Chapter 9 - Reward

The giant's body began to glow brightly at the same moment that three survival coins and a blue chest materialized nearby.

Adam hurried to Leo and gave him a worried look as the giant collapsed. "Leo, are you okay? Next time, when you are going to do something as risky as this, you ought to let me know beforehand."

"Yes. I am alright. Everything was preplanned." Leo spoke while cleaning the blood from Giant's lifeless body with his blade. Leo's calm demeanor contrasted with the chaos surrounding them as Adam's heart raced with concern. He knew they were in deep trouble.

When Willie realized the enormous monster was finally dead, he approached closer. "Dude, I really thought you were going to dump me. Furthermore, why is bleach used? When I was with you, you did not seem to be taking it, even though you appeared prepared."

Though Willie was happy that a giant had perished, he could not figure out how bleach could affect zombies who weren't sensitive to pain.

Leo knew a few tricks from his previous life, including how to use bleach. Leo discovered that while the weakest monsters were too strong for him, he was too weak when he first began hunting the monsters.

Too weak to engage them head-on, Leo studied their habits and vulnerabilities and learned a few tricks. Survivors later discovered that bleach corroded zombies. Bleach could distract zombies, but it was not lethal to them.

It was not entirely true that zombies had no pain; rather, their level of pain was far lower than that of humans. When their arm was severed from their bodies, for example, they would sense something and turn to face the offender.

Likewise, bleach could cause zombies to have a slight discoloration. It was uncommon for zombies to experience sensations like this since they were typically immune to pain. While bleach cannot kill zombies, it can cause enough pain to divert their attention from the intended target.

Leo went over to the treasure chest and reassured Adam that everything was well.

[Would you like to open a Blue Treasure Chest?]

'Yes.'

It vanished, and he held a vial filled with liquid. The liquid in the vial changed from red to blue to green in succession. These colors change on a regular basis. At some point, it will even become colorless.

[Stat Potion]

[Description: The user will receive a 5-point boost to a chosen stat after consuming it.]

Leo never imagined that he would be fortunate enough to find a blue chest in addition to a stat-boosting potion, even though he expected to get a Treasure Chest after killing the giant because it was much stronger.

Stat-boosting potions were very rare in Leo's previous life. These potions were valuable and expensive for Leo because enhancers preferred using them for personal stat boosts rather than selling them. Only auctions held them; they were not available on the market.

Leo chugged down the vial right away because it increased instantly and permanently.

[Which statistic would you like to see increase?]

'Strength. And give agility two points.'

[You have gained five points in strength.]

Apart from a slight slowing of his perception of the world, Leo did not observe any physical alterations. He had neither gained any more muscle nor felt that his constitution had strengthened. Instead, it appeared to be a qualitative rather than a quantitative improvement in muscle fibers.

'status'

[Leonard Wright]

[Level: 3]

[Class: None]

[Survival coins: 8]

[Mana: 0]

[Strength: 16]

[Agility: 10]

[Stamina: 9]

[Intelligence: 11]

[Spirit: 0]

[Attribute points: 0]

[Innate ability: regression]

[Skills: Gaming (LVL 8), Elementary Cooking (LVL 2), and Mathematics (LVL 7)]

A wave of satisfaction surged through Leo as he checked his status window. He found it easier to deal with Giant now that he was confident enough to take on multiple zombies at once.

"The first part of your plan is complete because we saved your friend. So where are we going to hide out?" Willie was only concerned about that. There were zombies everywhere, and it was hard to find a safe spot on campus.

Leo's mind raced as he considered their next move, knowing they needed to find a secure location quickly.

"There is a location in my head. We still need to get a supply of food, so let's head to the local supermarket." Leo calmly answered, "If we are lucky enough, we can make a safe place out of it. Lead the way; the commotion should have already attracted zombies due to the giant's loud roar."

Willie and Adam did not object because they both recognized the value of food in their circumstances. They also realized that standing there was not a smart idea.

Leo told Adam to never lose the wooden bat he was holding before leaving, adding that he couldn't advance without it. After that, their group moved slowly in the direction of the supermarket.

Although it was a supermarket, it would be more accurate to refer to it as a mini market. It was one of the campus supermarkets. It was not the most well-liked one because it was the smallest.

There were only two or three zombies strewn throughout the place when he visited in his previous life. He managed to enter the storage room and lock himself inside while dodging zombies. It was the ideal spot to settle for a little while because of its metal door.