As Aron was busy thinking whether his neighbor had turned into a zombie or not,
(Why am I even worrying? It's probably for the best. Not like I'm going to save her anyway.)
Now, how to deal with the zombie downstairs…
His thoughts hadn't even finished when his instincts screamed of death. He didn't wait to think. His body dropped to the ground on reflex.
A faint blur flashed past were his head once was.
Aron's eyes widened. A zombie with sharp nails and its mouth wide open lunged at his earlier position. It crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud, rolling without balance.
(So fast…)
Aron was shaken. He hadn't felt its presence at all before the attack. His heart ran cold.
(Was I just sneak-attacked by a zombie? And how the hell are there so many zombies in this goddamn building? Isn't the entry gate locked?)
Then he remembered. The fifth floor was the only one where every room was rented out. His own floor, the third, had just a couple of tenants. Same with the fourth, while the floors below were completely empty.
It had completely slipped his mind.
(Guess we aren't so lucky after all…)
"Grrr… Grrr…"
The zombie moved its body unnaturally as it rose from the floor. Its half-peeled, disfigured face came into view.
Aron recognized her immediately.
It was the landlord of this unstable building. How ironic.
She was the reason there were so many zombies here in the first place. She usually rented out the extra rooms for quick cash, turning them into a brothel where people stayed overnight.
"Grrr… grrr…"
Aron's head spun. How was he supposed to fight a zombie that moved that fast?
But strangely, the same zombie that had attacked him so quickly was now sluggish and slow.
(Huh?)
Aron didn't waste time. He rushed forward, sliding to the ground behind it. He stabbed his knife at the back of its head.
The blade sank in but stopped halfway, failing to pierce the skull. It was stuck.
Before Aron could pull it out, the zombie swung its arm at him.
He ditched the knife immediately and leapt back. Still, he didn't escape unscathed. Its sharp nails tore through his layers of clothing like paper, grazing his hand.
Aron's face stiffened. The only reason he'd escaped with just a scratch was because he'd abandoned the knife so decisively.
For anyone else, it would have already been over. Whether you killed the zombie or not, a scratch like this meant you had lost.
Aron glanced at the shallow cut. Green blood oozed from the wound.
Thanks to his immunity, he wasn't infected.
But that wasn't the part that made his eyes widen.
A faint screen appeared before him:
[Choose ability to claim: Stealth / Burst]
This confirmed it, his theory was right. Just by making contact, he could claim abilities. And It seems he could only claim a single ability at a time.
(Stealth… Burst…)
Even without a detailed description, stealth was obvious from the name alone. It could change everything for his survival. Burst was too vague, too uncertain.
He didn't dare to gamble. Without hesitation, Aron chose Stealth.
"Grrr…"
The landlord-turned-zombie staggered toward him again, with a knife still sticking from the back of its head, completely unfazed by the pain. Its arms stretched wide, trying to catch it prey.
Aron met the charge head-on.
At the last moment, he stepped onto the wall using it as a springboard, leaping behind the zombie.
With the momentum, he ripped the knife free from it skull.
The zombie swung its arm again, but Aron had already studied its pattern. He slipped past the attack, closed in, and drove the blade straight into its eye, piercing its brain.
The zombie froze, and collapsed instantly.
[Zombie (Ash Walker) Lv.6 killed, 950 exp!]
Aron stared at the notification in shock and horror.
From all the movies and manga he had read, one rule was clear, piercing the brain was the surest way to end a zombie.
But what left him horrified wasn't how he killed it.
It was the level.
Level 6.
In less than a day since the apocalypse began, a zombie inside his own building had already reached such a terrifying level.
Yet the fight hadn't matched the number. Aside from its initial speed, strong defense, and sharp nails, the creature had been clumsy and sluggish, far weaker than he expected.
(Is it because of the talents it carried?)
Whatever the reason, Aron wasn't complaining. A weaker opponent was still a blessing.
But the fact that zombies could evolve this fast chilled him to the core. And now, they even had names.
This one was called, Ash Walker.
****
[Host Info]
Host: Aron
Lvl: 0
Exp for next level: 970/100
Rank: Awakened
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Active: Stealth (500 exp to claim Ability)
Passive: Immunity – You are unaffected by all viruses and mortal diseases. Negative status effects from illness cannot apply to you.
Talent Inspection: Check
Talent Switch: On/Off
****
"Grrr… Grrr…"
The sound of zombies moving through the building stairway.
Aron clenched the knife tightly in his hand.