Su Chen didn't run; he blurred.
With 26 Agility, his sprinting speed exceeded 60 kilometers per hour. To the zombies shambling on the streets, he was nothing but a gust of wind.
[Stamina: Infinite (due to Perfect Body trait).]
He vaulted over a burning taxi.
He wall-ran along the side of a collapsed convenience store.
A Hunter Licker—a Level 4 monster with a tongue like a spear—burst out of a manhole cover, intercepting his path.
"SCREE!"
It slashed at Su Chen.
Su Chen didn't slow down. He didn't even draw his weapon. He simply lowered his shoulder and rammed it.
BOOM.
With 24 Strength + Iron Skin + Momentum, Su Chen was a human cannonball.
The Hunter Licker exploded on impact. Bones shattered, and the monster was sent flying into a brick wall, embedded like a crushed bug.
Su Chen didn't look back.
[XP +150 (Ignored).]
His target was the Old Clock Tower in the city center. According to his memory—and the data stream—that's where the Merchant spawned.
He checked the timer.
[Merchant Departure: 18 minutes.]
"Plenty of time."
He arrived at the plaza beneath the Clock Tower. The area was strangely empty. No zombies. No monsters.
Just a thick, unnatural gray mist.
Su Chen walked into the mist. The temperature dropped ten degrees.
In the center of the plaza, sitting on a wooden crate, was a figure.
It was a small, hunchbacked creature wearing a tattered black cloak. Its face was hidden in shadows, revealing only a pair of glowing green eyes. A massive backpack, twice the size of its body, was strapped to its back.
The Wandering Merchant.
Su Chen approached.
The creature looked up. It chuckled—a sound like grinding stones.
"Kekeke... A customer? So soon? And a human?"
The Merchant sniffed the air. "You smell of chimera blood and evolution. Interesting."
Su Chen didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Show me the shop."
The Merchant grinned, revealing rows of shark-like teeth. "Impatient. I like that. But my goods are expensive, boy. Do you have the coin?"
It snapped its fingers. A holographic menu appeared in front of Su Chen.
[Merchant's Inventory]
1. [Flame Sword (Rare)] - 5,000 Coins.
2. [Potion of Revival (Epic)] - 50,000 Coins.
3. [Skill Book: Fireball (Common)] - 2,000 Coins.
...
The prices were insane. Su Chen only had 4,000 Coins. He couldn't even afford the sword.
The Merchant watched him, expecting despair. "Too poor? Come back when you've killed a thousand more—"
"Regulation 404," Su Chen interrupted.
The Merchant froze. Its green eyes widened.
"What did you say?"
Su Chen stared directly into the creature's hood.
[Eye of Truth Activated.]
[Hidden Rule Detected: The first customer to encounter a Merchant within 1 hour of spawning is entitled to the 'New World' Discount.]
"According to the Global System Regulations, Article 4, Section 4," Su Chen recited calmly. "The first customer of the cycle receives a 90% discount on up to three items. You are bound by the System to honor this."
The Merchant trembled. It wasn't fear; it was anger. It hated players who knew the rules. But it was an NPC; it couldn't disobey.
"You..." The Merchant hissed. "How does a primitive human know the Regulations?"
"Open the discounted shop," Su Chen commanded. "Now."
The Merchant gritted its teeth. It waved a clawed hand.
The menu flickered. The prices crashed.
[Flame Sword] - 500 Coins.
[Revival Potion] - 5,000 Coins.
[Skill Book: Fireball] - 200 Coins.
Su Chen scanned the list. He ignored the weapons. He ignored the skills. He scrolled all the way to the bottom, to the "Miscellaneous" section.
Most players skipped this section. Su Chen knew better.
He pointed at three items.
"I'll take this, this, and this."
1. [Interspatial Ring (10 cubic meters)]
- Original Price: 10,000 Coins.
- Discounted Price: 1,000 Coins.
2. [Blueprint: Mana Generator (Level 1)]
- Original Price: 15,000 Coins.
- Discounted Price: 1,500 Coins.
3. [Mystery Box (Black)]
- Original Price: 15,000 Coins.
- Discounted Price: 1,500 Coins.
Total: 4,000 Coins. Every penny he had.
The Merchant looked at the choices. Its expression changed from anger to shock.
"The Ring... fine. Everyone wants inventory space. But the Generator? And the Black Box?" The Merchant leaned forward. "Boy, you are gambling with your life savings on a box that has a 99% chance of containing trash."
"I like those odds," Su Chen said.
He paid the coins.
[Transaction Complete.]
He grabbed the plain silver ring and slid it onto his finger. Finally. No more carrying rusty pipes in his hands. He mentally willed the Rusty Pipe into the ring. It vanished.
Inventory space secured.
He pocketed the Blueprint. That was for later, when he built his fortress.
Then, he held the Black Box. It was heavy, cold, and absorbed light.
The Merchant watched him intently. "Open it. Let me see your despair."
Su Chen smirked.
To others, it was a gamble.
To him, the result was written in gold text floating above the box.
[Contents: Skill Book - "Necromancer's Monarch (Unique Growth Type)".]
He opened the lid.
Black smoke poured out. A book made of human skin lay inside, pulsing with dark energy.
The Merchant fell off his crate. "Impossible! That's a Unique Class Item! The drop rate is 0.0001%!"
Su Chen grabbed the book.
[Class Change Item: Necromancer's Monarch.]
[Warning: Using this item will lock your Class. You will become an enemy of the Holy Order faction.]
[Do you wish to learn?]
Su Chen didn't hesitate.
In the apocalypse, "Holy" factions were usually hypocrites anyway. Darkness was a tool. And Necromancy? That was an army.
"Learn."
The book dissolved into black liquid and seeped into his skin.
[System Notification:]
[Class Acquired: Necromancer.]
[Unique Trait: Your summons do not consume Mana to maintain. They only consume Mana to create.]
[New Skill: Raise Dead (Level 1).]
Su Chen looked at the Merchant. His eyes were no longer just calm. They were commanding.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
The Merchant packed his bag hurriedly, terrified of this human anomaly. "I'm leaving! Don't follow me!"
The Merchant vanished in a puff of smoke.
Su Chen stood alone in the misty plaza.
He looked at the ground. There was a dead pigeon near the bench.
He extended his hand.
"Rise."
[Mana -10.]
The bones of the pigeon cracked and rearranged. It stood up, its eyes burning with blue fire. It flapped its skeletal wings, hovering in front of Su Chen.
[Minion: Skeletal Scout (Level 1).]
"Go," Su Chen ordered. "Find me the nearest Horde Leader."
The bird screeched silently and flew into the night.
Su Chen checked his map.
"Now that I have an army," he whispered, "it's time to clear the campus."