Ted descended the stairwell slowly, every sense heightened by the new passive skill. Hunger Sense painted faint cold pulses in his mind, infected signatures scattered on the lower floors like dying embers. The air grew thicker with the metallic stench of blood and the early rot of the fallen.
His regenerated arm felt almost normal now, except for the unnatural paleness creeping across his skin. He pulled his sleeve down further, hoping the dim emergency lighting would hide it. The pendant continued its low, steady pulse against his chest, almost like a second heartbeat.
*[Daily Quest Progress: 2/3. One more Infected required. Reminder: Detection by survivors will complicate future growth.]*
"Complicate," Ted muttered under his breath. "That's one way to put it."
He reached the landing for floor B2, the academy's lower training levels. Gunfire crackled sporadically from somewhere deeper in the building, followed by shouted orders. The security teams were still fighting, but the moans of the undead were multiplying. The outbreak was accelerating faster than anyone could contain.
Ted eased the heavy metal door open just enough to slip through. The corridor ahead was wider, lined with combat simulation rooms and equipment lockers. Blood smeared the walls in long streaks. A few bodies lay motionless, some clearly bitten multiple times, their skin already graying.
He moved quietly, sticking close to the wall. His agility stat made his steps lighter than before, almost silent. It felt strange, like his body was learning new rules without asking permission.
Hunger Sense pinged stronger. One infected, maybe thirty meters ahead, around the corner near the armory access.
Ted gripped the broken fire extinguisher tighter. It wasn't much of a weapon, but with his boosted strength it would do. He rounded the corner carefully.
The infected was a former maintenance worker, still wearing a torn jumpsuit. It shambled slowly between two overturned supply carts, head twitching as if searching for sound. Half its neck was missing, exposing raw muscle.
Ted didn't hesitate this time. The hunger made his movements decisive. He closed the distance in three quick strides and brought the extinguisher down hard on the back of its skull. Bone cracked. The body dropped with a wet thud.
He knelt quickly, absorbing the lingering necro-energy before the System prompted him. The cold surge felt less disgusting now, almost refreshing, like drinking ice water after a long run.
*[Necro Essence +9]*
*[Daily Quest Completed: Feed the Hunger]*
*[Reward: +15 Necro Essence, +1 to Agility]*
**Updated Status:**
**Host: Ted Harlan**
**Level: 1**
**Strength: 12**
**Agility: 15**
**Vitality: 16**
**Necro Essence: 44**
**Skills:**
- Basic Undead Regeneration (Passive - Low)
Ted allowed himself a small, shaky breath of relief. The hunger quieted to a low background hum. He felt sharper, faster. But the relief was short-lived.
Footsteps, heavy, purposeful echoed from the far end of the corridor. Flashlights swept across the walls.
"Fan out! Check every room. We're extracting any survivors to the main shelter on sub-level 3. Command says the upper city is already lost, riots and breaches everywhere."
Three security personnel appeared, rifles raised, visors down on their helmets. They moved like professionals, covering each other. Behind them, Ted spotted a small group of civilians, students and staff, maybe eight or nine people, huddled and terrified.
One of the guards noticed the fresh corpse Ted had just taken down.
"Another one. Looks recently killed. Someone's been fighting back down here."
Ted's heart rate spiked. He pressed himself into the shadow of a recessed equipment alcove, barely breathing. If they turned the corner fully, they'd see him.
A familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Marcus? Is that you up ahead?" one of the students called out.
Ted's stomach dropped. Marcus Kane stepped into view from the group, his academy uniform torn but his enhanced physique still imposing. A makeshift metal bat rested on his shoulder, already stained with dark blood. Two of his usual crew flanked him, looking rattled but alive.
Marcus scanned the corridor with narrowed eyes. "We cleared the east wing. Lost three on the way. These things are getting faster."
One of the guards nodded. "Good work, kid. Your enhancement is coming in useful. Stick with us. We're heading to the shelter. Reports say the virus is airborne in some sectors now. Full city lockdown in progress."
Ted watched from hiding as the group started moving toward his position. No clear path to slip away without being seen. His mind raced. If they found him here with blood on his hands and a pale arm, questions would come fast. And he couldn't afford questions.
He glanced at the System interface again.
*[New Side Quest Available: Blend In]*
*Join a survivor group without revealing your condition.*
*Reward: +10 Necro Essence, temporary "Normal Appearance" buff (masks minor physical changes for 24 hours).*
*Failure: Increased suspicion from humans.*
"Perfect timing," Ted thought bitterly.
He waited until the group was almost parallel to his hiding spot, then stepped out slowly, hands raised, trying to look as scared and ordinary as possible.
"Hey! Don't shoot...I'm alive!"
The guards swung their rifles toward him instantly. Marcus's eyes narrowed in recognition.
"Harlan? The nobody from first year?" Marcus snorted, but there was a hint of surprise. "Didn't expect you to last five minutes."
One guard lowered his weapon slightly. "You bitten?"
Ted shook his head quickly, keeping his injured (now mostly healed) arm tucked behind his back. "No. Got lucky. Hit one with an extinguisher upstairs and ran."
The guard eyed him for a long second, then nodded. "Join the line. Stay in the middle. We move fast and quiet. Any noise and you're on your own."
Ted fell into step near the back of the civilian group, heart still pounding. Marcus gave him one last suspicious glance but said nothing more.
As they moved through the bloodied corridors toward sub-level 3, Ted kept his head down. The "Normal Appearance" buff activated with a soft notification, making his skin tone look healthier under the lights.
But inside, the hunger whispered again. Among all these living, breathing people, his new senses picked up their warm life force like beacons. It was distracting. Dangerous.
The group reached a reinforced security door leading to the main shelter. Alarms still wailed faintly in the distance. Outside the academy walls, the sounds of the city collapsing grew louder, distant explosions, sirens, and the rising chorus of the undead.
One of the students near Ted, a girl with short dark hair and sharp eyes, carrying a scavenged pistol,glanced at him.
"You really took one down alone?" she asked quietly. "Most people are just running and screaming."
Ted forced a weak smile. "Pure luck. I'm Ted, by the way."
"Elena." she replied, studying him a moment longer than comfortable. "Stay alive a little longer, Ted. Looks like we'll need every pair of hands."
The shelter doors hissed open, revealing a large reinforced hall already filling with survivors. Makeshift barricades, medical stations, and worried faces everywhere.
Ted stepped inside with the group, the System's text flickering at the edge of his vision.
*[Main Quest Progress: City Collapse Timer Active. Reach Level 10 before total overrun.]*
He was safe for now. Hidden among humans.
But the hunger was already stirring again, and the dead outside were only getting stronger.