DOOMSDAY LEDGER

Chapter 5: Probation Period

Elian stood in the doorway of Cosmo Mart, though it was no longer recognizable as a door. The aluminum frame was bent, the automatic glass was reduced to crystal shards on the floor, and the sound sensor—which usually emitted a friendly "Ding-dong"—now let out a screeching, buzzing "Kreeet-zzt" like a dying robot.

The rain still poured down his back, but strangely, Elian felt warm. Not a comfortable warmth like a blanket, but a tingling heat, as if his blood had been replaced by an energy drink mixed with gunpowder.

He stared at his palm. Thin smoke still curled up, smelling of ozone. In his retina, the transparent blue dialogue box still hovered, refusing to disappear even though he blinked repeatedly.

[User Status]

Name: Elian

Race: Human (Awakened)

Class: Intern Cashier (Tier 1)

Level: 1 (10/100 XP)

HP: 95/100

Mana: 40/50

Stamina: 70/100

Elian snorted, a small, cynical laugh escaping him.

"Intern Cashier? Are you serious, System?" Elian muttered, speaking to the empty air. "I just got struck by lightning, nearly died, killed three undead, and my job title is still Intern? Couldn't I get something cooler? Like... Thunder Lord or Super Knockoff Zeus?"

*Ding!*

A new text box appeared, as if answering his protest.

[System Response: Position is determined based on last job history and soul potential. You have a natural talent for 'Calculating Losses' and 'Serving Problematic Customers'. Enjoy your probation period.]

"Damn it," Elian cursed. "The System is toxic."

He shifted his gaze inside the store. The situation inside was far worse than outside. The gondola shelves were toppled like dominoes. The white floor that Mr. Hendra had been so proud of was now an abstract canvas of blood red, black mud, and sausage brown.

In the middle of the chaos, the three remaining zombies—who had managed to get in when the glass shattered—were busy. One of them, a man in a leather jacket with half his face missing, was banging his head against the ATM, as if he’d forgotten his PIN and was intensely frustrated. The other two, a young couple whose hands were tied together (perhaps they were holding hands while turning), were tearing apart boxes of bread in aisle three.

Above their heads, red bars floated.

[Hollow Customer - Lv. 1]

[HP: 25/25]

*Ding!*

[Mandatory Quest: Clear the Store Area]

[Description: The store cannot operate if there are pests. Clear all hostile entities within the property area.]

[Target: 0/3 Hollow]

[Reward: Passive Skill - Static Shock (Permanent) + Mysterious Item]

[Failure Penalty: Salary Deduction (Life)]

"Okay... let's work overtime," Elian spun the iron pipe in his hand. He stepped inside, his shoes making a *splats* sound as he stepped into a puddle of syrup.

The sound of his steps drew the attention of the leather-jacket zombie in front of the ATM. The creature stopped banging its head, then turned with jerky movements.

"Graaaagh..."

"Sorry, buddy. The ATM is offline. Please transact at the cashier... which is me," Elian said coldly.

He didn't wait. With his new stats, Elian felt his body was lighter. He charged forward. The zombie tried to greet him with a swipe, but to Elian's eyes, the movement was slow.

Elian ducked slightly, avoiding the filthy hand, then thrust his iron pipe right into the zombie's solar plexus.

"Shock Sting!" Elian yelled, naming his own move to make it feel more like an anime.

He focused his mind to channel the warm energy from his chest into his hand.

*ZRAAAAK!*

Blue electricity ran from the iron pipe, striking the zombie's body. The effect was instant. The zombie convulsed like someone attempting a breakdance but failing miserably. White smoke billowed out from under its leather jacket. The HP bar above its head dropped drastically.

[Critical Hit! -20 HP]

The zombie fell to its knees, temporarily paralyzed.

"Finishing touch," Elian whispered. He swung the iron pipe horizontally, smashing it into the zombie's temple.

*Thwack!*

The zombie's head snapped back. The HP bar was empty. The corpse collapsed and lay still.

[Target: 1/3]

[Mana: 35/50]

"Conserve Mana, Elian. Don't be wasteful," Elian reminded himself as he watched his blue Mana bar decrease. Turns out electrocuting people requires internal energy.

