Chapter 3 – School of the Undead (Part 1)
Jack rubbed his eyes quickly, thinking he was hallucinating. But the reality was right before him, as clear as day. These boxes were real. He reached out to touch them with his finger, only for it to pass through as if they were made of thin air.
"What the fuck?" Jack frowned even harder. "What is this? Divine Records? True Ones? What…?"
It took him several seconds to read the content. 'Levels? Like levels in a game? This looks so close to that…'
"RAAAAAH!!!"
His train of thought was cut short when another monster noticed him. Jack quickly turned and dashed through the door into one of the cleaners' rooms. Slamming the door shut, he locked it and sat down to catch his breath. Since the door was made out of thick wood, he didn't think the monster would be capable of barging through... At least not quickly.
He would've fought the other monster too, if not for this sudden and strange turn of events. Well, if one could even consider undead creatures invading the school to be a normal occurrence to begin with.
BANGBANG
The monster rammed against the door, but couldn't break through. Jack used the moment to walk to the other side of the room as he kept reading the strange notifications.
"I don't know what's really happening. But it clearly appeared because I killed that thing."
It said he had gained power from killing the creature—and Jack, for better or worse, could actually feel it. His body felt a little lighter, stronger. At first, he hadn't noticed it, but when he focused inward, it became clear.
"I assume killing these things will get me the same notification?" Jack muttered. "Well, only one way to confirm."
He jumped out of the open window, landing behind the building. Looking left and right, he saw no one, but the growls and shrieks of monsters echoed nearby. They had already taken over the entire school.
Jack crouched low and moved to the side to peek around the corner. As expected, the situation was pure chaos.
Students and teachers scattered in panic like prey chased by predators. Many already lay dead on the ground—only to twitch, flinch, and then rise again, reanimated, joining the hunt themselves.
'They kill, and the ones they kill become one of them… Some kind of infection? Like zombies? I can't tell…' Jack frowned. 'But one thing's certain… their numbers will grow ridiculously fast.'
He had no idea where this came from or what was happening outside the school. But here, in this trap of a building, hundreds of students, teachers, staff, and workers made the perfect feast. With each passing moment, the numbers grew. The outbreak had only begun minutes ago.
'Where should I even go? The gates are blocked, and passing beside these things will be impos—'
"RAAAAAH!!!"
A monster spotted him and charged. Jack stumbled back, glancing over his shoulder.
'I need a weapon… something sharp. Anything to pierce its head.'
His eyes darted to a pile of discarded garbage and broken furniture nearby. Without hesitation, he rushed toward it and rummaged through until he found what he needed—a broken chair leg with a jagged, pointy end. It was metal, light, and sharp. Perfect.
Gripping it tightly, Jack turned to face the rushing monster. With a surge of adrenaline, he lunged forward, thrusting the weapon into its chest and slamming it to the ground. Blood spattered as he yanked the leg free and drove it straight into the monster's skull, killing it instantly.
[You have killed a Level 1 Undead.]
[You have gained 10 Experience Points.]
[You have gained +1 point in Agility.]
[You have acquired a Skill Stamp.]
Before Jack could react, something materialized in his palm. A red stamp with a golden frame glistened in the sunlight. A weird, unrecognizable rune was drawn into the wax at the bottom of the stamp which looked completely alien.
[Skill Stamp: A stamp that holds the full Records of an unknown skill. Stamp your hand with it to acquire the skill.]
'A skill stamp…' Jack narrowed his eyes. 'This is exactly like a video game. Levels, stats, skills—there's no doubt about it.'
He didn't know what was happening, but certain things were becoming clear. This all tied back to the Divine Records and True Ones the strange system had mentioned earlier. Jack assumed it was some kind of reward for killing said monster. Like a game drop of sorts.
"It says I need to stamp it on me to… Hmm. Should I?" Jack frowned. 'I mean… I'm curious what it can do.'
It didn't seem harmful. Every kill so far had made him stronger, faster. Why stop now?
