As Andrew moved down the dormitory corridor, his nerves were stretched tight, his muscles aching faintly from sustained tension.
It was Saturday night. Most of the guys who lived here would normally be out—bars, parties, anywhere but campus. Many of them could afford that kind of freedom. Their families supported them.
Andrew's life wasn't that simple.
His parents' combined income was enough to cover tuition for only one child—either him or Anna. So he had refused, outright, to take their money. He worked and paid his own way through school so their savings could go toward his younger sister. It had been brutal at first, juggling shifts and classes, but he had made it work. NYU's financial aid for families earning under $100,000 had done the rest.
There hadn't been many options for someone like him.
Behind him, Brunhilde walked at an unhurried pace, her boots barely making a sound.
"How about using the four unassigned status points you have?" she asked casually.
Andrew didn't turn. He shook his head.
"No. If I spend them carelessly now, I might regret it later. I don't know which stat might save my life at the worst possible moment. If I run into something unexpected, those points could be the difference between living and dying."
She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she nodded slowly.
"I like you more and more~"
Her tone was teasing. Warm. Dangerous.
Andrew's breathing grew slightly heavier. It took a deliberate effort not to turn around. Not to react. Something in his instincts warned him clearly—if he overstepped, he would die before he even understood how.
And despite her guidance, he remained cautious.
Brunhilde was helping him.
But she was still an unknown variable.
Suddenly, three zombies staggered into view at the far end of the corridor—two male, one female.
Their bodies looked as if they could collapse at any moment, yet their steps were steady. Slow. Relentless.
Andrew forced his thoughts into order, pushing Brunhilde from his mind. Emotions could wait. Panic could wait. Survival could not.
He assessed the situation quickly.
No traps nearby. No loose furniture. He could retreat to his room and reuse the corpses for heat manipulation—but the noise would draw more zombies from locked dorm rooms. The pounding and shuffling behind doors had been constant since he stepped into the hallway.
If he stalled too long, he'd be trapped.
He inhaled deeply and advanced, studying the zombies' gait.
They were slow.
But slow didn't mean harmless.
From what he'd seen, even a scratch meant infection. Death.
He reached for his Fire Manipulation instinctively—
—and felt the attempt fizzle.
The mana moved, but the effect was weak.
Brunhilde sensed it immediately.
"Your skill is powerful," she explained, her voice calm, analytical. "But dead flesh is resistant in the early stages. They feel no pain. Heat alone won't stop them. Raise their internal temperature and force it toward their eyes."
Andrew's eyes sharpened.
He understood instantly.
He spent fifteen mana points. Heat built within the zombies' torsos—unnatural, violent warmth—then he forced it upward.
Their eyeballs ruptured.
Three wet pops echoed down the corridor.
Smoke streamed from empty sockets.
Andrew didn't hesitate. He spent another thirty mana points, compressing residual heat into three concentrated darts of flame.
They shot forward.
Each one struck at the base of a skull.
No explosion. Just internal combustion.
All three zombies collapsed simultaneously.
[You have acquired Soul Power of Zombie Level 3.]
[You have acquired Soul Power of Zombie Level 3.]
[You have acquired Soul Power of Zombie Level 3.]
[You have reached Level 3. You receive 2 status points.]
Andrew had already killed two more zombies after reaching Level 2 in his room—one of them Level 4. Combined with these three Level 3s, the experience pushed him up again.
The only disappointment was the lack of additional stat bonuses.
Each time he leveled up, however, his attributes restored fully.
In short—his mana bar reset.
Even though he had spent 20 mana earlier and 45 just now, leveling up replenished it completely.
That alone made combat sustainable.
After a brief calculation, Andrew shaped his Fire Manipulation differently. Instead of darts, he formed thin chains of flame, binding the next approaching zombie's legs for a split second.
He moved in.
Stab.
The mutated bee stinger pierced the skull.
Thirty-three zombies since leaving his room.
A thin flame-chain snaked across the floor again, snagging another's ankle. It stumbled.
With 13 Agility—nearly fifty percent faster than a normal pre-apocalypse human—Andrew circled behind it and drove the stinger into the base of its skull.
Thirty-four.
[You have acquired Soul Power of Zombie Level 4.]
[You have reached Level 5. You receive 2 status points.]
Andrew exhaled slowly.
The climb from Level 4 to 5 had required roughly sixteen zombies. His stamina and mana control were beginning to strain under repetition.
By the time he reached the first floor, sweat clung to his back beneath his hoodie.
Then he stopped.
Something blocked the exit corridor.
This zombie was different.
It stood at least two meters tall. Its arms were grotesquely enlarged—thick as an adult man's thighs. Veins bulged beneath gray, stretched skin.
This was not a standard variant.
The hulking creature sensed his life force less than five meters away.
It moved.
Despite its size, it was faster than the others—easily twice their speed.
Andrew barely had time to react.
He snapped his head sideways—
The zombie's fist tore through the wall where his skull had been.
Concrete exploded outward.
If that punch had connected, his head would have burst like a dropped watermelon.
No exaggeration.
In the same breath, Andrew kicked forward with his 14 Strength, forcing the brute to stagger back two steps.
He didn't wait.
Mana surged.
Four thick chains of flame erupted from his hands, wrapping tightly around the zombie's torso and limbs.
Under his control, the burning restraints tightened and yanked it to the ground.
The monster roared, straining against the bindings.
Andrew advanced and drove the mutated bee stinger downward.
The point sank in—
Only a few centimeters.
Its flesh was denser. Tougher.
The zombie thrashed violently, trying to tear free.
Andrew gritted his teeth and stabbed again.
And again.
And again.
He focused every ounce of strength into the same spot.
Five strikes.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Finally—
The skull cracked.
The brain gave way in a burst of blood and smoke.
The body went limp.
[You have acquired Soul Power from Level 15 Zombie. Strength +6, Health +5.]
[You have reached Level 6.]
[You have reached Level 7.]
[You have reached Level 8. You receive 2 status points.]
Power flooded him.
Muscles tightened. Bones felt heavier. Fatigue vanished entirely.
The exhaustion from repeated full-force stabs disappeared as if it had never existed.
"Ah… what's this?"
Andrew stepped forward and picked up a sphere that had rolled from the corpse.
It shimmered faintly.
[Treasure Sphere: Contains a rare-category treasure.]
The corridor fell silent.
For the first time since leaving his room, Andrew allowed himself a thin smile.
He was getting stronger.