As I opened the door, I looked at Ella once more and said,
"Let's slay some zombies!"
"Yeah," she replied, readying her staff and casting a buff toward me, improving all my attributes by 25%.
Status Check:
> Jefford Cliff (Master)
HP: 2300/2300
Mana: 1000/1000
Mana Regen: 1 MP/sec
Class:
Storeman
Close Combat Warrior
Fort Warrior
Attack Points: 10 (+45)
Attack Speed: 2 (+0.25)/sec
Others: Not unlocked
Buff: All attributes improved by 25%
Duration: 24 minutes & 46 seconds
> Ella Mai (Companion)
HP: 2600/2600
Mana: 30,000/35,000
Mana Regen: 100 MP/sec
Class: Healer
Attack/Healing: 250
Heal Speed: 1/sec
Others: Not unlocked
Once we exited the room, I slowly walked to the one where a family had just earlier begged us to kill them—before they turned into heartless zombies.
I peeked inside.
Two zombies were feasting on the dead corpse of the father.
I looked at Ella and signaled her to enter quickly and lock the door.
She nodded. Once she closed it, the creaking sound alerted the zombies.
They immediately turned and charged at me.
System:
⚠️ Zombies detected.
Mission: Eliminate all zombies.
Reward: Gain information on Speed.
As the system message popped up, I dashed forward, instantly decapitating the nearest zombie.
Without wasting a second, I turned to the other and finished it off.
System:
✅ All zombies in the room eliminated.
Reward claimed: Ability to Status Check speed—both personal and others'.
After dispatching them, I looked down at the father's corpse—
His blood gushing from his neck and stomach.
A deep sorrow struck me.
But before I could lament further, Ella called out and pointed toward the other room.
There… I saw the dead mother and child.
They had stabbed themselves in the head—
choosing death over becoming monsters.
"Ahh… this is just too much. What a horrible scene..."
I said in my mind.
I turned to Ella.
"Ella, look around for anything we could use."
She nodded and began searching the room for anything salvageable.
As she rummaged, I noticed the mother's hand clutching a small piece of paper.
I gently took it and read the note:
> To whomever is reading this,
We have a gun located in the basement of this room. You may use it.
Yours truly,
The Deceased Family.
I paid my respects, then proceeded to the basement.
There it was—an M16 rifle, fully loaded.
I reached out and placed it into my interdimensional storage.
As I climbed back up, Ella stood at the stairs, visibly shocked.
"You have an inventory?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, Ella. I can even combine materials—just like how I created the medicine that saved you."
I patted her head with a smile.
"H-Hey! Don't pat my head like that!" she said shyly.
"Okay, okay. So, what did you gather?"
"Just some canned goods and noodles. Not much… but enough for a few days."
I smiled.
"Very good. Now that we have food, we should eat first. I'm starving. But... we need to find a cleaner place. Not here—"
I glanced at the bloodied floor and bodies.
"Oh! I know the perfect place!" she said.
"Not totally safe… but big enough for us to eat comfortably."
"Great! Where is it?"
"...Across the street."
"...And?"
"It's filled with zombies right now… but no mutated ones."
I paused to think, then took her hand.
We headed for the stairs.
System:
⚠️ Master, I don't sense any strong zombies or humans nearby.
You may unleash your wrath now.
Upon hearing that, I activated my Close Combat Warrior class and began charging toward the zombie-filled street.
Each step increased my stats as I closed the distance.
Once within range, I slashed through the zombies, heads flying one after another.
We pushed on until we reached the staircase.
But there—hundreds more zombies were climbing upward.
Ella turned pale, trembling.
"So… what's your plan, Jefford?"
she asked, her voice shaking.
"Watch this."
I pulled the rifle from my storage and opened fire.
---
System:
✅ Lvl 1 Zombie killed
✅ Lvl 1 Zombie killed
✅ Lvl 1 Zombie killed...
---
Blood splattered. The stairwell was a full-blown bloodbath.
Brttt! Brrttt! BRRTT!
Gunfire echoed loudly.
Ella, astonished by the sheer number of zombies I was taking down, began to panic.
"Jefford! We should retreat! We'll run out of bullets before we kill them all!"
she yelled.
I looked at her for a second, then threw her another rifle—a duplicate I created using my skill.
"KEEP FIRING! OR WE DIE!"
Seeing me duplicate a weapon changed something in her.
Excited, she took aim and started gunning down zombies like a pro.
The stairwell filled with corpses—so many that they created a wall, blocking the next wave.
"Phew… that was a nice workout,"
I joked, panting.
"It felt like you were training for something,"
she replied seriously.
"Well... have you seen the numbers of infected? Do you think this outbreak is just here? No, Ella… it's global. And the more infected there are, the more likely we'll see mutations."
I paused, dread creeping up my spine.
"That's why… I'm killing as many zombies as I can to level up. Because I don't want to see...
I couldn't finish my sentence.
The overwhelming fear of what was to come struck me.
Suddenly, I felt a warm embrace from behind.
Ella hugged me tightly and said:
"I'm here for you, Jefford."
I turned toward her—our faces only inches apart.
Then… I closed the gap.
Our lips met.
A few seconds passed before I gently pulled away.
"Thank you, Ella… I've fallen for you, I've fallen to your kindness."
I said, smiling.