Apocalypse: System of lotteries

With a hum, Ming landed, glancing around. He found himself inside a double-doored convenience store, facing aisles lined with neatly packaged foods - biscuits, bread, canned goods, spicy strips, and more. A veritable feast! This was... Great wealth, indeed!

Taking his time, Ming accessed the light screen to check the task details. 

[Hey~ Were you surprised when you opened the box? A bit unexpected, wasn't it?]

[Indeed, I was too. I thought you'd be on your guard. Yet, your greed clouded your judgment. Can't blame you; it's human nature. Enjoying the present while yearning for more.]

[This rule introduces a new game. Take your time to understand, and I promise it'll be fun.]

[Below are the details of this hidden quest. Please read:]

[Welcome to The Stubborn Foodie's Hidden Quest, a hellish nightmare-level challenge.]

[Once inside this area, none of your teammates can die. If one perishes, all remain trapped here, never to escape.]

[Chapter One: Sealing]

[1. Seal storage, skills, talents, space, domains, weapons, equipment attributes, exclusive properties, and set attributes.]

[2. Within 24 hours, locate all teammates to unlock clues for the next chapter. Otherwise, you're on your own. You might search forever and never find them.]

[3. Monster strengths in this area increase over time. Shift to slaughter mode swiftly.]

[…]

Damn it!

Ming hadn't expected the rules to become so intricate. With everything banned, how was he different from an ordinary person now?

[Tip 1: Killing monsters rewards you with [Special Coins], which can only be used in the [Special Store]. These coins are non-transferable; you earn and spend them on your own.]

[Tip 2: Upon encountering the Special Store, you can exchange Apocalypse Coins for Special Coins at a random rate.]

[Assistance 3: The light screen map will display the nearest Special Store to you. The store's duration is 5 minutes.]

[…]

Alright!

Ming's spirits lifted at the second tip. Money wasn't a concern for him; all he needed was to find the Special Store and then...

Suddenly, he raised his middle finger to the sky. All his wealth was with Lopene!!!

Damn!

As expected, this hellish nightmare-level hidden task was truly formidable. He continued reading:

[Gentle Reminder: Our rule adheres to the principles of fairness and transparency, ensuring no underhanded tactics. Someone, take note.]

[Gentle Reminder: Please persevere until the second chapter. Don't let me down~]

[Gentle Reminder: The rewards upon completing this hidden task are unspeakably generous.]

"Heh~"

Ming chuckled softly, holding his sealed thunder hammer in hand. Upon checking his stats, he discovered they hadn't diminished to the single digits of the pre-apocalyptic world:

[physique: 72]

[Strength: 72]

[Agility: 133]

[Mind: 83]

"Very well~"

Ming immediately realized that this was his base attribute after leveling up to 63, excluding his weapons and gear. A  five-star elite panel. Thankfully, the monsters grew stronger over time and didn't just jump straight to a lord level. Moreover, with his extensive combat experience and skills amassed over time, he felt confident he could handle what came next.

"Heh~"

At that moment, three grey-eyed zombies appeared outside the convenience store, sniffing around. Upon seeing a human, they bared their bloody mouths, roaring and charging straight at him.

Ming stood by the entrance and quickly shut the reinforced glass door. Just as the two leading zombies were about to crash into it, he forcefully pushed it open.

BANG! The two zombies' heads collided with the glass door, and their bodies fell backward. The third zombie, closely following the first two, charged at Ming.

Reacting swiftly, Ming sidestepped to the left, extending his left leg to trip the rushing zombie. Using its momentum against it, the creature crashed headfirst into a shelf, its upper body wedged in while the legs flailed helplessly in the air. The two zombies on the street, recovering from their fall, began to charge again.

As he closed the door, Ming could sense a moment of hesitation in the two zombies...I think you should take a look at

BANG! BANG!

Ming leaped onto the street and swiftly swung his hammer left and right, finishing off the two zombies.

Ding~ Special Coin +1

Ding~ Special Coin +1

Just one coin per zombie?

For him who was used to dealing with tens or even hundreds of thousands at a time, this was a significant downgrade. The disparity was a bit huge.

"Heh~" The zombie stuck on the shelf groaned.

Ming circled to the other side of the shelf, meeting the zombie's gaze. Lifting his hammer, he struck decisively.

Ding~ Special Coin +1.

Ming ran his fingers over the blood-streaked glass door, admiring its resilience. "Impressive," he murmured. "The quality of this glass is commendable."

"Heh~" Suddenly, a group of zombies appeared on the street, charging straight for the convenience store.

Ming swung the glass door open towards the inside, straightened up, and reached out with his right arm to pull down the rolling shutter from above, leaving about a 20CM gap from the ground, waiting.

"Heh~"

Growling sounds emerged as the zombies crawled, their heads stretching through the gap between the shutter and the ground.

With his right hand, Ming forcefully pulled down the shutter, pinning a row of zombie's heads to the ground. He tried to switch to his left hand but soon realized that his bandaged left hand lacked strength.

What should he do? If he let go, the effect would be triggered, and he'd lose money. 

Wait a moment? Recalling the rules of the hidden task, all equipment attributes and their effects, including set effects, were to be sealed. So, did that mean... after unlocking it, even if he let go... it would be fine?

Right! With the effects sealed, even if he unlocked it, he wouldn't lose any money. With that realization, he bit the rope with his teeth to undo it and then relaxed his grip.

Hmm...

To his relief, nothing happened.

"Heh~"

Ming grinned. With his left hand gripping the rolling shutter and his right hand wielding the thunder hammer, he started bashing the trapped zombie heads from left to right.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ding~ Special Coin +1

Ding~ Special Coin +1

David sprinted down the bare street, a blade in hand, with several ordinary zombies hot on his heels. He knew he couldn't keep this up for long. Not only was he unable to kill the zombies, but he was also exhausting himself. The root of the issue was that, as an elemental mage, he had poured all his skill points into mental strength during level-ups.

Close combat wasn't his forte. He needed a strategy!

As he ran, David spotted a sewer manhole cover. A memory of his leader's tactics sprang to mind. He started making laps around the manhole. On his first pass, he stomped on it, loosening the cover. On the second lap, another stomp, and the cover shifted even more.

On the third, he bent down to pry open an edge, but a zombie's hand shot out to grab his arm. 

Sizzle~~~ The skin made a noise, and the zombie let go, seemingly stunned.

Laughing, David continued his run, taunting, "Bet you didn't expect my skin to be so smooth, making it hard to grasp, did you? Haha~"

By the fourth lap, he flung the manhole cover aside. The most aggressive zombie plummeted into the sewer.

The fifth lap saw three more zombies fall in.

…

On the eighth lap, David, blade in right hand and left hand on his hip, took a breather. He bellowed at a green-eyed elite zombie across the way, "Come on, then!"

"Heh~"

The elite zombie stepped forward confidently, only to drop into the sewer.

Exhausted, David collapsed on the curb, panting, "Who said anything about fighting you up close? I'm playing a mind game here!"

After a brief rest, he took up his blade, stabbing repeatedly into the sewer below.

killed~