Dormitory District
1018 Words
Thirty minutes later, they reached the edge of the dormitory district.
The girls' dormitory was a large, four-story building made of red brick. Normally it housed over three hundred students.
Now, the windows were dark. The front entrance stood open with the doors hanging off their hinges.
Blood smeared the walls near the entrance.
But what caught their attention was the pathway leading to the building.
Bodies were everywhere. Headless zombie corpses littered the ground, their dark blood pooling on the concrete. At least twenty of them, maybe more.
"These look like fresh kills," Kade observed, studying the corpses. "They were taken down recently. Probably within the last five hours."
Raiden knelt beside one of the corpses. It had clean cuts that were professionally done all over its body. "Whoever did this is quite strong and knew what they were doing."
"Could be other survivors," Mira said. "Or maybe—"
A low groan cut her off.
Rough sounds of movement came in from the distance. Zombies, attracted by their voices, were starting to shamble toward them from multiple directions.
Raiden counted quickly. There were twelve of them closing in from different angles.
"Here they come," he said, drawing the Silvermoon Sword.
The first zombie reached them. It was a male student with his jaw hanging loose. It lunged at Raiden with outstretched arms.
Raiden sidestepped smoothly and brought his sword down in a clean arc. The blade cut through the zombie's neck, separating head from body.
[You have killed a Level 3 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
Two more zombies came at him simultaneously. Raiden ducked under one's grab and pivoted, slashing horizontally. The Silvermoon Sword caught the first zombie across the throat, nearly decapitating it. He finished the motion by driving his blade through the second zombie's eye socket.
[You have killed a Level 2 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
[You have killed a Level 4 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
Beside him, Mira engaged three zombies at once. Her movements were precise and efficient. She thrust her palm forward. "Ignis!"
Fire erupted, catching the lead zombie full in the face. It shrieked and stumbled backward, blinded by the heat.
Mira drew her sword and swept it across in a wide arc, taking the heads off two zombies in a single strike. The third zombie — the burning one — she finished it with a quick thrust through the temple.
Kade hung back with his rifle raised. He picked his targets carefully, firing only when he had a clear shot.
BANG. A zombie dropped, head exploding.
BANG. Another fell.
BANG. A third collapsed.
Three bullets in exchange for three heads, and no wasted ammunition.
The remaining zombies converged on Raiden. Five of them, moving together like a pack.
Raiden's eyes narrowed. He couldn't take them all at once, not without getting grabbed or bitten.
He needed space.
Raiden dashed forward, surprising the zombies with his speed. He slid between two of them, sword flashing out to hamstring both. They collapsed as their legs gave out.
He spun and brought his sword down on the first zombie's skull. Crack. Then the second. Crack.
[You have killed a Level 3 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
[You have killed a Level 2 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
The remaining three zombies turned to follow him, but they were too slow. Raiden was already moving, circling around behind them.
His blade flashed three times in rapid succession. Three heads rolled across the ground.
[You have killed a Level 4 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
[You have killed a Level 3 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
[You have killed a Level 5 Spirit Circle S1 Zombie and acquired its mana]
[You have leveled up to Level 6 Spirit Circle]
Warmth flooded through Raiden's body as the level-up to Level 6 Spirit Circle Realm took effect. His muscles felt lighter and stronger. His mana reserves expanded significantly. Even his reflexes seemed sharper.
He took a deep breath and straightened, looking at the c*****e around him.
Twelve zombies, all dead in less than two minutes of combat.
Mira walked over, not even breathing hard. She looked at Raiden with an expression that was almost... impressed.
"This ability of yours is really impressive," she said with a slight smile.
Raiden wiped blood off his sword using a zombie's torn uniform. "What ability?"
"Your stamina and your fighting ability." Mira gestured at the bodies. "You fight like a tireless warrior. Kade and I need breaks in between and need to recover mana. But you? You just keep going."
Kade joined them, slinging the M16 over his shoulder. "She's right. I've been watching for a while now. You haven't slowed down once since we left the training complex. Most people would be exhausted by now."
Raiden shrugged. He didn't feel particularly special. Just focused on the task. "We don't have time to be tired."
"Still," Mira said. "It's impressive."
"Great!" Raiden smiled, though the praise made him uncomfortable. He turned his attention to the zombie corpses. "Let's check the corpses before we move on."
He walked among the bodies, scanning for anything useful. Most yielded nothing, just rotted flesh and torn clothing.
But the Level 5 zombie was different.
A soft glow caught his eye. Small objects lay scattered near the corpse, barely visible against the blood-stained concrete.
Raiden knelt and picked them up.
[+5 System Coins acquired]
Five coins materialized in his inventory. According to the system information he'd reviewed earlier, zombies or monsters Level 5 and above had a chance to drop System Coins or random rewards when killed.
But there was something else too.
On the other side of the Level 5 Spirit Circle Realm corpse pile, half-hidden beneath its severed arm, lay a small book. Its cover glowed faintly with pale blue light.
Raiden's eyes lit up. "This is a skill book!"
He reached forward and grabbed the skill book. The moment his fingers touched the cover, information flooded his vision.
- Writer
