Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

When night fell over the city, Zane found himself isolated and alone in the classroom he was temporarily using as his personal quarters. He had stashed the guns, body armor, and ammunition that he had looted from the marauders, and national guardsmen in this room.

The young man was covered in blood from his last few days of violent activity, and there was not a single bath in sight. Because of this, he took off his leather jacket and folded it up as a pillow before stripping down into his boxers.

After all, though he may be half-dead, he did not want to sleep in the blood and grime that had accumulated on his only pair of clothes over the past week. Once he was dressed only in his underpants, Zane rested his head on his makeshift pillow while playing with the pouch that the Stalker had given him.

In total, he had an incredible number of blood crystals, including a large blue one. Which he would need to consume sooner rather than later. And since he did not have anything to do but sleep at the moment, Zane decided to fulfil this task before shutting his eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

The moment Zane popped the large blue blood crystal into his mouth, he felt an overwhelming sense of rejuvenation spread throughout his veins to every part of his body. Not only that, but the taste was significantly better than the smaller blood crystals.

Before he even had time to savor this substance, which would be vile and putrid to all other living beings, Zane saw the words of the system appear within his vision.

---

[Tier III Blood Crystal Consumed]

[+250 XP]

[Level Up! You are now Level 3]

[+2 Attribute Points]

---

Knowing that strength and stamina were his two immediate requirements, Zane looked at the list of attributes one more time, before deciding where to place his newly acquired points.

---

[+2 Attribute Points!]

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 11: +/-]

[Dexterity: 10: +/-]

[Constitution: 11: +/-]

[Intelligence: 10: +/-]

[Wisdom: 10: +/-]

[Charisma: 10: +/-]

---

With only a moment of thought, Zane put his newly acquired points into strength and dexterity. After all, Dexterity seemed to affect his Stamina, while the Constitution affected his hit points. Thus, after making this change the screen was updated.

---

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 12]

[Dexterity: 11]

[Constitution: 11]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Wisdom: 10]

[Charisma: 10]

---

Satisfied with this result, Zane began to pop the rest of the blood crystals as if they were popcorn chicken. With each blood crystal that Zane consumed, he would see the same message appear in his sight, slowly increasing his XP bar towards his next goal.

---

[Blood Crystal Consumed]

[+10 XP]

---

As it became increasingly clear to Zane that he was quickly approaching the limit of his current level, Zane's heart began to beat slightly faster in anticipation. All while his eyes stared at the countdown. After eating the last Blood Crystal Zane nearly jumped up in excitement, but forced himself to remain calm as he read the message.

[Blood Crystal Consumed]

[+10 XP]

[Level Up! You Are Now Level 4]

With this, Zane found an additional two attribute points. Which he carefully observed his screen once more, debating on what to add it to.

---

[+2 Attribute Points!]

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 12: +/-]

[Dexterity: 11: +/-]

[Constitution: 11: +/-]

[Intelligence: 10: +/-]

[Wisdom: 10: +/-]

[Charisma: 10: +/-]

---

Ultimately, because he needed to carry things, and over long distances. Zane decided to increase strength and Dexterity again. Not knowing that an increase in those stats would also aid in his handling of weapons. Thus increasing his hit probability while wielding firearms. Or his ability to properly wield a melee weapon.

---

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 13]

[Dexterity: 12]

[Constitution: 11]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Wisdom: 10]

[Charisma: 10]

---

Zane's stats were actually significantly higher than most humans, with only the most capable bodybuilders starting off with a strength stat of thirteen. Zane did not realize it yet, but his physique had changed drastically after adding two additional points to strength.

Previously, Zane was a skinny, frail, and lanky individual, one who had very little muscle tone. But now his body, while lean, was stacked with muscle, and he had even gained a few inches in height. Setting him at a standard that would be considered quite tall in the Western World.

Of course, due to the poor lighting conditions, he was not able to witness this, and would not do so until the next morning. Still, he could feel that he had grown significantly stronger. And he wanted to test the limits of his strength, but knew that he needed some sleep.

After all, while his body was considered "half dead" he was still equally as much a member of the living. And thus, at least for now, he required things like sleep, food, and water. With this in mind, he slowly began to drift off into unconsciousness.

---

The next morning, Zane awoke to a scream. Elena had trespassed on his private quarters and found the stockpile of arms that Zane had scavenged from the group of marauders. But more importantly, she was shocked by Zane's sudden physical transformation.

"Holy shit! Zane, what happened to you?"

After all, the man was sleeping on the ground in his boxers, leaving practically everything on display. Zane, of course, felt annoyed to be woken up in such a rude manner, and was quick to shout at Elena all while rubbing his eyes.

"What the hell, Elena? Why are you screaming so suddenly?"

It was only after he looked down at his own body did Zane realize how much he had changed from a physical perspective. For a man who was known for very rarely showing emotion, it was a special occasion for him to look upon his own masculine physique with astonishment on his face.

It was difficult for Zane to see, but even the shape of his face had changed to match his new exceptional physique. His jawline was sharpened, while his features were more robust. Of course, he would only learn this after he looked in a mirror, and thus Zane was quick to run off in search of such a device so that he could properly inspect his sudden transformation.

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