They could all be considered the top awakeners within the university.
However, among them, there must always be someone who stood out above the rest, and that person was Elias. He eliminated twice as many zombies with each attack. It wasn't a battle anymore, but a slaughter.
As such, within a minute, the zombies were swiftly eliminated by their combined attacks.
Blood and rotten flesh, tinged with the burnt smell of several bodies, were scattered randomly across the ground. The sight and smell alone were enough to make anyone run in the opposite direction or feel their stomach churn with disgust.
However, the five who had faced the horde and emerged victorious suppressed their disgust inwardly. Instead, the five individuals turned to face each other, their expressions solemn, their hands gripping their weapons tightly.
None of them trusted each other, especially after witnessing the devastating abilities they wielded. Who was to say they wouldn't turn on one another the moment an opportunity appeared, to seize the loot gathered on the way here, or to eliminate someone they saw as a threat to whatever hidden plans they held?
Humans were capable of betrayal even for the slightest selfish emotion. Now that they possessed supernatural abilities they couldn't have imagined before, it would be foolish to underestimate those around them.
The atmosphere slowly intensified.
"Let's start by introducing ourselves?" Seeing that none of them were willing to speak, and noticing several glancing in his direction, Elias asked, breaking the silence.
"I'm Elias Miles. Third-year student, physics major."
Although Elias recognised a few of them, introducing themselves to each other would help lessen their guards and build trust.
Elias also wanted to see if anything else in this alternate world had changed. Besides, he found the current atmosphere awkward.
The four others shifted their attention to him.
"Ahem! I'm Blake Elswards. Third-year mechanical engineering student," Blake said with a wide smile.
"I'm Johnson Jacket, first-year student, Department of Environmental Science," Johnson introduced himself.
"I'm Professor Harland. I teach in the Department of Applied Chemistry," Harland said.
"I'm Cathylyn Ancrest, fourth-year student, Political Science and Energy Studies. I'm also the former student council president," Cathylyn introduced herself.
They all understood what Elias was trying to do, so they quickly introduced themselves one by one, gaining familiarity with one another.
Elias nodded and asked, "Was any of you bitten or harmed by a zombie on your way here?"
Cathylyn and Harland shook their heads.
"I'm clean. I made sure to kick those zombies' ass with my fists. Besides, even if they wanted to, they can't pierce through my skin," Blake responded with a grin.
"Not me. I made sure to stay as far away from the zombies as I could. Blake covered me, so I didn't have to worry about being bitten," Johnson said, gesturing toward the man with metallic skin standing beside him.
"How about you, shirtless guy?" Blake asked, looking at Elias.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he was entranced watching the three meter tall shirtless, muscular man eliminate zombies without breaking a sweat. It was as though he was seeing a long-lost brother.
It was cool.
"I'm not infected," Elias shook his head in response.
Now that he was sure none of them were infected, Elias deactivated his unique skill. His Sunlight reserves had only been filled to 65 per cent in fourteen minutes before he arrived at the gymnasium.
It had taken Elias twenty minutes to recharge 50 per cent of his reserves through the glass window in the male dormitory, which reflected the sun. He was glad that the time taken was much lower.
Although Elias could absorb Sunlight faster as he levelled up, his reserves had also grown larger, making the progress difficult to call an improvement. Since his reserves weren't full, he immediately deactivated the unique skill to refill them.
Fortunately, he had levelled up twice, so he didn't feel any backlash from keeping the unique skill active.
Even so, if he decided to show a hint of weakness and any of them were foolish enough to attack him, they would quickly learn just how powerful he still was, even without his transformation.
Instantly, Elias began reverting to his former form, and the golden brilliance around his dark skin dimmed. The group widened their eyes in surprise, shock, and disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
A skill! At that moment, they all arrived at the same conclusion: Elias had used a formidable skill to transform into that superior form he used to annihilate the zombies. Although they didn't admit it openly, they could all sense the heat from just standing beside him, so they were wary about Elias.
They all sighed in relief, seeing that there seemed to be a time limit to the formidable skill.
'I knew it,' Cathylyn thought, inwardly sighing in relief.
As the former student council president, she found it difficult not to recognise someone like Elias within the academy. She could only assume he had acquired a formidable skill, just as she had, after the apocalypse began.
Elias breathed out tiredly, feigning weakness, then flexed his muscles as if easing the strain on his body. He had levelled up twice and was close to levelling up once more, so the gains from this effort were quite substantial.
"Wait a minute! I remember you! You're Elias Miles, the one who ran for student council president last year but lost," Blake exclaimed.
Cathylyn and Johnson narrowed their eyes at Elias, looking him over from head to toe.
"Are you sure?" Johnson asked, glancing at Blake. He had started attending the university this year, so he had no memory of Elias.
"He came in last place, barely received any votes, so it's obvious you don't recognise him," Blake replied with a snort, sensing their confusion.
"Still, I admire the courage," he added, turning to Elias with a thumbs-up.
Cathylyn and Johnson nodded in understanding.
Elias hadn't expected anyone to recognise him. He knew he was somewhat well-known, but only because he ran for student council president and lost to Cathylyn.
After that, he kept to himself, mainly focusing on his studies and the few friends he had made, so it was difficult for anyone to remember him.
So he hadn't expected Blake to do so.
"Ahem! Why don't we get the survivors we brought along?" Harland cleared his throat loudly, sensing how the atmosphere had eased between them.
Now that the area was clear, it was best for them to enter the gymnasium before their presence attracted another wave of zombies or some terrifying monster. Besides, they all needed a break and to replenish their strength after fighting for so long.
Their expressions quickly turned solemn.
They nodded at each other and, without hesitation, turned around and walked off, all heading outside from different entrance gates of the gymnasium.
Five minutes later, they returned to the gymnasium compound with the survivors. They totalled fifty-seven.
Elias had taken a shirt from his bag and put it on to cover his upper body; he didn't want to walk around the apocalypse without a shirt. They quickly closed the front gates they had entered through, along with all other gymnasium entrances.
Once they approached the main door, they discovered many people were already inside the gymnasium.
Elias realised this must have been the reason so many zombies had gathered here in the first place. After several attempts, they failed to convince those inside to open the door.
It was only after Blake threatened to break the door down and actually attempted to do so that the people inside hurriedly unlocked it and allowed them in.
Upon entering, Elias found other students and lecturers within the gymnasium. Some of the students were still dressed in their sportswear, indicating they had been practising sports before the apocalypse.
The rest had fled here, seeing it as a safe hiding spot.
They numbered about ninety-eight individuals. In addition to the newly arrived survivors, they now totalled about 160.
The moment the group stepped in, they quickly moved to ensure that none of them had been infected with the zombie virus and also to learn what information they had about the outside world.
Meanwhile, some of the students and teachers continued to distance themselves, staring at them with caution.
All of them glanced at the weapons they carried and at the skills some of the others displayed as they reunited with the rest.
At this moment, Elias paid no attention to any of them, separating himself and moving to a quieter location to check his loot. He also felt extremely hungry. Burning through his Sunlight reserves over and over again made him so hungry that he thought he could consume a cow in a single meal.
The gymnasium was enormous, with several facilities, including a swimming pool, basketball court, and dance studio. It also had several resting areas, located alongside cafeterias, at the four corners of the building.
After a brief calculation, Elias quickly went to the storage area where the foodstuffs were kept. The first thing he wanted to do was store some food for himself to satisfy his hunger before anyone noticed, check his loot, and then figure out what to do next.
***
I decided to release this chapter as a bonus chapter.