"Well, here goes nothing…" he muttered, pressing the stamp hard into his palm.
The red mark reacted immediately, glowing with brilliant light before fading as a runic seal carved itself onto Jack's hand.
Energy surged through his body, coursing rapidly until it reached his head. Then came the rush of foreign knowledge—information forcefully seared into his mind. Jack stumbled back, clutching his head.
'What the fuck? I'm… I'm being force-fed information about… the skill?'
After a few moments, the feeling stopped. The stamp vanished into thin air and left behind its mark on the palm of his hand, which also disappeared rather rapidly.
[You have learned a new skill: 'Mind Manipulation'.]
[Open status window to check your progress.]
"Mind… Manipulation…" Jack whispered. As if by instinct, he understood what it meant and what it could do. His eyes widened.
"This is insane… I can actually do this?"
The thought of controlling minds—something he had only ever read about in stories—was staggering. Yet, here it was, real, and within his grasp.
'With limits, sure, but… this is surreal.'
Despite the confusion, a thrill coursed through him. His senses sharpened, his pulse quickened. A small smile crept onto his face.
"It's getting really interesting," Jack muttered. 'The world is changing completely.'
It all felt like a dream, yet it was happening fast, right before his eyes.
"It said I should open my status window. Let's see… Umm, Status Window?"
Immediately, a glowing window appeared.
[Name: Jack Ashenblood]
[Age: 17]
[Status: Alive]
[Realm: Earth]
[Level: 1]
[Bloodline: Unknown]
[Skills: Mind Manipulation]
[Title: None]
[Stats:
Strength: 11 (+1)
Agility: 11 (+1)
Stamina: 12
Intelligence: 150
Health: 12]
[Bonus Points: 0]
"Interesting… These are familiar things from games, and I assume they're not too different here."
'I gained 2 points, which got added to my stats,' he mused. "Straightforward enough… Let's see if there's an explanation for the skill itself."
A new notification chimed.
[Skill: Mind Manipulation]
[Level 1]
[Description: Upon activating the skill, you can control any target you look at for a certain period of time. The stronger the target is, the less likely it will succeed. Uses Aether to activate.]
"I see… this sounds terrifyingly good," Jack muttered. "If it's true, I can make someone do anything I want… anything at all."
The possibilities were endless. With such power, the fate of others could rest entirely in his hand. He could make them do whatever he wished for against their own will... Even if it meant killing themselves.
That was terrifying and equally exciting. To be given such a power out of nowhere... Jack knew that all of this was happening for a reason. A good or a bad one, he didn't know yet.
"RAAAAAH!"
Another monster's roar snapped him back. A creature was sprinting toward him.
Jack squinted, shifting into a fighting stance. 'Well, time to try this new thing.'
The instructions were already etched into his mind. He felt the Aether stir within his body, flowing like fire through his veins, gathering in his glowing purple eyes.
The world seemed to freeze. The monster stopped dead in its tracks.
"…!" Jack blinked in surprise. "Wow… it actually worked."
But with each passing second, he felt his Aether draining, and the creature twitching as though it was about to break free.
Not wasting the chance, Jack rushed forward and rammed the chair leg into its skull, ending it instantly.
[You have killed a Level 2 Undead.]
[You have gained 20 Experience Points.]
[You have gained +2 in Strength and Stamina.]
"Nice, I killed one that is stronger than me. That seems to give me more rewards." Jack mused as he read the content of the messages.
"The skill worked flawlessly. Certainly, it was probably going to only last for a few seconds, but in a fight like this, those seconds are valuable." Jack mused. "I can use them to my advantage completely.
Closing the notifications, Jack turned around to walk out of his hiding spot and head down the path to the main courtyard. However, right when he was about to take the turn, he heard a noise behind him.
Looking back, he saw nothing. The entire place was empty except for him.
"What was that?"
Blinking slowly, he turned around and walked away, not knowing what he had heard.
"Fufu~ Fouuuund you."