Ryu stood still, his muscles bulged and the nerves of his body tensed from the sudden appearance of the creepy zombie. For a brief moment, his heart had raced in panic—but years of hardship had taught him how to stay calm under pressure. The fear faded, replaced by a sharp focus.
His eyes narrowed at the zombie in front of him. Something was off about this one. This zombie was different from the others. The others he'd seen were just mindless creatures, while this zombie smiled, as if he were conscious.
He took a deep breath, bringing the massive blade to his chest and lowering his stance. There was no trace of fear or hesitation in his eyes now. Freaking out wouldn't help him survive—he knew that well. He knew freaking out would not change anything.
The zombie's grin widened, its face twitching unnaturally.Then Then, in the blink of an eye, it moved.
"What-"
Before Ryu could finish the thought, the creature was already in front of him. Its speed was unreal, completely different from the sluggish zombies he'd seen before.
Ryu instinctively brought the large knife in front of him, just in time.
SCREEEECH!
Sparks flew as the zombie's claw-like nails collided with the knife's gleaming edge. The sound echoed through the kitchen, sharp and grating. The impact pushed Ryu back a few steps, his muscles straining as he held his ground.
The zombie's face was now inches from his, its decayed breath washing over him, that same mocking grin never fading.
"Damn it…" Ryu gritted his teeth, forcing the blade forward as the struggle for survival began.
Ryu already knew—this fight wasn't fair. His strength was nothing compared to that monster's. Every time their weapons clashed, his arms trembled from the impact, his grip barely holding. If it wasn't for his quick reflexes and sheer luck, his head would've already been rolling on the floor.
Swoosh!
The zombie chef vanished from sight and reappeared right in front of him like a blur. Its rotten hand swung across, claws slicing through the air with terrifying speed. But Ryu, now aware of his shortcomings, barely managed to react—he raised the knife close to his body, blocking the blow just in time.
Clang!
The sound of metal rang through the mess hall. The force sent Ryu stumbling backward, his feet sliding against the floor. His arms went numb, and pain shot through his hands. The strength difference was huge—he could feel it in his bones.
Before he could recover, the zombie pounced again, its grin widening. Blood dripped from its teeth as it clawed toward him like a wild beast.
Ryu reflexively dodged the attack by side rolling to the side, under the table and coming out from the other side. The zombie's nails slashed the ground where he had just been.
Scrraaatch!
Deep marks were left on the floor, Ryu crawled under a table and rolled out from the other side, breathing hard, sweat and fear mixing in his veins.
"Damn it... it's too fast," he muttered, panting.
But the zombie wasn't letting up. Seeing its prey trying to run, it let out a furious shriek and jumped high into the air, arms spread wide like a bird of death swooping down. Ryu looked up, frozen for a split second, knowing there was no way to dodge in time.
This is it... I'm done for.
He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes.
But suddenly, A strange energy surged through his body like lightning.
His grip on the knife tightened. The moment the zombie came into range, his body moved on instinct.
With a powerful swing, he brought the knife down in a clean, vertical slash.
A flash of silver light cut through the air—
Swish!
The zombie's expression froze mid-air, shock and disbelief in its dead eyes. But it was too late to do anything. Then—
Thud.
Its head rolled off its shoulders, landing on the ground with a dull sound. The body stood for a moment, then collapsed beside it, lifeless.
[Kill: 17]
Ryu stood still through the knife support, staring at the corpse in front of him. His hands were shaking from the power he felt just now. Then his gaze focused on the blue screen in front of him, which made him confused.
"What was that?"
Growl!
Growl!
Growl!
Before Ryu could even understand the strange blue screen hovering in front of him, a series of low, chilling growls echoed through the hall.
"Shit! That fight just now must have attracted more of those things!" he cursed under his breath, his heartbeat quickening.
Without wasting a second, Ryu turned and sprinted toward the exit. Thought the floor little bit slippery due to the blood as he ran, but he kept his balance and dashed ahead
Just as he reached the doorway, three zombies stumbled into view, their rotten faces twisted in hunger.
His pulse pounded in his ears, yet strangely, his body felt light — almost powerful. The energy running through his veins burned hotter than before, and for a brief moment, he felt like he could take on the world.
As the zombies pounced at him, Ryu moved without hesitation. His body flickered with speed, his knife flashing through the air.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In the blink of an eye, three heads spun off their necks, thudding onto the ground one after another.
Ryu stood frozen for a moment, panting, his hand trembling as he stared at the knife dripping with dark blood. "Did… did I just do that?" he muttered in disbelief.
Though puzzled, he didn't stop running as he made his way outside of this area, escaping from the place before more of those monsters could show up.
More and more zombies started appearing from every corner, forcing Ryu to slow down for a moment, but none of them could stop him. All zombies fell to his knife. One after another, the creatures fell to the ground with dull thuds, their blood splattering across the walls and floor.
Before long, a flickering blue screen appeared again before his eyes, glowing faintly in the dim hallway.
[Kill: 21]
Ryu blinked at the number. Twenty-one? He didn't even remember how many he had killed — his body was moving on instinct now.
Now, he understood the working of the blue screen. It's a counter for his every kill. There are many questions in his mind, but there was no time to think of them.
Bang!!
Bang!!
As he made his way down to the lower floor, he noticed a trembling male student crouched behind a half-closed door. The boy's eyes were wide with fear, and four zombies were clawing and slamming at the door, trying to get to him.
The moment Ryu appeared, the zombies turned their heads toward him, snarling. Without hesitation, they charged at him.
But Ryu didn't panic. His grip tightened on the knife, and with swift, precise movements, he swung it in a clean arc.
Swoosh! Slash!
One by one, the zombies' heads were severed, rolling across the floor as their bodies collapsed in front of him.
The boy behind the door gasped in shock, staring at Ryu — the man who had just cut down monsters like slicing through paper.
Ryu stopped in front of the boy and asked calmly,
"Are you okay?"
The boy, still shaking and pale, nodded quickly.
"Y-yes... yes, thank you for saving me," he stammered, his voice trembling with fear.
Ryu gave a short nod, scanning the hallway for any more movement.
"N-no... I just went to the washroom, and then I heard people screaming. When I came out, everyone was gone..."
Ryu frowned slightly. The place that was once full of noise and chatter now felt like a graveyard.
"Hmm," he muttered, tightening his grip on the knife. "First, let's get out of here. Maybe there are still some people outside."
"N-no...I just went for the washroom, when I heard the screaming noise"
"Hmm, first let's get out of here, maybe there are people outside"
The boy nodded weakly, standing up with shaky legs. Ryu took the lead, moving cautiously through the corridor, his senses sharp and ready for any sudden attack. The eerie silence was broken only by the faint echo of their footsteps as they made their way toward the exit.