The zombie's body dissolved like sugar in hot water.
The flesh turned gray, then white, then became something like smoke that flowed into Ren's skin.
[ABSORPTION COMPLETE]
[GENETIC MATERIAL FOUND: TIER 0 INFECTED]
[VIRAL ENERGY: +2 UNITS]
[REFINING PROCESS INITIATED...]
The heat came back again, but it was different this time. It felt under control. The energy from the zombie hit the furnace in his chest and started breaking down. Burning away the bad parts and keeping the good.
It lasted for about ten seconds. When it finished, Ren felt stronger. Not by much. Just a little more solid.
Another moan echoed through the basement. Then another. How many infected had they dumped down here?
Ren's stomach growled. The refinement had had drained him completely. He had no energy left in his body at all. He needed food.
But first...
He moved deeper into the basement, holding the mop handle tight.
Two more zombies came out from behind some boxes. One still wore a school jacket. The other had a hairnet stuck in its hair. They saw him and attacked.
Ren didn't run. Running was something the old, weak Ren would do.
He stepped forward to meet them.
The first zombie lunged towards him. Ren sidestepped and swung the mop handle.
Crack.
The handle hit the side of its head. The zombie's head snapped sideways.
The second zombie stayed low and tried to grab his legs. Ren brought the handle down like a spear.
Thunk.
He drove the wood straight through its skull.
The handle broke and the zombie collapsed.
[DEFEATED: INFECTED STUDENT (TIER 0) x2]
[GENETIC MATERIAL DETECTED]
[ABSORB? YES/NO]
"Yes," Ren said.
The bodies dissolved. The energy flowed to his body, and then he felt the heat. His chest burned for a few seconds, then cooled. The system pinged.
[VIRAL ENERGY: +4 UNITS]
[TOTAL ACCUMULATED: 6 UNITS]
[STRENGTH: 3.5 → 3.7]
The numbers were growing. Every zombie he killed made him stronger. In a world where strength was everything, he'd found a cheat code. A way to grow that nobody else had.
He looked around the basement. This could be his training ground. Nobody came down here except to dump bodies. He could hunt, grow and become strong enough so that people like Vance would think twice before touching him.
But his stomach growled again. The hunger was getting painful.
He needed food. Now.
That meant he had to go back up to the academy where Vance and his friends were.
The smart move was to wait. To stay hidden and get stronger first.
But Ren was done hiding. He had swallowed a viral core and survived. He killed three zombies with a broken mop. He'd earned the right to walk into that cafeteria and take what he needed.
Besides, he wanted to see Vance's face.
A broken sink was in the corner near some old equipment. Ren turned the handle. Nothing happened. He tried again, harder.
Crack.
The handle snapped off in his grip.
But water came out of the pipe anyway. It was brown at first, then began to clear. He cupped his hands under it, splashing his face, washing the black sludge off his arms. The stuff had dried crusty and smelled horrible.
As he was washing himself, his fingers brushed his ribs. He paused to feel his chest. He didn't feel any pain. The broken bones from the fight, the marks on his skin, and his sore lip were all healed. Like it never happened.
What else had changed?
A piece of broken mirror was resting on the wall. Ren picked it up and turned it towards dim light coming from the stairs. He looked at his reflection.
He barely recognized himself.
His pale skin was gone, and he looked healthy again. The dark circles under his eyes had disappeared.
Then he saw his eyes.
Blue rings circled his irises. They glowed slightly in the dark.
He looked dangerous and alive.
He put the mirror down.
It was time to move.
The stairs creaked as he climbed. Before, just walking up the stairs made him tired. Now he could probably run up them without breathing hard.
At the top of the stairs was a door. It was locked from the outside. Ren grabbed the handle and turned it.
Crunch.
The lock broke and the door opened.
The hallway was dim but familiar. He was on the first floor in the west wing.
He walked down the hall. Classroom doors were left open, looking dark and empty. Most of the school was abandoned now. Everyone gathered in the Safe Zone during the day. The cafeteria and the gym. The places with people, light and food.
Speaking of food, his stomach was staging a full rebellion now. He needed to eat something in the next ten minutes or he might actually pass out.
He heard people talking just around the corner. The cafeteria was close.
Ren stopped and took a breath.
He stepped around the corner.
He reached the cafeteria, and it was bright and noisy. Students were scattered at tables, talking while eating their meals. Guards stood by the supply closet where they kept the food locked up. The Student Council had taken over after teachers disappeared. They controlled everything now.
Vance sat at a table with his crew. Marcus and two other guys whose names Ren didn't know.
Several heads turned as Ren walked in.
Everyone stared.
Ren understood the looks on their faces.
