In a world ruled by criminals, civilians live a shit life. A cook gets shot to death for saving a man's life and gets an audience with God. "Civilians are humans too!" he complained. As compensation, God shoved him into the body of Zen Taro - the Taro Family’s useless third young master. Given the ability to learn at hyperspeed, Zen has to find a way to survive this crazy deathtrap of an academy. Armed with only his superior gaming, civilian common sense and cooking skills, watch him survive the crazy VR battle royale in true Zen Fashion. Status: Season 6 in 2024! Join my discord for updates.
view more"Run faster! Run faster! These legs are not mine!"
What a lie. If only these words were true. Zen could feel his lungs burning and blamed the previous owner of this body for not exercising more. If they did, his flawless plan wouldn't have turned against him.
Something whistled past his head, and Zen ducked narrowly. The forest was realistic... too realistic for a VR game. Why did they have to replicate even the physical capabilities of the player?
"If this is truly a game, I should be able to use some cheat abilities. These lungs are not mine. These legs are not mine. Even if I can't dodge everything, I can still survive by taking damage in non-critical areas! GAH!"
Just as he said it, a bullet embedded itself into his left shoulder from the back. The pain was nothing like Zen remembered. The last time he got shot, he died.
With a yell born from his last burst of courage, Zen followed the increasing sound of roaring water. This was it! He was near.
"Breakthrough… Breakthrough…" he whispered like a mantra. The adrenaline numbed the pain for now. He was almost there.
"Stop running and die!" his pursuer cackled and reloaded from the trees. "Either way, it's a dead-end ahead. You won't survive the fall."
Zen didn't listen. He didn't care. Sure, it was a cliff ahead with a huge waterfall. Ordinarily, Zen would never jump. However, this was a game - a death game.
"I'll take my fucking chances!" he seethed. Leaves and branches smacked into his face as his feet pounded on the dirt. This technology was too impressive, but Zen didn't have the time or energy to admire how it worked. All he knew was if that sniper hits him one more time, his health bar wouldn't hold up, and he was going to die in real life.
The sound of the sniper rifle getting fired echoed in the forest and Zen took it as his cue to jump off the slippery edge. He meant for a better angle to avoid whatever rocks there could've been in the way, but at the very last moment, the sound caused him to slip on some moss.
"How lame…" the thought crossed his mind and time slowed. He could see the smirk on his pursuer's face as he fell.
Then, time sped up. The free-fall was accompanied by freezing water pouring into his nose and throat. Zen didn't know which way was up, but he knew that if he didn't continue to struggle, he was going to die. Thankfully, Zen knew how to swim even if the young master of the Taro family who owned this body didn't.
His landing at the bottom of the waterfall broke some bones. The pain made Zen want to scream, but the water drowned everything out. This deep down, not even bullets would reach him. For now, he was safe, but Zen had to think quickly.
His nose and lungs burned. He was severely injured. The icy water could freeze him to death if he remained in it any longer. Going up to the surface was only going to make him an easy target. Was there no way out?
Zen smiled bitterly as his vision started to flicker. After everything he did, all he wanted to do was live a good life. When Zen was still a regular 24-year-old nameless civilian by the identity code #3207, he once thought good deeds would be rewarded. He saved a man from the mafia near death and brought him to his home only to be rewarded with a bullet to the head.
"So what if that shitty God gave me a special ability? Did he really think Godfather High School was a place for mafia heirs to learn their ABCs? What good will 'superspeed learning' do for me? Even if my photographic memory remembers the map of this death game arena, it's useless if I cannot win."
Top 100. He needed to survive and get into the top 100 out of 500 mafia heirs that attended. The original Zen Taro was only 15. The kid was timid, nerdy and overly kind-hearted. He was a splitting image of Civilian #3207 before he died. Of all the kids chosen to attend this fucked up battle royale academy, the oldest was only 18, still younger than what he used to be. Yet, Zen was inferior to all these people in every way. He was weak. He was timid. He had no skills, and his family rank was only #382.
"I'm not going to die here. I have to survive and grow stronger! That shitty God shoved all the responsibility of changing this messed up world in the name of a second chance, but I'm not going to complain. If bad guys rule the world... then let me be the devil and send them all to hell!"
Cold, in pain, desperate and afraid, Zen Taro let the underwater current drag him deeper to the bottom of the lagoon.
GASP!
As if God took some pity on him, Zen rediscovered air and a secret cave beneath the waterfall. With the last of his strength, shivering, Zen crawled from the water and lay on the hard stone ground panting hard.
