Looking at his "Level Up Zombie" plan, Alex continued to add items to his list. The first item on the list was 'find a way to hide my appearance,' which Alex swiftly crossed out since he had accomplished it. He then started writing the next couple of items he needed to do.
'Since for some reason the government food is no longer something I can eat, I need to find some food as soon as possible.'
The second item on his list was "Get some food."
Thirdly, he needed to acquire his hunter's license. While anyone can venture into the forest, one cannot sell anything they acquire from there without having a hunter's license.
Otherwise, they would need to go to the black market. Being only 10 years old with zero experience sounded like a terrible idea. At best, he would get scammed; at worst, he'd lose his life to some greedy underground dwellers.
Putting his pen down, he looked at his list. He was proud of this little achievement:
Find a way to hide my appearance.
Get some food.
Acquire a license.
Acquire a weapon and some armour.
Looking at himself one more time in the mirror, he made sure that everything was properly covered up. He was reminded of a cartoon featuring a bandit raccoon; he looked just like that!
Nodding his head in approval, he was ready to head out.
In his excitement, he forgot to relieve himself!
"Wait, I need to actually use the bathroom too!" Alex said to himself, laughing.
As he reached to lift the toilet lid, he underestimated his newfound strength. The lid snapped off in his grip and clattered loudly to the floor.
"Whoa, where did all this power come from?" he exclaimed, both startled and impressed.
He eyed the broken lid, realizing he would need to replace it. Despite the mishap, a grin spread across his face.
"I'm not even mad. This is kind of awesome," he chuckled.
Alex then carefully attended to his business, trying to be as gentle as possible. When it was time to flush, he hesitated for a moment, then gingerly pressed the handle with just the tip of his finger, anxious not to break another part of the toilet.
'Gotta remember, I'm stronger now,' he reminded himself, slowly getting used to his enhanced abilities.
He grabbed his keys and some bank notes and locked the door to his apartment.
Alex lived on the 6th floor in the apartment building but never took the elevator. As usual, he walked down the stairs, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with anyone he might pass by.
As he left the building, the feeling of fresh air in his lungs felt good. He had been cooped up in his apartment for over five days, and now that he was out for the first time since the 'incident,' he noticed a few things.
"What the heck is that guy doing wearing all those clothes in the middle of June? It's freaking 30 degrees Celsius!"
Alex heard one guy say to a girl beside him.
"He must be super ugly or allergic to the sun; imagine that, hahaha," the couple laughed.
Unbeknownst to them, Alex could hear everything. It sent shivers down his spine, 'How can people be so disgusting? They don't even know me, and I could really be allergic to the sun; how is that even funny?' Alex thought.
He swore to himself that he would never become one of those snobs, no matter how his life turned out.
Alex continued down the road, trying not to let any of the words people around him spoke get to him.
'People think having super hearing or being able to read people's minds is a great power, but it freaking sucks… people have nothing good to say, why would I want to hear this garbage,'
Alex remarked to himself. He was heading towards the Hunter's Guild, which was a few kilometres away by foot.
In Greenhaven, acquiring a hunter's license isn't just a matter of filling out paperwork; it's a rite of passage that tests one's mettle. The Hunter's Guild, a respected institution in the city, administers a unique trial known as "The Hunter's Trial."
This trial is designed to be accessible for all ages and skill levels, focusing more on ingenuity and potential than brute strength.
Generally, one would have to prove they have what it takes to be a hunter. Hunters don't need to be necessarily strong, smart, or fast, but they have to be at least one of those. When the Hunter's Guild first formed, they would not accept anyone younger than 12 years of age, since anyone younger than 12 would not have yet learned how to fight during school. But over time, they came to understand that there were some talented children, as well as some children that had no other means to live other than try to scavenge the forest for anything they could find.
And so, a few years ago, they amended their rules and started accepting people of all ages, as long as they could demonstrate they have what it takes to become a rank 1 hunter.
Most rank 1 hunters were not powerful but were cunning and wise enough to keep themselves safe and scavenge the easiest part of the forest for anything valuable. Rarely do they fight other beasts, and when they do, they usually hunt in groups of 4 or 5.
As Alex got closer to the Hunter's Guild, he smelled something in the air and couldn't help but salivate at how good it smelled. His stomach was now growling loud enough for passersby to hear; some felt sorry for him, while others looked away once they saw how he was dressed. Alex couldn't help but follow the smell, which eventually took him to a small stall that had fresh meat skewered as the merchant was about to light the fire under the meat and start the rotisserie.
"How much for that meat skewer?" Alex, holding his stomach, asked. He was hoping the merchant would find some pity on him, seeing him so hungry.
"It's 15 copper for one skewer, and 45 copper for the full rack," said the merchant nonchalantly.
Alex looked through his pockets and saw he had 10 copper, a button, and his "Level Up Zombie" list, which he quickly placed back in his pocket.
"What can I get for 10 Copper?" Alex asked.
The merchant pointed to a small mound of decaying meat that had flies flying over it, which looked to be about 3 days old. He smirked and said, "I'll give you the whole pile for your 10 copper, but this meat's gone bad. But if you're really desperate, you can have it all. What do you say?"
What the merchant didn't know was the giant smile underneath Alex's hoody. When Alex got closer to the stall, he noticed that it wasn't the fresh meat about to be cooked that had brought him to the stall, it was actually that decaying meat pile that brought him here!
"You suck, old man. I can't believe you would try to sell me that crap for 10 copper. But I really am hungry, and no one in this town is willing to give a kid some food, so how about I take it for your hands for 5 copper?" Alex said, trying to be as serious as possible.
"You've got some mouth on you, kid, but fine. Take it."
Alex handed over the 5 copper, and he was handed a bag of near-rotten meat.