Author note.
* This is the last chapter of volume 1.
* From here on, chapters will be in the second volume. I hope you like and read them
* Thank you for reading.
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[ Time / Location ]: 3rd of October 2031 / Cabin in the shoreline area of Lakeside Resort, Colorado
[ POV ]: Felix
Winter is coming.
Every day's just half a degree colder than the last. By dawn, you could already see your breath when you exhale. The air bites harder. And I've been gambling with my comfort for far too long.
My stubborn streak for hoarding SP finally collapsed. Anymore, and that discomfort will turn into sickness. Nature doesn't play fair especially in winter.
I finally bought a basic sleeping bag for 25 SP. Nothing fancy, just enough to stop me from waking up shivering. And I went ahead and grabbed some winter gear too, three sizes bigger than my current build. I've been growing faster than I'd like to admit.
Either it's a growth spurt or unlocking the templates is actually upgrading me physically too. I would say it's a combination of the two. All positive stuff anyway.
Meaning, buying my actual size would just be throwing SP into a fire. Winter clothes ran me another 55 SP.
It still feels strange how off-balance the prices are in the Shop. But at the the end of the day it's pretty logical why.
Some things that would've cost a fortune on Earth are practically thrown at you here. Others that were once cheap have absurd markups. Take electronics or anything with a fuel engine, they're outrageously expensive. Meanwhile, raw materials? Practically dirt cheap... except gold, of course. The Shop still pretends that stuff's divine.
I guess it needed another currency other than kills. It would have been awesome if I could sell stuff for SP, but alas. You can't have everything... Not that I'm complaining. Last thing I wanted is to complain and somehow wake up and find the Shop and Template systems gone, just cause I was too greedy for my own good.
On the contrary, I'm still very thankful to whoever that being was, for him / it giving me this opportunity.
Back to the mismatched prices, they are both a curse and a blessing.
A curse because, in the long run, I know I'll need transportation. Not now, maybe not next week, but eventually. A motorcycle would be perfect: small, customizable, light on fuel, and ideal for traveling light and fast. Something like what you'd use in • { Days Gone } •, that zombie game I used to binge.
But getting my hands on a decent bike is going to gut me, SP-wise. Reliable models are pricey in the Shop, and the ones that are affordable? Most look like junk on two wheels.
And I ain't compromising for junk like that.
Now here's the blessing: fuel is counted as a raw material. Practically costs nothing. I could hoard gallons for pennies. And the second win? I've got access to knowledge. Such as manuals, blueprints, skill sets. All of it is sitting right there in the Knowledge section of the Shop.
They are pricey but super practical. That's where I got the survival manual.
In most worlds knowledge is power, the more you have mastered the better. Sure, it would take you time and effort to actually learn a new skill and be proficient at it. But that's infinitely much better than not knowing anything or not having the know-how to do it.
And I've got time. And a brain that actually works now.
If I want to modify or even rebuild a vehicle from the frame up, I can. Not today, not tomorrow. But soon. And it's definitely not procrastinating, I can't afford to even do that... not yet at least.
I dream of the day where I'll be having my own fortified mansion, complete with outer defenses, sensors, cameras, drones you name it. A small land for farming, filled with vegetables of all kinds and a mini-animal farm just for the hell of it. A girl on each side to keep me company.
No one to bother me, not that anyone could if I continue with unlocking my templates.
A dream that I will make a reality very soon.
***
Back to that horrid weather.
Tracking animals is getting harder. Game is thinning out. Bears have mostly disappeared from this side of the valley, likely seeking dens to sleep out the winter. Even the squirrels are getting twitchier. I've seen them hoarding seeds and acorns like their lives depended on it.
But when God closes a door he opens another for you, the door is: animals that need to hibernate require a lot of food so they can store more fat for the winter. That's where my opportunity comes, I simply give them the food layered on a trap and voila... Food for me.
I was always fascinated by nature, both back in my previous world and still right now. It has this serene balance to it, except for humans that is. Why do we even exist in this harmonious system goes beyond my thinking.
" Am I turning into a philosopher or something? Loneliness is a hell of a thing, huh. Back to animals know. " I thought out loud.
Instinct tells them what's coming. Guess if you lack a big brain you're compensated with an already written script that keeps you from being a complete moron, for animals at least. I don't have that luxury. But I've got awareness. And SP. And now… two more Templates to unlock.
And they are definitely better than instincts. Seeing as I'm already a menace to most humans now. " Cough cough, David's group, cough." I blurted out.
And that by only unlocking one template. I'm on my way to become some Boss / secret DLC unlockable character.
