Though he wasn't fully satisfied, her response had answered some of the questions he had at the moment, and he didn't want to push his luck.
"You should unsummon your status window, or place it in transparent mode. Leaving it like that makes you look like a rookie," Queen Anna said, gesturing toward his status window.
Elias quickly glanced at his status sheet from the corner of his eye. Remembering that she could see it, he quickly considered making it disappear or putting it into transparent mode.
Instantly, the status sheet flashed, then vanished into thin air.
Elias summoned it once more and saw that a transparent mode had been toggled on at the top.
[Level: 0 (40.00%)]
Elias looked at his level before unsummoning it once more.
Elias thought about deactivating the skill. He quickly transformed back to his normal appearance. He looked at his attire and saw that although it was somewhat loose compared to before, it still fit him, even though it had stretched. The clothes also bore blackened, scorched marks.
'It seems they are being held together by magic. I don't understand it, but as long as it works, it's okay. It's better than going naked after my transformation,' Elias thought, sighing in relief.
He figured that his clothes were magically reinforced. He would be fine as long as they didn't get burnt during a battle.
Elias refocused his gaze on Queen Anna and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help."
"Can I know what you plan on doing?" he asked curiously.
BANGG!! BANNGG!!
A resounding bang echoed from his wooden door, causing Elias's face to pale as he realised what was happening.
"More zombies have been attracted here by the noise."
Elias quickly went to his drawer and packed some clothes into a backpack, along with his solar power bank for his phone, a touchlight, and other small electronic devices.
He also included a filled water bottle, canned food, bandages, and other small items he could carry. After ensuring everything was secured, he took another bag and stuffed it with them.
Then, he quickly raced to his kitchen, grabbing a knife, with the steel he had taken earlier in his other hand.
BANG!! BANG!!
The banging on the door continued. At this moment, several cracks had formed as it bulged, signalling that it could break down at any moment.
Elias steadied his breath, calmed his heart, and stood in front of the door. He couldn't run even if he had the opportunity. As an expert in apocalyptic survival, even if he had no prior experience apart from now, he knew that every encounter was an opportunity to level up and become stronger, and running away would only delay that process.
He needed to at least level up.
Queen Anna remained at the edge of the room, observing the entire scene with curiosity. Her expression was still hidden behind a blinding light, making it impossible to see her features.
The door could no longer withstand the constant assault and burst open with a terrifying bang. Instantly, a small figure jumped from between the cracks.
It was a dog, its face split in two, revealing gnashing, rotten flesh within, rows of sharp teeth resembling a Venus flytrap. Behind it were four students in uniform, trying to squeeze through the cracks of the door.
The stench was foul, making Elias want to vomit before he forced himself to focus.
Without hesitation, Elias wasted no time and activated [Ascension].
A wave of heat surged from within him. His muscles bulged against his clothes as he grew taller, stretching his attire to its limit. When his transformation was completed, his stature reached three meters. Steam erupted from his body, and the steel and kitchen knife he wielded turned crimson from the heat.
The dog quickly spotted Elias and charged at him. But Elias was faster. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before it and swung both the steel rod and knife downward.
Slice…! BANG!!
Both weapons tore through the zombified dog's head, searing it and slamming it to the ground. Elias eliminated the zombified dog with a single strike.
[You've killed a Level Three Split-Mouth Zombie Dog. +60 Experience Points.]
[You've reached Level One. You've obtained 3 free attribute points.]
A bright white light shot from the corpse of the zombified dog and entered Elias like before.
Elias felt a strange power flow through his body, nourishing his flesh and bones and rapidly enhancing his strength. He felt reborn. The mana he had used to cast [Ascension] was quickly replenished. The stress and strain he had felt moments ago from activating the unique skill quickly washed away.
However, the sunlight stored in him wasn't replenished.
Meanwhile, the four zombies had already broken through and were charging toward Elias, moving faster than the zombies he had previously seen. They growled viciously.
Elias swiftly added two points to Agility and one to Strength. Sensing the surge of power, he launched toward the four zombified students at a speed surpassing his previous limits, arriving in a blur before them.
He swung his steel rod at the first zombie, smashing its head to bits. He turned his kitchen knife at the second, decapitating it and setting the wound ablaze. He kicked the third, sending it flying through the door and into the corridor with a 'bang.'
Then, he spun, swinging both weapons at the fourth zombie's face, instantly smashing its head to pulp and splattering the floor and walls with deep red blood. What remained of them were several heads ignited in bright orange flames as the zombie fell dead.
[You've killed three Level Two normal zombies. +60 Experience Points.]
After eliminating the three normal zombies, Elias didn't dare delay. He swiftly charged at another fallen zombie, whose chest had a carved blackened footprint, miraculously surviving his kick and was struggling to get back up to its feet.
He slammed his weapon on its head.
[You've killed a Level Two normal zombie. +20 Experience Points]