I stayed silent for several seconds after Brunhilde introduced herself.
A Tier Five demigoddess. High Class. From the Norse pantheon.
I should have laughed at how absurd it sounded.
Instead, I nodded.
"I see."
My voice was steady. I wasn't. I still gripped the chair I'd used to kill the mutated bee as if it were my only lifeline.
"So… what are you doing here?"
She blinked slowly. Her blue eyes studied me as if I were something rare.
"Aren't you shocked?" she asked. "You believe me that easily?"
I pointed toward the shattered window. Rain poured over Manhattan. Distant screams rose and fell like sirens.
"The world out there is already insane. A bee the size of a dog tried to punch a hole through my skull. I have a floating screen showing my stats." I paused. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"
Her lips curved faintly.
"I like you. You accept reality without breaking. People like that tend to live longer."
She stepped closer. Her midnight-blue coat shifted softly, the metallic lines along it catching the gray light.
"Do you want to become mine?" she asked. "I can make you much stronger."
I met her eyes.
"No thanks."
I didn't elaborate.
She was beautiful. Composed. Exactly my type, if I were being honest. But I had no intention of becoming someone's subordinate—or worse, their possession. Accepting her offer would probably make survival easier.
But depending on someone else for power wasn't who I was.
She didn't seem offended. If anything, her smile deepened.
I lowered my gaze to the object the bee had left behind.
The parchment still lay on the floor, radiating a faint heat—like embers hidden beneath ash.
I touched it.
[Fire Control – Level 1 Skill – Maximum Level 5
Allows manipulation of fire and thermal flow within limits determined by Affinity, Mana, and Willpower.]
My heart began to race.
"You only have to want to learn it," Brunhilde said calmly.
I closed my eyes.
I wanted it.
It felt like opening a door inside my mind.
A rush of information flooded in—instinctive understanding. How to guide thermal flow. How to influence heat within myself and in others. How to shape fire.
A rune carved itself into my consciousness.
When I inhaled, I felt the warmth inside my body. Blood circulating. Muscles humming. But now I sensed more—temperature gradients in the air, thermal currents shifting through the room. The cold rain outside. The warmth of my own breath.
I could move it.
Barely.
But I could.
[You have learned an external active skill. Remaining slots: 4]
I opened my eyes.
The parchment had vanished.
There was no time to process any of it.
BAM.
The door shuddered under a violent impact.
A low growl echoed from the hallway.
I moved instantly.
I ripped the TV cable from the wall. I tied one end to the metal bed frame and the other to the desk leg, stretching it tight a few inches above the floor.
Then I yanked the mutated bee's stinger from its corpse.
Brunhilde watched in silence. She didn't interfere.
The door burst open.
Two students staggered inside.
Gray skin. White, unfocused eyes. Flesh torn open by bites.
The stench hit me like a wall—rotting meat and stagnant water.
I nearly gagged.
But I didn't.
I inhaled slowly and focused inward. I slowed my breathing. Stabilized my heartbeat. With a deliberate effort, I reduced surface heat loss from my skin. My control was crude, but it kept my mind clear.
The zombies lurched toward me.
They tripped over the cable.
They fell forward.
I moved.
One step. One thrust.
The stinger pierced the first skull with a dull crack. It dropped instantly.
I ripped the stinger free, twisted, and drove it into the second one's temple.
It collapsed beside the first.
[You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 3
Resistance +4]
[You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 2
Resistance +1]
[Level Up: 2
Status Points Available: 2]
My body felt denser. More stable. My legs rooted to the ground.
But it wasn't over.
Two more zombies pushed into the room.
The cable had slackened—useless now.
I stepped back.
Focused.
Mana stirred instinctively, as if I had always known how to reach for it.
I looked at the corpses at my feet.
And I felt the residual warmth trapped within their cooling flesh.
I seized it.
Compressed it.
Forced it to a single point.
Friction.
Ignition.
Two small, dense darts of flame formed above the bodies.
With a sharp flick of my hand, I sent them forward.
They struck at the base of each zombie's skull.
The fire did not explode.
It burrowed inward.
Matter burned from within.
Both creatures dropped.
[You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 2
Resistance +1]
[You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 3]
No additional bonuses this time.
I clenched my fists. My control over heat was rough but efficient. I needed to learn how to ignite fire without relying on residual body heat.
"Why no bonus?" I asked without turning.
Brunhilde answered evenly. "The more you kill identical creatures of the same type and level, the fewer benefits you receive. Your Evolution Register System develops resistance to repetitive energy patterns. If you want to grow stronger, seek different prey."
I nodded.
That made sense.
I looked at her.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"I will explain. But don't you think it would be wiser to leave this place first?"
I glanced at the destroyed door.
She wasn't wrong.
I grabbed my hiking backpack and shoved in the cable, two bottles of water, and some snacks. There wasn't much else worth taking.
I walked to the window.
Fifth floor.
No way down from here.
I exhaled.
"Figures."
I headed for the doorway.
Behind me, Brunhilde paused, her gaze lingering on the precise burn holes in the zombies' skulls. Her blue eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Then she followed me into the ruined hallway of NYU.