Gisle was a simple student before the apocalypse and was interested in swordsmanship. In the world of Wain, no one was fencing in the usual sense of the word. There were only tournaments where people fought with swords, but not with katanas or big two-handed swords.
However, this world was slightly more technologically advanced than the world of Wain. Partial full immersion games were very popular here. A person did not move into the game world, but his game character exactly repeated his actions from life.
Thanks to this, it was possible to hold fencing tournaments without harming your health. Of course, such fencing was not comparable to real fencing, but it was the closest option available.
When the apocalypse began, Gisle was one of the first to kill a monster and activate his Soul Altar. He had never led anyone, but so far as a leader, he had given no reason to doubt himself.
"Let's go." Said Gisle and their group walked into the marketplace. But, as soon as they entered the shop, they had to defend themselves against a large number of zombies.
'There are so many zombies here... so the people who were in this market decided to stay here even after the apocalypse started. What's more, it looks like we're not the only ones here.' Wain thought, looking at the passageway to another room in the distance.
The room they were fighting in was empty. There was no food on the shelves, only zombies standing around waiting for their victims to come to them.
Wain immediately realized what had happened.
"Gisle, there are not only zombies in this place, but other people, look over there." Said Wain.
Gisle cut off one zombie's head and looked where Wain was pointing. He saw a solid barricade in front of the only passageway to another part of the mart. Moreover, the escalators to the second floor had been destroyed. It was no longer possible to go up to them.
"I see. There's no food here either. I doubt zombies eat anything but brains and meat. Wain, where do you think the people are?"
Wain sighed and said quietly, "It's obvious, they're where all the food is - in the warehouse."
Wain swung his hand, and the dark sword pierced the heart of one zombie, then severed its arms and head. Each time Wain got better at controlling his skill.
Within a minute, they killed almost all the zombies, but suddenly something happened that none expected.
A zombie badly wounded one guy. He was very unlucky because the zombie looked dead but suddenly pounced on him and made a big cut on his arm.
Everyone in the group knew this was the end for him. The apocalypse had only recently begun, but they all knew that being infected was a fate worse than death.
Gisle walked up to the guy and brought his katana high above his head. His hands were trembling, he didn't want to do such a terrible thing, but he had no other choice.
"Gisle, I don't want to die." He tried to stop him.
Gisle averted his eyes to the side and said with difficulty, "But, I have no other choice. Do you want to be one of them?"
'Huh, that's drama.' Thought to himself Wain.
At the same time, Rita looked at the white box in her hands in surprise. She got it after crushing one of the zombie souls.
Wain could have saved this guy, but he wouldn't do it. This man was nothing to him. What's more, he only had one syringe designed for one person. This guy was one of many who would die because of inattention or bad luck.
Gisle was about to put down his katana and kill his partner, but suddenly Rita's voice was heard, "Wait! I can save him!"
The blade of the katana stopped a centimeter from the student's skin. Gisle turned and looked at Rita, puzzled.
The girl unclenched her fist, and everyone saw the small syringe in her hands.
"AHAHAHAH." Suddenly laughed Wain, "Looks like luck is on your side today kid, the chances of someone getting the medicine at a time like this were minimal."
Gisle uttered, "Wain? Rita? You know what it is."
Wain didn't answer, he left it to Rita. The girl smiled and said, "Yes, this medicine cures zombie infections. I got this syringe after I opened the white box. I got it after I crushed a soul."
Gisle breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Great, everything worked out just fine. Then, what are you waiting for, cure him."
Rita nodded and ran over to the injured boy. She injected a syringe into his vein and used the entire contents.
"Wain, how do you know what it is?" Gisle asked seriously. He was glad that Wain had joined them. But, now, he assumed that Wain had the medicine with him. Gisle had to find out.
"I had the same syringe, but I had to use it to survive. Otherwise, I would have become a zombie by now and hunted you down." Calmly Wain said.
He answered naturally, and it was impossible to convict him of lying.
"Phew. Sorry, the whole situation made me too nervous." Said Gisle.
"Never mind, the guy's all right now. We need food, and for that, we're going to have to tear down these barricades." Said Wain pointing toward the aisle.
Gisle nodded and said, "Grut, can you handle it?"
"Yes," replied Grut, "But, there's no way to rebuild those barricades. Are you sure?"
"Of course, we have no other option. There's not a crumb left here." Gisle said confidently.
'Can this guy alone destroy these barricades? He's pretty big, but he probably has some suitable skill.' Thought Wain looking behind Grut.
The young man approached a random barricade and put his large shield forward. The next moment the shield glowed a faint, yellow glow, and Grut dashed forward sharply. His shield was powerful and massive, so the barricade created from tables and chairs could not stop him.
'He has a tough skin that zombies can't penetrate, a large shield, and a skill that meshes well with the shield. Grut probably has a rare defensive type soul.' Thought Wain.
Crackle.
The barricades were shattered as the passageway to the other room was opened. The group headed there, but that room was just as empty.
"They had taken everything to the warehouse, decided to keep food and other items in one place. Most likely, all the people are there, and some of them have superpowers." Proclaimed Wain.
Gisle nodded, "Then let's keep going until we find the warehouse."
The group went forward. Wain asked Gisle, "What will you do if they don't want to share food with us?"
Of course, Gisle knew that's exactly what would happen. During an apocalypse, no one would give up the most important things for survival: water and food. Moreover, most people were afraid and could act irrationally.
"I'll try to negotiate first," Gisle replied.
Wain smirked and said, "And then?"
His words implied that the people in the warehouse would refuse anyway. It was inevitable.
Suddenly Gisle's eyes turned icy, and he said, "After they refuse us, we'll take the food by force. They can't do anything to us."
Wain didn't answer anything and just walked on. That answer suited him fine. He wasn't going to deal with spineless people. Either the others would die, or they would.
After a while, they reached another barricade. It was many times larger than the last one, and various building materials were used to reinforce it.
"There's the warehouse." Mumbled Wain.
Gisle calmly said, "Grut, would you be so kind as to clear the passageway of all the debris?"
The guy nodded, and his shield glowed brightly. He tugged toward the barricade and shattered it again. Despite all the fortifications, to Grut and his shield, it was no stronger than a house of cards. Grut could even break through a concrete wall if he wanted to.
Behind the ruined barricade was a huge room where, before the apocalypse, all the food and various goods anyone could buy were stored.
"Freeze!" A loud voice came from a middle-aged man. He had a gun in his hand and was clearly unfriendly.
Behind him stood about fifty people, most of them trembling with fear. They were the lucky ones who had survived and remained in the store.