It was cold. It was dark. Yet, it was still a game.
[Congratulations! You've discovered a secret room and safe zone. The number of occupants in this safe zone is 1/1.]
The window alert made Zen grin. He wasn't the devil yet, but he must have the devil's luck. Who would have expected to find a safe zone in this game? Judging by how it wasn't on the map, this safe zone should help him tide through the rough opening school ceremony.
"If I recall correctly, there are five rules in Godfather High. Rule one, no killing in safe zones and during safe time periods. Rule two, the microchip in our necks allow us to redeem certain benefits using credits earned in the game. It also kills us if we die. Rule three, No harming the creepy invigilators. Rule four, if you escape, you die. Lastly, the shitty game of death ends only when one survivor is left or if all the dungeon floors are cleared. I definitely lucked out this round."
Carefully, Zen looked over to his health bar. It was blinking, indicating that it was dangerously low. As he was now, Zen couldn't even take a punch or he would die for real. He checked the time and system status. So far, over two hundred candidates have died. If Zen didn't find this safe zone, he would already be dead, wasting his reincarnation chance.
"Five minutes till the purge. I wonder if my crazy pursuer made it. Either way, my spot in the top 100 is guaranteed now."
Of all things to happen on the first day of his high school debut, Zen wasn't expecting a battle royale. Then again, he should have seen it coming. The Godfather created this prison-like environment for the top mafia heirs to compete against each other. Only the strongest would be worthy of the title.
Although Zen didn't manage to kill anyone, he had to pat himself on the back for surviving the ordeal. The system announced the countdown for the purge, but Zen was already at his limits.
Unable to hold his eyelids open, Zen allowed himself to succumb to the pain as the adrenaline finally wore off. He slept like the dead as others fought for their lives, amusing a figure from the shadows.
[You have been awarded 100 credits by the Godfather for finding the secret safe zone. Keep up the good work, Zen Taro.]
Meeting at the entrance of floor tenth’s labyrinth, Zen quickly checked on Party Freedom’s in-game gear. They were not the best, and it was surprising how they made it to floor fifteen using pure skills. Unlike Zen, who relied on many in-game mechanics to compensate for his lack of combat abilities, the others powered through using the polished skills gained from years of training. Compared to them, he felt like a fraud.“You’re going to all need better equipment,” Zen stated after a brief check. “I’ll send Tracer the list of crafting materials I need before logging out to prepare lunch. However, these gears will not get you to the hellish final boss on floor twenty.”Having seen what the demon lord could do, Zen wondered how the party of four climbed half of the labyrinth stage. It was like using a piece of rock to cut sushi.The Minotaur Boss’ loot was the best for crafting armour in preparation for clearing the
After confirming that Party Freedom was still stuck at floor fifteen, Zen confirmed that he would be better off making progress with them instead of slowing the vanguard team.When in doubt, keep to the left.” That was what I did when I cleared the labyrinth floors, including the tenth floor. Anything with a maze-like structure can be easily cleared if you follow a strict path.”…Nobody else spoke about the advice that Liu Feng gave. In theory, that was correct. However, it was easier said than done. Most people would turn back upon discovering a trap or an enemy. Not to mention, some paths might be blocked. What the Seer was telling them was to brute force their way through a maze. If he had a map and a destination, Zen had no doubt that his sworn brother would have broken down all the walls standing in his way to reach the final boss dungeon.“Oh, one more thing. That minotaur boss is actually blind. It makes sense because it has
By the time Zen’s morning alarm went off, the tissues stuffed in his nose had already fallen out during the night. Thankfully, they were not covered in booger or snot. More importantly, the ointment stopped stinking.Checking his ribs and stretching cautiously, Zen immediately noticed the lack of sharp pain in his sides when stretched. Traditional medicine was truly miraculous! At this rate, his fractured ribs might be fully healed in the next few days."You’re up,” Liu Feng noted after he left the bathroom.Last night’s sparring with Akiko loosened his stiff muscles from dungeon diving. The morning workout went smoothly, even if his hunt for Chatura made no progress. Hearing how quickly Zen was able to move, his ribs must be feeling better. The medicine his brother sent was expensive. Thankfully, it worked for civilians too.“Thank you for the ointment,” Zen beamed. “I should make a full recovery in a few days at t
