PART 1
September 9th, Thursday.
16th Day of the Apocalypse.
Having solved the executions and awakened a new function in his system, Ethan spent the 2 levels he gained from the executions to try and improve his Willpower, which requires 3 successes to increase.
But of the 6 points invested, only 1 yielded results.
He observed this and looked at the sum of his levels, which is 39.
Going to the [Menu], he searched for the EXP table, finding the Level 39 column.
Level 39 – 780 Days = 2 Years, 1 Month and 20 Days.
He would literally only reach that level in 2 years.
This shows how much their system encourages activity, the death of people…
Curious, he glanced at Level 100.
Level 100 – 5,050 Days = 13 Years, 10 Months and 5 Days.
Ethan whistles.
Not even when he stopped watching the series had so much time passed, maybe 1-2 years into the apocalypse.
But he remembers that Alexandria must be much further along in the future.
‘I really should have watched more of the series, but after the Governor, the quality of the series plummeted…’ – Ethan wanted to be one of those people who ignores the flaws or the reduction in quality of something to keep watching, just to get to the end.
An example is the Flash series; he only watched a few episodes of the first season before stopping, superhero series were never to his liking.
(Author: I watched TWD, Fear:TWD, and The Flash without skipping a single episode, even with the sharp drop in quality.
I think I have issues…)
Ethan sighs, but remembers that by the end, at least 10 years must have passed by the end of the main series.
He knows about the spin-off series, but has never watched them.
From what he knows, from what he’s seen in short YouTube videos, the zombies seem to undergo some kind of mutation.
(Author: I admit I haven’t watched any of the spin-off series recently, as I practically get spoilers from YouTube nonstop, so I decided that my perception of these spin-offs will be the same as Ethan’s.
That is, I’m not sure if mutant zombies really exist, or what mutations are, how they occur, etc.
All I know is that Daryl, trapped in a car, fired some kind of dart at some zombie that went berserk and slaughtered others, that’s all I know.
But I plan to watch the series before the start of Volume 2 of this work, so that what I discover there doesn’t interfere with the course of the story now.)
…
Ethan brought Jerome to his side.
His second Ally.
With the following attributes.
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[ ATTRIBUTES ]
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• Strength: 4 / 10
• Constitution: 4 / 10
• Dexterity: 3 / 10
• Agility: 3 / 10
• Perception: 3 / 10
• Intelligence: 4 / 10
• Willpower: 5 / 10
• Charisma: 3 / 10
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Jerome is a good man with a strong, resilient body.
Even though he is a bit older, he is still in his prime, though age is beginning to take a toll on his joints and reflexes.
Ethan knows that Jerome is mentally tougher than Clark—due to the age difference and the fact that Jerome has been hardened by nearly two decades of police work.
For the five levels, just as he did with Clark, Ethan invested in [Perception] first, aiming for a minimum of 6 points.
[1]: 3 → 4 Perception.
[1]: 4 → 5 Perception.
[9]: 5 → 6 Perception.
The goal was reached in one level.
“Seriously, just how lucky are those bastards?” – Ethan chuckles inwardly.
Next on the list was Willpower; just one point is enough.
[1]: 5 Willpower.
[8]: 5 → 6 Willpower.
Two points were secured, leaving 10 points remaining.
He decided to try to bring INT to 5 points and…
[4]: 4 → 5 Intelligence.
He reached that point after spending 6 points.
9 points remain.
“I think I’ll raise DEX and AGI to 4 points; that should improve his aim and mobility,” Ethan thinks, and begins investing the points.
[8]: 3 Dexterity.
[7]: 3 Dexterity.
[6]: 3 Dexterity.
“Fuck!
What bad luck!” – Ethan grunts upon seeing such high numbers go to waste.
But there’s no way to predict it, he continued.
[8]: 3 Dexterity.
[3]: 3 → 4 Dexterity.
[6]: 3 Agility.
[2]: 3 → 4 Agility.
There are 2 points left.
Ethan sighs, thinks, and puts them into Constitution; this attribute is probably the best after Perception.
[3]: 4 → 5 Constitution.
[2]: 5 Constitution. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
While Perception enhances your reflexes and sharpens your senses—allowing you to better hear and feel your surroundings, and even providing a heightened sense of danger or environmental awareness—Constitution works differently.
It doesn’t make your body harder; that’s the sort of thing you’d find in magical worlds.
Constitution is firmly linked to stamina, recovery rates, overall health, and the like, having very little impact on bone or muscle density.
