-----
-----
In the underground lab beneath the castle, a black card floated in front of Venom, etched with intricate ancient patterns.
"Deluxe… Shadow?"
Venom raised a brow. At the system's announcement, he reached out and grabbed the card. The instant his fingers touched it, a flood of information poured into his mind.
Deluxe Shadow:An upgraded version of Kurumi Tokisaki's shadow ability. The Deluxe Shadow can open a pocket dimension within shadows, allowing for stealth, storage of living beings, or even imprisoning them.
Shadows can manifest at any location, giving the wielder a quick way to move around. Inside the space, there is no concept of size, and time is completely frozen—any living creature stored within remains in suspended sleep.
Only the wielder of the shadow can open the space; no one else can access it.
"So that's how it works… not bad. This is actually useful."
A satisfied smile tugged at Venom's lips. Finally, something worth having. Without hesitation, he activated the card.
The black card shattered instantly, its fragments dissolving into his body.
Venom walked quickly to the lamp in the lab. Under the light, his own shadow stretched out across the floor.
the middle.
Through the crack, a blood-red space stretched endlessly into the void.
Venom stared into it for a while before the gap slowly closed and disappeared, leaving only his shadow back under his feet.
Not bad. A pretty useful trick.
In his liquid form, if he ran into danger, he could just slip into that shadow-space and hide.
"Alright… last shot. God help me."
He muttered under his breath. He only had enough life points left for one more draw.
If this one failed too, he might be stuck in this world for a long time.
"Start the lottery."
His voice was firm, though inside he was silently begging for success.
"The system will now begin the draw."
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you've received a Silver Card!]
Venom let out a long breath of relief when he heard the notification.
A glowing silver card appeared in midair, carved with intricate, ancient patterns.
It floated right in front of him. Venom reached out, grasped one corner, and a flood of information poured into his mind.
Silver Card—an intermediate key that can open a mid-tier otherworld.
"A mid-tier world… yeah, that's not bad at all."
He murmured to himself, already thinking ahead. The next world he'd enter would definitely have a stronger life system.
And with the increase in danger, the rewards—the life points he'd gain—would grow even greater.
Just then, his shadow beneath him suddenly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Venom was gone too.
At the top floor of a castle, under the blazing sun with no obstacles around, a patch of darkness bloomed out of nowhere.
From within that shadow, Venom slowly rose until he was standing on the rooftop.
"Yeah… this skill's a keeper."
He walked over to the edge, gazing out over the distant city. Shadow travel really wasn't bad at all.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city, flames roared, buildings crumbled, and debris rained down.
A lone figure stumbled into view—it was none other than Koichi Shido.
Fear twisted his face as he sprinted forward. Behind him, a massive horde of zombies chased like starving students at a cafeteria rush.
Shido bolted into a shop, slammed the door shut, and locked it tight.
He collapsed onto the floor, panting hard, every breath burning.
After splitting from the others at school, he'd tried to leave the city, but the second he stepped out, he ran into a swarm of the undead.
He'd been running ever since.
Exhausted and starving, he finally found a convenience store and devoured whatever food he could find.
But before long, the moans started again. More zombies shuffled in, surrounding him, forcing him to flee once more.
Now, thinking back, hatred curdled in his chest. He hated those students. Most of all, that bossy girl who'd led them.
If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have ended up like this—dirty, starving, hunted like an animal.
He was cursing them in his heart when footsteps echoed nearby. His head snapped up in disbelief.
A man, a woman, and a child stood before him.
But their skin was gray, their eyes blank and white, their bodies dripping blood.
Zombies.
The three corpses tilted their heads, jaws yawning wide as they lunged for him.
"Ahhhh!"
Shido's scream ripped through the house.
Minutes later, when the three zombies wandered off, his body lay lifeless on the ground.
And then—his finger twitched.
His body began to change. Mutating.
"....."