely.
'Those myths of people saying that the world would potentially face an end had finally happened? Damn!'
His next thought landed at home.
He wondered if his mom and Eva, his sister, were okay, and at that point, that was his greatest fear.
However, he knew that forcing his way out of campus would end in disaster.
There were over eleven thousand students in New Land University, and over 80% had died, meaning there would be over eight thousand zombies inside the university, and there was no way they could make it past them.
Whatever the stakes were, he just had to find a way.
But it turned out that the system had other activities for him.
[You have unlocked a new feature in the system stats: Girlfriend Counts.]
[Girlfriends Obtained: None.]
[Core Mission Triggered.]
[There are two types of missions: Normal Missions and Core Missions. Completing a Core Mission earns you a Gacha Allowance apart from Skills, Boyfriend Credits, and Attribute Points.]
[Normal Missions often come with Daily Intelligence Reports.]
[Note: Core Missions are a pain in the ass.]
Ethan frowned.
"What the hell is the Core Mission?"
[First Core Mission!]
[Save all the surviving girls in New Land University and get them out safely without leaving a single one behind. Make them all your girlfriends.]
[Rewards: 15 Thousand Boyfriend Credits, +20 Points to every Attribute. +3 Boyfriend Skills. +1 Gacha Allowance.]
[Penalty for failure: You're gonna lose your d*ck!]
"WHAT??? Are you crazy?!" Ethan shouted at the top of his lungs.
[Maybe, host...]
[Welcome to the Apocalypse.]
.
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[A/N: Pls, check the author's thoughts.]