Level Up Arcana

Grinding

The others slowly got to their feet, exhaustion written on every face. Some of the survivors looked like they could barely walk, but they managed.

Raiden turned to Mira and Kade. "We need to clear this building floor by floor and check every room. There might be survivors hiding inside, and there's definitely going to be more zombies."

Mira nodded. "Makes sense. This place was packed with students and staff when everything went down. Not everyone made it outside."

"And some who didn't make it... most likely turned," Kade added grimly.

Jace adjusted his glasses nervously. "So we're going zombie hunting in a building that could have them around every corner. Great. Just great."

Raiden looked at his friend and pulled him aside, away from the others. He kept his voice low.

"Jace, listen. I know this is terrifying. Trust me, I'm scared too." He paused, making sure Jace was listening. "But we need to use this opportunity."

Jace blinked. "Opportunity? What are you talking about?"

"To level up," Raiden said simply. "Look at us. We're Level 2 and 3. That's nothing. If we run into something stronger than those basic zombies outside, we're done. But if we take down the zombies in here, we can use that opportunity to get stronger. Strong enough to actually survive whatever is coming in the future."

Jace's face went pale. "You want us to actively hunt them?"

"Yes. We can actively hunt them when we're strong enough. But now, we should clear this building." Raiden gripped his friend's shoulder. "The others can help the survivors we find and get them to safety while you and I deal with the threats."

Jace looked down at the metal rod in his hands, then back at Raiden. Fear still clouded his eyes, but something else was there too. Determination, maybe. Or just the realization that Raiden was right.

If they didn't actively push to grow stronger especially in the early stages of this apocalypse, they might come to regret it in the future.

"Okay," Jace said finally. "Okay. Let's do this."

Raiden nodded, a small smile crossing his face. "Good. Let's go."

They rejoined the group. Raiden quickly explained the plan to the others. Mira, Kade, and the survivors would check rooms for people in hiding and help them get to safety. Raiden and Jace would take the lead, clearing out any zombies they encountered.

"You sure about this?" Mira asked, studying Raiden with those sharp eyes of hers.

"Someone has to do it," Raiden replied. "Might as well be us."

Mira didn't argue and was rather relieved. She also knew that he was right.

The group moved deeper into the training complex. The entrance hall opened into a wide corridor lined with doors on both sides. The building had practice rooms, equipment storage, and instructor offices, and each one was a potential hiding spot for either survivors or zombies.

Or both.

Raiden and Jace took point, moving slowly and carefully. The Silvermoon Sword was held tight in Raiden's hands. Jace held the metal rod like a baseball bat, knuckles white.

The first door they reached was labeled "Practice Room 1-A." Raiden pressed his ear against it, listening. But no sound could be heard.

He tried the handle but it was locked.

"Hello?" he called out, keeping his voice firm but not too loud. "Anyone in there? We're students. We're here to help."

Silence.

Then, faintly, a voice called out. "H-hello? Is someone really out there?"

Relief flooded Raiden. "Yes. How many of you are inside?"

"Three. Three of us. We've been hiding since the explosions started."

"Okay. Stay calm. We're getting you out."

Mira stepped forward with Kade. Together, they used a combination of fire magic and brute force to melt the lock mechanism. The door swung open, revealing three first-year students huddled in the corner. There were two boys and a girl, all trembling.

"Come on," Mira said gently. "You're safe now. Stay with the group."

The three students stumbled out, joining the growing number of survivors.

Raiden and Jace moved to the next door.

This one wasn't locked. Raiden pushed it open slowly, sword raised.

The practice room was empty except for training equipment and scattered weapons. There were no survivors or zombies. Those interested, equipped themselves with the weapons. Jace also chose a sword.

They continued down the hall.

The third door revealed two more survivors. A teacher and a student who'd barricaded themselves inside an office. Both were unharmed but shaken.

The fourth door was different.

The moment Raiden touched the handle, he heard the familiar sound. A low, wet growling sound from the other side.

"Zombie," Jace whispered.

Raiden nodded. "Get ready."

He gripped the handle and yanked the door open.

A zombie lunged out immediately. It was a male student whose uniform was torn and whose face was twisted. It moved fast, claws reaching for Raiden's throat.

Raiden sidestepped and brought the Silvermoon Sword down in a clean arc. The blade cut through the zombie's neck, severing the head from the body.

Both pieces hit the ground.

[You have killed a Level 2 Spirit Circle Zombie and acquired its mana]

The white orb entered his chest. Warmth spread through him.

"One down," Raiden muttered.

They moved on.

Over the next hour, they cleared the entire first floor methodically. Room by room. Door by door.

They found more survivors. Students who'd locked themselves in storage closets, teachers hiding in offices, even a janitor who'd barricaded himself in a supply room with a mop as his only weapon.

But they also found zombies. Lots of them. Over ten, just on the first floor.

Raiden and Jace took them down one by one.

Each fight was dangerous. Each zombie was a potential death sentence if they made a mistake. But they learned the rules quickly.

Aim for the head, keep your distance, don't let them scratch you, and work together.

Jace's confidence grew positively with each kill. His swings became more controlled and confident. His reactions were also faster. By the fifth zombie, he wasn't screaming anymore and was instead focused.

Jace stared at the notification floating in his vision, eyes wide with joy. "I leveled up to Level 3."

"Good," Raiden said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Keep it up."

By the time they finished clearing the first floor, they'd killed eighteen zombies and rescued fifteen more survivors.

The group was growing. Over thirty people now huddled together in the entrance hall, protected by Mira, Kade, and the few survivors who had picked up weapons and were brave enough to fight.

But Raiden knew they weren't done. The second floor was worse.

There were more rooms, more zombies, and fewer survivors.

They found a group of five students locked in a training room, surrounded by makeshift barricades. The students had managed to kill two zombies on their own using training weapons, but they were exhausted and terrified.

Raiden and Jace cleared the path and escorted them downstairs.

In another room, they found a professor — a woman Raiden recognized from Advanced Combat Theory class. She'd been turned. Her robes were soaked in blood, and her eyes were empty.

Raiden hesitated for just a moment. She'd been a good teacher. Strict, but fair. But as she lunged at him, he decisively put her down.

[You have killed a Level 3 Spirit Circle Zombie and acquired its mana]

He didn't let himself worry about it, so they pressed on. The cycle repeated.

Each kill brought more mana, more experience, and more levels. Along the way, he noticed that the higher their level was, the more mana was needed to level up.

[You have leveled up to Level 5 Spirit Circle]

Raiden felt the change immediately as his body felt lighter and stronger. His mana reserves had grown significantly since his last level-up. Even the Silvermoon Sword seemed to be controlled easily in his hands.

Jace was now in Level 4. The chubby, nervous kid who'd been terrified just hours ago was now fighting alongside Raiden with real skill.

By the time they cleared the second floor, they'd killed twenty-two more zombies and found another eight survivors.

The sun was beginning to set outside. Orange light filtered through the narrow windows, casting long shadows across the halls.

"That's forty zombies total," Jace said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Forty..."

Raiden nodded. That was an impressive number. But he knew it was because the zombies were singled out most of the time.

"We're not done yet," Raiden said. "We still need to reach the armory and get real weapons. Then we figure out our next move."

Jace nodded tiredly. "Yeah. Let's finish this."

The group gathered at the base of the stairs leading to the third floor. The survivors looked to Raiden and his group like they were heroes. Some were crying with relief. Others were too shocked to even speak.

But they were alive and that was what mattered.

Raiden looked up the staircase. The third floor was where the armory was located. That was where the real weapons were stored.