The streets outside were chaos incarnate. Cars overturned, fires burned, screams echoed through empty alleys. Survivors fought over scraps of food, while others ran blindly into danger.
Arjun stepped out of the convenience store with Mina at his side. Calm, collected, and ruthless.
"Step lightly," he said. "Everyone else is a threat."
Mina nodded.
Her handgun ready.
"Got it. Let's move."
They passed shattered storefronts and abandoned apartments, picking supplies strategically. Arjun checked the blue screen again:
[Inventory: 12 items | Storage Capacity: 50 | Conversion Points: 0]
[New Task: Secure high-value resources | Reward: +10 CP]
"High-value?" Mina asked.
"Food, medicine, batteries—anything people will kill for," Arjun replied. "We take what's theirs before they even think."
Their first target: a small electronics store. Arjun pried open the shutter, silently signaling Mina to cover him.
Inside, a lone survivor scrambled to the door.
Arjun didn't hesitate. One swing of the metal rod.
[Kill Confirmed | Conversion Points +5]
Mina checked the street while Arjun gathered supplies—canned food, batteries, flashlights. The system notified them again:
[Storage Unlocked | Total Items Stored: 25]
[Skill Available: Physical Enhancement Level 1]
Arjun smirked.
"Time to test it."
A rock hit the side of his head. Pain surged, then dissipated as his muscles tensed, stronger than before. He lifted a heavy shelf easily. Mina's eyes widened.
"You're faster…" she muttered.
"Better. Faster. Smarter. That's the only way to survive," Arjun said.
They moved to the next building—a small pharmacy. Two desperate survivors tried to block the entrance. Mina raised her gun.
"Leave them," Arjun said. "We don't negotiate."
One shot, one swing. The path cleared. Supplies taken.
By nightfall, they had secured a small safe house on a quiet street. Fires burned in the distance, casting eerie orange light through broken windows.
Mina set traps at the doors while Arjun cataloged everything into his storage system.
[Total Items Stored: 74 | Skill Points: 12 | New Skill: Basic Combat Level 1]
Arjun leaned against the wall.
"The world is ending," he said quietly. "And we just started."
Mina glanced at him, smirk tugging her lips.
"Then let's make sure we survive it… together."
Outside, the screams continued.
Inside, two survivors were already a step ahead of the rest of humanity.
In this apocalypse, hesitation is death.
And Arjun Kim wasn't about to die.