Outside, the zombies start advancing toward the glass doors. Hayden knows he doesn't have much time. He murmurs to himself:
HAYDEN: "If I stay here, they'll all come... And I can't allow that."
He grips his katana tightly, taking a deep breath. His determined gaze locks onto the zombies through the glass. It's time to decide whether to retreat or engage in combat.
Hayden takes a deep breath, then another, followed by yet another—to calm his nerves, which are tense, almost paralyzed by the horror he has witnessed. Blue, being with him, encourages him, and he makes the decision to step outside before even more zombies arrive.
HAYDEN: "Blue, tell me, how much experience will I gain from this number of zombies outside?"
BLUE: "Check the stats window, and you'll see how much XP you need to level up."
For the first time, Hayden opens the statistics page and is surprised by what he finds.
Stats Window:
Strength: 200 | XP: 00/1000
Agility: 200 | Body Level: 0
Endurance: 200 | Weapon Mastery Level: 0% (Beginner Mastery)
Intelligence: (grayed out)
Wisdom: (grayed out)
HAYDEN: "Ah! That's interesting. So, each zombie is worth 10 XP... Since you told me I need to take down 100 to level up, that gives me an idea of the pace. But what's this, Blue? 'Body Level' and 'Weapon Mastery'?"
BLUE: "For those criteria, I'll let you figure them out on your own."
(A slight hint of amusement echoes in Blue's voice.)
"But I'll give you a little hint: What you think is real is only your current understanding of this world. Imagination is limitless."
HAYDEN (raising an eyebrow and shaking his head): "Great... So now I have to rediscover the world from a new perspective. Because zombies and a system weren't already enough to keep me busy?"
BLUE (with a soft, almost teasing voice): "Hey! Come on, you can do it, man. I have faith in you. Don't overthink it—feel it. Okay?"
HAYDEN (sighing, but with a small amused smile): "Thanks for the pep talk. Seriously, sometimes you really sound like a sketchy life coach."
BLUE (chuckling softly): "And yet, look where you are now. I'd say it's working."
HAYDEN (getting serious again, staring at the interface before him): "Yeah, yeah... Alright, focus. We've got work to do."
He briefly closes his eyes to center his thoughts. The outside world is in chaos, but inside, he prepares himself to embrace these new rules, however strange they may be. Blue, though irritating at times, offers him an anchor in this new paradigm.
Inside the room, the atmosphere is tense. Each member of Hayden's group, still in shock from the sudden appearance of the stats interface and the cryptic conversation between Hayden and Blue, remains silent for a moment. The hum of the neon lights seems even louder in this moment of collective astonishment.
KATIE (running a hand through her hair, visibly nervous):
"Wait a second… What was that? Am I dreaming, or did we just witness an actual conversation with… uh… a program or a spirit?"
MARY (eyes fixed on the door Hayden just passed through, arms crossed):
"Seriously, I'm open-minded about weird stuff, but this? This is too much. A system, stats, a voice in his head? This goes beyond anything I've ever read in my science books."
WILLIAM (raising his eyebrows, a nervous smile on his lips):
"I can't believe what I'm seeing. The interface, the stats… it's like we're in an RPG. But… (shaking his head) this isn't a game. And Hayden… he's handling it so calmly."
FLORA (crossing her arms, her gaze shifting between where Hayden stood and the interface still lingering in her mind):
"There's something bigger behind all this. This system… it's beyond our understanding. But what troubles me is that Hayden seems to already know the rules. Like he's already accepted to play this game."
KATIE (casting a worried look at Flora):
"And what about us? What do we do in all this? Do we just pretend everything is normal? Because, let's be honest, there's nothing normal about this."
MARY (frustrated, turning to Katie):
"Normal? Nothing has been normal since we saw those zombies outside, Katie. And now, we find out Hayden has some kind of super-system in his head and dragged us all into it without even asking our opinion."
FLORA (calmly, placing a hand on Mary's shoulder):
"Now's not the time to get angry, Mary. Hayden has his reasons, and I'm sure he's just trying to protect us. But he'll have to explain everything to us in detail."
WILLIAM (looking at the interface with fascination, then raising his eyes to the others):
"Whatever happens, I'm in. If Hayden knows what he's doing, then we might as well try to understand how we can help him. Because if we just sit here arguing, we won't get very far."
KATIE (softening her tone, a hesitant smile):
"He's right. We have to stick together. But honestly, can someone explain why Hayden didn't tell us about this sooner?"
FLORA (exhaling softly):
"I think he wanted to avoid worrying us. But now that it's out in the open, we're all in the same boat. We might as well start rowing together."
The group exchanges glances, sharing a palpable tension but also a growing sense of determination.
Outside, Hayden continues to observe the apocalyptic scene. Inside the room, his friends wonder how they will manage to fight in this new world where the rules seem to have completely changed.
Descent into Chaos
As Hayden stepped through the building's doors, a freezing gust of wind lashed against his face. The air was thick, laden with a nauseating mix of rot and dust. Before him, a nightmarish scene unfolded: around twenty zombies were shambling in his direction, groaning and stretching their decomposed arms toward him. Some were still clad in blood-stained school uniforms, while others, larger and more imposing, seemed to have once been strong adults—now reduced to decaying husks.
