Avery wiped her hands on her shorts and took a deep breath. She needed to be smart about this. Grabbing her backpack, she stuffed it with a few water bottles, granola bars She had in her room she got her bat that was still sticky with blood.
At her door, she paused, ears straining for any sound. The hallway beyond seemed quiet. The normal bustle of dorm life replaced by an eerie silence that made her skin crawl. She slipped out, her new tail unconsciously curling close to her body.
The fifth-floor hallway stretched before her, emergency lights casting long shadows. Avery moved with deliberate steps, checking each corner before proceeding. Her heart pounded so loudly she worried it might attract more monsters.
"I need to understand this magic better," she whispered to herself, extending her free hand toward an abandoned textbook on the floor.
She focused, imagining a force pulling the book toward her. Nothing happened. She tried again, this time visualizing gravity itself bending to her will. The book trembled, then slid across the floor into her waiting palm.
"Pull works," she murmured, setting the book down.
Next, she concentrated on pushing. The book skidded away, sliding faster than expected until it hit the wall with a soft thud. Avery winced at the noise.
"Okay, so I can manipulate gravity in both directions." She flexed her fingers, feeling the strange energy coursing through them. "But what about my stat points?"
The notification still hovered in her peripheral vision. 4 points that could mean the difference between life and death. Should she boost her strength? Her speed? Or perhaps her magic?
Before she could decide, a shuffling sound froze her in place. At the end of the hallway, three figures appeared—male students in torn clothes, their movements jerky and uncoordinated. Blood stained their shirts and faces. One was missing part of his cheek, exposing teeth in a grotesque permanent grin.
Avery's grip tightened on the bat. Her crimson eyes narrowed as her tail whipped nervously behind her. The first fight had been pure survival instinct, but now she had time to think.
"I can do this," she whispered, her voice steadier than she felt. "I have to do this."
Avery's mind raced through her limited options. Three zombies. One bat. And whatever magic she could muster.
"Let's see if this works," she muttered.
She thrust her palm forward, channeling energy through her arm. The air rippled as an invisible force slammed into the first two zombies, sending them flying backward. Their bodies crashed against the wall with sickening thuds, momentarily stunned.
Without hesitation, Avery switched tactics. She focused on the third zombie—the one with the exposed teeth—and pulled. The creature lurched forward, its feet dragging across the carpet as her gravity magic yanked it toward her. As it stumbled within range, she sidestepped and swept its legs with her tail.
The zombie crashed to the floor face-first. Avery brought her bat down hard on its skull. Once. Twice. The wet crunch turned her stomach, but she didn't stop until it stopped moving.
A notification flashed in her vision, but there was no time to read it. The other two were recovering, shambling back toward her with hungry moans.
Avery focused on the closer one, visualizing increased gravity. The zombie's movements slowed dramatically as invisible weight pressed down on it. Its knees buckled, shoulders hunched forward. She swung her bat with all her strength, connecting with its temple. The creature collapsed in a heap.
The last zombie lunged for her. Avery ducked under its outstretched arms and pivoted behind it. Another gravity push sent it sprawling forward. Before it could rise, she finished it with three brutal strikes.
Panting, she finally allowed herself to read the notifications.
[Soul Essence acquired: normal Level 3 Zombie]
[Soul Essence acquired: normal Level 3 Zombie]
[Soul Essence acquired: normal Level 3 Zombie]
[You have leveled up to level 3. you get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
Her mana gauge had refilled completely with the level up. Avery frowned, calculating quickly. The first fight had cost her roughly 20 mana points. This encounter—with three zombies and multiple gravity manipulations—had drained about 45 points before the refill.
"So leveling up restores everything," she whispered, leaning against the wall. "That's useful."
She checked her remaining mana: full at 109 points. If each serious encounter cost around 40-50 points, she had enough for two more fights before needing to conserve energy. The knowledge felt like finding a weapon—another tool for survival.
"I need to be smarter about this," Avery decided, retrieving her backpack. "Can't waste mana on every threat. And I definitely need better weapons than this bat."
Avery descended the stairwell cautiously, her footsteps barely audible on the concrete steps. The second-floor landing greeted her with five zombies—former students whose blank eyes registered nothing but hunger. She dispatched them methodically, conserving mana when possible, relying on her bat for the killing blows.
By the time she reached the third floor, her movements had become more fluid, her attacks more precise. Seven zombies fell before her, their bodies crumpling under increased gravity before her bat connected with their skulls. Blood spattered her clothes, but she barely noticed anymore.
"This is getting easier," she muttered, flicking gore from her weapon.
The fourth floor housed the dormitory's common area—a once-vibrant space now hosting eleven shambling corpses. Avery's tail flicked with newfound confidence as she waded into the group, combining gravity pushes with devastating bat swings. Her crimson eyes gleamed in the dim emergency lighting as she finished the last one, barely winded.
[You have leveled up to level 4. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
The notification brought a grim smile to her face. She was getting stronger.
The second-floor battle proved tougher—the zombies seemed faster, more aggressive. One nearly caught her arm before she slammed it into a wall with her magic. Eleven more kills later, another notification flashed.
[You have leveled up to level 5. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
Avery paused at the final stairwell, catching her breath. The ground floor would be her escape route, but also likely the most dangerous. She tightened her grip on the bat, its surface now dented and dark with dried blood.
The lobby came into view—bodies scattered across the floor, furniture overturned, and the main doors shattered. She stepped forward, but a thunderous crash from the side froze her in place.
Something massive emerged—a zombie unlike any she'd seen. Nearly 6'5" tall with arms like tree trunks, its body bulged with unnatural muscle. Its jaw hung dislocated, allowing for a wider, more terrifying maw. Most disturbing were its eyes—not vacant like the others, but filled with primal rage.
"Shit," Avery whispered.
The creature roared and charged with shocking speed. Avery barely dodged as its fist pulverized the wall where her head had been moments before.
"Too fast!"
She backpedaled, mind racing. This thing could kill her with a single blow. The normal zombies advanced too, sensing her distress.
Avery gritted her teeth and focused. Her hand thrust forward, channeling 70 mana points—half her reserves—into a single, devastating gravity push. The air distorted as invisible force slammed the behemoth into the floor with bone-crushing weight.
The creature struggled, concrete cracking beneath it. Avery didn't hesitate. She leapt forward, bringing her bat down on its skull with every ounce of strength. Again. Again. The bat bent with each impact, metal warping until it was barely recognizable.
With a final, guttural moan, the monster went still.
Notifications flooded her vision:
[Soul Essence acquired: Strength Zombie level 15. Strength +6, Health +5]
[You have leveled up to level 6. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
[You have leveled up to level 7. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
[You have leveled up to level 8. You get 2 stat points to distribute freely]
Avery collapsed beside the corpse, breathing heavily. Her mana had fully restored with the level ups. As she caught her breath, something caught her eye—a faint glow emanating from the monster's chest cavity.
Grimacing, she reached into the wound and extracted a pulsing red orb the size of a tennis ball. It hummed with power in her palm.
[Rare Treasure Orb discovered. Use to unlock special item.]