"Get ready…" Lucien warned, his voice low, as Mai's eyes shrank in horror.
It was one thing to see a seven-foot zombie a few meters away, sitting and eating.
It was an entirely different thing to see it just inches from you, especially when it had almost killed you a few hours ago.
Its bloodthirsty mouth, its hunger-filled, desire-fed eyes.
An aura of death spread around it.
Mai felt her legs go weak. It seemed this elite zombie was here to finish its kill.
No… no, I have to run away.
Mai stood up and bolted.
Bang—
Lucien crossed his arms as he was hit.
Even though he felt both arms creak under the pressure, Lucien knew he had to kill this thing.
With the zombie now focused on him, Mai could do massive damage at the start, right?
"Argh—Mai, now!" Lucien shouted as his knees slammed hard into the ground.
Boom
The ground caved in and cracked as blood flowed from Lucien's body.
But the zombie's attack continued.
Just one arm. Just one strike yet Lucien was almost immobilized.
But where was Mai?
"Mai…" Lucien called.
Silence.
Lucien felt his heart lodge in his throat. His back went cold, his eyes widening in fear.
No… she couldn't…
He gritted his teeth.
Slowly, he looked back and what he feared most had happened.
She wasn't frozen in fear.
No.
She was gone.
She had run away.
"MAI!!!" Lucien shouted, his voice cracking.
---
A few hundred meters away.. .
"Ahhh… ahhh…"
Mai gasped for breath, clutching her chest. "Th-the zombie… it's stronger now… I have to run…"
Her body trembled as she spoke.
She couldn't do it.
Fighting together doing everything together..it was all going to fail.
They would die.
Just then, an agonizing scream echoed.
"Mai!!!!!"
Mai flinched.
Wasn't that Lucien?
If his scream sounded like that… didn't that mean he was dead?
She collapsed to the ground, hugging herself as she wept.
"No… no… if Lucien is d-dead, then… no…"
Mai raised her head.
"The guards are dead now, Lucien. I have to go back to the base and move everyone…"
Nodding weakly, she stood up and ran crashing into things left and right.
---
Back to the battle.
The zombie tilted its head curiously.
Was its meal already dead?
Slowly, the zombie raised its hand.
There Lucien was.
Both arms lay broken. His knees were soaked in blood.
His head hung low.
The zombie stared as saliva dripped from its jaw.
From Lucien and Mai, it sensed an extremely tempting scent.
It knew that devouring them would give it the power to evolve to the next level.
Of course, it would chase them.
Its eyes shifted, locking onto the direction Mai had fled.
It couldn't allow her to escape again.
If it devoured them both, who knew how strong it would become?
[Ding! Host is slipping into unconsciousness. Initiating emergency response.]
[Using SP as recovery points.]
[Ding! 1 SP consumed to heal one arm.]
[-1, -1, -2 SP]
[Ding! Host fully healed.]
[Remaining SP: 54]
"Huh… I'm not dead?"
A clear thought crossed Lucien's mind as he felt warm energy surround his arms and spread through his entire body.
He felt energized.
More than that, he felt alive.
System messages flooded his mind, and he understood.
"Really… so SP points have another use?" Lucien muttered, stunned and afraid.
What if he had none?
Would he have died?
Checking the remaining 54 points, Lucien's eyes narrowed.
With this, there was a chance.
A chance to defeat this zombie.
Suddenly, Lucien felt a figure pass slowly beside him.
His body tensed as he realized, it was the elite zombie.
Now was his chance.
"Bang!"
A sound like a firecracker exploded as Lucien groaned in pain.
"Fuck… fuck…"
The elite zombie's body was like a metal rod even harder than that.
Lucien's legs cracked from the impact.
But then Lucien smiled.
The zombie screamed.
"Graaahhh—!"
Its scream sounded like a burning animal as its dead, hollow eyes seemed to come alive.
Dark blood flowed from the zombie's leg as it turned toward Lucien.
"Seems elite zombies can feel pain… and they can bleed," Lucien muttered as the system voice sounded.
[-1 SP]
[SP remaining: 53]
SP had changed in Lucien's eyes.
They were no longer just points.
They were his life....,counting down.
Every SP mattered.
This was how he would win.
Crack
Lucien didn't understand what happened.
It felt like a bullet train slammed into him as every bone in his body shattered.
Boom
Lucien flew like a broken kite, smashing into a building and shattering it.
"Cough—!"
He spat a mouthful of blood, his windpipe choking as blood filled his throat.
[Ding! -10 SP]
Immediately, his body healed.
Lucien stared at the zombie from afar, his eyes turning cold.
Across from him, the zombie paused.
It was stunned.
Not because its prey hadn't died
But because it kept coming back to life.
That was the limit of what the zombie could comprehend.
Normal zombies were brainless.
But elite zombies possessed intelligence however limited.
And beyond that?
The next realm… and the next?
Would they eventually develop human-like intelligence?
"Raaaargh!"
A horrific growl tore from the zombie's mouth as it charged.
[Remaining SP: 43]
Lucien inhaled deeply.
All he needed was one attack.
Latch onto the zombie and never let go.
He would kill it before his SP ran out.
Suddenly, a massive face appeared in front of him.
Lucien smiled.
This was his chance.
Lucien's Current Stats
[Host: Lucien]
Rank: Beginner-Level Awakener (Early)
Strength: 22–36
Speed: 27–42
Stamina: 30–38
Ability: None
Skills: Eyes of Desire, Appraisal
Luck: 20
Sexual Points: 43
Yes.
The potion was working.
Combined with his regeneration, Lucien's stats were growing rapidly.
Now was the time.
Lucien bent low, spreading his arms like a crab
Then clamped down.
Boom—!
Lucien and the elite zombie crashed into the building again, tumbling violently.
This time, neither was injured.
Bang! Boom!
The building shook as Lucien clung on like a leech, attacking relentlessly.
[Dong! -10 SP, -3, -4, -8]
Lucien's SP plummeted as the elite zombie fought back.
Its claws slashed his back, nearly ripping out his spine as flesh tore away.