Zombies are mutated humans who have transformed into crazed beings that feed on the flesh of their own kind. It's a miracle that Nate is a special case; this might be because he was just playing a game or because he had the universe on his side. Nonetheless, the only difference between Nate and the other zombies is that he is still sane and can control the urge to feed on human flesh. The same cannot be said for Peter, whose health bar is depleting rapidly. The system has made it known to him that a horde member with declining health won't die but will go into a rage mode until it finds food. It has also informed him that this would result in a reduction in the horde member's intelligence attribute. Nate is determined to prevent this from happening to Peter, and despite their dire situation, he excuses himself and Peter from their meal.
Eating the food prepared by Jim isn't the boost their bodies need. Jim's usual dish of white rice with oil has been their staple since they met him. Nate doesn't plan to stay near the workshop and takes Peter to a different building, far from the others.
They soon find an abandoned shop and enter it. Nate can see various building materials inside, such as a shovel and a head pan, but he's more concerned about something else bothering him.
[Name: Peter]
[Age: 16]
[Race: Undead]
[Class: Zombie Horde]
[Level: 6]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 7]
[Intelligence: 7]
[HP: 45/115]
Peter's health is decreasing, and he's not the only one in this predicament.
[Nate]
[HP: 34/120]
Nate's condition is even worse than Peter's. He can feel a growing anger inside him but manages to control it, as he dreads to think what Peter would do if his HP were as low as Nate's. With this in mind, Nate takes out the last piece of meat from his inventory.
"I hope this will sustain us until we find more flesh," Nate mumbles and divides the meat, giving the larger portion to Peter. However, little does Nate know that inside the shop, there's a hidden man wearing a cloak. Surprisingly, they can't sense his presence or see him, but he's there.
[Peter]
[HP: 95/115]
[This horde member won't need to eat again for two days.]
[Nate]
[HP: 75/120]
[The host will need to eat again in the next 24 hours.]
"I think I should be worried about myself now," Nate murmurs.
Now that he's done with the emotional moment, Nate takes a moment to observe his surroundings and is amazed by what he sees. He didn't notice all the items in the store earlier because he was too focused on feeding Peter. But now, he takes in the full picture of the store.
Without wasting time, he inspects the equipment in the store. Before doing so, he has another task to complete.
[Function: Return to Lyon]
Nate dismisses Peter since he doesn't see a reason for him to stick around now that he's been fed. Nate is also worried that they might be attacked, and Peter could get caught in the crossfire before Nate can issue a command.
Peter leaves the room, leaving only Nate. Nate continues to inspect the equipment with one of his skills.
[Inspector]
[Name: Socket Chisel]
[Use: A chisel, a cutting tool with a sharpened edge at the end of a metal blade, used—often by driving with a mallet or hammer—in dressing, shaping, or working a solid material such as wood, stone, or metal.]
[Hammer Drill]
[Use: Used occasionally for drilling holes into concrete, masonry, or stone.]
Nate moves from one piece of equipment to another, noting their names and uses. So far, he has picked up a saw and a longer hammer, in addition to the sword Jim gave him. He takes these items because he anticipates a situation where he may need to switch weapons in a fight or might lose the sword.
Soon, Nate finishes picking up equipment, leaving him with the long hammer, which he plans to give to Jim, and the main item he's interested in—a hammer drill with a sharp edge like a spear. Others might not find it useful, but Nate has a different perspective.
He places everything in a handbag used for carrying dangerous equipment and stores it in his inventory, ready to leave the shop. However, a noise suddenly comes from behind him.
Baaaaaa...!
Nate turns and sees a saw blade coming directly toward his face. He manages to duck to the left just in time, and the saw blade slices off a piece of the metal-like door. After rolling out of harm's way, Nate's body trembles slightly upon seeing what happened to the door. He realizes that if he had hesitated, his head could have been rolling on the floor.
Shifting his focus to the source of the attack, Nate sees a cloaked figure dressed in black from head to toe. It triggers a memory, but he can't quite place where he's seen such attire before.
The cloaked figure attacks again, swinging a saw at Nate. The strike is surprisingly fast, but Nate once again manages to dodge, and this time, only a small piece of flesh is grazed, not enough to decrease his HP.
Thinking he can't keep dodging forever, Nate rolls to the back of the cloaked figure and summons his sword. He attempts to slash at the figure's leg, but to his astonishment, the sword becomes stuck in the leg. When he tries to pull it back, it won't budge.
The figure bends forward, one knee on the ground and one standing. Nate uses this opportunity to grab the cloak and yank it, revealing the person behind it.
"Jim?"