Tsubasa's heart was pounding almost fast enough to leap out of his chest, and his entire skin was flushed red. He felt as if some kind of internal restraint had been violently smashed open. It was like unlocking a long-sealed internal shackle.
In an instant, a tearing pain erupted from the depths of his bone marrow. Immediately following that, a searing hot current shot straight up from his spine to the top of his head, and his blood flow rate suddenly skyrocketed.
All he could hear was his own heartbeat, like a drumroll. Every beat carried a force that made his gums tingle.
His eyes suddenly widened, and his strength surged and swelled under the catalysis. The next second, he snatched up a fire axe someone had dropped on the ground, his figure moving so fast it left an afterimage, keenly dodging the mucus the Boomer sprayed again.
Tsubasa's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. Guided by his enhanced perception, he instantly locked onto the Boomer, which was cunningly hiding within the horde.
"I found you!"
SWOOSH—!!
The axe, thrown with all his might, tore through the air with a sharp whistle and struck the creature's bloated body.
SLICK, SPURT—!!
A huge gash was cleaved into the Boomer's body, and its internal organs mixed with mucus spilled onto the ground.
"KYAAAAH!" The Boomer let out a desperate shriek. Tsubasa quickly approached the Boomer, and his kukri descended, precisely severing its neck; he cleanly and sharply severed its throat.
[Player 'Tsubasa Shiraha' has defeated the Special Infected ∙ Boomer! 800 points are awarded!]
Tsubasa rushed into the bus. He kicked away the endless stream of zombies and shouted at Hayato, "Drive, goddammit!"
Hayato had already sat on the driver's seat, his hands trembling as he inserted the key, and soon, the engine roared to life.
VROOOOM—!!
The school bus suddenly lurched forward, constantly knocking away the few zombies blocking its path. The crunching sound of wheels rolling over rotting flesh and bones made one shudder in horror.
As soon as the school bus drove out of the parking lot, the Charger's figure reappeared in the rearview mirror. This damned monster had relentlessly pursued them. Its speed hadn't decreased in the slightest, and in an instant, it crashed into the bus.
The bus nearly overturned. Sharp claws continuously tore deep scratches into the body of the bus.
Hayato exerted all his strength to control the constantly swaying school bus, stomping on the accelerator, and finally managed to pull away, albeit barely. However, the school bus horsepower was limited. Even if it could temporarily overtake, it would soon be caught again, making it extremely difficult to shake off the Charger.
Seizing the moment before the mysterious state ended, Tsubasa grabbed his grenade launcher and flipped out the window and onto the roof of the bus. He aimed the grenade launcher at the Charger and pulled the trigger. The grenade whistled out and exploded on the Charger's body with a thunderous roar.
KA-BOOM—!!
The explosion and shockwave instantly engulfed the bulky figure of the Charger. Its body was blown to pieces. Rotten flesh and shattered bones rained down from the sky.
[Player 'Tsubasa Shiraha' has defeated the Special Infected ∙ Charger! 1000 points are awarded!]
The last Special Infected was finally dealt with. It wasn't until the school bus suddenly accelerated and sped away that Tsubasa leaned against the door, gasping for breath.
"Fuck!"
At this moment, the mysterious state ended and the extreme fatigue began to set in.
During the previous battle, every dodge, every swing, was as precise as a machine calibration, without any superfluous movements. And all of this was thanks to that mysterious state.
[Extreme State ∙ Stage 1 (1/20)]
According to the Death Game, breaking through one's own limits is called the [Extreme State]. Humans, when facing mortal danger and the fear of death, those with strong obsessions can unleash their latent abilities. This is the first stage of the [Extreme State].
However, most people, after activating the [Extreme State], will exceed the physical limits of their bodies due to excessive exertion of their strength, and from then on fall into extreme pain and physical collapse.
Most Players who activate the first stage die due to being unable to withstand the side effects. Only as the number of activations increases, when the body adapts to this state, will the after-effects gradually lessen until they completely disappear.
Previously, Tsubasa activated the [Extreme State] the moment he was engulfed by the horde of zombies. Although he burst out with several times the combat power of his normal state, the price he paid also made him feel alarmed.
At that moment, Tsubasa had never felt death so close to him. His body temperature rose so rapidly that he felt like he was about to be cooked alive.
That was absolutely not a temperature a normal person could withstand.
After activating the [Extreme State], his body's organs instantly went into a state of failure. If he didn't have his cheat, he would probably have collapsed and died by now.
That 90% death probability was truly horrifying.
Fortunately, there was his cheat to help him reduce the risk of death.
As long as he activates it a few more times, he should be able to fully master this skill...
Tsubasa leaned tiredly against the seat, watching the ruined campus rapidly receding outside the window. The smell of blood and decay in the air was still heavy.
Inside the bus, only the heavy breathing of everyone and Kakeru's unconscious groans remained.
Time slowly passed. Unconsciously, due to excessive physical exertion, Tsubasa actually fell asleep.
✱✱✱
VRRROOOM—!!
The low rumble of the engine continuously pierced Tsubasa's ears, causing him to slowly open his eyes.
As soon as he woke up, Tsubasa felt muscle soreness, a dizzy head, and was as hungry as if he hadn't eaten for ten days; he felt extremely weak. He didn't know how much time had passed in his dream.
Looking out the window, he could see that the school bus was safely and steadily driving on the highway.
Even though the sky was dim, it hadn't turned to night yet. The snow outside the window had already accumulated by the roadside. Snowflakes drifted down, as if they would never stop, making this empty city look exceptionally desolate.
Because Hayato had turned on the heating, the interior of the bus wasn't too cold.
"You're awake?" A clear, cold voice suddenly came from beside his ear.
Tsubasa retracted his gaze and saw a pretty face etched with worry.
"How long did I sleep?" Tsubasa took the water bottle the young woman handed him and gulped down more than half of it in one go before he felt less thirsty.
"Two hours and twelve minutes," Yukino replied.
"That long?" Tsubasa was startled, but he soon understood.
Activating the [Extreme State] greatly pushed the Player's limit.
At this moment, he felt incredibly hungry, as if he could eat an entire cow.
✱✱✱
Translator's Corner:
This chapter has 1167 Words. Other than the word count report, I have nothing else to share! Thanks for reading!