Level Up!

[Notes: 1. Levelup! 2. Save Jake! 3. Found Black Haven.]

As the group of survivors gathered supplies and fortified the bank, Jun took charge, his voice ringing out with authority as he directed their efforts.

"Move those desks over there," Jun commanded, pointing to a section of the room near the entrance. "We need to create a barricade that zombies can only enter one at a time."

The survivors scrambled to obey Jun's orders, hauling desks and filing cabinets into position with a sense of urgency. Jun surveyed their progress, his eyes sharp as he assessed the effectiveness of their defenses.

"That's it, keep it tight," Jun called out, his voice cutting through the chaos of their surroundings. "We need to make sure nothing gets through this barricade. If they do, some of you have to fight them head-on since I'll be dealing with the entrance itself."

The thought of fighting zombies made everyone nervous. Most of the people inside the bank were women and were already old. The men could be counted on one hand: a teenager, Pablo, and the chubby manager who keeps taking glances from the second floor.

He didn't call them for help since everything was already set up for him. If things turned for the worse, he could ask Pablo for backup since he had a .45 caliber pistol.

As the barricade took shape, Jun took up a position near the entrance, his baseball bat held tightly in his hands. His eyes scanned the street outside, searching for any sign of movement amidst the silence.

"Here they come," Jun warned, his voice low and intense as the first wave of zombies shambled into view.

If it weren't for their crazed look and loud shrieks, these zombies could still be mistaken as people under influence of drugs.

Jun watched them easily push the glass door open and get stuck on the barricade, trying to reach him.

"How fucking great! Someone forgot to lock the door."

With practiced ease, Jun swung his bat, the sound of bone crunching echoing through the room as he dispatched the approaching threats with deadly precision.

BAM!

WHAM!

The survivors watched in awe as Jun moved with skill and efficiency, his movements fluid and decisive as he fought to protect them from the encroaching horde.

Though Jun could barely remember anything important, his instincts expertly guides him on what to do, and where to hit.

"Drag the bodies to the side and place your hand on top of them," Jun shouted. "If you don't, they will reanimate and we have to fight them again!"

Not fully understanding the reanimation part, the survivors still followed what Jun said. They would swoop in to drag the recently killed zombie and drag it off the side to give it 'true' death.

"Keep them coming," Jun growled, his voice filled with determination as he continued to mow down the zombies one by one. "I. CAN. TAKE. THEM. ALL."

As the battle raged on, Jun's breath started becoming rougher and his combat prowess became noticeably weaker apparent to all who watched. His confidence never wavered, and as the last of the zombies fell beneath Jun's relentless onslaught, a sense of relief washed over the survivors.

As for Jun, he felt a surge of energy coursing through his veins, filling him with newfound vitality and strength. The bite marks and scratches all over his arms earlier began to heal, the pain melting away as if it had never been there.

[You leveled up!]

[Lv.0 > Lv.1]

[Congratulations, you now have access to the menu screen.]

Jun didn't wait and opened the menu screen.

[Character]

[Dimensional Storage]

Jun already knew he couldn't physically interact with the menu, and you must use your will to navigate through it.

He checked his dimensional storage, and a 10x4 rows and columns of empty boxes appeared on the right side of the menu.

Next, he opened his character profile and a 3D avatar appeared to the left with various information under it.

[Jun Reyes][Profession - Thug][Level - 1]

[Health - 100][Energy - 100]

[Title - Thug Life]

[Power - 7][Endurance - 5][Speed - 3][Wits - 4][Cunning - 5][Charm - 4]

[Stat Points - 2]

[Trait]

-[Brave]

[Description] The user never cowers in front of danger. Gains immunity to fear and panic.

-[Iron Gut]

[Description] The user has a stronger stomach. Lowers the chance of food poisoning.

-[Strong]

[Description] Gain additional power and extra knockback from melee weapons. [ +2 Power, +1m knockback with melee weapons]

[Skills]

-[Threaten - Lvl.1]

[Description] The user's voice becomes threatening, reducing the enemy's overall stats by 20%. Drains 10 energy upon activation and 5 energy for every minute it was continuously active.

-[Rob - Lvl.1]

[Description] Gain a 50% chance to take 5 random items from the target dimensional storage. If the user's POWER stat is three times higher than the target, Daylight Robbery is activated. When Daylight Robbery activates, the user can choose 5 items to take instead. The target becomes immune to the skill for 24 hours. Drains 10 energy when used.