They had watched him get beaten to death this morning. They had seen Vance's crew drag his body away. People didn't come back from the infected basement.
But here he stood, looking healthy.
Vance's head snapped around. His eyes went wide.
"You," Vance said, looking confused.
"Me," Ren agreed. He walked toward the supply closet and the guards.
Vance stood. His crew stood with him. Four against one. Stone Skin versus... whatever Ren was now.
"You should be dead." Vance's voice became loud. "You swallowed a raw core. You should have turned into a zombie."
"Yeah." Ren didn't stop walking. "Funny how that worked out."
He reached the supply closet. The guard there, a Tier 1 named Jake, looked between Ren and Vance like he was watching a bomb about to explode.
"I need food," Ren simply said.
Jake's hand trembled on his spear. "I... I need authorization from—"
"Give him the food." A new voice said.
Ren turned. A girl stood near the back of the cafeteria. She had long dark hair. She was the Student Council President. Mira. Tier 3 Awakened with shadow manipulation power. She was scarier than Vance. More dangerous.
She studied Ren carefully.
"He survived a raw viral core," Mira said, walking closer. "That's impossible. Which means he's either very lucky or very interesting." She stopped a few steps away. "Give him food. I want to see what happens."
Jake handed Ren a tray of food. It had rice, meat and vegetables. It looked like the best meal Ren had ever seen.
He grabbed it. Started eating. Right there. Standing up. Didn't even sit down. Just shoveled food into his mouth like a starving animal.
Because he was starving. The refinement had hollowed him out. Every bite tasted better than anything he remembered. His body screamed for more.
Vance stepped closer. "Boss, he stole from me. He—"
"He survived." Mira cut him off. "That makes him useful. Maybe more useful than you." She looked at Ren. "What's your name?"
"Ren." He swallowed. Kept eating. "Ren Vale."
"Ren Vale." She tested it. "The Carrier. Except you're not anymore, are you? What are you now?"
Good question. What was he? Not a Carrier. Not exactly normal Awakened either. The system in his head was something unique. Something nobody else had. But telling people about it seemed stupid.
"Tier 2," Ren said. Truth, but not the whole truth. "Awakened."
Murmurs rippled through the cafeteria. Tier 2. The kid who couldn't fight yesterday was Tier 2 today. Impossible. But his eyes glowed. His presence felt different.
Mira smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "Interesting. Very interesting. We'll talk later, Ren Vale." She turned. "Everyone back to your meals. Show's over."
The cafeteria slowly returned to normal. Conversations restarted. But people kept glancing at Ren.
Vance hadn't moved. His gray skin was fully activated now, anger rolling off him in waves.
"This isn't over."
"Probably not," Ren agreed. He finished the tray. Still hungry, but the edge was gone. His body had stopped screaming.
He walked past Vance. Shoulder to shoulder. Close enough to feel the other guy's rage. Vance's hand twitched toward his weapon. Then stopped. Because Mira was watching and the rules said no fighting in the Safe Zone.
But outside the Safe Zone? Different story.
Ren kept walking. Out of the cafeteria. Into the hall.
A notification appeared in his vision.
[EXCESS ENERGY DETECTED]
[RESIDUAL VIRAL MATERIAL ACCUMULATED]
[CONDENSE INTO SERUM? YES/NO]
Ren stopped to look at the text.
Serum? What did that mean?
He focused on the "yes" option.
Heat bloomed in his stomach. Different from before. Focused. Concentrated. Moving up through his chest, into his throat. He coughed.
Something solid came up. He caught it in his palm.
A small vial. Glass. Filled with red liquid. He'd just coughed up a potion like he was some kind of living alchemy lab.
Text appeared above it.
[MINOR STRENGTH SERUM (F-RANK)]
[EFFECT: +1 STRENGTH FOR 1 HOUR]
[USES: 1]
[TRADE VALUE: 2 DAYS RATIONS]
Ren stared at the vial.
He'd made this. His body had made this. The system had turned excess viral energy into something useful.
He could make more. As many as he had energy for. Every zombie he killed could become serums. Every serum could be traded for food, weapons, favors. Or used to make himself stronger.
This changed everything.
A slow smile spread across Ren's face.
He pocketed the vial. Turned back toward the basement stairs. He needed to hunt. Needed more zombies. More energy. More power.
Because Vance was right about one thing.
This wasn't over.
But the kid getting beaten wasn't Ren anymore. That version died in the basement.
[GENE-FORGE SYSTEM UPDATE]
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: SERUM CRAFTING]
[HARVEST AVAILABLE: 12 ZOMBIES DETECTED IN BASEMENT LEVEL]
[RECOMMENDATION: CLEAR ZONE FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY]
Twelve more zombies. Twelve more chances to grow.
Time to get to work.