Ryu and the boy ran quietly through the dim hallway, their footsteps echoing faintly. Along the way, four more zombies appeared, but before they could even get close, Ryu struck them down with precise, deadly movements.
His once white shirt was now covered in splatters of dark red blood, and his hair hung messy over his forehead. Yet, his eyes remained sharp and calm—like those of a seasoned hunter who had seen death many times before.
The boy beside him watched in shock. His heart pounded, and his breathing was heavy. Earlier, he had been too scared to notice what was happening, but now he saw it clearly—Ryu wasn't just surviving; he was fighting with a level of skill and control far beyond an ordinary student.
As they moved forward, the boy couldn't help but feel a mix of fear and admiration for the man walking ahead of him, who had just saved his life.
While the boy was still staring at him in awe, Ryu's attention was fixed on the glowing blue words floating in front of him.
[Kill: 36]
From what he had seen so far, the number on the screen increased every time he killed one of those creatures. It was as if the screen was counting his kills—pushing him to keep fighting, to keep killing.
But that wasn't all. Each time he defeated one, he could feel something strange happening inside him. His body grew stronger, his movements faster, his senses sharper. It was like the power inside him was evolving little by little.
With his current strength, Ryu guessed he was as strong as four normal people combined. The feeling of that power growing with every step… it was dangerous, yet thrilling. For the first time since this nightmare began, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Thanks to the fact that there were no zombies left on this floor since Ryu had already killed most of them, he finally allowed himself to take a short rest. He sat down for about five minutes. Physically, he wasn't too tired because his strength and stamina had grown, but his mind was starting to feel the strain. Five minutes wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Meanwhile, chaos filled the entire school. It looked like hell had descended on earth.
Students were running everywhere, screaming and crying as they tried to escape. Some were covered in blood, while others were being chased down by zombies. The sound of terrified voices and the stench of blood filled the air.
Ryu clenched his grip on the large knife in his hand. He wasn't a hero or a saint—but watching his fellow students, his own kind, being torn apart before his eyes exactly wasn't pleasant.
Ryu began to move again, and the boy followed closely behind him, as if Ryu's presence gave him a sense of safety.
Just ahead, a pretty girl was running for her life. A zombie with only one arm was chasing her at a frightening speed. Within seconds, it caught up to her and knocked her to the ground.
The girl's eyes were filled with terror as the zombie leaned in, opening its bloody mouth to tear out her throat. But before it could bite, a sharp flash of light cut through the air.
The zombie froze. A second later, its head slid off its neck and hit the ground with a thud. Warm blood splattered across the girl's face and clothes. Shocked, she didn't even scream this time—she just stared at the figure standing in front of her.
It was Ryu.
[Kill: 37]
"Stand up and follow me if you don't want to become like them," he urged. Without waiting for an answer, he quickly moved towards another student who was being attacked by the few zombies and cut it in two with his knife.
The girl quickly stood up, scared. She didn't dare to linger as he began to follow him, knowing that he was her only hope of living.
The other students also followed in Ryu's footsteps without delay as they thanked him.
Ryu moved across the campus in the direction of the auditorium.
Along the way, Ryu saved the lives of more than fifteen students from the chasing zombies. As for those who were caught by these creatures, there was no hope for them. Just with a small scratch meant certain death.
"Stand up and follow me if you don't want to end up like them," Ryu said firmly. Without waiting for her reply, he dashed toward another student who was being attacked by a group of zombies and sliced one cleanly in half with his knife.
The girl, trembling in fear, quickly got to her feet. She didn't dare to stay behind and hurried after him—she knew that following this man was her only chance to survive.
Seeing Ryu's strength and calmness, a few more students who were hiding nearby began to follow him too, whispering their thanks as they moved.
Ryu led the small group through the campus toward the auditorium. Along the way, he encountered more zombies, but his knife flashed again and again, saving the lives of over fifteen students.
However, not everyone was so lucky. Those who were caught by the creatures had no chance of survival—just a single bite or scratch was enough to seal their fate.
A group of six students were running as fast as they could, with ten zombies chasing right behind them. None of them dared to look back, they just focused on escaping with all their strength. But their luck ran out when they turned a corner and found another group of five zombies blocking their path.
Panic took over. One of the students froze in fear, and before he could react, a zombie's claw scratched his arm. The sharp pain snapped him back to his senses, and he turned to run—but it was too late.
Five zombies ahead and ten at the back, blocking the retreat.
The students screamed and cursed their luck, their faces pale with terror.
Then, before they could even process what was happening, flashes of light swept through the air. In less than ten seconds, all ten zombies behind them had been decapitated.
"Strong!" one of the male students shouted in shock as he saw Ryu rush forward. With swift, precise strikes, Ryu cut down the five zombies ahead as easily as slicing through paper, his movements sharp and ruthless. He decapitated them like killing chickens left and right.
"There's actually someone this strong in our school? Look at how many people he's saved!" one of the students said in disbelief, staring at the fifteen survivors Ryu had led to safety.
Even though Ryu didn't know any sword techniques and only swung the knife using pure strength, his movements were fast—almost twice as quick as a normal person's. With each kill, he could feel himself getting stronger and faster.
After finishing off the last of the fifteen zombies, Ryu finally felt a wave of tiredness wash over him.
[Kill: 69]
He glanced at the blue floating screen. Sixty-nine kills. That was how many zombies he had defeated since leaving the classroom.
Those kills had made him stronger—stronger than he ever thought possible. Maybe at the start, he was even weaker than an average person, which was why he hadn't noticed the change right away. But now, after fighting so much, the difference was clear.
However, despite his growing power, his stamina was starting to wear down. His breathing was getting heavier. He knew that if he got surrounded without rest, even with all this new strength, he wouldn't survive.
Ryu stood up and walked toward one of the students. Before anyone could even thank him, he pointed at the boy who had been scratched earlier and said firmly, "You can't stay. You need to leave."
Everyone froze. The six friends who came together looked shocked, while the fifteen others Ryu had saved stayed quiet, standing behind him nervously.
"W-what? Why do I have to leave!?" the scratched student shouted, his face filled with confusion and fear.
"You were scratched by that zombie," Ryu said in a cold, emotionless voice. "I saw it. You already know what happens next, don't you?"
The colour drained from the other students' faces. They all knew what Ryu meant. The infection spread fast and there was no cure.
But the injured student refused to accept it. "You don't know that! What if they aren't really zombies!? What if I'll be fine!?" he yelled, his voice trembling with anger and denial.
Some students looked away, pity written on their faces.
Ryu's expression didn't change. His eyes were like ice. He didn't say another word and simply turned to leave, walking toward the auditorium. The rest followed him silently—except the scratched boy, who still trailed behind, refusing to give up.
Noticing this, Ryu suddenly turned around. In an instant, he was in front of the boy. He swung his fist, hitting him hard in the chest. The boy gasped for air and fell to his knees, clutching his chest.
"I told you, you can't follow me," Ryu said coldly before turning away again, leaving the boy kneeling on the floor as the group followed behind him in silence.