The hallway of the dormitory stretched before Aiden like a tunnel into chaos. The storm outside still battered the city, but inside, silence had become a fragile illusion. Every shadow felt alive. Every scrap of debris seemed to twitch with unseen menace.
Aiden's muscles were tense, fists clenched. The adrenaline still thrummed in his veins from his first fight. He had survived, yes—but barely. Every instinct screamed that the real danger was just beginning.
[ SOUL NEXUS — STATUS CHECK ]
Level: 1
Race: Human
Job: None
Strength: 13 (Base: 10)
Agility: 12 (Base: 10)
Vitality: 13 (Base: 10)
Mana: 150
Magic Control: 115
Skills: Assimilation (Level 2)
He took a slow step forward. His senses were sharper than before. He could detect the faint residual energy of creatures moving beyond the hallway—a dozen at least.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, feeling the familiar thrumming in his chest. Fear was still there, but now it was tempered by a single thought: survival for my family.
At the end of the corridor, three figures staggered into view. They were zombies—twisted, gray, and lean. Their movements were jerky, almost clumsy, but their eyes glowed faintly with a predatory light.
[ PROXIMITY ALERT ]
Entities: 3x Drowned Zombies (Lvl 1)
Threat Level: Moderate
Aiden's heartbeat accelerated. He could feel the pulse of his Mana—109, 150, it surged through his veins like molten metal. He gritted his teeth and picked up a discarded chair from the hallway, worn wood and splintered legs. It wasn't a weapon, not truly, but it would do for now.
The first zombie lunged. Aiden swung instinctively, the chair connecting with a sickening crack. The zombie reeled back, but did not fall. Its eyes remained fixed on him, unmoving, unfeeling.
He ducked just as the second swung a grotesque arm. The third shuffled closer, claws scraping against the floor, making sparks of debris fly.
"This isn't enough," Aiden whispered. His fingers tingled with the residual essence he had absorbed earlier. The System interface pulsed faintly:
[ WARNING: Use of Mana for Combat May Cause Physical Strain ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: Practice Controlled Assimilation for Efficiency ]
He exhaled sharply, letting the Mana surge into his limbs. The air around him shimmered faintly as he focused. His hands shot out instinctively, guiding the energy of the fallen zombie's essence he had absorbed. The greenish glow coalesced into a thin, ethereal thread, writhing toward the closest target.
[ First Controlled Assimilation: Initiated ]
The thread struck the zombie's chest. Heat flared from within its body. Its eyes suddenly bulged and exploded in a quiet, viscous eruption. Aiden wasted no time. Concentrating, he drew from the residual essence in the air and shaped it into a sharp, glowing shard. With a flick of his wrist, it impaled the second zombie's skull, cracking it through to the brain.
[ SOUL NEXUS — ENTITY DEFEATED: 2x Lvl 1 Zombies ]
[ Experience Gained: 60 ]
[ Assimilation Level: 3 ]
The last zombie shrieked—a high, gurgling sound—and lunged. Aiden's breath caught. He swung the chair again, but it barely grazed the creature. Panic surged.
[ SYSTEM ALERT — Mana Low: 35% ]
He could feel the strain in his arms, the ache in his chest. His heart hammered, blood pounding in his ears. Then, almost instinctively, he did something he hadn't before: he called the essence to him directly, forcing it to flow into his arms and hands, shaping it into a pair of crude, glowing claws.
The zombie slammed into him. He met it head-on, striking with the shimmering claws. The creature screamed—its body convulsed violently before collapsing in a pile of twitching limbs.
[ ENTITY DEFEATED: 1x Lvl 1 Zombie ]
[ SOUL POWER ACQUIRED: Lvl 1 Zombie ]
[ Level Up: 2 → 3 ]
[ Status Points Available: 2 ]
Aiden sank to his knees, gasping for air. Sweat and rain mixed on his skin. His chest ached. Every muscle screamed. But the sense of raw, dangerous power lingering in him was intoxicating. The System's words floated faintly in his vision:
[ WARNING: Excessive Assimilation May Alter Physiology ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: Rest and Evaluate Next Steps ]
He looked down the hall. The bodies of the zombies now pulsed faintly, residue of their essence clinging in the air. Aiden reached out. The energy obeyed, moving toward him, eager to merge. He absorbed it carefully, feeling the familiar thrill of power—but tempered this time, controlled, deliberate.
[ Assimilation Level: 4 ]
[ Mana Recovered: 100% ]
He wiped his hand across his forehead and surveyed the hallway. Footsteps echoed faintly in the distance. More would be coming. He wasn't sure how many, or how fast. But he knew now that he could survive, at least for a little longer.
[ SYSTEM UPDATE ]
Level: 3 → 4
Vitality +2 (Automated for Survival)
Strength +1
Agility +1
Aiden rose to his feet. Every movement was slightly more fluid, slightly more confident. His body was still human, still fragile, but the surge of controlled energy coursing through him was something beyond human.
The stairwell at the end of the hall beckoned. Beyond it lay the dormitory's ground floor—and beyond that, Ashfall City, a nightmare in every sense. Somewhere in the distance, he imagined his family, safe for the moment, waiting for him to reach them. That thought, fleeting but potent, made the adrenaline spike once more.
He clenched his fists. His first controlled fight was over. But the apocalypse had only just begun.
Aiden Kael stepped toward the stairwell, body tense, senses alert, ready to take the next step into the heart of chaos.
[ SOUL NEXUS — OBSERVATION MODE ACTIVE ]
[ Entities Detected: Unknown ]
[ Recommendation: Proceed with Caution ]