The system notification flickered before his eyes.
[You have killed ten Normal Zombies. Stamina +4. Agility +4. Strength +2. Points +10]
A surge of energy coursed through his veins.
He felt his muscles tense, grow denser, more refined, his body evolving with each passing moment.
With every zombie he dispatched, both his body and mind adapted to the grim reality unfolding around him.
"I don't know what's going on… I need to find the others"
Ethan murmured as he pressed forward, his footsteps echoing softly.
'But considering the chaos... would anyone even think to regroup? And if they did, where?'
His eyes narrowed, scanning the dimly lit garage with cautious precision, alert for any signs of movement, any hint of the zombie.
'I should head to the auditorium… there's a canteen there too. That's the most strategic spot'
He thought decisively.
Without hesitation, he quickened his pace, each step growing faster until he broke into a full sprint.
As he emerged from the shadowed garage onto the open road, a wave of devastation met his eyes.
Cracks veined through buildings like spiderwebs.
Shattered glass littered the streets. Cars burned with violent flames, belching smoke into the sky.
Panic echoed through the air, screams piercing the chaos as people fled in every direction.
Anthony had encountered only a handful of zombies on his building's floor and in the garage.
But this… this was something else entirely.
As Ethan scanned the chaos, a sudden instinct gripped him, an urgent sense that something was slicing through the air toward him at high velocity.
Without thinking, he raised his sword.
CLANG!
A deafening impact rang out as the creature collided with his blade, the force sending Ethan skidding backward across the fractured earth.
Gritting his teeth, he steadied himself and lifted his gaze.
Hovering before him was a grotesque, oversized housefly.
Once no larger than a fingertip, it now loomed at the size of a dog, its body unnaturally swollen and pulsing with mana.
Its wings buzzed with a high-pitched whine, sharp as a blade, its compound eyes reflecting the carnage around them.
Mana had twisted even the most harmless of creatures into threats.
Before Ethan could fully assess his opponent, the monstrous housefly surged forward, its wings slicing through the air with violent force.
A sudden gust swept past him as the creature closed the distance.
Its halteres, once tiny, innocuous balancing organs, had mutated into sharp, blade-like extensions, slashing toward him with blinding speed.
Ethan barely managed to react in time. He twisted his body, raising his sword just as the blades struck.
Steel met mutated flesh with a harsh clash, and a spray of sparks lit the space between them.
'I need to end this quickly'
Ethan thought, breath tight in his chest.
'If I drag this out, I'll burn through my stamina and end up zombie food'
The fly lunged again, a beat of wings and slicing limbs.
But this time, Ethan didn't block.
He sidestepped with precision, narrowly evading the attack, and in the same motion, his sword flashed, a clean arc aimed at the creature's exposed abdomen.
The blade tore through its grotesque flesh.
A spray of thick, dark fluid burst forth, a mix of blood and rancid mucus splattering the ground as the mutated insect screeched then stopped moving.
[You have killed a Monster Fly. Health +3. Agility +5. Mana +4. Points +10]
It was the first time he'd gained mana from a non-human monster.
Ethan's gaze snapped away from the glowing status screen as a low, guttural groan reached his ears, followed by another, then several more.
The clash had drawn attention.
Zombies, dozens of them, now shambled into view from every direction, lured by the sound and scent of blood.
His status screen remained in the corner of his vision
[Name: Ethan Cross
Age: 21
Race: Human
Health: 13
Strength: 12
Agility: 17
Stamina: 16
Mana: 24 (94)
Points: 15
Ability: Air Manipulation]
A faint smirk touched his lips.
'Time to harvest points'
With his current stats, these zombies were no longer a threat.
They were prey.
With the grin of a child unwrapping a long-awaited Christmas gift, Ethan launched himself into the approaching horde.
There was no hesitation, no fear.
Just exhilaration.
He didn't worry about burning through his stamina.
After all, most zombies rewarded him with it.
Blood splattered across the pavement in wild, erratic arcs.
Heads were sent flying, twisting in the air before landing with dull, sickening thuds.
Bodies crumpled in heaps, their weight echoing across the broken streets.
'The stench of blood is unbearable'
Ethan thought, grimacing as he moved.
Clawed hands reached for him.
Jaws snapped wildly, eager to tear into flesh.
But Ethan was untouchable.
He didn't block.
He didn't parry.
He moved like a ghost, slipping through the narrowest gaps, gliding past every attack with effortless grace.
His body flowed like water, precise and unpredictable.
To the zombies, he was no longer prey.
He was death in motion.
Minutes passed.
Then, silence.
All around Ethan, corpses lay in twisted heaps. Severed limbs.
Split skulls. Blood soaking into shattered pavement.
It was a massacre.
Anyone who stumbled upon the scene would have sworn he'd trained with a blade for years, perhaps under a master, perhaps on battlefields.
But the truth was far simpler.
The most training Ethan had ever done was following workout routines from a fitness app.
Plus he simply had superior stats.
'I never knew I had this kind of talent for combat'
He thought, breathing steadily, eyes scanning the aftermath.
A new notification blinked into view.
[You have killed 57 Normal Zombies. Stamina +20. Agility +17. Strength +20. Points +57]
'Damn. Am I getting strong too fast?'
He opened his status, eyes narrowing.
The growth was undeniable, he was evolving faster than he imagined.
But something was missing.
'My health and mana are still low'
He thought, frowning.
'I'll need to find other monsters, ones that aren't zombies'
"AHHH!"
The scream cut through the stillness like a blade, snapping Ethan out of his thoughts.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, feet pounding against the cracked ground as he raced toward the source of the cry.
Rounding a corner, he spotted her, a girl, no older than himself, clutching a thick piece of wood.
She swung it wildly at the advancing zombies, panic etched across her face.
But she wasn't aiming for their heads.
The blows did little more than stagger them, leaving the zombie to rise again, relentless in their pursuit.
She let out another scream and turned to flee, but her foot caught on debris.
She crashed to the ground.
Before she could recover, one of the zombies lunged, climbing over her body, jaws stretching open, ready to sink its rotting teeth into her exposed neck.
Just as the zombie's jaws descended, a flash of movement cut through the air.
A pool of blood splattered across the girl's face, drenching her in the greenish, sticky liquid.
She recoiled, blinking rapidly as the thick green coated her skin.
The zombie above her collapsed, lifeless, its body slumping onto her in a heap.
Shaking with fear and disbelief, she pushed the corpse off, her hands trembling as she gazed up at Ethan.
"Thanks…"
She whispered, her voice raw with relief and gratitude.
Ethan's eyes darted around, sharp and calculating.
"Let's move"
He said, his tone brisk and calm.
"Follow behind me, stay close, and don't talk or scream. We'll attract more zombies if you do"
Without waiting for a response, he pivoted and sprinted forward.
As Ethan pushed forward, he cut through the horde with ruthless efficiency.
His sword dancing through the airl, each strike harvesting points and stats with the ease of repetition.
The zombies fell in quick succession, no more than obstacles in his path.
Each one dropped with a single fluid strike, no hesitation, no wasted energy.
The sun hung high above, indifferent to the chaos below.
Its warm rays washed over the destruction, casting a strange, almost surreal light on the carnage.
"Where are we headed?"
A voice broke through the tense silence.
One of the students he'd saved, breath heavy and strained, spoke up in a low tone.
"The auditorium"
Ethan replied without breaking stride, his voice steady.
He adjusted his pace slightly, making sure the group could keep up with him without slowing down.