Apocalypse: System of lotteries

Buzz!!

A white light descends at the entrance of the tent, and a young man in black clothing appears, carrying a longbow on his back, a long sword on his waist, and holding a bright silver spear in his hand. The red tassel on the spearhead flutters in the cold wind.

Next to him stands a waist-high, tusked, long-haired pig, pink in color, with fat and plump. The man and the pig stand proudly in the cold wind, imposingly!

The cold wind blows, and the man shivers from the cold~

The pig grunts, rubbing against the man's armpit, as if seeking warmth.

"Stop rubbing, there's someone here." The man turns around and sees someone inside the tent cooking and eating something that smells delicious, with coconut water and a sweet soup base. Immediately, he puffs out his chest, pats the pig's head, and the pink pig turns its head to look into the tent, showing its long tusks.

The man tightens his grip on the spear with his left hand, his right hand resting on the hilt of the sword. He glances at the handsome man inside the tent holding two toads and asks, "Hi, can I come in?"

"…"

Ming stares at the tall, plump pink long-haired pig, inspecting it with his Eagle Eye.

[Lavia's Puppet]

[Five-star Gentle Barbarian Guardian Pig]

[...]

[Weakness: If it's hungry, just feed it. After all, its master can't withstand your punch]

Ming licked his lips, but the pig's title puzzled him. It was the same type as his pets, with no levels, just five stars.

"Hi?" The man drew his sword three inches out of the scabbard, ready for battle.

"…"

Ming looked up and scanned the man in front of him with his [Eagle Eye].

Lavia, Level 33 Puppeteer.

"Hello~ It's cold outside, let your pig in to warm up too, and you come in too~" Ming greeted enthusiastically.

"Uh... Okay, I thought you were mute." The man whispered.

Lavia patted the pig's head, and the pink pig followed him inside. He looked at the tent and exclaimed, "This tent is really big. Did you just set it up?"

"Yes, that's right. Sit down and eat something together." Ming took out a folding chair, placed it opposite, and glanced at the big pink pig. It's so fat~

"My name is Lavia, from District 24."

"My name is Good Man, from District 109."

"Gutmann? The Gutman from District 109?" Lavia's eyes showed a look of admiration.

"Yeah, could I lie to you about that~" Ming said solemnly?

"Hello hello~ I've heard so much about you. People from District 109 say that without you, they might not have survived the second shared event. But I have a question, why have I never seen you clear a five-star dungeon?" As Lavia spoke, he took out four boxes of beef rolls from his warehouse, feeling it wasn't enough, and took out four more boxes of lamb rolls.

"Well, that's…"

Ming paused for a moment, realizing that one lie would require ten more lies to cover up.  "You have a lot of meat rolls~"

"Before the apocalypse, I used to run a supermarket." Lavia took out a bag of seasoning while talking and started cooking very professionally. He asked, "You still haven't answered my question."

"That?" Ming felt a little helpless. This guy was just too curious, but since he had brought out so much food, Ming couldn't just be insincere. He replied, "My real name is Good Man, but my nickname definitely isn't the same if you know what I mean."

"Ah, it's my mistake. One of the rules of the apocalypse is not to ask about nicknames when meeting people. I just got so excited when I saw you that I forgot." Lavia took out a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, saying, "I'm happy today, meeting not just anyone but the Gutmann I admire. Let's have a few drinks together."

"Apocalyptic rule, don't drink when meeting people." Ming waved his hand, took out two coconuts, and handed them over. "Let's use coconut water instead of wine."

"Right, I forgot the rule about not encouraging people to drink during the apocalypse." Lavia put away the wine, took the coconuts, and both made a hole in them, clinking their coconuts, "Cheers!"

"Are those two little frogs your puppets or pets?" Lavia asked, taking a bite of the boiled beef.

"They're my family." Ming patted the frog's head.

"Ah... Yeah, she's my family too." Lavia patted the pink pig's head, speaking with a somewhat heavy tone, "When the apocalypse came, I rushed out of the city and went back to my hometown. My family... had all turned into zombies. I became a puppeteer, wanting them to be with me forever. But then, I realized that I couldn't be so selfish; that would be even more cruel to them, so..."

"Come on, let's drink. I understand." Ming raised his coconut, and they drank together.

"Afterward, I met it." Lavia  spoke while stroking the pink pig, "We survived together in the wild until the third chapter, and then we went to Zone 24."

Lavia  glanced at the two frogs in Ming's arms and asked, "What are the names of these two frogs?"

"Little Green and Big Green."

"Nice names~"

"Thank you~"

[Your frogs look at you... grateful that you helped hide their real names... they're full and satisfied, looking at the big pink pig in front of them... Da Vinci tells Foodie that its hind legs could be made into ham...]

[Foodie licks its lips. Last time, Ming's dumplings didn't have meat. If they were to add the meat from this big pink pig... it would surely be delicious... Foodie attempts to use its collection ability on the big pink pig but fails as the backpack is temporarily closed...]

[Foodie looks at Da Vinci... Da Vinci tries to use their collection ability on the big pink pig but fails due to being overweight...]

[Your frogs both look at you... Ming, buy it...]

"…"

What are you guys doing? That's Lavia's family member! How can you just buy it? You two are heartless!!

"Your pet is quite plump~"

"Yeah, it's great to cuddle with when sleeping, like a bed, and it's been very helpful in the wild."

"Hmm..." Ming wanted to ask how much it costs per pound but couldn't bring himself to say it. He wouldn't do such a heartless thing.

"Why are your two frogs drooling?"

"Uh... they tend to drool when they're thinking."

"Your puppets can think?"

"Yeah~ yeah~" Ming took a bite of a cooked beef roll, thinking how tiring it was to lie.

Lavia wasn't surprised and continued to stroke the pig's head, "My Little Pinky pig is quite empathetic, too. It even cried when I was injured."

[Your frogs exchange glances... they think the name Little Pinky is quite nice and wonder why it seems to be female?]

[Your frogs look at you... Ming, please go and see if it's male or female... Please...]

"…"

Ming pinched the frogs forcefully, wondering how on earth he could check that and where to look. He couldn't possibly ask the owner to lift the pig's rear end for inspection, right? How could he bring up such a topic because of these two silly frogs?

"Is this a male or female pig?"

"It's a cute piggy~"

[Your frogs look at Little Pinky... their saliva unconsciously dribbling down...]

[Da Vinci stands up straight on its four legs... Hi, my name is Da Vinci...]

[Foodie knocks Da Vinci aside... Hello, my name is Foodie, as you can see, I'm very strong...]

"…"

Ming glanced at Da Vinci lying on its back in the distance and then at Foodie, thinking that these two really knew how to cause trouble for him.

He looked back at the pink pig, which turned its head away arrogantly, looking out into the world beyond the tent.