The night air was heavy and cold. Their footsteps echoed faintly across the cracked asphalt as Ethan, Mike, and Nathan made their way back from the 7-Eleven. The street was quiet—too quiet.
Mike shifted the food bag over his shoulder. "Feels like every shadow's watching us."
"Stay alert," Ethan said. "We're almost there. Two more blocks."
Nathan scanned the windows of the dark apartments around them. "You think we got lucky tonight?"
Ethan shook his head. "Luck doesn't last."
Then—thud.
They froze.
Another thud, heavier this time, followed by a scraping sound—metal on pavement.
Mike whispered, "That… didn't sound human."
A chill crept down Ethan's spine. "Get ready."
At the end of the street, a shape emerged from behind an overturned car. It was massive—easily two meters tall, shoulders like boulders, skin dark gray and glistening. Its mouth hung open in a permanent snarl, and something thick dripped from its jaw.
"Holy hell…" Nathan breathed. "What is that?"
Ethan's System flickered to life in front of his eyes.
[Warning – Mutant Detected]Type: Breaker (Stage 1)Estimated Strength: 12 (Baseline Human: 5)
"Don't make noise," Ethan whispered. "Move slow—"
The creature turned toward them, head tilting. Then it roared.
The sound shattered the silence, echoing through the empty buildings.
"Run!" Ethan shouted.
They bolted down the street, but the monster's footsteps pounded behind them—fast, too fast. Each impact rattled the ground.
Mike looked back, horror on his face. "It's gaining!"
Ethan spun around, raised his axe, and braced himself. "We can't outrun it!"
The mutant crashed into a streetlight, bending the pole with a metallic screech. Sparks flew. In that flash of light, they saw its eyes—white and hollow.
Ethan swung. The axe hit its shoulder and bounced off like wood against stone. The impact numbed his arms.
"Damn it!" He jumped back as the creature's arm smashed into the pavement where he'd stood. Concrete cracked.
Nathan flanked left, stabbing with his knife. The blade barely cut skin. The mutant grabbed him by the chest and hurled him into a parked car. The metal folded with a sickening crunch.
"Nathan!" Mike roared. He thrust his spear into the creature's side, shouting as he pushed with all his strength. The spear sank halfway before snapping.
The monster's backhand sent Mike flying.
Ethan's lungs burned. He looked at both of them—down, bleeding, struggling. The monster turned its hollow gaze back toward him.
Too strong, Ethan realised. I can't kill it like this.
He gritted his teeth. "System—open!"
The blue panel flared before his eyes, shaking with his heartbeat.
StatusStrength – 5Agility – 6Stamina – 8Points – 8
Ethan's hands trembled. If I don't do this, we die here.
"All points to Strength!" he shouted.
[Confirm: Allocate 8 points to Strength? Y/N]
"YES!"
The moment he said it, fire exploded through his veins. His muscles tightened, every nerve screaming. The world slowed. The air felt thinner. His heartbeat roared in his ears.
Strength – 13 (↑8)
The creature charged. Ethan met it head-on.
He swung his axe with both hands. This time, the impact shattered bone. The blade tore through its arm, severing it at the elbow. Black blood sprayed across the street.
The monster howled, stumbling, then lunged again. Ethan ducked under its swing and kicked its knee. A loud crack echoed down the street.
Mike groaned from the ground. "E-Ethan…"
"I've got it!" Ethan shouted, voice raw.
He rushed forward, gripping the axe with both hands, and swung horizontally. The blade bit deep into the mutant's neck. Flesh tore—but the creature didn't fall.
"Stay down!" Ethan roared, yanking the axe free and striking again, and again.
The final blow split the creature's skull from crown to jaw. Its body collapsed, shaking the pavement.
Silence returned—broken only by Ethan's ragged breathing.
A faint blue glow shimmered above the corpse.
[Mutant Kill Confirmed]Points + 4System Notice: Mutation Class Confirmed – Special Entities Grant Bonus Points.
Ethan staggered back, sweat pouring down his neck. His arms trembled from the rush.
Mike coughed, crawling closer. "You… killed that thing."
Nathan groaned, pushing himself upright against the dented car. "That wasn't a zombie. That was a monster."
Ethan exhaled shakily, staring at his hands. His skin still buzzed with power, his heart hammering too fast.
"It's the same System," he said slowly. "Just… something stronger."
He opened the panel again, watching his Strength stat glow faintly red—like it wasn't meant to go that high.
StatusStrength – 13Agility – 6Stamina – 8Points – 4Notice: 5 points represent a normal, healthy human baseline.
Nathan limped closer. "Don't tell me there are more of those things."
Ethan looked at the twitching corpse. Its wounds were still steaming, the flesh shifting unnaturally. "There will be," he said. "If one mutated, more will follow."
Then they heard it—their fight had drawn a new crowd. Groans and dragging feet echoed from every side street. Dozens of shadows stumbled into view.
Ethan counted quickly. "Not three digits yet," he muttered. "I can handle this."
He turned to Mike and Nathan—both injured, barely standing—and pointed toward a large garbage cart near the sidewalk.
"Quick! Hide inside that cart!"
Mike hesitated. "What about you?"
Ethan just nodded. "I'll draw them off. Don't move until it's quiet."
They climbed inside, shutting the lid.
Ethan faced the oncoming horde, opening his panel one more time.
StatusStrength – 13Agility – 6Stamina – 8Points – 4
"All points to Stamina," he growled.
[Confirm: Allocate 4 points to Stamina? Y/N]
"YES."
Stamina – 12 (↑4)
A new surge of heat flooded his chest. The pain and fatigue vanished. His vision sharpened.
"Come on, then," Ethan whispered. "Let's end this."
He charged.
From inside the garbage cart, Mike and Nathan could only hear the sounds—wet cracks, slicing flesh, the heavy rhythm of impact after impact.
Twenty minutes passed before the lid creaked open. Ethan stood there, drenched in blood, his axe broken halfway down the handle.
In his other hand, he held a three-meter-long streetlight pole, the metal bent and dented.
They stared in stunned silence as he swung it once, smashing a lingering zombie's head clean off. The skull burst like an egg hit by a bat.
Several more corpses lay around him, crushed beyond recognition. Some zombies that had managed to get close had been kicked so hard their torsos looked like twisted clay.
Mike's voice was barely a whisper. "You… used a streetlight pole?"
Ethan glanced at him, eyes glowing faint blue in the dark. "It was lying around," he said, breath calm now. "Figured I'd make it useful."
He let the pole fall with a metallic clang. The street was silent again—only the smell of blood and iron remained.
Status
Strength – 13
Agility – 6
Stamina – 12
Points – 29
Notice: 5 points represent a normal, healthy human baseline.