Arthur didn't think. He reacted.
As Dave—the thing that used to be Dave—lunged, Arthur swung the heavy pipe wrench with a desperate, clumsy two-handed grip. He aimed for the head, hoping for a clean kill like in the movies.
He missed.
The zombie was faster than it looked. It jerked its head, and the wrench slammed into its shoulder instead. There was a dull thud of metal hitting dead meat, no crunch of bone.
"Graaa!"
The zombie didn't even flinch. It slammed its body into Arthur, driving him back into the metal shelves. Cans of beans and corn rained down on them, exploding on the floor.
The impact knocked the wind out of Arthur. He gasped, tasting bile. His Strength was 8. The zombie's Strength was clearly higher. It felt like being tackled by a linebacker wrapped in rotting steak.
"Get... off!" Arthur wheezed, bringing his knee up into the zombie's stomach.
It was like kicking a bag of wet sand. The zombie ignored it. Its hands, tipped with jagged, broken fingernails, clamped onto Arthur's forearms.
Then, it bit down.
Arthur screamed. It wasn't a hero's battle cry. It was the raw, high-pitched sound of a prey animal realizing it was about to die.
Sharp teeth tore through the fabric of his cheap dress shirt and sank into his left trapezius muscle. The pain was blinding white heat.
[Combat Log]You took 18 Physical Damage!
Arthur's vision swam. He kicked out wildly, his boot finally finding purchase on the zombie's shin. He shoved with everything he had.
The zombie stumbled back, a chunk of Arthur's shirt—and flesh—hanging from its bloody mouth.
Arthur scrambled backward, slipping on spilled corn juice, until he hit the back wall again. He clutched his bleeding shoulder. The pain was throbbing in sync with his heartbeat.
"Status!" he choked out.
The blue screen flickered into existence over the zombie's shoulder.
[STATUS: Arthur Lin]HP: 81 / 105
Arthur froze.
81.
The bite had taken a massive chunk of his health. But he wasn't dead. He wasn't even in the "Red Zone" (usually below 20%).
He looked at the Max HP. 105.
It went up, he realized, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his chest. While I was getting eaten, it went up three more points.
Three minutes had passed since he checked. +3 Max HP.
Arthur looked at the zombie. Dave was licking his chops, ready for round two.
A normal Rank F human with 100 HP would be at 82 HP right now. Arthur was at 81. There was no difference. Not yet.
But the logic... the logic was there.
"I'm a sponge," Arthur whispered, gripping the wrench again. His hands were shaking, slippery with sweat and blood. "I just have to soak it up."
The zombie shrieked and charged again.
This time, Arthur didn't swing. He braced.
He knew he couldn't overpower it. He couldn't outrun it in this small room. He had to trade.
As the zombie swiped at his face, Arthur ducked—too slow. The claws raked across his forehead, blood blinding his left eye.
[You took 12 Physical Damage!]
HP: 69 / 105
Arthur gritted his teeth, ignoring the stinging pain. He stepped into the zombie's guard. He drove the handle of the pipe wrench into the zombie's throat like a spear.
Critical Hit! -15 Damage!
The zombie gurgled, stumbling back.
"Not enough," Arthur panted.
He followed up. He swung the wrench downward, smashing it into the zombie's knee.
-8 Damage.
The zombie swiped back. A backhand blow that caught Arthur in the ribs. He felt something crack.
[You took 14 Physical Damage!]
HP: 55 / 106
Arthur spat blood onto the floor. One hundred and six. Another minute passed.
He was half dead. He was bleeding from three different wounds. His ribcage felt like it was on fire. But he was still standing.
"Is that all you got, Dave?" Arthur yelled, the adrenaline finally overriding the fear. The pain was transforming into a cold, hard focus.
The zombie roared, frustrated that its prey wasn't falling down. It lunged for a throat bite.
Arthur jammed his left forearm into the zombie's mouth.
It was suicide. It was madness.
The teeth sank into his arm guard (wrapped with his torn jacket moments ago, a desperate improvisation). It still hurt like hell.
[You took 10 Physical Damage!]
HP: 45 / 106
But the zombie was pinned. Its teeth were stuck in the fabric.
"My turn," Arthur snarled.
He raised the heavy iron wrench with his free right hand.
SMAACK.
He brought it down on the zombie's skull.
SMAACK.
One hit. The zombie's knees buckled.
SMAACK.
Two hits. The skull caved in. Black blood sprayed across Arthur's face.
SMAACK.
Three hits. The zombie went limp, sliding off Arthur's arm.
Arthur didn't stop. He hit it again. And again. Until the head was nothing but a wet pulp on the linoleum.
He stood there, chest heaving, gasping for air that smelled of copper and death. He dropped the wrench. It clattered loudly in the silence.
[Combat Ended][Enemy Defeated: Rotting Walker (Lvl 2)][Experience Gained: 50 EXP][Level Up!]
The golden text floated in front of his one good eye.
[STATUS: Arthur Lin]Rank: F Level: 2 (0/200 EXP) HP: 45 / 116 (Base 110 + Glitch 6) MP: 50 / 50 Attribute Points: 5
Arthur slumped against the wall, sliding down until he hit the floor. He was a mess. His arm was mangled, his ribs were broken, and he was covered in gore.
But he was alive.
"Status," he wheezed.
The Level Up had restored his Base HP pool (the standard 10 per level), but it hadn't healed his injuries. He was still at 45 Current HP.
Wait. The math.
His Base HP increased by 10 from the level up. And... how long was the fight? His Max HP was now 116.
He stared at the "Attribute Points: 5".
He had 5 points to spend.
Strength? He needed to hit harder. Agility? He needed to not get hit.
Arthur looked at his bloody arm. He looked at the corpse of Dave.
"I can't dodge," Arthur muttered. "I'm not a ninja. I'm an accountant."
If he couldn't avoid the damage, he had to trivialize it.
He dumped all 5 points into Vitality.
[Vitality increased: 10 -> 15][Calculating Health Pool...][Base HP: 110 -> 160][Current Status HP: 45 -> 95]
A warm current rushed through his body. It didn't heal the wounds—the cuts were still open—but the fatigue vanished. His body felt denser. Tougher.
Suddenly, 95 HP felt like a lot.
His total Max HP was now 166 (160 Base + 6 Glitch).
In less than ten minutes, he had gone from a 100 HP civilian to a 166 HP tank.
Arthur laughed. It hurt his ribs, but he laughed anyway. A dry, rasping sound.
"I'm going to be a monster."
As the adrenaline faded, a soft chiming sound drew his attention to the corpse.
Dave's body was dissolving. The flesh turned into gray ash, drifting away in an invisible wind. It was gamification in action—no cleanup required.
Lying in the pile of ash was a single, glowing white orb.
[Loot Detected][Skill Orb (Common)]
Arthur reached out, his trembling fingers brushing against the cold surface of the sphere.
"Please be a fireball," he whispered, though he knew, with his luck, it probably wouldn't be.
He grabbed it.