From floor five to floor nine, Zen discovered many changing elements in the virtual world. The dungeon mechanics became more complex as they climbed the floors. It was difficult to believe that until floor ten, they were still in the tutorial stages.Damian’s game guide from floor five was very different from Zen’s version. The cyborg logged every single type of equipment and monster as an encyclopaedia page, including replicated screenshot images. He rated them according to their value, usage, frequency of occurrence, something Zen had not considered, and prices. The floor map was also marked to indicate where they could commonly be located, along with an estimated loot drop guide. Compared to Zen’s walkthrough guide, Damian created a very different and detailed directory.Although their styles were very different, Zen teared up with gratefulness for the guide Damian put together. If Zen excelled at game progression strategy, Damian’s information w
Liu Feng was not pleased to learn that Zen was already considering inviting another troublesome person into his circle after sparring with Akiko. Yet, he could not say he was surprised. In the brief weeks of meeting Zen, he had seen enough to know it would not be the last time either. From the get-go, even Liu Feng had been drawn to the young cook because of this attitude. It was both the young man’s charm and weakness.While the blind teen had enough respect for Chatura, a famous strategist, he hated dealing with snake-like personalities. They already had several ticking time bombs in the Godly Food Party, and the Lau Triad’s influence could only shield Zen from so much harm. Damian Gorski had provoked half the Round Table, and Zen had rejected everyone there. An omerta might be sacred, but it was not always upheld by both parties. There were many ways to cancel an omerta, usually involving the death of one party, and Liu Feng did not wish to crush his younger swor
After finishing his dinner, Zen sipped on the weird concoction called tea from a heavy stainless steel tool holder sterilised in isopropyl alcohol. The cyborg offered to distil and mix some of his alcohol supply into the tea for a ‘better flavour,’ and Zen smartly declined. He did not have a mechanical gut that could be replaced easily. It was best to stick to conventional instant tea in unconventional cups, even if Damian stuck two very different flavours of instant tea in one cup.Although Damian had overheard the conversation in the kitchen, Zen still told him what he knew from Bolt and asked if Damian had a way to verify the information. Due to the many rumours floating around Chatura, it was difficult to know the kind of person she was. It was obvious who spread those rumours.Within thirty minutes, Damian uncovered a lot more than Zen thought was possible. Then again, he should probably not be surprised that the Gorski had such an extensive information ne
Sneaking dinner back to the room, Zen thanked Bolt and Yelena for updating him about the new faction. Although neither invigilator liked the strategist, Chatura was a very powerful person whom Zen found intriguing.Unfortunately, Liu Feng and Akiko were out. They said they would be sparring in the training ground and were not back yet. Sasha and Oritha were still in the gym, making Damian Zen’s only option to discuss this new situation with them.Deciding to take a quick shower, Zen sent Damian a text and asked if he could come over to discuss something confidential in thirty minutes with his dinner. The cyborg took a while to reply, but Zen smiled when he received an affirmation in the middle of his shower.Thirty minutes later, Zen knocked on Damian’s door, freshly showered and with a packed dinner in his other hand. There was nobody in the corridor, so Zen relaxed.Damian opened the door within seconds and welcomed Zen in.“Pardon the me
When Bolt returned with the first aid kit, he was largely relieved to see how Yelena was taking care of Zen. Taking over, he checked on the burn injury that had greatly reduced thanks to the ice cream tub, although the same could not be said of the melting liquid inside.“That might have to go back into the freezer for now,” he gently told Yelena, who agreed.Now that the actual adult was back, Yelena threw the explanation to Bolt. She hated the woman Chatura. There was no way she wanted to explain all the complicated history to Zen when she could barely speak English. Besides, between the two of them, Bolt was supposed to be the smarter one.“Oh, Chatura. Yes… it’s a complicated story,” Bolt frowned. “There are so many rumours and versions about what happened to her before she had been turned into an invigilator here. I’ve never personally met her or talked to her in my time here. However, I don’t think we have a
After spending most of the day in the virtual world, the rest of Party Godly Food excused themselves to hit the gym and stretch their muscles. Damian returned to finish compiling the game guide while Zen worked on preparing dinner. Yelena and Bolt were present, so there was no need for anyone else to keep him company. Not to mention, the kitchen hands were very helpful. Most of the ingredients Zen needed were already prepared. The dirty dishes from the last meal were washed meticulously and left to dry on the counter.“Did you find anything new in the dive this time?” Bolt asked while Zen mixed his seasoning.Zen wanted to make something simple for dinner as they had a heavy tea. Fried rice and some soup will do. There was more than enough for everyone later.“There were new things,” Zen admitted, reluctant to reveal too much information about the new features and unique split-path quests he and Damian had discovered. “However
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Mga Comments