His eyes caught something glimmering just beyond the shattered doors. A golden sparkle flickered from a shopping cart abandoned in the parking lot. Sid didn’t hesitate. Sprinting across cracked asphalt, he dove toward it, ignoring the uneven debris underfoot.

"Oh no... you don’t get away from me, shiny treasure!"

He dug into the cart, sifting through the chaos until his hand closed around a cluster of cans. Energy drinks. Three of them, slightly dented but still sealed. He popped one open, sniffed it, and winced. The labels showed they were near expiration, but the taste would still give him a boost.

"RNGesus... you know me too well. This is exactly what I needed."

[Energy Drinks 2x Acquired]

Before he could drink, a sudden gust of wind tore through the parking lot, scattering loose trash across the cracked concrete. The temperature dropped sharply, and the golden hour melted into deepening twilight.

Sid’s eyes flicked to the grocery store’s beverage aisle. He couldn’t see them yet, but he knew the sleepers were starting to move. The cold was waking them, and he knew the night would bring more movement, more danger. The sound of shifting debris and scraping metal made him tense.

"Yep... night’s coming. And those sleepers are about to stop napping. Let’s keep moving, Wilder. No heroics tonight, just brains and speed."

Then the system chimed in.

[Congratulations on completing the second tutorial. Now, proceeding to the last tutorial mission...]

[Third Tutorial Mission: Get a Shelter Before Nightfall]

[Objective: Find and stay in a small house to use as temporary shelter.]

Sid exhaled sharply, rubbing his hands together as he surveyed the streets.

"Shelter before nightfall... alright. No problem. This is where top-tier knowledge of the game comes in. Know the risks... and stay smarter than the zombies. Let’s go, Wilder. Legendary rank isn’t just a title... it’s survival."

Sid brought the can of energy drink to his lips, ready to gulp it and feel the cold rush course through him, when a deafening crash split the night air. A window on the high floor of a nearby, crumbling building shattered, sending a zombie hurtling downward. Sid’s eyes went wide, reflexes frozen for a split second and the can slipped from his fingers, skidding across the asphalt and spilling its precious liquid.

"NO!"

He shouted, pounding a fist into the ground. His eyes tracked the falling corpse as it hit the ground, body flattening in a mess of torn clothing and broken bone.

"You... you deserved that!"

Sid yelled, more to vent than any expectation of a response. But his relief was short-lived. Suddenly, more shapes tore through the same shattered window, the high floor no longer a safe perch.

They crashed onto the street below, some bouncing off broken railings or ledges, others tumbling into debris with horrifying crashes. A few survived the fall, despite shattered limbs and fractured bones, and immediately scrambled forward, limping and dragging themselves with frightening determination.

Sid’s jaw tightened, adrenaline spiking, as the sound of bones crunching and wet thuds filled the space. His eyes darted around, realizing the sleepers were fully waking now. In the grocery aisle, the streets, even corners he had passed earlier were stirring with the restless dead.

"Oh... oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

He muttered, voice rising in panic and focus. He crouched slightly, gripping the cart like a weapon and bracing for the worst. "

"Alright, Wilder... They’re coming, and there’s no more room for messing around. Let’s move, let’s move, let’s move!"

The sleepers in the beverage aisle shot for the exit, snarling like lunatics. Sid was already gone, legs pumping harder, the dying sun behind him and night swallowing the city. The awakened zombies surged after him, their groans bouncing off the walls.

"GRRRRAAHHH!!!"

His lungs burned and legs screamed, but he knew the truth every veteran of Dead World Online did.

"OH SH*T! Daytime gives you a shot, but nighttime? Nighttime crushes everything. Seventy percent of players got wiped the instant the sun dropped, screams ringing until the respawn timer kicked in! But why? Why does night hit so damn fast in this world?!"

Blinking twice, he activated his HUD Awareness skill.

"HUD... zoom map!"

The street map expanded in his vision. He scanned the surroundings, eyes searching for any sign of shelter. Nothing. No apartments, no houses, no safe haven just blocks of commercial buildings and empty streets.

"Sh*t... I’m stuck in a commercial block. No houses nearby. Damn you, System! Are you seriously setting me up?!"

More and more are getting out in their sleeping caves. In every corner zombies are getting out, night had awakened them.Sid kept checking his map, looking for a shelter or a path to one. But then...

Something slammed out from the side, a shadow breaking loose from the narrow alley between two buildings. Sid barely caught it in his peripheral vision, teeth bared, arms flailing. He twisted his torso, stumbling sideways as rotten fingers swiped at where his throat had been.

"F**k! A jumpscare!"

His shoulder scraped rough brick as he twisted, almost losing his balance. He didn’t even think about raising his crossbow. Didn’t dare waste the seconds to swing his knife. Killing this thing was nothing compared to what was coming behind it.

Instead, he rammed his forearm into its chest, shoving the corpse back with a desperate grunt. The impact rattled through him, but he staggered free, boots slapping pavement. His knee screamed as he caught his stride, but the instant relief still held, keeping him upright. He limped into a full sprint, breath tearing from his throat.

Behind him, the zombie shrieked, its cry carrying like an alarm bell into the night.

"Killing you isn’t worth it right now—I can take heads off later. Mission first. Get to shelter."

More growl followed, more shapes spilling into the street. One, then three, then more. His HUD pinged red warnings, a whole cluster cutting off the road ahead.

"Argh damn, this night time is fun if I have my loadout and of course with a computer avatar not my damn real body and life in line."