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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6 The Job function

The morning after the raid broke with thin sunlight filtering through dust-choked air. Ethan sat near the window, rotating his axe handle idly. Outside, mist clung to the ruins like ghosts refusing to leave.

He opened his System panel.

Status

Strength – 13

Agility – 6

Stamina – 12

Points – 29

He exhaled. "Time to even things out."

Allocate 4 points to Agility? (Y/N)YES.

A surge rippled through his muscles, light and sharp. His vision sharpened; every sound stretched and slowed as if the world moved half a step behind him.

Agility + 4 → 10

He flexed his fingers. The difference was immediate. He could feel motion now—the air shifting around every movement, the balance of each breath.

"Faster," he murmured. "Much faster."

Then the System flickered again.

System Notice:'User performance threshold reached.'New function unlocked — JOB System available.

Ethan froze. "Job system?"

The interface widened into glowing lines of text.

The Eight Paths

[Available Jobs – Melee Category]

Swordsman – Enhances close-range precision and cutting power.

Berserker – Boosts temporary strength; risk of fatigue after battle.

Defender – Increases endurance, stability, and group shielding ability.

Hunter – Improves agility, stealth, and critical accuracy.

Breaker – Augments blunt-weapon impact and crowd control.

Assassin – Boosts silent-kill efficiency and ambush effectiveness.

Duelist – Specialises in one-on-one combat; parry and counter bonuses.

Guardian – Grants defensive aura; allies near the user recover stamina faster.

Note: Multiple Jobs can be unlocked later, but only one may be active at a time.

The text faded to blue.

Ethan stared at the list. "All melee… makes sense."He'd never fired a gun since the outbreak—not that they worked anymore.

Alice approached from behind, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You're talking to the air again."

"System update," he said quietly. "It gave me something new. Jobs."

Her eyebrows rose. "Jobs? Like… professions?"

"Something like that. Combat-related. Eight options."

That caught everyone's attention. Within minutes, Emily and John had gathered around, curiosity replacing exhaustion.

Mike groaned from his corner. "Let me guess, only you get the shiny new toys."

"It might spread later," Ethan said. "The System reacts to activity. Maybe once you reach certain milestones, it'll open for you too."

Nathan snorted. "So you're saying we have to kill a small army first."

Ethan didn't answer. He was already thinking ahead—how to use this.

Training the Others

That afternoon, the base echoed with the sound of movement. Ethan had turned the empty lobby into a makeshift training area—broken furniture pushed aside, concrete cleared.

"Hold it higher," Ethan said, adjusting Emily's stance as she gripped a pipe wrapped in cloth. "You're not swinging a bat; you're cutting a line."

Emily nodded, sweat beading on her forehead.

John was beside her, practising thrusts with a broom-handle spear. His form was rough but improving.

Alice stood near the door, watching. "You're turning us into soldiers."

"Into survivors," Ethan corrected. "The stronger you are, the longer we last."

When they rested, Emily looked at him and smiled faintly. "It feels easier when you explain it. Maybe your System's not the only reason you're stronger."

He didn't reply, but something in her tone stuck with him.

That evening, the three of them sparred again. Emily's strikes grew sharper; John learned to counter instead of flailing. Even Alice joined in, moving with quiet precision, her knife flashing under dim light.

By sunset, they were exhausted—but alive in a way they hadn't felt for weeks.

The Request

While Ethan cleaned his weapon, Emily approached with John and Alice behind her.

"Ethan," she began, "we've been thinking."

He looked up. "About what?"

"About… you carrying us."

He blinked. "Come again?"

Alice crossed her arms. "You're the strongest here. You fight better, move faster. If you take us with you when you hunt, we'll level faster too. Maybe the System will notice us."

John added quickly, "If we don't fight, we'll never grow. You said it yourself."

Ethan frowned. "You want me to risk you out there so you can catch up?"

Emily's voice was firm. "So we can survive."

He stared at them a moment, then sighed. They weren't wrong. The System rewarded kills. Experience. Effort. If he wanted a strong group, he couldn't protect them forever.

"Alright," he said. "Tomorrow. We go together."

Nathan scoffed from his bed. "Great. A family outing."

Ethan ignored him. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

The Hunt

The next morning, they left quietly at dawn. The city lay hushed, bathed in pale fog. The streets looked frozen in time—cars rusted mid-turn, street signs half-buried in ash.

Ethan led the way, every motion deliberate. John carried a sharpened spear, Emily her reinforced pipe, and Alice a short blade tucked against her thigh.

Their first encounter came near an abandoned bus. Three zombies are feeding on something unrecognisable.

Ethan raised a hand. "Your kills," he said softly. "I'll step in if it gets bad."

John's knuckles tightened on the spear. "Understood."

They moved like students under a teacher's watchful eye. Emily struck first, swinging cleanly. Her blow crushed a skull, and she stumbled back, shocked but not screaming. John followed, piercing the second through the chest before twisting free. Alice slipped behind the third and slit its throat in one clean motion.

Silence followed.

Then Emily gasped as faint blue light flickered before her.

Kill confirmed. Points + 0.5

Her eyes widened. "I… I saw it. I really saw it!"

John laughed breathlessly. "It's real!"

Ethan nodded. "Told you. Now keep going."

By midday, they'd cleared a whole block—twelve zombies down—small victory, but one that sent hope burning through the group.

For the first time, Ethan saw them smile without guilt.

The Idea

That night, as they returned to base, Ethan watched the others talk quietly around the dim lantern—laughing softly, comparing kills, planning routes.

Sarah even joined in, helping clean weapons. Lily watched from the stairs, her rabbit clutched tight, eyes full of something that looked like faith.

Ethan leaned against the wall, thinking. He had strength now—more than any normal man. His Agility made him nearly untouchable. But power alone meant nothing if everyone else stayed weak.

He opened his System panel again, scrolling past the stat lines until he saw the faint, blinking "JOB" tab.

[Guardian] — Group defence and recovery aura

[Hunter] — Enhanced awareness and tracking.

[Breaker] — Wide-range melee destruction.

He realised then what the System was hinting at: he didn't have to fight alone. He could build something—a group, a team strong enough to hold their own. Maybe even reclaim what was lost.

The thought took root like fire.

Ambition

Later that night, Alice found him on the roof, staring out at the dead skyline.

"You're thinking again," she said.

"Always," he replied.

She joined him at the ledge. "You're planning something, aren't you?"

Ethan's eyes tracked the empty streets below—the flicker of shadows, the quiet hum of wind through hollow buildings. "We survived longer than most because we hid. But hiding won't last forever."

"You want to fight."

"I want to clear this town," he said softly. "Street by street. If we rescue others, teach them to fight, the System will grow with us. Every survivor we carry becomes strength—for them and for us."

Alice looked at him for a long moment, then smiled faintly. "That's insane."

"Maybe," he said, eyes still glowing faint blue. "But it's better than waiting to die."

She nodded slowly. "Then I'm with you."

Ethan turned back to the horizon. "Tomorrow we start training everyone. After that… we clean this place out."

Below them, the wind howled through the ruins, carrying the promise of something new—a spark of order in the chaos.

Status

Strength – 13

Agility – 10

Stamina – 12

Points – 25

System Function Unlocked: JOB System Available Jobs (Melee Only): 8

Ethan closed the panel, feeling the hum of power beneath his skin.

Tomorrow, they wouldn't just survive. They'd begin to take the world back.

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