I stayed silent for a few seconds after Brunhilde introduced herself.
A demigoddess of Tier 5, High Class. From the Norse pantheon.
I should have laughed at the absurdity. Instead, I nodded.
"I see."
My voice was calm. But I wasn't entirely calm. I still gripped the chair I had used to kill the mutated bee as if it were a weapon.
"So… what are you doing here?"
She blinked slowly. Her blue eyes studied me like I was something rare.
"Aren't you shocked?" she asked. "Do you believe me that easily?"
I pointed at the broken window. Rain fell over Manhattan. Screams echoed in the distance.
"The world's already full of madness out there. A bee the size of a big dog tried to impale my skull. I have a screen in front of my eyes showing my stats or something like that." I paused. "Why wouldn't I believe you?"
Her lips curved slightly.
"I like you. You accept reality without losing yourself. You could live a long time."
She took a step toward me. Her midnight-blue coat shifted barely.
"Do you want to become mine? I can make you much stronger."
I looked her in the eyes.
"No thanks."
I didn't add anything else. She was beautiful, of course. Confident. My type. But I had no intention of becoming someone's plaything. I knew that if I had accepted, life would have been easier—but depending on someone wasn't my style.
She didn't take offense. She just smiled.
I lowered my gaze to the object left by the bee.
The parchment from before. It radiated a subtle heat, like embers under ash.
I touched it.
> [Fire Control – Level 1 Skill – Maximum Level 5
> Allows manipulation of fire and thermal flow within limits determined by Affinity, Mana, and Willpower.]
My heart started racing.
"You just have to want to learn it," Brunhilde said in a calm voice.
I closed my eyes.
I wanted it.
It felt like opening a door in my mind. A wave of information hit me: how to use it, how to manipulate thermal flow in myself and others, how to control fire. A dark orange rune imprinted itself in my consciousness.
When I inhaled, I felt the heat in my body. Blood flowing. But now I could sense more. Temperature points. Thermal currents in the air. The cold of the rain outside. The warmth of my own breath.
I could move it. A little. But I could.
> [You have learned an external active skill. Remaining slots: 4]
I opened my eyes. The parchment was gone.
There was no time to reflect.
BAM.
The door to the room shook under a violent impact.
Growl.
Outside the door.
I moved immediately. I ripped the TV cable from the wall. I tied one end to the metal bed frame and the other to the desk leg, leaving it a few centimeters above the floor.
Then I ripped out the mutated bee's stinger.
Brunhilde watched silently. She didn't intervene.
The door crashed open.
Two students staggered in.
Gray skin. White eyes. Flesh torn from bites.
The stench was rancid.
I wanted to vomit from the smell.
But I didn't.
I inhaled slowly and focused on my body. I slowed my breathing. Stabilized my heartbeat. With a thought, I reduced the surface heat dispersion. My control was minimal, but it was enough to keep me lucid.
The zombies advanced toward me.
They tripped over the cable.
They fell forward.
I moved.
One step. Strike.
The stinger pierced the first one's skull with a dry sound. Dead.
I pulled it out quickly. Twisting my wrist, I struck the second one in the head.
It collapsed too.
> [You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 3
> Resistance +4]
>
> [You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 2
> Resistance +1]
>
> [Level Up: 2
> Status Points Available: 2]
My body felt more solid. My legs steadier.
It wasn't over.
Two more zombies entered the room.
The cable had loosened. Useless now.
I took a step back.
I concentrated.
I felt the mana activate instinctively, as if I had always known how to use it.
I looked at the bodies at my feet.
And I saw them start to catch fire.
Controlling their residual heat.
The little heat left in the dead tissue was forced to a point. Compression. Friction. Ignition.
Two small, compact fire darts formed above the corpses.
With a sharp gesture of my hand, I launched them.
They hit the zombies at the base of the skull.
The fire didn't explode. It penetrated.
Matter burned from within.
They collapsed.
> [You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 2
> Resistance +1]
>
> [You absorbed Evolutionary Energy – Zombie Level 3]
This time no extra bonuses.
I clenched my fists. My control over heat was rough but effective. I had to figure out how to ignite fire myself without using others' body heat.
"Why no bonus?" I asked without turning.
Brunhilde answered calmly: "The more you kill identical creatures of the same type and level, the fewer benefits you gain. Your Evolution Register System develops energy resistance. Want to grow? Find different prey."
I nodded.
It made sense.
I looked at her.
"You still haven't answered. Why are you here?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"I'll explain everything. But don't you think it's better to leave this place?"
I looked at the destroyed door.
She was right.
I grabbed a hiking backpack. I stuffed in the cable, two bottles of water, some snacks. Nothing else useful.
I approached the window. Fifth floor. No escape from here.
I sighed.
"Always unlucky me."
I headed for the door.
Behind me, Brunhilde watched the burnt holes in the zombies' skulls. Her blue eyes glinted for a moment.
Then she followed me down the devastated NYU hallway.
---