Lothe didn’t waste another second.
Scooping the unconscious Seana into his arms, he carried her to the pool of blood that had spread across part of the cafeteria floor.
Kneeling, he gently laid her in its center before taking a few steps back.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then, the blood rippled.
A deep crimson glow rose from the pool, wrapping around Seana’s body like countless crimson threads before slowly sinking beneath her skin.
At that moment, Seana felt her once-dried core tremble.
The stagnant Qi within it began to rotate once more, greedily absorbing the warm Blood Qi flowing into her body.
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed from within her body.
Her aura rose slightly.
Blue notifications flashed across her vision.
[Host has successfully refined the blood of a Level 1 Tier 3 Twin-Tailed Dusk Panther.]
[Host has successfully broken through to Level 1 Tier 2.]
[Due to killing the Twin-Tailed Dusk Panther, the host has gained 50 EXP.]
Seana slowly opened her eyes, taking a deep breath. The weakness weighing down her body had eased considerably.
Although every muscle still ached, she no longer felt like collapsing at any second.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
A single breakthrough wasn’t much, but in this new world, even the slightest increase in strength meant a greater chance of surviving another day.
"System... show my status."
[SYSTEM STATUS]
• Name: Seana
• Race: Human
• Class: Unassigned (Unlocks at Level 5)
• Rank: Level 1 Tier 2
• EXP: 50/100
• HP: 100/100
• Qi: 20/20
[ATTRIBUTES]
• Strength: 15
• Agility: 20
• Constitution: 18
• Qi Control: 20
• Unallocated AP: 20
[CORE SUPERPOWER]
Blood Manipulation (Level 1 Tier 2)
Description: The host can manipulate blood within an eight-meter radius, shaping it into blades, spikes, whips, or projectiles.
Upon reaching Tier 2, Blood Manipulation has become more refined. Blood constructs are denser, control is more precise, and Qi consumption is reduced by 15%.
Looking at her improved status, Seana could clearly feel the changes within her body.
Power flowed through muscles that had moments ago been on the verge of giving out.
Her movements felt lighter, her senses sharper. More importantly, her control over blood had become far more stable.
She slowly clenched her fist, a faint smile crossed her face. At least now... She wasn’t completely helpless.
Noticing the movement, Lothe let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
He looked at Seana for a moment.
Without the glasses she usually wore, her face was unexpectedly delicate. Her twin ponytails had loosened during the battle, allowing strands of black hair to fall around her cheeks.
Though covered in dirt and blood, she still carried an unusual beauty.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Seana slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
Shit...
Lothe immediately looked away. He had been staring for far too long.
"Are... are you alright?" he asked awkwardly.
Seana blinked before giving a small nod.
"Yeah."
There was a brief pause.
"Thank you."
"No need." Lothe scratched the back of his head. "Besides... we’re even now."
The awkward silence lingered for another second before he quickly changed the topic.
"It looks like your ability lets you control blood."
Seana nodded. "Yes."
"That’s actually pretty cool." He grinned.
"My ability is Spatial Ability." Seeing the slight curiosity in Seana’s eyes, he continued,
"And from the looks of it, our abilities become stronger as we level up."
"That’ll make surviving a lot easier."
Seana simply nodded. Her attention had already shifted toward the corpse of the Twin-Tailed Dusk Panther.
A different kind of excitement appeared in her eyes.
Only she knew how badly she wanted to dissect the creature and study its anatomy.
Unfortunately...
She lacked the proper equipment.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she walked toward a nearby table and picked up five empty 150 cl water bottles before returning to the panther.
Using Blood Manipulation, she carefully drew streams of blood from the corpse, filling each bottle one after another.
As she finished filling the fifth bottle, something caught her attention.
There was... another flow of energy inside the corpse.
Frowning slightly, she focused.
With a gentle pull of Blood Manipulation—
Pop!
Two glowing scrolls shot out of the panther’s body before landing on the floor.
"..."
Both of them froze.
Lothe frowned. "What... is that?"
Neither of them had ever seen anything like it before.
Just as he bent down to pick them up—
Grrraaaahhh!!
A deep growl echoed through the cafeteria.
Then another.
And another.
The expressions on both their faces immediately changed.
The earlier battle...
The smell of fresh blood...
It had attracted them.
Outside the shattered entrance, dozens of zombies staggered toward the cafeteria, their dull eyes locking onto the two living humans.
The scent of fresh life sent them into a frenzy.
Without hesitation, Lothe grabbed the two glowing scrolls and stuffed them into a nearby school bag.
As he kicked the panther’s corpse aside, several glowing lights caught his attention.
Four glowing orbs lay beneath it.
Two were red.
One was orange.
One was yellow.
Although he had no idea what they were, instinct told him they weren’t ordinary.
He quickly tossed them into the bag before slinging it over his shoulder.
Noticing Seana looking at him, he hurriedly explained,
"Don’t worry."
"When we get to the library, we’ll split everything fairly."
Seana looked at him for a second before giving a small nod.
There was no more time to talk as the first zombie had already reached them.
The first zombie lunged forward, its rotting fingers reaching for Lothe’s throat.
Without hesitation, he swung the iron rod.
Crack!
The zombie’s skull caved in before its body slumped to the ground.
Blue text flashed before his eyes.
[You have slain a Level 2 Zombie.]
[You have absorbed its raw Qi.]
Lothe ignored the notifications.
Another zombie was already upon him.
He stepped to the side, letting its claws graze the air before driving the rod into its temple.
Bang!
The corpse crumpled.
More notifications appeared one after another.
[You have slain a Level 2 Zombie.]
[You have absorbed its raw Qi.]
[You have slain a Level 2 Zombie.]
[You have absorbed its raw Qi.]
The messages continued to pile up, but he didn’t spare them a glance.
Every second of distraction could cost him his life.