**Chapter 3: The Value of a Life**
Zayne stepped out of the cave and blinked against the harsh violet light of the sky.
The noise hit him instantly. Moans of pain, sobbing, and the frantic shouting of people trying to organize. The stench of sulfur was now mixed with the metallic tang of fresh blood.
He stood on the ledge, looking down at the clearing.
The massacre was over. The Rat Wave had ended.
[Analysis: Casualty Rate 42%.]
"Better than the first timeline," Zayne noted. In his previous life, sixty percent had died in the first ten minutes. Perhaps the presence of a few lucky individuals who got weapon drops early had skewed the numbers.
He slid down the rocky embankment, his boots crunching on the gravel.
He didn't look like a hero. His grey initiate rags were covered in cave dust, and he held a chipped, rusted dagger. To the survivors, he looked like a coward who had hidden in a hole while they fought for their lives.
"Hey! You!"
A voice barked out from the center of the crowd.
Zayne didn't stop walking. He was heading toward the center of the clearing, where the Dimensional Merchant would spawn in exactly two minutes.
"I'm talking to you, rat!"
A hand grabbed Zayne's shoulder, spinning him around.
Zayne didn't resist the pull. He turned, his face expressionless.
Standing before him was a tall man with a shaved head. He was holding a bloodied iron mace—a drop from a regular mob. He was breathing hard, adrenaline still pumping through his veins, looking for somewhere to direct his fear and anger.
"We were out here dying," the bald man spat, looming over Zayne. "And you were hiding in a cave? You think you're smart?"
A circle began to form around them. Humans were social creatures; even in the apocalypse, they sought hierarchy. They wanted to see who was strong and who was weak.
Zayne looked at the hand on his shoulder.
[Target: Kang (Human)]
[Level: 2]
[Strength: 7]
[State: Agitated / Exhausted]
"Remove your hand," Zayne said softly.
"Or what?" Kang sneered, tightening his grip. "You gonna cry? Give me your weapon. Cowards don't need—"
Zayne didn't blink.
*Shadow Step.*
*Vwoom.*
The air displaced with a hollow sound.
To the onlookers, Zayne simply vanished. One millisecond he was in Kang's grip, and the next, he was gone.
"Huh?" Kang stumbled forward, grasping at empty air.
"Too slow."
The voice came from behind him.
Before Kang could turn, Zayne kicked the back of his knee. It wasn't a hard kick, but it hit the precise nerve cluster that controlled the leg.
Kang's leg buckled. He dropped to one knee with a grunt.
Zayne didn't draw his dagger. He simply placed his hand on the back of Kang's head and pushed his face into the dirt.
"Use your eyes," Zayne whispered, leaning down. "Does my dagger look clean to you?"
He held the rusted blade in front of Kang's face. The metal was stained with dark, coagulated blood—blood that was too dark to be from a rat. It was the blood of an Elite.
Kang froze. The killing intent radiating off the small, calm man was suffocating. It felt like a blade pressed against his throat.
"I... I..."
Zayne released him and stepped back. He dusted off his hands.
"Next time you touch me, you lose the hand."
He turned and walked away. The crowd parted instantly. No one said a word. The display of speed had been supernatural. They were Level 1s and 2s flailing with sticks; Zayne moved like a phantom.
He reached the center of the clearing just as the sky began to crack.
*CRACK-BOOM.*
A golden fissure opened in the purple clouds. A beam of light shot down, striking the earth directly in front of Zayne.
"Congratulations, maggots!"
A high-pitched, cheerful voice echoed through the clearing.
A small creature floated down the beam of light. It looked like a pixie, dressed in a miniature tuxedo, holding a cane. It hovered three meters in the air, grinning down at the bloodied survivors.
"I am Ticket, your Tutorial Administrator!" the pixie announced, twirling its cane. "Wow, look at all the dead bodies! You guys actually did okay. I expected way more splatter."
The crowd murmured angrily, but no one dared to speak. The aura coming from the pixie was crushing.
"Now, the First Wave is over," Ticket continued. "You have 10 minutes of rest before the Second Wave. And because I'm generous, I'm opening the **System Shop**!"
A giant holographic screen appeared in the center of the clearing.
"Use the coins you earned from killing monsters to buy weapons, potions, or food! If you have zero coins... well, sucks to be you!"
The survivors rushed toward the screen, desperate for water or bandages.
"I only have 10 coins!"
"I have 5... I can only afford a bread roll."
"A sword costs 50 coins? That's impossible!"
Despair washed over the group. The rats dropped 1 or 2 coins each. Even the strongest among them had maybe 30 coins.
Zayne stood at the back of the crowd. He didn't need to fight for position. He opened his personal menu.
[System Shop - Personal Access]
[Balance: 532 Coins.]
Zayne scrolled past the bread. He scrolled past the Iron Swords. He scrolled past the basic healing potions.
His eyes locked on the "Special Items" tab—a tab that only appeared if the user had over 500 coins during the tutorial.
There was only one item listed.
[Item: Ring of the Glutton (Growth Type)]
[Grade: Unique]
[Cost: 500 Coins]
[Effect: Passive. Every time the user kills an enemy, recover 1% of Max Stamina and 1% of Max Mana.]
Zayne's heart beat once, hard.
This ring was legendary. In his past life, a Warlord had used this ring to fight for three days straight without sleeping. It was the ultimate engine for infinite grinding.
Zayne didn't hesitate.
"Purchase."
[Transaction Complete.]
[Remaining Balance: 32 Coins.]
A simple, dark iron band appeared in his inventory. Zayne slipped it onto his right index finger. A cold energy rushed through him.
He looked up at the countdown timer floating above the Pixie's head.
[Time until Second Wave: 08:45.]
Zayne turned away from the shop. While the others were arguing over bread, he had just secured an infinite battery.
"Now," Zayne murmured, looking at the distant forest line where the wolves would spawn next. "I need levels."