In short, both attributes are absolutely essential for long-term survival.
One provides warnings of danger, while the other supplies the energy needed to try and avoid that danger.
Had he known this sooner, Constitution would have been one of the first attributes he raised to 10.
He had mistakenly believed it would turn him into a bodybuilder, thereby hindering his survival.
It wasn’t until he had maxed everything out that he truly understood.
If he wants to build muscle mass, he’ll need to eat a lot.
For instance, the [Traits] available for purchase literally include [Bodybuilder], and there is even a specific method to acquire it.
…
In any case, Jerome now has a better chance of survival, boasting nearly double Clark’s EXP—largely because he killed two people during the recent raid and his zombie kill count is nearing 200.
As for Ethan, killing the raider leader earned him an additional 46 EXP, indicating that she had commanded a group of 31 people.
Ethan is gradually recouping all the EXP he spent.
He has literally consumed 3,819 EXP so far, and that figure is only set to rise.
PART 2
It’s getting late, and something good has happened.
Ethan noticed that his people—along with many from the school—have started stepping up, eager to join patrols and learn how to shoot.
With so many dead walking around, what better targets for practice?
They train their troops while killing zombies—killing two birds with one stone.
Beyond this proactive attitude among the people—men and women alike—many have started taking a harder line with outsiders.
They aren’t antagonizing them, but they aren’t showing goodwill or pity right off the bat—even when there are children involved.
The Kellers were a beloved family in the community—good people whom many knew.
They were killed for reasons unknown.
No one doubts the Kellers tried to talk things out first, but facing a group of over thirty people, the outcome was obvious.
Because of this, Ethan has started talking about stationing more people at the farms.
He even discussed building extra structures—if not within the farm boundaries themselves, then near the roads to serve as outposts.
They need armed personnel there for damage control, since it will take a long time to fortify every fence and build walls around the farms.
In the long run, Lee Everett’s idea of using trenches is the best approach.
However, fortifying the walls remains a viable option, as they plan to clear the forest surrounding the farms and the area between the farms and the town.
This will improve visibility and potentially create new fields for planting, all while yielding a vast amount of raw material.
Not to mention that Ethan has already begun issuing orders to prepare for winter; they’ll need to gather a massive supply of firewood, as this promises to be the worst winter the modern era has ever seen.
…
Night falls.
Ethan is tired and drowsy.
Dina is already asleep in bed, and—curiously—Bianca is sleeping right next to her.
It’s curious how he went from being a womanizing jerk to practically having an adopted daughter and a woman who is all but his wife—likely the only woman in the entire camp who scolds him and isn’t intimidated by his presence.
Even Ethan doesn’t know what he feels for Bianca.
Dina is his responsibility; he’ll look after her—that was the promise he made.
Ethan always keeps his promises.
But Bianca…
perhaps to the Ethan of his memories, she was a challenge—someone he, a small-town sheriff, just wanted to sleep with.
But to his current self, she meant nothing—until the day of the collapse.
Sighing, he looks out the window.
He can hear people nearby; after all, he isn’t in the principal’s office anymore—that’s Director Winsley’s room, and it wouldn’t be right to take over the space she set up.
Of course, plenty of people dislike the fact that she has a room all to herself.
Ethan doesn’t care and says nothing; he’s grateful they let him stay there, though he has a home and plans for the future.
Now, in one of the many classrooms, he relaxes.
His attention then shifts to the system and the newly unlocked functions.
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[ TERRITORY – JACKSON TOWN ]
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• Settlement Level: 3 (7 / 10)
→ Leader: Ethan Walker
• Survivors
→ Influenceable: 138
→ Combat Personnel: 41
→ Total Survivors: 237 (+4)
• Dead Zombies(Regional): 3,419 (+3)
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[ STATUS ]
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• Community Morale: 62%
→ The recent public tribunal and Ethan’s executions crushed dissent and instilled a beneficial sense of fear.
The chance of internal mutiny has been reduced to 0%.
However, overall stress levels are high, reducing work speed by 5%.
• Security Rating: 51 / 100
→ Presence of Ethan’s [Radar Sense], Clark’s enhanced patrols, and physical barriers at the school.
→ Controlled farms are susceptible to invasions by Walkers and Raiders.
→ The Town is full of Walkers and unaffiliated survivors.
• Work Efficiency: 85%
→ The Ethan Doctrine eliminated parasitism.
Almost all able-bodied civilians were assigned to mandatory work shifts.