***
I've had enough Shadow Marks saved up for a while now. I was just waiting. Watching. Making sure. Life had it's ways to fuck with me back then. And i ain't letting it do that shit no more... Nah uh.
But now… now feels right.
Two Templates are ready for activation. Number # 9 and Number # 8.
I started with Number 9: Jack Reacher. Not that I could unlock one ahead of the other, it had to be gradual. And I'm okay with that, who wouldn't be.
Once I thought and willed the Template system to appear. I could see and read a message that popped up in my mind.
[ Do you wish to unlock the second Template Rank # 9 (Jack reacher) cost 150 SM think •Unlock• ]
And just like that, my precious Shadow Marks dipped to 345 SM. I literally had to kill a small army to get that much.
" Mark my words my future self. I need to find gold at any cost. Killing infected is an option, but humans... Not so much. " I said with as much of a righteous fury I could muster. I already could be seen as a cold serial killer seeing as how many human kills I have under my belt.
Know back to Jack reacher.
What can I say. The man's a walking fortress. Mentally and physically. Unlocking him gave me an immediate shift in posture, shoulders relaxed but squared, feet instinctively stable. My eyes started scanning rooms with more detail, more calculation. I could feel the change. I ought to note and see if I have any physical changes in the following days in my training. If I do, that would prove my theory of me gaining a higher potential in the physical aspect.
The skill package that came with him is incredible. Tactical assessment. Improvised combat. Mental conditioning. Confidence. No, certainty.
I've also noticed this since I have unlocked the first template, my actual mind hasn't been drastically changed or anything like that. Sure it's a change, but it's more of an upgrade than an actual change. My thinking ability is optimized my tactical awareness is off the roof. I could name more and more of the advantages I've got, but I'll keep them to my notes for now.
Now to the second template to unlock. Number #8: Alejandro Gillick. Just like before, I mentally commended the template.
[ Do you wish to unlock the second Template Rank # 9 (Alejandro Gillick) cost 200 SM think •Unlock• ]
Yes please.
SM remaining: 145
" Ugh, it's like a knife to the chest every time man, my points. " I dramatically held my heart in pain.
The feeling of unlocking a template and gaining a plethora of skills and knowledge, etc.. is very weird. Like the first high you get when you start smoking but every time. I think I'll stick with only unlocking one or two per time just in case.
And oh boy was this a template.
Alejandro gillick is wholly different.
He's not a fighter. Not a tactician. But a different kind of dangerous. I knew little about him from before, all I knew him as is a former prosecutor turned assassin, seeks vengeance against cartels after his family's murder, operating in brutal silence.
But now I truly know what he's like.
A manipulator. A strategist. Someone who moved people like chess pieces and never blinked while doing it.
When I unlocked him, the change was... eerie. My thoughts slowed, became layered. I started parsing conversations from three angles at once. Every detail started feeling useful. People's ticks. The way they phrased their sentences. Their emotional tells.
His strength isn't in fighting, it's in control. It's closer to my first template in a way.
Social engineering. Deep psychology. Emotional detachment when necessary.
It's like Reacher turned me into a hardened weapon.
Gillick made me aware of every trigger that can fire a weapon.
And now I'm both.
But with that power comes responsibility, yeah, I said it. No sarcasm.
I'm simply not interested in manipulating people... not in the slightest. I knew some who are like that in my past life, I despised them. I still do.
But like any weapon there is, it can be used in both good and bad. If I ever needed that weapon I'll take full advantage of it. And something tells me I'll be needing it a lot in a world like this.
***
Unlocking these templates doesn't mean shit if I actually don't know how to use the skills and knowledge I've got, well I do know how to use them but not at 100% yield. I need to practice a lot of it.
And with it came the need to upgrade my training regime. Winter is just around the corner, I'd better train while I can and have the home advantage for it. Not that I can't train in the winter, it would just be a lot harsher and I would risk getting sick for no reason.
A wise man once said: it is better to be safe than sorry.
I needed to strengthen everything. Muscle, reflex, intellect, stamina. Even the little things, like cooking efficiency, posture while walking with a loaded backpack, tolerance to cold, sight alignment with firearms.
It'll be hassle to do all of this and more. But my thinking is if I could do this and master this now. I could be lazy and comfortable later.
While I'm doing all that I'll keep checking on David and his group. Right now they only have two options:
Either gather whoever has been left and is able, to hunt me down which I'm 1000% sure they won't do. Or look for another settlement and ASAP. They won't have much time anymore seeing as the weather is getting harsher.
Not that I'm going to let them actually do that. Not all of them at least, the ones who still know about what they are actually eating.
Oh David, be ready. I will fucking tear you apart.
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Word count: 1937 words.
Thank you for reading.
To be continued.