[Congratulations on being the first to clear a Zone! Special rewards will be given after the Basic Reward.]
[Calculating rewards based on Time of Completion…]
[Tome of the Mage, Received!]
[Would you like to change your Class into Mage now?]
"Hm. Fuck no. I need…
…something juicier."
Zac only glanced at the two choices presented to him by the [System], before casually proceeding to tap [No] without even thinking about it twice. The reason why he decided to close this Curtain was not to repeat the same path he took in his old life, but to become the very first person to close a Curtain in the first place.
And being the first… always has its rewards—
[Shabby Old Staff, Received!]
[Hobgoblin's loincloth, Received!]
[Player Level, Up!] x 3
Zac did not really look at the words that were floating in front of him and instead just tried to lift himself up from the ground. Although the [System] completely healed him as soon as it was unlocked, there was still a lingering discomfort covering his entire body.
However, as soon as the next words appeared in front of him, his eyes quickly lit up with excitement.
[Now distributing Special Rewards…]
[150,000 Zenny, Received!]
[50 Status Points, Received!]
[Pigeon Wing, Received!]
[Welcome to the New World! As a new Player, there are some features that you need to…]
A wall of texts appeared in front of Zac; his eyes, however, were still completely wide open from the rewards he had just received. From his old life, he had also received a Special Reward from being one of the first 5 that was able to close a Curtain.
His rewards then, however, could be compared to dirt with what he received now.
"Open Shop," Zac then whispered. And as soon as he did so, a hologram with a UI design similar to those of popular online shops like Apazon popped up in front of him. His eyes then excitedly traveled to the upper-right most corner, only to see that he really did receive [150,000 Zenny] to spend however he wished.
That was not all, however — the biggest one was the 50 Status Points. Whenever Players like him level up, they are given 3 Status Points. So with the points he had now, it would have been like jumping almost 17 Levels.
The last reward, [Pigeon Wing], was not nearly as exciting, but it could still end up saving his life. There were normally only two ways to leave a Curtain-- Close it or Die. But with the [Pigeon Wing], one could leave instantly.
He… truly did hit the jackpot.
[...And so, as explained, you will automatically be sent outside in 60 seconds.]
With the System finally finished with its tutorial, Zac's eyes were finally free of any clutter.
"..."
"..."
"..."
He was just going to wait for the System to kick him out, but for some reason, the 60 seconds seems to be taking longer than expected. He wanted to get out and go to his mother as soon as possible, and hopefully, she's still alive. If not…
…then that's just her fate.
And so, with nothing to do for the next 40 seconds or so…
"Open Leaderboards."
[World Ranking
1. Zac Baker-- 1,500 Pts.
2. --
3. --
4…]
As expected, the only name he could find in the [Leaderboards] was his. But if he was right…
[1. Zac Baker-- 1,500 Pts.
2. Adam Lee-- 500 Pts.
3. --
4…]
Adam Lee.
Also known as the Lone Soldier. He was the first one to close a Portal in Zac's first run; and as the name suggests, he was a soldier in the US Army. Zac only had the pleasure of meeting him once, as he died years before the Last Curtain for protecting civilians.
Zac was feeling a little guilty in taking the prestige of being number 1 from a good man, but the rewards would probably serve him better. He should just repay him by saving his life in the future.
And so, with a small chuckle escaping from his mouth, a curtain of light enveloped his entire body; and the next scenery he saw in front of him was the wall of his school.
"..." He then immediately looked around to see if there was someone else there, but from the cheers of awe that were oozing out from the windows, they were still too busy being mesmerized by the Curtain.
Most of them would probably be dead by tomorrow… but that's just how it was going to be from now on.
"Open Status Window."
[Zac Baker, Level 4. Class: Classless
Strength: 8
Vitality: 7
Stamina: 10
Agility: 9
Mana: 5
Remaining Status Points: 59]
"Tch."
Seeing his stats being so low, Zac could not help but click his tongue. He used to have a total of more than ten thousand points in his stats, but now it did not even cross a hundred. But besides that, he had another dilemma he was currently facing.
Class Tomes are awarded to a player without a Class every time he or she closes a Curtain solo.
Zac currently had the [Tome of Mage] in his inventory that he had no plan of using since he was aiming for whatever Class Tome he would be getting in the Gold Curtain that would be appearing near the area sometime soon.
But now, that is where his problem lies, he had no idea what Stats he should be focusing on since the Tome awarded to him in the Gold Curtain could be anything from a Strength-oriented Class to a Mana-oriented one.
"..."
But after thinking about it for a while, Zac decided to increase his stats just enough to safely get home.
[Zac Baker, Level 4 | Class: Classless
Strength: 15
Vitality: 17
Stamina: 10
Dexterity: 15
Mana: 5
Remaining Status Points: 36]
But in the end, his worries were for nothing. He was able to clear the Curtain too fast that the curiosity of most of the people around him was still not enough for them to recklessly approach the Curtains.
He could probably warn them not to get too close, but knowing the innate temperament of humans; none of them would probably take them seriously and he would just be wasting his time.
Everyone is granted the System, but not everyone is lucky enough to survive to realize it.
And so, he continued to run; ignoring the stares of the people that were in awe with how fast he was running. With his Strength and Dexterity almost double that of a normal human's, he was probably moving at a speed of more than 30km/h, consistently and without pause.
And halfway through his house, he could finally hear the shrilling screams of people reverberating in the air.
It was starting.
This was the start of the horror that would plague the entire world for years to come.
And so, with the cries continuing to whisper into his ears, could not help but add 5 more Status Points to his Dexterity, reaching the speed of the fastest human ever recorded. The only difference is-- Zac could run like this for probably an hour without pause.
He was probably wasting Status Points, but he could no longer think about that as anything could happen to his mother with the time he was gone.
"Eep!"
And finally, after a few more minutes, he arrived in his apartment and immediately unlocked the door; causing his mother to let out a shriek so loud it almost made Zac's ears burst.
"Z… Zac! You surprised me!" Nathalie then said as she immediately closed the blinds of her windows. She was also strictly ordered by Zac not to open them, but of course; why should she listen to her son?
"Why… are you back so early? Did the school let you go home because of the Aurora Borea--"
And before Nathalie could even finish her words, the warmth of Zac's arms suddenly embraced her body.
"Are…"
Although his mother seemed a bit perplexed with Zac's random action, she didn't really do anything as she just closed her eyes,
"Are… you finally going to tell me what's going on?" Nathalie then let out a long and deep sigh as she returned her son's embrace.
"Soon, mother. But first…
...Open Inventory."
"Huh, what did you sa--"
And once again, before Nathalie could finish her words, she saw her son's hand disappear into thin air, only to reappear again with some sort of book.
"W… how did you--"
[Player Zac Baker wants to give you a gift…
...Accept?]
"What… is that?"
___
[Zac Baker, Level 4 | Class: Classless
Strength: 15
Vitality: 17
Stamina: 10
Dexterity: 20
Mana: 5
Remaining Status Points: 31]