Grey let out a groan as he struggled against the rabid, mutated animal of a human that was still tightly clamped onto him.
Each passing second, the man snapped his teeth at Grey, trying desperately to take a bite out of his face.
One snap...
A second...
And then the next.
Each one gaining inches closer to his face.
The man was irrationally strong for a human. Far stronger than he had any right to be. And Grey could already feel his hands beginning to lose strength from holding up the man’s weight.
If he didn’t do something fast...
He would definitely get eaten alive.
"Fuck!" He let out a desperate groan as he threw his knee upward and drove it hard into the gut of the man.
The force was enough to send a regular human hunching over in pain...
But it did not seem to faze the abomination on top of him.
’This thing doesn’t even feel pain.’
Grey’s time was running out.
Fast...
And before he knew it.
His hands gave in.
"Argggh!" A desperate scream escaped Grey’s lips as the mutated man bit mercilessly into his shoulder, tearing through his flesh as easily as if it were biting into butter.
Blood spewed endlessly from the wound, and pain permeated his entire being, shooting through his body in waves.
Grey struggled yet again, and again, desperately trying to get the monstrosity off him.
But it was already too late.
No matter how much he tried, his strength was nothing compared to this man...
And undoubtedly, he was going to die.
[Ding!]
[Your blood is poisonous to all Zombies.]
[Bloodline System has imitated Zombie strength.]
All of a sudden, Grey’s eyes widened open.
His entire body pulsated with a strange surge of new strength, his muscles tightening as an overwhelming force coursed through his limbs.
And with one violent push, Grey finally managed to break free from the zombie once again, throwing the morbid beast off him.
Its body flew through the air before crashing violently into the side of the hostel wall.
Grey quickly rose to his feet, his chest heaving as he turned to face the monster once again.
He expected it to already be upon him, its bloodied teeth ready to tear him limb from limb.
However...
What he saw was—different.
There it was, leaning helplessly against the wall, its mouth hanging open as it released low, guttural growls.
Its eyes looked even deader than before.
From the way it moved, it seemed disoriented, almost as though it could barely recognize Grey’s presence.
Grey did not waste this opportunity.
He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pen before darting toward the dazed man at full speed.
He reached him in an instant.
Without hesitation, Grey ruthlessly drove the pen into the ear of the monster, thrusting it as far inside as his strength could carry.
The zombie shrieked.
Its hands twitched violently in the air, its fingers clawing at nothing as its entire body convulsed.
Then, finally...
It went limp.
Its body collapsed onto the ground.
Dead.
[You have slain an Evolved Human! Type: Zombie.]
[You have gained a Soul Core.]
Grey barely caught sight of the notifications.
All he could stare at was the body of the man he had just killed.
Or, more appropriately put...
The body of the first person he had ever killed.
For the first time, Grey was startled.
Not by how easily he had brought himself to take a life.
That did not bother him nearly as much as it probably should have.
What stunned him was something else.
How normal it felt.
How strangely ordinary it was to watch another human being die right before his eyes.
’He attacked me first. And besides, he isn’t exactly human anymore.’
Grey’s gaze dropped toward his bleeding shoulder.
The wound was deep.
Far too deep.
Blood continued to seep down his arm, staining his clothes as his eyes lingered on the ragged bite marks.
[You have gained a Relic.]
A relic?
Grey finally paid attention to the system.
His eyes scanned through every message that had been sent to him, going from the earliest notification to the newest.
"So this man is a zombie?" Grey whispered to himself.
He then turned his attention back to the deep bite wound rooted in his shoulder.
Did that mean he was also infected?
Was he doomed to become one too?
And if so...
How long did he have?
Minutes?
Hours?
Days?
Grey could only wonder.
But he desperately hoped that wasn’t the case.
He scrolled further through the system until he reached a particular section that immediately caught his interest.
Tapping on it, several ethereal lights suddenly formed in the air before him.
The lights spiraled around one another, twisting and weaving together before gradually solidifying.
A red, jagged dagger appeared in his hand.
Its blade looked crude and vicious, with an almost unnatural redness running along its edge.
"I even got a weapon..."
[Ding!]
[You have received a Quest.]
[Kill 5 Zombies.]
[1/5]
[Failure to complete mission: Death.]
Grey blinked a few times at the notifications.
’So I have to kill five monsters, like that.’
For only a moment, his eyes flickered with some hint of shock at the dead zombie.
Then, finally...
They narrowed again.
For a regular human, killing another human for the first time would probably leave them stunned.
Some would revolt at the thought.
Others might freeze completely.
But Grey?
He wasn’t a regular human.
He wasn’t the best of his race, nor the smartest, bravest, or most righteous person one could find.
He simply needed to survive.
And right now...
That was all that mattered.
At least...
’Until I get back to my room.’
He tightened his grip around the dagger.
His eyes drifted toward the dark depths of the hostel’s hall.
He needed to get back to his room.
And who knew just how many mutations lurked in the corners, waiting for someone foolish enough to step into their domain?