Chapter 10: Fruits of Labour

*Normal POV*

Rick standing in front of me was a sight for sore eyes. I knew that he was going to wake up soon but I didn't think it would be today. It had been a month since the folks passed and I was here to pay a visit to their grave. I was planning on going back after the visit and just wait at the hospital until Rick woke up.

While the good Sheriff was taking his beauty nap, I used my time productively and stuck to the schedule. In fact, coming here for a visit was the only break I had taken in the whole month. It wasn't easy or fun but seeing your stats rise and seeing your efforts rewarded was satisfying and slightly addictive.

I had picked up a few new skills along the way as well. My focus on mastering the axe in combat and levelling my skills was paying off. My level had risen to a good level.

[

1/4

Name: Matt Hardy

Class: The Gamer

(New)Title: Apprentice Zombie Slayer

Level: 2 -> 10 (0%)

HP: 110/110 -> 250/250

EP: 150/150 -> 280/280

STATS :-

STR: 21 -> 35

VIT: 11 -> 25

DEX: 15 -> 28

INT: 17 -> 30

WIS: 18 -> 31

LUK : 5 -> 10

Point: 10 -> 85

Money: $2.8M

]

[Title: Apprentice Zombie Slayer:

-Acquired after slaying 1,000 Walkers. Using your knife is even faster than switching to your pistol. Your zombie killing skills are remarkable.

*Increase DMG against undead

*Decrease DMG taken from undead

*All stats increase by 5]

[

SKILLS :-

[Bladed Weapon Mastery(Passive)Lv2/10:

-You are capable of handling bladed weapon with great ease . Weapon Handling Proficiency increase with each level.

*Increased DMG when wielding axes +10%

*Increased learning speed of bladed weapon techniques]

[Physical Endurance(Passive)Lv1/10:

-The Body's Durability and Pain Threshold are increased.

*Decrease DMG taken -5%]

[Unarmed Combat Mastery(Passive)Lv2/10:

-You are skilled combatant and do not need weapons to be considered a threat. Your Proficiency increases with every level

*Increased DMG when unarmed +10%

*Increased learning speed of unarmed combat techniques]

[Gun Weapon Mastery(Passive)Lv2/10:

- You are a sharpshooter. Your skill with guns is the envy of all gunslingers. Your Proficiency increases with every level

*Increased DMG with guns +10%

*Increased Accuracy

*Decrease Recoil

*Increased learning speed of firearm related techniques]

I had a few picked up a few other skills that weren't combat oriented but these four skills were my pride and joy. I had worked extremely hard just to get a single level up but the effects were incredible. Although the system only said that the damage increased, the qualitative jump between each level was obvious. I was fairly confident in my axe wielding skill but as soon as it levelled up, I could only call what I did before childish in comparison.

I also learnt that the skills were flexible and could change constantly. The Bladed Weapon skill was different at first. I had gotten an Axe Weapon Mastery skill first but then I went scavenging and found a katana in some anime enthusiast's house. I trained with it and received a Sword Mastery skill but the system merged the two together and created the Bladed Weapon skill.

I was on the look out for a bow and arrow or crossbow or archery skill book so I could learn it and merge my Gun Mastery skill and get a Ranged Weapon skill which would give me more options in the future. I wasn't particularly fond of any weapon other than the axe but I put it all my my inventory, just in case.

***********************************************************************************

I had been upstairs in the house, looking through the old man's stuff and seeing anything I could wear when I heard Mary outside making noise. You could imagine my surprise when I saw Rick was already here, trying to take Mary and go to Atlanta.

Seeing it in the show was one thing but witnessing it firsthand was something else. Motherfucker literally woke up a day ago from a month long coma and he was already out here, trying to get a horse to ride into the most populated city in Georgia, alone. I had a fucking Gamer system and even I wasn't keen on doing that.

I would've called him stupid but if there was a chance that Ma and Pops were alive in Atlanta, I would've done the same thing. The thought made me sad but I quickly shook my head. What's done is done. Moping around wasn't going to bring them back so I went down stairs to greet the Sheriff

I walked over to the pen and I saw his hat on the hitching post. Remembering how cool he looked in the show when he was riding down the highway on horseback, I tried it on but it didn't feel right. I guess there was only one cowboy in this story. After taking it off, I look up and see that Rick's already calmed Mary down and was walking backwards while leading her out.