BLUE (inside his head, a light but tense tone):
"Alright, man, this is it. Your first real test. Show me what you've got."
HAYDEN (gripping the katana, which seemed to vibrate slightly in his hands):
"Yeah… My first fight. I'd have preferred something a little less… deadly."
The Engagement
The first zombies stumbled forward, their feet scraping against the pavement. One of them, a frail-looking young boy, suddenly lunged forward with surprising speed. Hayden, driven by an instinct he didn't yet understand, pivoted and delivered a clean strike.
The katana sliced through the air with a sharp whistle before severing the zombie's head with unsettling precision. The body collapsed heavily, but the head rolled along the ground, its jaws still snapping in a final twitch.
HAYDEN (flinching slightly):
"Damn… Did I really just do that?"
BLUE:
"Yup. And I gotta say, that was clean. Keep going, you're doing great for a rookie!"
But Hayden had no time to savor the moment. Two more zombies rushed him, growling viciously. He stepped back, raising his katana just in time to block a decayed hand. With a fluid motion, he thrust the blade into the first zombie's torso and violently kicked the second one away.
Rising Intensity
The more zombies he cut down, the more their numbers seemed to grow. The air was filled with the sounds of groans, breaking bones, and slicing steel, creating a macabre symphony. Hayden felt an adrenaline rush unlike anything he had ever experienced. His body moved instinctively, guided by an inner force.
He swept his katana in a wide horizontal arc, slicing through rotting torsos with surgical precision. But he wasn't used to such violence. His hands trembled slightly after every strike, and he had to focus to keep himself grounded.
BLUE (trying to reassure him):
"Breathe, Hayden. Don't think—just act. These things don't feel anything; they're just obstacles in your path."
HAYDEN (wiping the sweat from his brow):
"Easier said than done… They were human once, Blue…"
BLUE:
"Not anymore. Now, focus."
Aftermath: System Rewards
As Hayden finished off the last zombie with a precise slash, a series of glowing messages suddenly appeared before his eyes, hovering in the air like holograms:
SYSTEM:
+200 XP gained.
New Technique Unlocked: "Instant Slash".
(Description: A lightning-fast strike, hitting an enemy in the blink of an eye.)
Weapon Mastery +10%.
HAYDEN (panting, looking at the messages with a mix of surprise and satisfaction):
"So, every zombie I kill improves my skills and gives me new abilities? This is getting… interesting."
BLUE (cheerful tone in his head):
"And this is just the beginning, buddy. Keep this up, and you'll become a real master. But don't get too cocky."
HAYDEN:
"Yeah, easy for you to say. I'm already exhausted… And what's this 'Instant Slash' technique?"
BLUE:
"Oh, you're gonna love it. Imagine a strike so fast that the enemy doesn't even see it coming. Perfect for taking out dangerous targets."
HAYDEN (sighing, but slightly amused):
"Great. One more thing to deal with."
The Appearance of the Specimen
As Hayden took a moment to catch his breath and process the system's information, a strange tension filled the air. A deep, almost imperceptible sound echoed in the darkness ahead.
From behind the pile of corpses, a figure slowly emerged. Unlike the other zombies, this one was different. Larger, more imposing, it seemed to possess a rudimentary awareness. Metal plates were fused into its body, and a blood-red glow burned in its hollow eyes. Its movements were calculated—almost deliberate.
BLUE (nervous tone):
"Hayden… Watch out. This one is different. I don't know what it is, but it's a tough one."
HAYDEN (tightening his grip on his katana, eyes locking onto the enemy):
"A tough one, huh? Let's see if this 'technique' can help me…"
BLUE:
"Just… stay alive, okay? If it gets too much, retreat. You're not invincible, Hayden."
HAYDEN (gritting his teeth):
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the pep talk, coach."
The Battle Against the Specimen
The creature suddenly lunged, its razor-sharp claws slicing through the air. Hayden barely dodged, his breath catching at the monster's speed. This was nothing like the zombies he had fought before. Every strike from the creature seemed meant to obliterate everything in its path.
Hayden used his katana to parry an attack, but the impact was so powerful that he was thrown back several meters, the blade vibrating dangerously in his hands.
BLUE:
"Be careful—this thing is faster and stronger than you. Use the environment to your advantage."
HAYDEN (glancing around while trying to regain his stance):
"Not a lot of 'environment' to work with here, Blue."
The zombie charged again. This time, Hayden pivoted to the side and attempted a quick strike to its leg. The katana sliced through the joint, causing the creature to stagger—but it immediately straightened up, snarling in fury.
HAYDEN (thinking fast):
"Now's the time. Let's test this technique…"
He briefly closed his eyes, focusing. A familiar energy surged through him, and he whispered:
"Instant Slash."
In a flash, Hayden disappeared from his position and reappeared behind the creature, his katana already sheathed. A heavy silence hung in the air before the zombie's head tumbled to the ground, followed by its lifeless body.
Exhaustion
Hayden collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The technique had drained his last reserves of energy. He wiped his sweat-covered forehead and stared at the remains of his opponent, his heart pounding in his chest.