Tutorial

The young man felt like wading through thick mud, his surroundings a prism of rainbow colors that changed every few seconds.

His eyes seemed to perceive red, his ears oddly sensed purple, his nose oddly detected green, his tongue strangely recognized yellow, and his skin curiously detected blue.

And in a few moments, everything was back to normal.

"Ack! What the fuck!?" The young man rose from the ground, his heart beating a mile a minute. "I think… I think I'm gonna be sick… Urp!"

He felt bile rise up his throat and quickly faced the ground to cough up his lunch. To his surprise, red liquid gushed out like a fountain, causing immediate panic.

"AAHHH!!!" After vomiting what looked like, and smelled like, blood onto the green grass below, the young man stood and felt his heart palpitating even further. "What the hell is happening!?"

He quickly took note of his surroundings. The vast open field of lush green grass, the grazing herbivores all roaming around in herds, and the occasional tree that dotted the landscape, far away from the compact trees situated on the horizon.

"What… What the hell happened?" His hand gripped his shirt, the fabric crumpling around his chest.

[Greetings, Sev.]

A holographic window appeared in front of him, the font style somewhat reminiscent to that of mechanical lettering.

"H-hello…?" Sev greeted back anxiously, his heart starting to calm down from his earlier outburst. However, he still felt like he was missing something. Something very important. "Who… Or what are you?"

[This unit's designation UnMortal version 1.0. This unit is tasked by our creator, Death, to act as a guide for UnMortal user Sev in his journey through the lands Dys.]

And it was then that he remembered his earlier encounter with Death themselves.

"Oh, right. I remember." Sev sighed, then stood up before moving a few paces away from the large blood puddle decorating the ground and pointing at it. "But please, explain that."

[UnMortal user Sev, in accordance with the pact he has made with our master, Death, has by all accounts revoked his humanity and in turn, changed races.]

If Sev wasn't gobsmacked earlier, well, he was gobsmacked now.

"What do you mean I lost my humanity!?" Sev yelled out, uncaring of his voice echoing through the grassy plains.

[To counteract the act of dying, our master Death has given UnMortal user Sev with the race 'Zombie.' In this regard, UnMortal user Sev can no longer die permanently and will, upon achieving death, revive a few kilometers away from the location of death in a few days, ranging from one day to three days.]

Sev raised his finger to make a rebuttal, but shut his mouth in favor of thinking deeply on his current predicament.

'So, I'm a zombie? Does that mean I'll undergo the normal decay of a corpse?' The mere thought terrified Sev. Imagining his corpse shambling through the streets of any populated area while the common people gave him a big berth, or worse, chased him with pitchforks and torches made him shiver.

[Do not be alarmed. The effect of rotting evident on any corpse does not apply to you. Our master Death has given you a boon, his blessing, to counteract the gradual decay of your body.]

Sev released a sigh of relief, his thoughts on being chased or ostracized by people vanishing into the wind.

"But that still doesn't explain me vomiting blood over there." Sev pointed at the blood puddle once more, the smell of iron thick in the air.

[Pardon me. The reason for UnMortal user Sev vomiting blood is related to your transformation to a zombie. Zombies do not need the requirements for normal living beings to function. This includes but is not limited to: Food, water, blood, organs, and many more.]

"… So basically, the blood got stuck in my throat and since my heart isn't beating… Wait, I felt my heart beating earlier. Can you explain that?"

[Organs may or may not function depending on the will of UnMortal user Sev.]

"Oh… Okay, that… explains a bit." Sev sighed then sat back down on the grass, a few meters away from the puddle of blood. "So, what now?"

[Now begins the tutorial.]

[Quest Received!]

[Get used to your brand new System!]

[Objective: Manage your way through the System given to you by our master Death.]

"Huh, this really feels like game prompt." Sev hummed. "So, what do I do?"

[Open your Status]

"… Okay, and how do I do that?" Sev asked and received no further help from the guide/system. "You've got to be kidding me. You're one of those kinds, I see."

Sev sighed deeply once more, then dived deep into his memories about isekai works with game systems. "So, if I'm doing this right... System."

Name: Sev

Race: Zombie

Title: N/A

Str: 5

Vit: 5

Agi: 5

Dex: 5

Int: 5

Wis: 5

Points Available: 0

[Quest complete!]

[Rewards: 10 stat points]

Sev stared incredulously at the holographic screen that popped up after just opening his Status screen.

"You've got to be shitting me." Sev's veins pulsed with anger. "Is this it? Just a bare-bones System? Where are the other features!?"

[Due to UnMortal user Sev's current immortality, the System given only acts as a tracker and enhancer of your current body. Here is the rundown:

Title = The current title held by the user. Gaining a title is permanent and cannot be swapped for at least a week after changing to a new one. Gives bonus stat points and unique buffs to the user.

Str = The ability to output force.

Vit = The ability to endure.

Agi = The ability to move.

Dex = The ability to be flexible.

Int = The ability to store knowledge.

Wis = The ability process stored knowledge faster.]

"... How the fuck am I supposed to grow strong like this?" Sev slumped to the ground, a metaphorical cloud hanging over him.

[To acquire stat points, UnMortal user Sev must complete quests. Unlike other Systems, UnMortal does not have a level up function, and instead, must rely on quests and exploration to acquire stat points.]

"Oh great, it just got worse." Sev cried silently and cradled his body to the ground like a baby.

[Message received from our master Death.

You might want to head to the nearest Town east of your current location. If I am not mistaken, that world has quite a horrifying night cycle. You do not want to die in your first day in Dys.]

"… Fuck my life."