"You know, Sheriff. I know the world's gone to shit but to see you stealing? I never thought the day would come. We must be in the end times now, huh?" I say, smiling

I watch him do a quick 180 and he look at me with caution. He doesn't seem to recognize me but I don't blame him. My genes were top tier and the year niced me so I grew from 5'5 to 6'4 now and I used to have long hair but I cut it short. The silver hair should've been a dead giveaway but it was very common nowadays. I hit puberty early so I already had a five O'clock and didn't look like a a teenager. The last time he saw me was when I was 10 so I didn't blame him so I decided to give him a hint

"If you take her out, remember that she doesn't eat anything but carrots so don't forget" I tell him, watching his reaction go from shocked to realization

"Matty?" he asks

"The one and only. You've been asleep for a long time, my friend. I think it's time we catch up" I answer smiling.

I lead him to the front porch and I sit on the steps while I gesture to the stool nearby. He goes and grabs it before moving it over. I tell him about everything that happened while he was asleep and he immediately starts tearing up

"I'm sorry Matty. I couldn't keep my promise. Your folks, they-"

"It ain't your fault Rick. You made a promise to a little kid who didn't know any better. If anyone's to blame, it's me. They weren't your responsibility and there's nothing you could've done anyways."

I try and console him but I can tell the guilt is eating him up. I knew he was this type of person and this was exactly why I trusted him. I don't remember much about the show after meeting up with the survivors but I always thought Rick was a cool guy and after meeting him, I confirmed it.

"Hey, cheer up! I know they're in a better place so don't worry. I wouldn't want them to live in this world anyways" I say as I pat him on the back

"How do you know?" He asks

"I just know. Trust me" I answer with a knowing look

He seems convinced so I give him a few more minutes to calm down and go back inside the house to finish packing the rest of my stuff. I grab the keys for the car and walk back outside and I see Rick grabbing Mary's reins

"Hey Rick, we don't need Mary. I just fueled up the car and here are the keys" I shout

"Then what are you gonna do with her?" Rick asks

"Just leave her in the pen. I'll come back for her later." I reply

Oh yeah, I finally received my third wish. I got a map with a fast travel function but instead of location points, I was able to fast travel anywhere I left a teleportation marker. I could imprint the marker anywhere and teleport there, regardless of distance. I unlocked it along with the title after I killed 1,000 Walkers. The wish reminded me of a certain blonde haired ninja who had something similar but mine had no drawbacks.

I already left one here because I remembered how useless Rick was in the show and how he got the horse killed but this time, Mary would be safe.

"So what your plan?" Rick asks

"Not too sure. I ain't got much holding me here and I was thinking of moving out soon" I reply

"You wanna come with me?" He asks again

"Sure. You're probably the only person I know and trust out here. Where we headed?" I knew but I needed to keep up appearances

"Atlanta. Heard they got a camp up there. See if Lori and Carl are out there" he says

He looks down and sees the gun holstered to my hip and scrunches his forehead.

"You own that?" He asks, pointing to the piece

"Nah, grabbed it one of the Sheriffs that turned" I lied

"You know how to use it? Its not a toy, you kn-"

Before he can finish his sentence. In one swift motion, I unholster the gun from my hip, raised it to eye level, get into stance and shoot my gun to the left of him. The whole execution took less that 2 seconds. He jumps out of the way a second later, scared and glares at me.

"Are you nuts?! You could've hit me!" He shouts but I just point behind him

He turns around and sees a Walker that was 20 metres away hit the ground and not get back up which meant it was a headshot. He looked back at me shocked and I just smiled at him and holstered the gun again. The maximum effective distance was 25 metres and even though I was 5 metres short, my skill was unquestionable. It might look sick but I was actually grinding for a quickdraw skill but it didn't work but the result of my efforts were clear

"Where did you learn how to shoot like that?" He asks, confused

"I'm just built different. Come on, let's go. Can't keep Carl and Lori waiting" I saw as I walk past him with a grin