Chapter 3: Exploiting the Glitch to Level Up
1366 Words
Ethan Carter quickly counted the zombies in the dining hall—eighteen in total. Seventeen of them were dressed as chefs, while one appeared to be a student. This was just what he could see; there were still two other kitchens that might harbor more zombies.
“Eighteen zombies… That’s going to be tough. If I attack one, it’ll definitely alert the others. Screw it—Shadow’s here, and worst case, I can always hide behind him,” Ethan muttered, steeling his nerves.
Summoning his courage, Ethan charged toward the nearest zombie with Shadow close behind.
The dining hall spanned over a thousand square meters, and the zombies were scattered across the space, making it difficult for them to gather quickly.
Roar~~! The nearest zombie spotted Ethan as he approached and immediately lunged toward him.
Roar! Roar! Roar! The zombie’s cry alerted the others, who began shambling toward Ethan’s position.
“Shadow! Quickly, take out its legs!” Ethan commanded urgently.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Shadow materialized and darted toward the zombie. Circling it with speed and precision, Shadow slashed at its legs with the low-quality dagger. A few swift strikes, and the zombie’s legs were severed, sending it crashing to the ground.
“Perfect!” Ethan thought, his confidence surging. He rushed forward, swinging his wooden stick down onto the immobilized zombie’s head.
Thud! Thud! Thud! After several hard blows, the zombie’s head was reduced to pulp, and its body lay motionless. A faint white light emerged from the corpse and flowed into Ethan’s body.
Ethan quickly checked his mental attribute panel and saw that the experience bar beside “Level 0” had increased from 60/100 to 80/100.
“So it’s true. One more kill, and I’ll level up! Shadow, disable that zombie’s legs too!” Ethan commanded with a spark of excitement.
Responding instantly, the Phantom Assassin darted forward, slicing through the legs of another zombie that had lunged toward them.
Ethan wasted no time. He dashed up to the incapacitated zombie and swung his wooden stick repeatedly, landing several crushing blows. The zombie collapsed lifelessly, releasing a faint white light that entered Ethan’s body. At the same time, a black coin dropped from the corpse.
Grasping the coin in his hand, Ethan felt the familiar rush of the white light and heard a system prompt echo in his mind.
“Congratulations! After a hard-fought battle, you have leveled up. Your attributes have been enhanced, and you are now Level 1. Additionally, you are rewarded with 5 evolution points. Please choose the attributes you wish to enhance.”
“Strength: 3 points. Constitution: 2 points,” Ethan decided without hesitation.
As soon as he made his selection, a surge of energy coursed through his body. His strength increased noticeably, and much of his fatigue melted away.
“One Divine-Demonic Coin.” A simple prompt appeared as Ethan glanced at the black coin in his hand. Without much thought, he tossed it into the storage ring. Something told him it would be useful later.
Roar! Roar! Ethan’s moment of celebration was cut short as the remaining sixteen zombies closed in, their numbers overwhelming. The situation had become extremely dire.
“Shadow, fall back!” Ethan commanded immediately. There was no way he would risk his Phantom Assassin fighting against such a large group—it was his lifeline.
Ethan quickly retreated to the kitchen with Shadow following closely behind.
As soon as Ethan re-entered the kitchen, the sixteen zombies surrounded it, pounding furiously on the doors and windows.
“This isn’t going to work. I have to eliminate them—if I don’t, it’s only a matter of time before they break through,” Ethan thought grimly, his mind racing.
Without wasting another second, he pushed a large refrigerator in front of the kitchen door. Adjusting the gap, he left just enough space for a single zombie to pass through at a time.
As soon as the door opened, a zombie lunged through the gap.
Ethan immediately raised his wooden stick and brought it crashing down. Thud! Thud! Two strikes were all it took to bring the zombie to the ground. A spark of satisfaction lit up within him—before leveling up, it had taken three or four hits to kill a zombie. Now, just two blows were enough.
Using the gap in the door to his advantage, Ethan allowed the zombies to enter one at a time, dispatching each of them with his wooden stick.
Meanwhile, he had Shadow stand guard to ensure no zombies tried to sneak in through the windows.
As the last zombie collapsed, Ethan finally allowed himself a moment to breathe. The doorway was now piled high with the bodies of the fallen zombies.
“Hah, this feels just like exploiting a glitch in a game. If I hadn’t thought of this strategy, those sixteen zombies would’ve torn me to shreds in no time,” Ethan muttered, exhausted, as he slumped to the ground.
Ethan instructed Shadow to collect all the items dropped by the sixteen zombies. After a brief rest, he began to examine his spoils.
Among the loot were eight black Divine-Demonic Coins, whose purpose remained unclear, so Ethan stashed them away for later.
He also found a black skill book, three gray treasure chests, and a gray piece of clothing.
“Level 1 Skill: Basic Swordsmanship. Skill Description: Learning this skill allows you to proficiently wield any bladed weapon, significantly enhancing your combat abilities. This is a passive skill and does not occupy an active skill slot. Learn?”
Without hesitation, Ethan chose to learn the skill. Since it didn’t take up an active skill slot, there was no downside to gaining more power. As soon as he made the selection, the skill book dissolved into black light and flowed into his mind. Ethan immediately felt as if he had spent years training with blades. Even with just the wooden stick in his hand, his movements became more fluid and precise, greatly increasing his combat effectiveness.
Ethan opened the three gray treasure chests. Two of them were empty, containing nothing at all. However, the last chest yielded a pair of gloves.
“Low-Quality Gloves. The most basic piece of beginner equipment. Defense: 1. Description: These basic gloves provide minimal protection. Their primary use is to prevent infection if you come into contact with zombie flesh or blood. Equip?”
Upon receiving the prompt, Ethan immediately chose to equip the gloves. “Even the smallest advantage is worth taking,” he muttered.
“Although I don’t have a blade right now, I’m sure I’ll find one eventually,” Ethan thought to himself.
“Low-Quality Clothing. The most basic piece of beginner equipment. Defense: 2. Description: This basic clothing provides slight defense but is far from adequate to ensure your safety. Equip?”
Ethan examined the final item dropped by the zombies. Without hesitation, he chose to equip the clothing.
Finally, Ethan reviewed his updated attribute panel:
Name: Ethan Carter
Level: 1 (160/200 EXP)
Class: None
Title: None
Strength: 12/10
Constitution: 12/10
Spirit: 10/10
Agility: 8/10
Skill 1: Level 5 Summoning. Active Skill. Summons a Phantom Assassin to fight for you. Consumes 20 Spirit points. Cooldown: one month.
Skill 2: Basic Swordsmanship. Passive Skill. Enhances proficiency with any bladed weapon, significantly boosting your combat capabilities.
Pets: None
After reviewing his attributes, Ethan realized there wasn’t much of a visible change. The level-up had automatically increased each of his base attributes by one point. Additionally, his strength had been boosted by three points and his constitution by two points. His skills section now reflected the two abilities he had learned so far:
However, he noticed that the experience required for the next level had doubled from 100 to 200. Furthermore, the EXP gained from killing a single zombie had dropped from 20 to 10. This realization filled Ethan with a sense of urgency—it was clear that leveling up would become increasingly difficult as time went on.
After taking a moment to rest, Ethan got back on his feet. He needed to understand the situation outside—what had this world become!
- Writer
