Chapter 14: Unlocking
After killing three zombies, Sylas felt more confident.
Before making a move, he had been uncertain about facing these zombies.
He worried that he might not be able to handle them.
But now, having killed three zombies, Sylas felt more assured.
These zombies were dangerous, but killing them was quite easy for him.
The Zombie Aura provided a significant boost to Sylas's combat effectiveness.
Against zombies, the Zombie Aura was a god-tier skill.
Sylas began inspecting the second floor. The hallway was clear of zombies, but he heard movement inside one of the apartments.
He knocked on the door.
"Is anyone there? Rescue is here."
Sylas knocked and asked, but only a series of low growls responded, with no human reply.
The door was locked, making it difficult to enter.
Sylas didn't plan to break down the door; after all, these were reinforced security doors. Forcibly breaking one down would be troublesome.
Ding!
Random Task: "Unlock ten locked doors. Reward: Lockpicking skill."
Sylas paused, then laughed.
This task couldn't have come at a better time.
He could learn the lockpicking skill just when he needed it.
Sylas didn't have the keys, and the property management didn't have the owners' door keys either.
Opening a locked door wasn't easy.
But difficult didn't mean impossible.
Sylas couldn't unlock the door without damage, but he could force it open.
He raised his axe and struck the door hard.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes—he kept going until the lock was broken.
Without the lock, the door finally yielded to Sylas's brute force.
He exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
These modern doors were really well-made.
Even using an axe to forcefully open the door required a significant amount of Sylas's strength.
Opening one locked door took quite a bit of effort and time.
Fortunately, the task only required him to open ten locked doors. Any more, and Sylas wouldn't have bothered with it.
After all, breaking down doors was exhausting work.
Once the door was open, a zombie rushed out.
However, it didn't attack Sylas.
To zombies, Sylas also appeared as a zombie.
Zombies didn't attack each other.
With a single swing of his axe, Sylas split the zombie's head in two.
Entering the apartment, Sylas inspected the rooms to see if there were any more zombies.
He also looked around for anything useful that he could take with him.
"Hey, a katana?"
Sylas suddenly noticed a katana displayed in the room.
He had seen such weapons online but had never encountered one in real life.
He wondered if this katana was functional.
After all, bladed weapons were regulated items and weren't easy to come by.
Sylas picked up the katana and swiftly drew it from its sheath.
A bright gleam of the blade caught Sylas's eye.
This was a well-polished katana, and it was sharpened.
The fact that it was sharpened was crucial.
Usually, katanas sold as decorative items weren't sharpened.
Obtaining a sharpened katana must have required special means.
Sylas swung the katana, feeling its weight, which was about two or three pounds. The blade was made of refined steel, very beautiful and incredibly sharp.
"A fine blade," Sylas praised.
Compared to the fire axe, this katana was much handier.
And with Sylas's strength, wielding the katana was no problem at all.
With this katana, killing zombies would be much easier.
The only weakness of zombies was their heads; decapitating or damaging the brain was the most effective way to kill them.
The katana could easily sever a zombie's head.
After gathering everything he needed, Sylas quickly left.
At the next apartment, he continued knocking on doors. For any locked doors, he used the fire axe to forcefully break them open.
Sylas destroyed the doors and killed the zombies trapped inside the apartments.
The task progress was steadily increasing.
"Finally, all ten locked doors have been opened."
Sylas collapsed onto a sofa, breathing heavily.
He looked at his palms, which were now covered in blisters.
After all, breaking down ten locked doors was hard work.
But he had finally completed the task.
What puzzled Sylas was that he hadn't learned the lockpicking skill.
Normally, upon completing the task and receiving the reward, he should have learned the lockpicking skill.
Sylas had hoped to become a master locksmith, able to open any lock effortlessly.
But instead, he had nothing.
Sylas, surprised, opened the system interface and saw that he indeed had a new skill called "Lockpicking."
Lockpicking: You have mastered the lockpicking skill, allowing you to unlock any lock in the world.
A realization dawned on Sylas.
He got up, walked to the bedroom, and locked the door from the inside.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he silently invoked the lockpicking skill and then turned the handle.
The locked door instantly opened.
So this is lockpicking, he thought.
It was that simple.
There was no need for Sylas to use any tools to pick the lock.
Because he had mastered the lockpicking skill, he could use it to open any lock in the world.
Sylas laughed out loud in delight.
This skill was amazing.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone