Chapter 2:
My Catacomb Home
AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED, I am stuck in a catacomb—and let me tell you, the visibility here is terrible. It’s a bit murky, and there are holes in my field of vision. A side effect of Decomposing Body, perhaps?
For now, let’s look at the menu. I get the feeling the unwanted contact blocker is pretty pointless in my zombified state, but I’ll see what’s on there anyway.
Mini-map on, of course. Overhead identifier? Yes, that should be on too. It looks like the unwanted contact blocker is on the bottom. Hmm, it’s recommended to apply it to your face, torso, and legs above the knee. Meaning the area from my shoulders to my hands, my knees to my feet, and the back of my head can still be touched. That sounds about right.
There are only two options: limited contact and a friend list.
Limited: Remove the effects of the contact blocker for selected users on the friend list
Friend List: Do not apply contact blocker to any users on this list
*Note: Even if the unwanted contact blocker is not active, the system may punish certain actions based on its own judgment.
Well then, the limited setting should be fine. I’ll select Akina while I’m here. Next!
GORE SETTINGS:
All Ages/G: Wounds will be covered by a mysterious light.
R-15: Serious wounds and cross-sections will have a mosaic filter placed over them.
R-18: Though models are slightly more cartoonish than reality, everything from blood to bones will be shown.
Oh, I see. It looks like you can select the color palette displayed for blood as well. That’s thoughtful—there are people out there who faint at the sight of blood, after all. I think should be fine with R-15. With the All Ages setting on, the zombies around me are so clouded in light I can hardly make out what they are anymore. Oh, and the blood can stay red: I’m already used to seeing it IRL.
Secondary Voice Toggle: On/Off.
* In the case of inhumans, their primary voice is monster sounds, and the secondary voice is the voice of the player.
That has to stay on. Otherwise, I can’t have a conversation with anyone. I make sure the “Lower primary voice when using secondary voice” option is checked.
Pain Transmission: 0 - 100 (Default value: 20)
*This is the level of pain you will feel when attacked.
The higher the number, the closer it will be to reality. Note: Users under 18 cannot set this value over 50.
Well, that default is just fine. I don’t feel particularly happy when I’m in pain; it’s not really what I’m looking to get out of a game. Anyway, that should be about it for the settings. Next, let’s check my inventory.
[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED RAGS
Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —
The tattered remains of what used to be clothing. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.
[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED SHOES
Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —
The tattered remains of what used to be shoes. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.
[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S HP POTION
Rarity: None Quality: C
A magic medicine that restores 50HP.
Note: Cannot be used on the undead.
[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S MP POTION
Rarity: None Quality: C
A magic medicine that restores 50MP.
Note: Cannot be used on the undead.
[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S FIELD RATIONS
Rarity: None Quality: C
A compact field ration that relieves hunger by 10%.
The red phrase ‘Note: Cannot be used on the undead’ under those descriptions is quite a sad thing for me to read. I have my Regen skill, so I might be fine on HP, but I have zero MP. I’m pretty sure I don’t need food either. I can eat, but the undead have no hunger system, so it’s pointless to feed myself anyway.
As for that flickering envelope…Oh, that’s my bonus money and potions from the limited edition! I can’t use them, so I don’t see any reason to redeem it. Well, not now at least, especially since I found out you lose half of your money when you die.
All right, that should be everything, so let’s begin! First, I should explore my new home and fill out the map. That’s the first fundamental step of every RPG.
For starters…
ZOMBIE LV 6
A revived, rotting corpse. They flock around whomever they see.
Now that I get a better look at you guys…dang, you’re pretty strong. All of you are, actually. Even the lowest level enemy in my home seems to be five levels higher than me. The strongest is level 9! Why am I the only level 1 unit here…oh. It’s because I’m an undead newborn and because this is a game.
That aside, they’re not attacking me. I think I read something about inhuman players not aggro-ing members of the same race. It’s quite convenient, so I’ll use this chance to map out the place.
I squirm out of my cavity in the wall—it could practically be my bed—and immediately find it incredibly hard to move. Something feels off. It’s like my legs aren’t the same length, and neither are working properly. Yes, just like that feeling when you’re walking when one foot is numb but just short of tingly—but it’s like that on both feet. Honestly, I’m about to fall over.
“Ah…!”
Squelch!
My head smacks into another zombie. Ugh, gotta get back on my feet. Goodness, this is quite a troublesome body. I can already see why this race was so unpopular.
Squelch!!
Huh? Did that zombie just smack me? There are red markers popping up around it. Oh no, don’t tell me it will start attacking if I run into it? Ow! No, my sense of pain is kinda vague as an undead, so it doesn’t exactly hurt, but it’s not comfortable either.
I swing an arm out at the zombie’s leg, and it easily tumbles over. It’s got terrible balance, after all. I can understand its struggles, but I have no mercy. I know the power of a zombie down to my very undead soul!
Squelch!!
How should I put this? It’s kind of like ground meat; like the feeling of pounding ground beef into hamburger patties. I crawl atop the zombie and begin to sluggishly flail my fists—trust me, it’s not like I have any better options.