I was still standing in front of that human girl. Her breath was ragged. Her hands trembled, still gripping that rusty golf club, ready to swing at any moment.
My body was still half-controlled by instinct. My jaw felt heavy… like it wanted to bite something. But I held it back. I focused. Took a breath—or at least tried to, even though these lungs probably weren't working anymore.
And, miraculously…The "Bite" skill was deactivated.
Yes! I managed to suppress the instinct!
But the human girl didn't know that. And then…WHACK!!
SMACK!
The golf club swung straight at my head.My head jerked backward, my body wobbled, and I collapsed onto the floor.
"Ow… that actually hurt," I grumbled, though my lips could barely move.
The girl stared at me, confused, and then… ran.Without a word. Just a look of "WHAT-THE-HECK-WAS-THAT?!" and quick steps fleeing the scene.
"…Yeah, just go already."I slowly lifted my hand. "I don't know what that was either."
After that incident, I got up and started walking through the mall again. I began to realize I needed to get stronger.
If the system was like a game, then I needed to level up, right?
[Status]
EXP: 0/5
Kill zombies, mutant animals, or humans of Rank 0 to level up.
"Okay. So I need to kill five Rank 0 creatures to get to Level 1."
I looked around. This mall should still have some residents…And sure enough, not far from the dead escalator, I saw a zombie crawling. Its eyes were blank, and its body was more decayed than mine. But clearly: that was a Rank 0 zombie.
I slowly approached and used my first skill, which sounded... kinda lame:
Skill: Claw!
SCREEK!Sharp claws sprouted from my fingers. My attack hit—split the zombie's head clean in half. It collapsed instantly.
[EXP +1]
"Nice. One down, four to go."
I started to smile… well, if I could smile. My mouth was really stiff, bro.
A few minutes later, I managed to kill two mutant zombies and one mutated dog that weirdly… had two heads. Total now: 4/5.
One more.
And as if on cue, another zombie appeared from behind a stack of food court chairs. It was bigger than the others. Moved faster. Its eyes looked more… furious?
[Target: Zombie Rank 1]
"Huh? That's Rank 1?"
The zombie lunged quickly. I blocked with my arm and countered with claws. But it was stronger. I was thrown back, crashing into a plastic table that shattered instantly.
My HP dropped to 10/100. I panicked.
Skill: Regeneration (Lv. 1)
My body slowly healed. The wound on my left shoulder closed up. The black blood stopped flowing.
"THANK GOODNESS FOR THIS SKILL!"
I bit back. This time, it worked. My teeth sank into its neck, and I clawed its head to shreds until it stopped moving.
[EXP +5]
Level Up!
Level 1 (4/10)
"WHOA! One Rank 1 kill = instant level up!"
I sat on the floor, mentally exhausted. Then I thought:
"So… one Rank 1 = five Rank 0. That means the exp system works like currency exchange? And… if I'm higher rank and kill a lower-rank target, the exp won't be worth much?"
I started jotting it all down in my brain—though who knows if I even have a working brain anymore.
Sylvia's Notes (mentally written):
Rank 0: need 5 kills to level up.
Each level-up = required kills doubled.
Higher rank = bigger exp.
Much lower rank = little or no exp.
"All right, system… I think I'm starting to understand your game."
But suddenly, a voice echoed in my head.
[Warning]
Detected: Zombie Rank 2 within 100-meter radius.Suggestion: Avoid combat.
Or… fight it and gain massive EXP?
I froze.
"…It's only Chapter 2 and already feels like the end of a horror movie."