-[Execute - Lvl.1]

[Description] Gain a 10% chance to instantly kill the target when you land a critical hit on a vital area, especially the head.

-[Blunt Weapon Mastery - Lvl.1]

[Description] Gain 20% damage when using a blunt weapon.

[You received the title, "Thug Life".]

[Thug Life]

[Description] Gain 10 EXP every twenty-four hours. [23 hours 59 minutes remaining]

[Notification] You are one of the first to achieve level one in your specific profession, the user will receive a hidden quest, 'The Big Boss'.

[The Big Boss I]

[Description] As one of the top crime industry newcomers, you must make sure that people know and respect you. Establish your presence in the area!

[Requirements]

- [Gain two followers. 0/2]

- [Rob 10 people. 0/10]

[Reward] 50 EXP & 1 Random Weapon Crate.

[Failure] Quest Chain will end.

Jun nodded seeing he still got the title and the quest chain.

The title is an exclusive reward for survivors who took the risk of fighting for their lives at the start of the apocalypse. The one he got gives him experience even without doing anything and the best part about it is that it can be upgraded.

The quest chain is an additional benefit given to see if these survivors are fit to lead organizations and gather people under them.

His trait was overpowered especially the Brave trait which gives him immunity to skills related to fear and panic.

Jun had a devious grin after seeing the Rob skill and the additional skill that comes with it, Daylight Robbery.

"I'll use you properly this time."

At a glance, Daylight Robbery is a normal theft skill that gives you the advantage of checking the other party's dimensional storage and taking five items to your liking.

Later on, he learned it was a godly skill that can help you take anything you want from the other party.

In a sense, Jun's skills were best when fighting the weak and bullying the weak. He can use this advantage to get ahead of everyone else or at least be at the same power level as the top figures of the apocalypse.

Satisfied with his levelup, Jun decided to finish his quest chain.

Strangely enough, his notes didn't update or warn him of anything about the system. It simply said [Follow the questline.]

"I guess it's mostly benefits, so I'll take it," Jun said softly and faced everyone at the bank.

With no one dead and the addition of Jake, the bank has 10 people inside. Four middle-aged women as customers, three female bank tellers, the security guard, the manager, and a hooded young man.

"Perfect!" Jun shouted with a smile. "Everyone, please form a single line. Empty your pockets, and hand over the crystals that you looted from the zombies."

"I did most of the killing, I risked my life to defend the place, so I'll take the lion's share. That means everything. We can share the next ones though. Oh right, Jake, you don't have to get up. I know you weren't able to help or anything, so you can sit down and relax. I'll get you a nurse in a bit."

Jun didn't really care about the essence shards. He just needed a reason so he could [Rob] them and complete his class mission. From what he remembers, it only had a few quests and it can easily be accomplished.

Jun looked around the room, he saw hesitation and reluctance from the survivors. Some shuffled their feet uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze, while others exchanged nervous glances with one another.

"Why should you get all the loot?" one of the middle-aged women spoke up, her voice tinged with resentment. "We all fought in that battle. We all risked our lives. Though you did most of the fighting, we helped with looting and prepared to fight in case you got overwhelmed. We have just as much right to these crystals as you do."

Jun sighed seeing the easy mission become troublesome because some people turned greedy when they didn't even know what benefits they could get.

Was it human nature?

Jun looked around, eyeing everyone.

"Does everyone feel the same?" 

No one stepped forward.

Not until Pablo did.

"I agree that you can get the biggest share but everyone who helped should at least receive their fair share of the loot. We can give some of the crystals to you but you need to give us a share. Especially now, its like building trust within the group. We need to work together and share our resources if we're going to stand a chance against the dangers that lie ahead."

"That's right! We agree with what he says!"

"Right, right! This is a democratic country and we have laws to follow! We are law-abiding citizens!"

Jun watched as the familiar faces acted like they were strangers.

Did they also give him a hard time in his previous lives?

To be honest, he doesn't know.

And Jun's starting to wonder if he should even care.

"Fucking pieces of shit." Jun cussed then under his breath before heading for the stairs.

The middle-aged women grouped together and became aggressive after hearing what he said. They have no intention of letting the matter slide.

"What did you say, young man?!"

"Don't turn your back when speaking with other people!"

Jun ignored them and kept walking up the stairs. "A piece of advice, shut your mouths before more zombies hear you. And guard the entrance while I fucking rest. Don't you dare die before I can Rob any of you."

Though they wanted to argue more with Jun, hearing his advice brought everyone back to their current reality.

The weak group stared at the open door and the bloody barricade.