Chapter 6 – Unease
The girl was exceptionally pretty, standing out among the massive crowd. She had distinct long silver hair that seemed to glisten under the rays of the sun. Her perfect pale face was almost like a statue carved by the gods themselves.
She had a pair of purple eyes that looked like a crystal-clear lake. Her figure was curvy and perfect, putting supermodels to shame. She was an extremely gorgeous girl by every standard.
However, at that moment, the girl had a deep frown on her face and an uneasy expression. She kept looking up at the door every few seconds as if she were contemplating something before looking down again.
Then, she looked to the side at Alex, who was also seemingly deep in thought.
"Are you certain he ran in the opposite direction, Alex?" she asked in a calm tone that carried hints of disturbance and worry. She couldn't hide her concern, no matter how hard she tried.
"I told you… I pulled him with me. We were about to run with the crowd, and then he suddenly turned around and ran in the opposite direction…" He clenched his fists tightly in frustration. "I couldn't get to him, and I lost him quickly… I don't know where he ran to."
'And with how horrible the situation is… I don't know what Jack did, or if… if…' He couldn't even utter those words about his best friend. He knew Jack was odd and unpredictable most of the time, but he couldn't understand why he ran the other way. It was idiotic and suicidal. All the monsters came from that direction.
"..." The girl blinked before nodding slightly.
"Are you worried about him?" Alex asked after a few seconds.
"...It's not…" The girl looked away as if she didn't want to answer. Many conflicting thoughts filled her mind, and she didn't know how to sort them out.
"Hmph…" Alex rolled his eyes. "Knowing Jack, he's probably somewhere in the school right now. If I know one thing about that guy, it's that he's the most tenacious of everyone. He should be fine… I hope…"
The banging on the doors continued, growing more and more intense, pulling at the nerves of everyone present. It was like a ticking bomb. Those doors wouldn't hold for long, and they all knew it.
However, nobody really knew what to do either. They were powerless against these abominations—no, not abominations, their peers, friends, colleagues.
These were people they had known for a long time. What happened to them? What made them this way? Nobody truly knew.
Eventually, with the banging becoming the only constant sound on that rooftop, one teacher stood up and walked to the front of the group.
"We can't sit here and wait for help!" he yelled. "I'm done!"
"Huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Look at the situation! We're going to be eaten alive! Authorities won't come in time! We need to take things into our own hands and get out of here!"
"How? We're stuck here…"
"Those things will kill us instantly if we open that door."
They had seen with their own eyes their own people get massacred in mere seconds—a sight that would be engraved in their minds for the rest of their lives. They would never forget the blood and death.
"What other option do you have, huh? Do you think anyone's coming to save us?!" he yelled. "We'll die here from starvation either way, so we might as well give it a try and try to escape to safety! Who's with me?"
The man desperately looked around for support, and yet, even after speaking so strongly, nobody raised their hand. They simply didn't want to be eaten alive, and even if there was a small chance that rescue would come, they wanted to take that chance.
"You…" The man was speechless. "You're all a bunch of cowards!"
With an angry look, he turned around and walked away to sit alone in another corner. The others stared at him for a while before eventually returning to what they were doing. The mood was grim—almost as if death loomed over their heads, ready to harvest their souls. And it was.
Nobody knew what was about to happen, and nobody wanted to know either.
It was... quiet.
***
"Hm, there are five…" Jack muttered as he rested his back against the wall and peeked at the stairs above. "None of them look strong or dangerous—just normal Undead. I think I can deal with them if I'm careful."
With his new weapon and his evolution, his speed and strength had taken a good leap. He could run faster, hit harder, and react quicker to everything with his sharper senses. Jack was not the same boy from a while ago—not even close.
"Okay, just aim for the head and they'll be dead," he muttered as he exhaled a long breath, then emerged from his hiding spot.
"Hey, idiot," he said. "I'm here."
The monsters heard him and turned around. Their growls intensified as they quickly rushed down the stairs, stumbling over their own feet.
Jack took that opportunity to step back several times and take a fighting stance.
"Come at me," he said. Then, he dashed forward. The first monster lunged at him—however, by that time, Jack's sword was already halfway through.
Swish
Like a knife through softened butter, he cut the monster's head off with surprising precision.
[You have killed Level 1 Undead.]
[You have gained +5 Experience Points.]
'Hm? That's it? Why did the rewards decrease so much? Is it because I leveled up?' he questioned. 'That would make sense, I guess. The system probably doesn't want me to keep killing weak targets and wants me to go for bigger and stronger ones.'
Shaking his head, Jack focused on the fight again as another one attacked. He sidestepped with ease before stabbing it in the back of the head. Since leveling up, Jack noticed that the monsters seemed to move slower and more predictably—or at least that's how it felt. In reality, he was the one who had become faster, with sharper reflexes.
[You have killed…]
[You have gained…]
Ignoring the notification, he rushed toward the last three who tried to attack him all at once. However, with quick footwork, he dodged them and countered. The sword's speed made it incredibly easy to do, even for someone who had no idea how to handle a weapon.
In a matter of seconds, he had slain all three.
[You have killed…]
[You have killed…]
[You have killed…]
Seeing the monsters drop dead to the ground, Jack exhaled a breath. "Without even using Mind Manipulation. Nice."
It was a relatively clean and precise fight. Of course, Jack was sure he made many mistakes, but he was satisfied with his progress so far.
"Good. Now, the path is open," he muttered as he sheathed his sword and walked up the stairs.
KNOCKKNOCK
He knocked on the metal gates after pushing them a few times to check how sturdy they were and as he expected, they were locked shut from the inside so nobody can walk in unless they open the gates.
"Is anybody there? I'm not an Undead. Open the door if you're there," he called out calmly. However, nobody replied.
"Hm? I know there's someone inside! Open the gates! I've killed the Undead here!"
"What…?"
"A human voice?"
"Is that rescue?!"
"Shhh! What if it's a monster that can speak?"
"But… he said he killed the monsters…"
Many started whispering to one another, growing animated.
"I repeat, I am not a monster. Open the doors!"
"..."
"That voice…" The girl looked up, as if she realized something. Then, her eyes widened. "Jack…"
"Hm?"
"It's Jack. That voice is Jack's voice!" she said, a bit excited as she stood up. "He's here."
Quickly, she rushed toward the door to open it.
"Huh? Hey! You wait right there!" one of the teachers yelled. "Don't open that door, Miss Luna!"
"And why is that?" she turned around and asked coldly. Her presence alone intimidated everyone there. A sense of superiority settled over the group without her uttering another word.
"We don't know if that person is a monster or not! He could've been bitten and might be transforming as we speak—we can't risk it."
"I've seen those things transform. It happens in a matter of seconds."
KNOCKKNOCK
"See? He's still not turning into one of those things. So he isn't bitten," she said. Her voice was clear and critical, leaving no room for argument.
Then, before the man could even respond, she turned around and opened the door.