Chapter 28 – Signs and Signals
After a thorough wash, Sam stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. His muscles were sore, but in a good way—like something within him had shifted. The cool air greeted his skin as he towel-dried his hair and walked back into the room.
On the bed, Emmy waited patiently. Lumi had curled herself protectively around Ira, their two pets nestled together like old companions. Seeing them like that brought a soft smile to Sam's face.
"They've really bonded," he said, motioning to the pets.
"Yeah," Emmy nodded.
Sam chuckled lightly, but Emmy's eyes were on him—searching, careful.
"Is there any pain now?" she asked softly.
He shook his head. "Relax. It was just temporary. Honestly... I've never felt this good."
Emmy raised a skeptical brow but let it slide for the moment. She pulled out her notepad—the one she'd been using for tracking status changes—and began her usual questioning.
It lasted a good half an hour.
After they finished, Sam projected his new status panel. The glow of the holographic screen illuminated the room with a soft bluish hue.
Player Name: Sam
Level: 28
Species: Rank 3 ?/)%
Strength: 183 (+)
Agility: 150 (+)
Mana: 200 (+)
Vitality: 148 (+)
Intelligence: 132 (+)
Free Points Available: 42
Mana Core: Rank 1 Dragon's Mana Core
Contracts: Metal Slime (Pet)
They both leaned closer.
"Okay," Emmy muttered, scanning the numbers. "First thing—we can confirm all your stats got a major boost."
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And I think we figured out why I was stuck at Level 25. Forming the mana core must have been the key."
"But..." Emmy hesitated. "You're not... human anymore."
They both stared at the 'Species' line. The garbled Rank 3 label flickered slightly.
"We have no way of knowing what this means yet," Sam said, trying to stay calm. "Maybe we're just not high enough level to see the details. It's like unlocking information progressively."
"Still," Emmy murmured, her fingers gripping the sheets. "It bothers me. You—when you were on the floor, in pain—I've never felt so helpless."
"I'm okay now," Sam reassured her, gently placing a hand on her knee. "And I think we should talk to Blake about this. He might know something."
Emmy nodded. "Yeah, let's talk to him tomorrow."
The rest of the evening passed quietly, though a shadow of unease still clung to Emmy's thoughts.
The Next Morning
Sam tried calling Blake again, pacing the hall near the hostel stairwell with his phone pressed to his ear. Still no response. With a frustrated sigh, he left a voice message.
"Hey, Blake. Call me when you get this. It's important."
Sliding the phone back in his pocket, Sam turned to the others.
They had gathered in a larger common room—the walls scrubbed clean, a faint trace of disinfectant still lingering. Light filtered through the half-covered windows. The atmosphere was subdued but focused.
"So," Roy spoke first, arms crossed, "what's happened to you last night?"
"Nothing serious, just completed forming my mana core."
"You are fast. I think I'll form mine today," Roy said.
Sam and Emmy were ahead thanks to sharing Sam's storage chain. If they didn't have that, Sam estimated it would've taken two or three more days.
Sam then explained how crucial it was to form the mana core before reaching Rank 3.
Then the topic shifted to today's plan.
Sam walked to the makeshift whiteboard. A rough sketch of Von University's campus was drawn with bold strokes.
"We've secured this area around the boys' hostel. Yesterday, we rescued people from here, here, and here," he said, tapping different spots. "Today, our next move is to eliminate as many zombies and mutant animals as possible. Systematically clear out infected zones and push our boundary farther."
The area from which they rescued survivors yesterday was roughly 200 meters from the hostel. As they discussed the route and targets, even the new survivors added their insights.
"Blake's and Ryan's teams will be clearing and securing the area around the staff quarters after working on the gym," Ryan said. "Once they're done, we'll have more people."
"Till then, we move," Sam said. "Every cleared building gets us one step closer to stabilizing this campus."
There were nods around the room. A sense of unity, despite the tension.
As they prepared their weapons and packs, Sam cast one last glance at the message on his phone. Still no reply from Blake.
Whatever was coming next, they had to face it prepared—and together.