Victor dusted off his torn jacket.
Dust and bits of rubble slid off his shoulders as he stepped toward the shredded zombie corpses scattered across the street.
The Sky Reaper had done a messy job, like a toddler learning to eat.
Limbs everywhere.
Cracked skulls.
Blood smeared across the broken asphalt.
Victor crouched beside one of the bodies and began digging through the remains.
After a moment his fingers brushed against something solid.
A small glowing core.
Victor pulled it free and tossed it into his mouth.
CRUNCH
Energy surged through his body again, spreading through his veins like liquid fire.
Core Absorbed
Strength +1
Agility +1
Victor nodded to himself.
Nice.
He moved to the next corpse.
But as he lifted a mangled body, something underneath it twitched.
Victor paused.
He leaned closer.
A small creature lay trapped beneath the corpse.
It looked like a mouse… but its fur wasn't normal.
Dark strands drifted from it like smoke.
Its tiny eyes glowed faintly purple.
The creature squeaked weakly.
Victor frowned.
"What the hell is that?"
System:
Minor mutated beast detected.
Species: Shadow Mouse.
Victor tilted his head.
"A mouse?"
The creature barely moved.
Clearly dying.
Victor shrugged.
"Well… sorry little guy."
He picked it up and bit down at his head.
The mouse's brain juices and blood dripped from his mouth, It tasted like slushie but with brains.
Victor blinked.
"…Huh."
Suddenly—
Dark energy surged through his body.
His shadow twisted strangely across the pavement.
Victor staggered slightly as the energy settled.
New Ability Acquired
Shadow Travel (Watered Down)
Victor squinted at the system window.
"What does that do?"
System:
Allows the user to move through shadows for two seconds.
Victor froze.
"…Two seconds?"
System:
Correct.
Victor stared at the message.
Then looked around the street.
Then back at the system window.
"…Two seconds?"
System:
Yes.
Victor threw his arms up in frustration.
"Are you serious?!"
The only sound that actually came out of his mouth was a rough zombie growl.
"GRAAAAH!"
Across the street…
Three survivors hiding behind a collapsed building looked up.
One of them whispered.
"…Why is that zombie yelling at the sky?"
The second frowned.
"…I think it's angry."
The third scratched his head.
"…Did it just kick that corpse?"
Back in the street, Victor kicked a nearby zombie body.
"This is bullshit."
System:
Ability obtained from minor beast.
Quality: low.
Victor pointed upward.
"That Devil bastard drops me into an apocalypse and this is the blessing I get?"
He waved his arms dramatically.
"Two seconds?!"
System:
Technically, the ability may still be useful.
Victor scoffed.
"Oh yeah?"
"What am I supposed to do with two seconds?"
System:
Escape danger.
Victor crossed his arms.
"Ten feet of escape."
"Wow. Amazing."
The system ignored the sarcasm.
System:
Recommendation: check current status.
Victor focused slightly.
"Status."
STATUS
Name: Victor
Race: Conscious Zombie
Evolution Stage: Rot Walker
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Constitution: 2
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 3
Blessings
Core Devourer
– Consuming cores slightly restores damaged parts of the body.
Mutational Adaptation
– Chance to obtain weakened abilities from consumed mutants, monsters, or zombies.
Curse
Devil's Mark
– Pain sensitivity increased ×5.
Abilities
Shadow Travel (Watered Down)
– Travel through shadows for 2 seconds.
Victor stared at the stats.
"…My constitution is terrible."
System:
Correct.
Victor frowned.
"How terrible?"
System:
Comparative analysis indicates a standard potato possesses greater durability.
Victor blinked.
"…You're telling me a potato is tougher than me?"
System:
In several documented cases, yes.
Victor slowly rubbed his face.
"I died…"
"…came back as a zombie…"
"…and I'm weaker than a vegetable."
System:
Correction.
Potatoes are technically tubers.
Victor groaned.
"I hate this system."
Across the street…
The three survivors continued watching.
One whispered quietly.
"…Why is that zombie staring into space?"
The second shrugged.
"…Maybe its brain is broken."
The third narrowed his eyes.
"…No."
"…That thing is thinking."
Victor scratched his head, shrugged, and went back to searching the corpses.
Behind the ruined wall, the survivors exchanged uneasy looks.
Because one thing was becoming very clear.
That zombie…
was anything but normal.