Chapter 14: First Reward
[Rewards will now be given]
[1 Mutated Zombie defeated: 10 exp]
[First time Kill bonus has been rewarded: 50 exp]
[Note: You are not the first person to kill a mutated Zombie. No additional rewards will be given.]
[60/100 EXP]
'It's a shame. I was hoping to level up from that quest and get help from the system.' Zain thought. 'Still, ten exp is a good reward because I lost only two exp for killing one zombie. So this means the system thinks the mutated zombie is worth around five zombies? I guess strength-wise, this should be about right.'
Zain knelt and looked closer at Tanisha. He was in a rush, but he needed to know how Tanisha was turned. The mutated zombie was similar to him in many ways, but it was clear that the two weren't the same.
For one, Zain could talk and think straight while the other, still seemed like they were possessed or infected by something. It couldn't have been a time thing because Tanisha was clearly turned after Zain so there had to be something else.
In the end, the only thing Zain could find on her body was a deep bruise on the head. It wouldn't have been enough to kill someone, perhaps just knock them out or keep them dazed for a few seconds.
After having no success in solving the mystery behind the mutation, Zain decided to focus on his fractured hand.
[Would you like to use your energy to heal the wound?]
[Yes]
After selecting the option, Zain found his fingers and hand twitch and crackle as his fractured bone began to mend. It was as if someone was magically healing his hands.
[You have used 6 points of energy.]
Looking at the cut on his hand from holding his mirror shard, Zain decided to heal that as well. If someone saw him with the wound, they might suspect it was a zombie bite.
[You have used 2 points of energy.]
There was one last wound that could give away that Zain was bitten, the one on his neck. Since he couldn't see it, he just tried to focus on where the wound would be just like before and was hoping the system would pop up another message. It did indeed prompt a screen, but not the one he was expecting.
[This is not deemed a wound by the system]
[The user is only able to heal his body to the state it was when first turned into an undead]
It was a shame, but it looked like there was nothing he could do. He would just have to keep the bandages around his neck for longer until he found some tools or make-up to cover it up.
[Energy: 76/100]
[Body Functionality: 93 percent]
Not just healing but also the fight itself had caused Zain to expand a lot of energy. Although he didn't feel tired, the energy count was something he would have to keep his eye on. Otherwise, he could be lunging on his two friends at some point.
His body still didn't feel different or slowed down, but it was most likely due to the slow decline that he wasn't feeling much different. So, from now on, to keep both numbers up high for a while, Zain would have to try to avoid getting severe injuries.
...
Tanisha's body was mostly intact as Zain lifted her arm. He stared at it, and honestly, it didn't look appetising at all.
Then shutting his eyes, he tried hard to imagine, envisioning that there was something else in his hand, something tasty.
A steak, a burger, that was all it was—then clenching down with his teeth and his strong jaw, Zain bit through the flesh. Once again, he didn't feel sick, but his mind was what he needed to focus on, to handle his mentality and do something like this.
It helped that he practically had no taste buds, or the body itself tasted of nothing. Finally, he swallowed and gulped down whatever was in his mouth.
[Undead creature's flesh detected]
[No energy has been gained]
Wiping his mouth, Zain stood up and stared down at Tanisha's hand.
'Didn't the system say it was fine to eat old flesh and that it didn't need to be fresh? Is it because she's a zombie?' Zain thought.
Upon looking carefully at her body, he finally noticed some change. Tanshioa's skin had turned paler. While the others that had died, although their skin had changed colour, it wasn't as drastic. The zombies looked like someone had put them in a chiller for a few months.
'That means there is a difference between those that become zombies and those that end up being zombie food. Either way, if I can, it would be best if I restore my energy here before meeting with the others.
Turning his head, Zain was looking for someone easier to eat. The mental image in his head of what he was going to do kept halting him, and it didn't help that all of the dead lying on the ground were fellow students.
'I have to be careful from now on. Killing zombies will lower my exp now that I have some. I need to know what levelling up will do. What the system said before was interesting as well. I am not the first to kill a mutated zombie. The zombies existed before today's events, so that's no surprise, but I wonder how much exp I would have gained if I was.
'And it makes me wonder if there are other things out there besides zombies?'
While musing in thoughts, Zain had found someone. As he knelt to brace himself again, he suddenly heard a loud bang, and upon raising his head, he began to hear loud, non-stop alarms throughout the building.
'This is…the fire alarm!' Zain thought.
Immediately, he stood up and ran forward. He couldn't afford to waste any more time, and he leapt towards the window, tucking his knees and raising his arms to cover his face. His momentum and weight allowed him to smash through the glass.
This was the third floor, so it was pretty high. But as Zain closed into the ground, he moved his legs and rolled on the ground to decrease the impact. But still, the force was too much, and he heard a crack in his right foot just before rolling.
'I think I broke my ankle!' Zain thought.
But the situation around him required most of his attention. And when he looked around, he found his worst fear coming true: Zombies from all over the university were now sprinting towards the dormitory building, heading straight towards its entrance, where his two friends were waiting for his return.
'Buke! Skittle!'
*****
Thank you for reading the story so far, remember to use your stones to vote for WSA 2022
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