Meanwhile, outside the store, Rico, Mr. Hendra, and Lina were peeking out from behind a box truck bed. They hadn't managed to get inside the truck box because the lock was jammed, so they were hiding in the narrow gap between the truck and the shophouse wall.

"Sir... did you see that?" Rico asked, his eyes bulging. "Elian... did he just shoot electricity from a rusty pipe?"

Mr. Hendra took off his glasses, wiped them with the wet edge of his shirt, then put them back on. "I... I think I need an eye exam. Or maybe I got a mild concussion when I fell earlier. Did my cashier just become a lightning controller?"

"That wasn't a hallucination, Sir!" Lina interjected, her voice trembling but with a hint of awe. "Brother Elian was glowing blue. Like... like a superhero in a Marvel movie!"

"Superhero? His salary is still Minimum Regional Wage!" Rico retorted. But then he grinned. He picked up a large wrench he found in a toolbox next to the truck tire. "But if he dares to go back in, I won't be outdone. I'd be ashamed of my dragon tattoo if I just hid behind a truck tire."

"What are you doing, Rico?!" Mr. Hendra panicked.

"I'm going to help! And while I'm at it, I'm looting some cigarettes!" Rico ran out of hiding, charging through the rain toward the store.

"That market thug!" Mr. Hendra cursed. He turned to Lina. "Lina, find a safe spot. I... I need to make sure Rico doesn't loot the store's assets!"

Mr. Hendra also ran after him, tightly clutching his trusty wooden road sign. Lina was confused for a moment, then spotted a stick broom lying nearby. She picked it up and ran after them. "Wait for me!"

Back inside the store.

Elian was facing a problem. The two couple zombies (hellish couple goals) turned out to have good coordination. While Elian was busy hitting the male zombie, the female zombie leaped onto Elian's back, biting his jacket shoulder.

"Hey! Ganging up on me! That's cheating!" Elian tried to shake her off, spinning around like a top.

The female zombie's teeth nearly pierced the jacket layer. Elian felt the strong pressure of her jaw. His HP bar dropped slightly.

[-2 HP]

Elian panicked. He wanted to use *Shock Sting* again, but he was afraid the electricity would hit him since the zombie was clinging to his back.

"Let go of my friend, you devil!"

A loud impact sounded.

*Thud!*

Rico arrived like a belated hero, slamming the large wrench into the female zombie's back. The blow was hard enough to make the zombie release her bite and fall rolling.

"Rico? Why are you back?" Elian was surprised, but relieved.

"Your life is more valuable than cigarettes, El! Wait, reverse that, cigarettes are more... ah, whatever!" Rico immediately got busy hitting the female zombie who was trying to get up again. "Die! Die! How dare you bite my buddy!"

Mr. Hendra and Lina followed them in.

"Elian! Watch your left!" Mr. Hendra yelled.

The male zombie that Elian had pushed earlier now got up and charged. Elian wasn't ready.

But suddenly, a stick broom poked the zombie's face. Lina, with her eyes squeezed shut and screaming, "Aaaaaa go awayyyyy!", thrust the sharp end of the broomstick into the zombie's eye.

The attack wasn't fatal, but it was enough to momentarily blind the zombie and make it recoil.

"Nice, Lina!" Elian shouted.

He saw an opening. The male zombie's HP bar was only half full. Elian channeled his remaining Mana into the iron pipe. This time he didn't hold back.

"A 100 percent discount for you!"

Elian jumped, slamming the electrically charged pipe into the male zombie's head until a satisfying *crack* sound was heard. The head shattered.

[Target: 2/3]

Only one left. The female zombie Rico was beating up. The zombie was still tough; despite being hit by the wrench, she was still trying to scratch Rico's legs.

"Get out of the way, Ric!"

Elian approached. He pressed the end of his iron pipe against the female zombie's chest.

"Goodbye."

*Zzzt!*

The final shock. The female zombie convulsed briefly then fell silent forever.

