Rise In The Apocalypse

Chapter 5: Lose The Beginner Protection

Max held the spare ammunition in his hand, and thankfully, it slid neatly into another pocket. It sat snugly inside, secured well enough that it wouldn’t fall out while he moved.

Once everything was arranged, he felt somewhat prepared.

"Alright. Organized."

Now that he understood the items couldn’t be returned to his Inventory, he made a mental note not to open any more Caches unless it was truly necessary.

Still, Max decided to open the Cache Selection panel again so he could store more unopened packs in his Inventory.

[ Inventory:

Energy Cache (Basic) ×1

Entertainment Cache (Basic) ×1

Food Cache (Basic) ×5

Medical Cache (Basic) ×1

Shelter Cache (Basic) ×1

Stealth Cache (Basic) ×1

Survival Tools Cache (Basic) ×1

Transport Cache (Basic) ×1

Water Cache (Basic) ×5

Weapon Cache (Basic) ×1 ]

That process had taken quite a while since there was no option to select multiple Caches at once. He had to add each one individually.

Even so, he deliberately stored extra Food and Water Caches for obvious reasons.

Once he felt satisfied, he tightened his hold on the hatchet and lightly tapped the revolver resting at his side.

With his equipment secured, Max stood and scanned the endless stretch of garbage around him. The stench still hung heavily in the air, but now he felt a little more ready.

Whoosh!

A light wind brushed past him from the east.

Max decided to follow it.

Now, what do we have here… Hopefully this dump hides something useful, Max thought, remembering Atom from a movie he had once watched.

Of course, that place had been more of a scrapyard than a landfill like this one… but he still held onto a bit of hope.

That kind of treasure—

"Maybe I should look for an area filled with broken machines like that scrapyard," Max muttered as he slowly walked forward, scanning the terrain around him.

Besides, the piles of rotting food and decaying waste were becoming unbearable. He needed to move—not only because of the smell but also because of the risk of disease. If he lingered here too long, he might fall sick before any real threat even showed up.

The silence weighed heavily as he walked past towering heaps of trash, shattered furniture, and rusted metal pieces.

After a while, he finally reached the edge of the dump.

A message appeared before his eyes.

[ Warning: Moving further will remove your Beginner Protection. ]

"Ahh..."

Max stopped immediately.

He stared at the invisible border and the world beyond it, hidden behind piles of debris.

"...So this is the boundary," he murmured.

He slowly let out a breath before turning away and heading in another direction, still following the wind.

A few minutes later, Max’s eyes suddenly brightened.

In the distance, he spotted sections of the dump where twisted metal glinted faintly beneath the dull gray sky.

It was exactly what he had been hoping to find—a scrapyard-like area.

Broken appliances, rusted engines, and fragments of old machines were piled together in uneven mounds. The place wasn’t pretty, but at least the air here didn’t carry the same rotting odor.

Max preferred this part of the dump.

However, the presence of murky puddles and what looked like lurking insects reminded him to stay alert.

Still, compared to the earlier area filled with decay, this was definitely better.

"Better stay near the machines," he muttered. "Lower chance of infection… and maybe I can salvage something useful."

As long as he avoided getting cut by the rusted metal scattered everywhere, he should be fine.

Since hunger hadn’t kicked in yet, Max focused on exploring the scrapyard area while carefully studying the layout of the entire dump.

While observing his surroundings, he noticed several unstable trash piles that looked ready to collapse with the slightest disturbance. For now, he made sure to avoid them.

"Nothing..."

After a thorough search, he eventually left the scrapyard section.

His goal was to map the entire region covered by the Beginner Protection.

Each time the system warning appeared, signaling he was about to step outside the protected zone, he stopped and changed direction.

Even so, he carefully memorized certain salvage spots—areas filled with broken machines, twisted metal, and damaged appliances that might prove useful later.

"Aahhh..."

Max was a little startled when he noticed a few rats running across the trash.

Squeak-squeak!

They scurried between piles of debris.

So I’ve got some neighbors here…

Their small eyes glimmered briefly in the dim light before they disappeared into narrow tunnels and cracks beneath the garbage.

Max wrinkled his nose.

Without his Infinite Cache talent, he probably would’ve been forced to purify the stale water nearby—or worse, cook rats just to survive.

The thought alone made him shiver.

He kept moving, silently grateful for the sturdy boots he was wearing.

Thanks to them, he didn’t have to worry much about where he stepped. Whether it was jagged metal, broken glass, or brittle plastic, the boots protected him well.

"Hmm?"

Max paused beside a mound of shattered appliances.

He crouched down and brushed away dirt and grime from the dented drum of an old washing machine. For a second, he thought he had spotted a snake, but when he lifted the metal slightly, it turned out to be a cluster of loose wires dangling inside.

Continuing his exploration, he began mentally dividing the dump into several zones.

To the west were areas filled with food rot and general waste. Near the stagnant pools were clusters of insects. Unstable trash mounds were scattered across multiple sections, while the eastern side contained most of the metal scraps.

It wasn’t much, but at least he had a better understanding of the area now.

Just as Max felt he had finished mapping the entire protected region, the rats suddenly scattered.

They vanished into the garbage as if fleeing from something.

"Hmm?"

Max immediately sensed that something wasn’t right.

He tightened his grip on the hatchet.

Then he felt it.

At first it was faint—almost impossible to notice.

But the vibration beneath his feet slowly grew stronger.

A chill crawled down his spine.

Something was coming, and he could feel it!