Zombie Survival System

As Alexandre walked back into the academy courtyard, he found a peculiar sight. Hundreds of stalls were set up, and students swarmed around them in interest, along with many teachers.

A shout came from one of the stalls closest to Alexandre. "The NightMare Hunter guild is recruiting! No level or equipment required! Salary guaranteed, so join us now!"

That made everything fall into place. These were all Hunter guild recruitment stalls. He was a bit astonished, since he hadn't realized the guilds would be putting so much effort into recruiting mere students who hadn't even proved themselves yet. Even though he knew from his discussions while shopping that guilds tried to trap students in debt, he was surprised that there was such a generally fervent effort being made.

In the modern world, Hunter guilds were both vital for Hunters to join and also incredibly important for society in general. They were veritable corporations that organized the harvesting and safe transport of Black Zone materials to the rest of the world, creating a phenomenal market space worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Among the thousands of guilds, only a small handful were considered the "great" guilds. These were the richest few who could afford to maintain and protect a fortified city of thousands of inhabitants. There were four major guilds in particular:

Utopia: Undoubtedly the most popular guild, Utopia brought together the most exiles and financial backers. Its primary mission was to reclaim the Black Zones and restore them to their former inhabitants.

Approximate membership: 30,000 members, including 1,500 Hunters.

Blood Rangers: The most powerful guild in the Hunter world, with the most members, the Blood Rangers had only one goal: money!

Approximate membership: 100,000 employees, including 9,000 Hunters.

Black Sun: The largest Neo-Nazi guild in the world, its objectives were not publicly disclosed. Nonetheless, it was feared by all other guilds, and only hired people judged to be sufficiently white. It was known for its unusually high ratio of Hunters to other employees.

Approximate membership: 13,000 employees, including 3,000 Hunters.

Terra Corporation: Sworn enemies of all other guilds, its members were systematically targeted by other Hunters while in the Black Zones. Nonetheless, its financial security was so great that its status as a Great Guild never seemed to waver. Its objectives were unclear beyond a general desire for wealth by outcompeting conventional Hunter guilds. However, some believed that its fascination with Virus Z and biotechnology research suggested other, secret ambitions.

Approximate membership: 80,000 employees, including 7,500 Hunters.

As Alexandre looked around him at all the guild booths, he felt like he understood the Hunter world a little better. Many guilds had political objectives, it was clear. After all, money could buy anything, and working in a Black Zone was a guaranteed way to earn it, if you survived. So many political lobbies took advantage of the eager work force to promote their ideologies and recruit valuable support.

The four major guilds were there in the courtyard, of course. They stood out from the others due to the huge lines in front of them. It was only natural that people would gravitate toward the best—or, at least, the options that they thought could offer them the most!

Alexandre approached the booth with the "Blood Rangers" sign above it. This was where the most people were gathered. A man with a loudspeaker was announcing, "Blood Rangers recruiting today! Great salary, and a signing bonus paid today upon signature! $3,000 guaranteed every month until you graduate!"

A recruiter noticed Alexandre's interest and handed him a form. Alexandre took in the information, quickly understanding how this proposal was both very attractive and terribly dangerous.

Indeed, the contract stipulated that the Blood Rangers would pay a student $3,000 a month during school. This was enough for a student to finish their studies, true. However, the student had to commit to working for the Blood Rangers for five whole years, even if they failed in their studies and dropped out. Worse, if the student broke the contract, they had to immediately reimburse what they'd been paid—with interest. Given the business-friendly legal system this contract was subject to, the contract essentially became a form of slavery.

Alexandre smiled as something amusing came to mind. If a poor student took out a Terra Corp loan to buy Hunter equipment, then ended up breaking a Blood Ranger contract, which of the two guilds would have the stronger claim to his soul?

One way or another, it was becoming more and more clear that this was the world of the Hunters: Though it might seem like a path to freedom, incredible power, and untold wealth, it sure seemed like someone else always ended up grabbing you buy the balls and making you acknowledge that you were really at the bottom of the food chain.