I stayed silent for a few seconds after Brunhilde introduced herself.
Level 5. High Rank. A demigod of the Norse pantheon.
I should have laughed.
Instead, I nodded.
"I see."
My voice was calm. I wasn't. I still gripped the broken leg of the chair I had used to kill the mutated mosquito.
"So… what are you doing here?"
She blinked slowly. Her ice-blue eyes studied me as if I were some kind of anomaly.
"You're not shocked?" she asked. "Do you believe me so easily?"
I wanted to say yes—but instead, I pointed at the shattered window. Rain fell over Manhattan, and distant screams echoed.
"From what I can see out there, the world has already gone mad. And don't make me talk about the mosquito—big as a dog—that just tried to kill me… or eat me. I have a floating screen in front of my eyes that I thought existed only in fiction." I paused. "At this point, why shouldn't I believe you?"
Her lips curved slightly.
"I like you. You accept reality without losing yourself. You could live a long time."
She stepped closer. Her big breasts as she moved, her presence impossible to ignore.
"Do you want to be mine? I can help you survive what's coming."
I met her gaze.
"No, thanks."
I didn't add anything else. She was beautiful. Confident. Exactly the kind of girl I would normally fall for. But trusting her on a whim? I had no idea what would happen if I did.
And I had no intention of relying on anyone to survive this hell.
She didn't seem offended. She just smiled.
I lowered my eyes to the object left behind by the insect.
A crimson crystal. I noticed it radiated a faint heat, like embers under ash.
I touched it—and the inscriptions I had seen before reappeared:
---
[Skill: Pyrokinesis – Core Protocol]
[Skill Level: 1 | Max: 5]
Effect: Immediate conversion of Mana into thermal energy. Allows control of heat flow within a 5-meter radius.
[Scaling Parameters:]
Power: Based on Magic Affinity (Multiplier x1.2 applied)
Duration: Based on Mana Pool
---
Reading the description, my heart began to pound.
"You only need to shatter the crystal in your hand," Brunhilde said calmly.
I wanted it.
I grabbed the crystal tightly in both hands. It began to crumble into crimson particles.
Suddenly, it was as if a door had opened in my mind. Information flooded in: how to use it, how to manipulate thermal flows within myself and others, how to control ignition.
I inhaled.
I felt the heat coursing through my body.
But now I could sense more.
Temperature points. Thermal currents in the air. The cold of the rain. The warmth of my own breath.
I could move it.
A little.
But I could.
---
[Integration Complete: The Sovereign Core has assimilated a new active schema. Remaining expansion slots: 4]
---
I opened my eyes.
The crystal was gone.
No time to think.
Then I heard growls—and a loud crash.
BAM!
The door shook violently.
A growl.
I moved immediately, yanking the TV cable from the wall. I tied one end to the metal bed frame and the other to the desk leg, leaving it just inches above the floor.
I crouched by the mosquito's corpse and ripped out the stinger from its mouth.
Brunhilde watched silently, making no move to intervene.
The door burst open.
Two students stumbled inside.
Gray skin. White eyes. Flesh torn from bites.
The stench was sickening.
I wanted to vomit.
But I didn't.
I inhaled slowly and focused on my body. I slowed my breathing. Stabilized my heartbeat. With a single thought, I reduced superficial heat loss. My control was minimal—but enough to keep my mind sharp.
The zombies advanced.
They tripped on the cable.
They fell forward.
I moved.
A step. A stab.
The stinger pierced the first skull with a dry *crack*.
I pulled it out and drove it into the second.
Breathing heavily, a notification materialized before my eyes. I saw blue particles flowing into my body.
---
**[ENERGY FRAGMENTS ABSORBED – Zombie Level 3]**
Resistance +4
**[ENERGY FRAGMENTS ABSORBED – Zombie Level 2]**
Resistance +1
**[CORE EVOLUTION COMPLETED!]**
Current Level: 2
Sovereign Stat Points Gained: 4
---
My body felt lighter, stronger. I stabilized my breathing.
More growls reached me. I realized it wasn't over.
Two more zombies entered the room.
The cable was useless now.
I hid behind the bed.
I focused.
Mana activated instinctively. Unsure how to wield it, I looked around.
I saw the corpses nearby.
And I burned them.
Controlling the residual heat.
The little energy left in the dead tissue was compressed to its limit.
Friction. Ignition.
Two compact fire darts formed above the bodies.
With a sharp flick of my hand, I launched them.
They struck the zombies at the base of their skulls.
The flames consumed the undead.
They screamed. Thrashed. Useless.
Burned until nothing remained.
---
[ENERGY FRAGMENTS ABSORBED – Zombie Level 2]
Resistance +1
[ENERGY FRAGMENTS ABSORBED – Zombie Level 3]
---
I clenched my fists.
"Why no bonus?" I asked.
Brunhilde replied calmly, "The more you kill identical creatures of the same type and level, the fewer rewards you gain. Your Sovereign System develops resistance to that energy. If you want to grow, hunt different prey."
I nodded.
It made sense.
I looked at her.
"You still haven't told me why you're here."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I'll explain everything once you're in a safe place. But don't you think it's wiser to leave here first?"
I looked at the shattered door.
She was right.
I grabbed a hiking backpack, threw in the cable, two water bottles, and some snacks.
I approached the window.
Fourth floor.
No way out.
I sighed.
"Same as always."
I stepped into the corridor.
---
The hallway was devastated.
I couldn't comprehend how it had happened in less than fifteen minutes since this madness began.
Lockers ripped open. Blood on the floor. Fire alarms blaring. Sprinklers useless, mixed with rain streaming through broken windows.
A body lay near the stairs.
It moved.
I reacted faster this time.
A thin stream of heat gathered on my fingers.
Ignition.
A focused jet of fire pierced the creature's skull.
It collapsed.
[ENERGY FRAGMENTS ABSORBED – Zombie Level 2]
---
"Your magical control has improved… a little. But it's still clumsy," Brunhilde observed.
"I'm improvising."
"Improvisation is a primitive form of instinct. Instinct becomes power."
We reached the stairs.
Distant roars rose from below.
Brunhilde's expression changed.
"There's something stronger ahead in this building."
I gripped the stinger.
"What level?"
She paused.
"Six."
I exhaled slowly.
"Of course."
The lights flickered.
A violent impact shook the lower floors.
Concrete cracked.
Dust fell from above.
Then—
A guttural roar erupted from beneath us.
The hunt had begun.
And this time—
Something was hunting me.