*Ding! Ding! Ding!*

Notification bells rang repeatedly in Elian's head, sweeter than the sound of the cash register on payday.

[Quest Complete: Clear the Store Area]

[Rewards Received:]

[1. Passive Skill: Static Shock (User is now immune to low-voltage electricity and physical attacks have a 10% chance to inflict a stun effect)]

[2. Exp Points: +50]

[3. Item: Logistics Warehouse Key (Bronze)]

A golden light briefly enveloped Elian's body. The fatigue and pain in his shoulder from the bite slowly faded. His HP bar was full again. His Mana was slightly replenished.

Elian slumped onto the dirty floor, leaning his back against the cashier counter. He was panting, but a satisfied smile was on his face.

Rico threw his bloody wrench, then sat down next to Elian. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the pack of cigarettes he had saved, but the contents were crushed and ruined by water and blood.

"Well... ruined," Rico complained, throwing the pack away. He looked at Elian. "So, are you going to explain now? What kind of charm are you wearing? Or are you secretly Thor's bastard child?"

Mr. Hendra and Lina stood in front of them, both waiting for an explanation with questioning looks.

Elian raised his hand, allowing small electrical sparks to dance between his fingers as a demonstration.

"I don't know for sure," Elian answered honestly. "When I got hit by lightning earlier, there was a voice in my head. It's called the 'Cosmo-Ledger System'. It said I got a new 'Shift'."

"System?" Mr. Hendra frowned. "Do you mean like our cashier POS system? Point of Sales?"

Elian gave a wry laugh. "Similar, Sir. Except the difference is, we're not transacting money, but lives. And my current title is..." Elian hesitated for a moment, slightly embarrassed to say it. "...Intern Cashier."

Rico burst out laughing, choking on his own spit. "Huh?! Intern?! Hahahaha! You got superpowers, became a lightning god, but your rank is still a peon?! Damn, the System has a terrible sense of humor!"

"Shut up!" Elian lightly kicked Rico's leg. "The important thing is I got skills. Look."

Elian pointed to his status screen, which only he could see. "I can see their 'blood.' I can get missions. And if the missions are completed, I get rewards."

"What kind of reward?" Lina asked enthusiastically.

Elian reached into his pants pocket—even though the reward went into a virtual "Inventory," he pretended to take it from his pocket to seem logical. He pulled out an ancient bronze key that had somehow appeared in his hand.

"This," Elian held up the key. "The Logistics Warehouse Key."

Mr. Hendra's eyes immediately lit up, his manager instinct reignited. "Logistics warehouse? Our warehouse? But our warehouse key is an access card, Elian. Not an antique key like that."

"Maybe this is for an 'other' warehouse, Sir," Elian said mysteriously. He stood up, feeling his energy fully recovered. "But before we think about the warehouse, we have to secure this place first. The front door is gone, bodies are piled up, and it smells like blood."

Elian looked around the destroyed store.

"Mr. Hendra," Elian called, his tone turning serious, like a leader. "You know there's a stack of instant noodle boxes in the back warehouse that are expiring next month, right?"

"Yes, fifty cartons. Why?"

"We’ll use those to patch up the front door," Elian ordered. "Instant noodle boxes are sturdy if stacked correctly. Rico, you help lift. Lina, find a lot of brown duct tape. We're building a fort."

Mr. Hendra was silent for a moment. Usually, he was the one giving orders. But seeing Elian, who had just slaughtered zombies bare-handed, his managerial authority felt small.

"Fine," Mr. Hendra finally replied, swallowing his ego. "But remember, Elian. Those instant noodles are assets. Don't damage the packaging. Who knows, we might still be able to sell them later."

"Yes, Boss," Elian gave a sardonic salute.

They started moving. Elian felt strange. The world had ended, Jakarta was burning, the undead were roaming, but for the first time in his mediocre life, he felt... alive.

The Cosmo-Ledger System might have given him the title "Intern," but tonight, Elian knew he had just been promoted to the hope for the four of them.

"Next mission," Elian muttered as he dragged a zombie corpse outside. "Survive until morning."

Outside, thunder boomed again, as if agreeing with the challenge.