Chapter 0:

Log Zero: They Are Not Like Us

Void Walker: Those Who Are Not Humane


The hot air of the desert blew through the sandhills. The hollow sound of the wind barely did anything to cover the howls echoing in the empty wasteland. A bike moved through the hellish landscape while carrying the two passengers.

Bang!

A gunshot tore apart the winds as the bike rode past several dead, deformed creatures.

Bang!

Another shot echoed. Then another. Then another.

The rider of the armoured bike clicked his tongue.

"Bastards..."

His hiss made the passenger behind him shudder. He could feel her rising heartbeat to some extent... But he didn't pay it any heed.

He didn't have the leisure to. In front of him was the skeleton of a sunken ship, approaching them like a behemoth.

"Hold on tight."

His calm voice reached the passenger just in time for her to brace. Immediately, he twisted the handle of the bike to an unnatural degree.

The motorbike turned to the left and drifted forward a few meters before continuing along the dirt road. The ship's hull was right beside them, so close that he could touch it by his hand.

The engine protested against the pressure but still gave out its maximum output. His bike picked up speed once again.

Clang!

Something hit the hull behind them at a high speed. Paying it no mind, the man kept his eyes locked on the road.

"H-how far is it?"

The young girl behind him asked through her gas mask. The man didn't reply.

He instead aimed his gun to his right and fired. The high-density plasma bullets pierced the shadow leaping towards the two of them. Dark red blood splattered on the man's mask, which he wiped with his sleeves.

The sandstorm bellowing around them intensified. At this point, even seeing a few metres ahead of them was a hurdle.

But the man hardly cared. His bike rushed through the desert sand without stopping.

"It's here."

The man, the "Walker", suddenly claimed in a low tone. Before long, a dark shadow appeared in front of them.

The bike rode through the jaws of the silhouette. Immediately after they entered the place, a bright violet light bathed the whole area.

Shreeek!

Several creatures cried out outside the place. It seemed that they were unable to enter... for now.

The Walker pressed the brake and stopped the bike with a sigh. The sandstorm was still raging on outside, but the walls around them were enough to hide them.

"Get down. You're safe here."

He said as he parked the motorbike by the wall. The girl gingerly disembarked from the vehicle and placed her white feet on the sand.

"You can remove the mask. The radiation is low here."

The Walker suddenly sprung up beside her while pointing at a meter attached to his gauntlet.

"I-I understand."

The girl took a deep breath and removed her mask. Her black hair fell over her face, but the man couldn't help but notice the pretty features.

Sighing once again, the man removed his mask.

Swatting away the strands of red hair from his face, he sat down on the sand.

Thud.

His backpack fell on the ground with him.

"I'll make a fire, can you step back a little?"

His voice was rough, but the concern was apparent enough. The young girl stepped back with a nod.

Sighing for the third time, the Walker pulled out a small lighter and some dry wood from his bag. He had placed several large stones on the ground last time he had been here. He just put the wood inside the stone circle and lit it up on fire.

Warmth spread through his arms and legs before gradually covering his body. A small sound reached his ears from behind.

It was probably the girl.

"Hah... Not again."

The Walker removed his gloves and spread his fingers above the fire.

It was almost time.

Another small sound came from behind, like something heavy was walking on the sand. The sudden change of weight told the man what he needed to know.

His body reacted to the sound almost reflexively and turned towards the source. Without hesitation, the man thrust his hands forward... stopping the claws with his bare hands just in time.

"You turned out to be one of them too, huh."

He said in a disinterested tone while staring at the young girl with disdain.

The girl shrieked inhumanely in response, her beautiful features contorted into an ugly scowl.

"[Corrosion]"

The Walker muttered as he pushed the heavy claws upwards. As soon as he did that, a fierce burning smell reached his nose. The claws started melting into his hands.

"Kaaaaaaah!"

The young... creature screamed in pain as it tried to move away. But the man grabbed the corroding arms of it just before it could do so.

Slowly, he rose from the ground. The creature proceeded to kick him in the guts with its legs seeing the chance.

But the man didn't even budge. He kept his grip firm while sporting a deadpan expression.

[Corrosion has reached a high-enough level. It is possible to detonate the target from inside.]

A mechanical voice echoed throughout the room, but only the man could hear it.

"[Commence detonation]"

He hissed as he pushed the creature away with all his might. It fell on its back and tried to rush out of the place... But exploded right before reaching the entrance.

Its innards spilt out alongside the deep blue blood. Its fair skin... The skin of one of its unfortunate victims fell apart. The body skid across the sand, leaving behind a deep bloody stain.

Mere moments later, ashes started to fly over from the corpse, along with small burning pieces of skin.

[Destruction of target confirmed.]

[Target was 57% human.]

[Converting XP]

[User has received 2033 XP]

[Level Up.]

[Congratulations. You have reached level 20]

The mechanical voice said to the Walker, who sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Damn Joker..."

This was a common occurrence by now and should have hardly bothered him but...

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.

The man then walked over to the burning corpse and crouched in front of it. Glancing outside, he noticed several of the creatures staring at him... or more specifically at the corpse.

Again, a common occurrence.

Paying them no heed, the man put his hand inside the corpse's ribcage and pulled its heart out. The blue heart was still warm.

"You guys aren't gonna get anything from this."

He taunted the creatures outside before biting into the organ. An acidic taste spread through his mouth and went down his throat.

It was, as always, extremely unpleasant to swallow.

Yet, he kept chewing. Bite after bite, he consumed the entire heart.

The blue blood covered his entire jacket. Unlike human blood, though, it evaporated in a few seconds without leaving any stain.

[Joker Heart consumed.]

[You have learned a new skill.]

[Skill Acquired: Demon Claw]

[Skill requirement: 15% of your health]

[Skill Damage Conversion: 600% of your Max HP against human-type enemies; 0.5% of your Max HP against non-human enemies]

"As always... Useless."

The man murmured before going back to the fire.

He was tired, extremely so.

"Tsk... Damn it."

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't shake off the feeling of disgust.

With trembling hands, he grabbed the locket around his neck and laid down on the sand.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.