Buying My Way Through the Multiverse

Gray scanned the area, desperately searching for any sign of a building or road. Nothing, just endless trees and undergrowth. With no better option, he picked a random direction and started walking. "Guess I’ll just go this way," he muttered, keeping his eyes peeled for anything unusual.

After ten minutes of trudging through the forest, Gray froze. In the distance, he spotted a lone figure. Relief washed over him, and without thinking, he shouted, "HEY!"

The figure stopped at the sound of his voice and slowly turned to face him.

Gray’s initial excitement faded as unease crept in. "Wait a second... that doesn’t look right," he murmured.

As the figure stepped closer, Gray’s stomach dropped. Its skin hung in rotting patches, its movements were jerky, and it let out a guttural growl. "Zombie?" he whispered, his face draining of color.

Panic surged through him. He frantically scanned the area for a weapon or a place to hide, but found nothing. His gaze shifted to the trees. Maybe he could climb one, at least to get out of reach and scout from above.

The problem? He was twenty-three, out of shape, and already sweating from the short walk. Still, he had no choice.

Gray turned and jogged back the way he’d come, trying to put distance between himself and the monster. Every few seconds, he glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting it to break into a sprint. But the creature only limped after him. He exhaled shakily. "Good. Slow zombies. If this were World War Z, I’d already be dead."

Even with the minor relief, his mind raced. Zombies in this world... That didn’t narrow things down. It could be from a game, a movie, or anything else.

"I need to find shelter," he said to himself. "Or at least get high ground. If I can buy some time, maybe the system will grant me enough gold to buy something useful to get rid of it."

As if answering his thoughts, a massive tree came into view. "Bingo!"

Gray sprinted toward it, eyes flicking nervously back at the zombie. The first branch was about eight feet up high, but maybe reachable. If he could grab it, he could climb higher and out of reach.

He jumped, fingers swiping at the branch but falling just short."Damn it."

Thinking quickly, he decided to use the trunk as leverage to boost himself. With no time to waste, Gray braced himself for another attempt.

Gray took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up. "Alright, Gray. You’ve played The Prince of Persia enough to know how this goes. Just... run, jump, and grab. Easy."

He sprinted at the tree, pushed off the trunk, and jumped again. His fingers barely caught the branch, and for a moment, he dangled helplessly. "Ah! don’t slip, don’t slip!" he gritted his teeth, kicking against the trunk until he managed to pull himself up with every ounce of strength he had.

"Hah... hah... oh my God, I actually did it!"

Below, the zombie reached the base of the tree and stopped. It groaned, staring up at him with empty, hungry eyes. "Yeah, that’s right! Fuck you!" Gray shouted triumphantly.

The zombie... didn’t move. It just stood there, swaying slightly, growling.

"Wait, yeah, maybe yelling is not a good idea, there could be more," he added quickly, scooting further up the branch.

The tree creaked as he shifted his weight, but thankfully, the branches were thick enough to hold him. He climbed a little higher, just to be safe, until the zombie was far enough below that he felt somewhat secure. "Phew... safe for now."

Gray leaned against the trunk, wiping the sweat from his forehead. His heart was still pounding from the adrenaline.

"Okay, think. I’ve confirmed two things: one, there are zombies in this world. Two, they’re the slow kind. Which is good... but also bad, because slow zombies usually mean there’s a LOT of them."

Gray kept his eyes fixed on the zombie below, hoping it would eventually lose interest and wander away. His hope faded quickly; the creature stood motionless, its head tilted upward, staring directly at him.

He exhaled sharply. "Great. Looks like I’m stuck here for now. Hopefully it leaves eventually."

Time passed slowly. To distract himself, Gray opened the system’s interface, its faint display appearing before him. A small notification caught his attention.

Gold: 1

"Huh. One gold already," he muttered. "Nine more hours to reach the first upgrade."

He glanced up at the sun, positioned high above him. Judging by its angle, it was around noon."That gives me maybe six or seven hours of daylight, if I’m lucky," he thought.

Leaning back against the tree, he began calculating. ’Nine hours until I start earning three gold an hour. Ten more hours after that for eight gold an hour.’ It would take much longer than he wanted to spend sitting on a branch, but for now, it was the only option.

Opening the store, he scanned the available weapons. Knives, axes, spears, each carried a price far above what he currently had. A knife would work, but it’s risky. A fire axe or spear would be better. Something with reach. If I had a long enough weapon, I could stand on that lower branch and strike from above without getting close.

The idea gave him some confidence. If nothing else, he could remain in the tree and wait until he could afford something useful.

Gray shifted slightly, gripping the branch beneath him to steady himself. "As long as I don’t slip or fall asleep, I can hold out here for a while," he told himself.

Below, the zombie continued to stare, swaying slightly, its low groans echoing through the silent forest. Gray tightened his grip on the branch and kept watching.