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[ GLOBAL RESOURCES ] You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
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• Food → Abundant – 4 months, 14 days
• Water → Stable – 2 months, 3 days
• Fuel → Stable – 1 month, 18 days
• Ammunition → High
• Medical Supplies → Moderate
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[ UPGRADES ]
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• 3 Upgrade Points
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Ethan observes this, noting that every 1,000 zombies killed by the community counts as 1 EXP for the territory.
Likewise, every 50 survivors in the community—loyal or not—adds +1 EXP.
As a result, his territory is already Level 3, giving him 3 points to spend on territory upgrades.
Curious, he takes a look at the available upgrades and discovers they come in the form of bonuses.
[Heightened Alert (I)]: Improves the community members’ attentiveness and instinctive caution by 5%.
Significantly impacts Security.
(1 Point)
“That’s good.” Ethan scratches his chin.
Security is an issue; even though the rating is one point above average, that’s largely due to the weapons and the sheer number of people on patrol.
But as mentioned, the farms under his control are highly exposed to raiders and zombies.
Then there’s the city itself—filled with refugees from Atlanta and swarms of zombies—where barricades and noise traps offer little protection.
It’s a miracle the system rates his community’s security so highly.
He personally wouldn’t have given it even 30 points.
“At least Morale is good; a mutiny is out of the question for now.
But trauma slows down work speed, which isn’t ideal.”
[Good Workers (I)]: Every community needs good workers.
Increases learning rate by 5% and work speed by 1%.
(1 Point)
Ethan likes this one—not so much for the boost in work speed, but for the learning rate.
5% is significant, considering there are over 200 people, a number expected to rise to over 400 once the entire city is secured.
…
[Eyes on the Woods (I)]: Fear of what lurks in the woods sharpens the senses.
Increases the chance of civilian survivors detecting moving threats (zombies or intruders) on the outer perimeter before they approach the fences by 10%.
(Increases Global Security).
(1 Point)
[Strict Discipline (I)]: The public execution made it clear that mistakes cost lives.
Reduces the chance of human error or negligence by civilian sentries and patrols during night shifts by 15%.
(1 Point)
[Fortification Layout (I)]: Under the supervision of logical minds, the people learn to stack and lash barricades more efficiently.
Increases the structural durability and impact resistance of any physical barrier built in the community by 5%.
(1 Point)
[Agrarian Focus (I)]: The people understand that the land stands between them and starvation.
Increases harvest speed by 5% and reduces the loss of seeds and seedlings due to mishandling on farms by 3%.
(1 Point)
[Resource Mindfulness (I)]: In a community under strict rationing, waste is a crime.
Reduces the base’s daily passive consumption of Water and Food by 2% through reuse and rigorous conservation.
(1 Point)
[Scavenger Instinct (I)]: When sent to gather debris or resources in the city, workers gain a keen sense of where useful items (tools, nails, wiring, food) are hidden.
Increases the yield of gathered resources by 5%.
(1 Point)
[Hardened Hearts (I)]: The harsh reality faced at the school court has toughened the community.
Increases the population’s overall resistance to Panic and Despair by 8% when witnessing nearby deaths or zombie attacks.
(1 Point)
[Militia Drill (I)]: The makeshift gym and rigorous routine are starting to pay off.
Increases the proficiency gain rate for firearms and melee weapons by 5% for any civilian actively assigned to the Militia.
(1 Point)
[Silent Pack (I)]: Noise attracts death.
Trains the community to move more cautiously during daily activities.
Reduces passive noise generated by the base by 5%, lowering the likelihood of attracting wandering hordes from the forests.
(1 Point)
…
Ethan grunts; there are so many options, and these are just the tip of the iceberg.
But he chooses [Resource Mindfulness] to cut water and food consumption by 2%—something that will prove useful in the long run as the numbers grow.
[Eyes of the Woods] is essential for the entire community.
Finally, [Hardened Hearts] is a must-have; with it, his people will mature faster than any other community in this hellish world.
Nodding, and with fatigue finally catching up with him, Ethan goes to sleep, knowing that tomorrow will be a better day—or a worse one.
Only tomorrow will tell.
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The three upgrade bonuses spread invisibly throughout the base as Ethan closes his eyes in the dark classroom.
In the outer guard towers, the sentinels’ fatigue is subtly countered by a heightened awareness of the forest’s darkness, and in the kitchens, the repurposing of supplies becomes instinctive.
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