章 9: Chapter 9: We're not in Kansas Anymore

Noah no longer had any second thoughts about trying to reason with these stubborn and delusional people. His only thoughts were getting out of this situation and returning their 'generosity' when he became stronger.

Thankfully, his stamina regeneration skill was always active, returning more stamina back every five minutes on top of his natural recovery. He felt confident in getting away, even if he had to encounter zombies along the way. He could still fend for himself if need be, as long as the group was small enough. To ensure his escape, he decided to try his plan. He inhaled deeply, knowing his weird movements couldn't help but put the opposing group on high alert.

"EVERYONE, WE'RE SAVED! HELP HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! IF YOU CONTINUE TO HIDE IN YOUR ROOMS, YOU'LL ONLY BE LEFT BEHIND!"

He screamed out while slowly backing away. His screams startled not only Mark's group but also the bystanders hiding behind their doors, who couldn't help but grow shocked at the sudden development. Unlike Mark's group, the bystanders reacted faster. Like a domino effect, it only took one before the rest followed.

"Finally, we're saved!"

Crying "I thought I was going to die…"

One after another, the students barged out from their locked dorms. There were at least ten who were still alive, either not trying to leave campus or forced into hiding. This was already more than what Noah was expecting. Now he just needed to put the rest of the plan into action now that the students were converging in his direction.

"Is it the army? Where are they?"

"Are they outside? C-can you take us there? I don't want to run into any more of those things.."

A small triumphant smirk appeared on Noah's face. 'This is exactly how I thought they would react.' He fixed his expression before anyone could notice.

"You don't have to worry! You see them?" He pointed towards Mark's group, who were still unsure how to react to what was happening. "They were the ones who were able to call for help. They will bring anyone who wants to go with them to the meeting place! But they won't take everyone, so you'll have to convince them to take you."

"What? Wh-what do you mean we-? Wait! Don't listen to him! We don't have anything to do wit- Fuck, just get out of the way! He's getting away!" It didn't take them long to finally catch on to what Noah was trying to achieve, but by then it was already too late. The bystanders were relentless when it came to saving themselves. Mark and his group's words fell on deaf ears. The more they tried to explain and distance themselves from the frantic students, the more the students thought Mark and his group were just trying to leave them and receive help for themselves.

Meanwhile, Noah was making his way towards the 2nd floor of the building, chuckling to himself along the way. A menacing smile plastered on his face, just being able to figuratively and literally say 'fuck you' with no repercussions was thrilling.

This new world had only just begun, and he could already tell that the stronger he became, the more he would be able to enjoy himself. But that didn't mean he wasn't angry. Just the thought of Mark and his group behaving as if his life were in their hands disgusted him to no end.

'Hehe, if you want to play hero, then I don't mind being the villain, but I don't want to just beat you. I want to overpower you, and to do that, I need to level up. Besides…I know where to find you when I'm ready.'

He remembered the chubby kid talking about the girls' dormitory.

"Sigh…guess I'll check that too…" Very briefly, just thinking of the girls' dormitory reminded him of a bad memory he thought he was over with, but he quickly recovered. That would be his next target. First, he needed to leave the vicinity. His shoulder wasn't going to be 100 percent anytime soon, and Mark still not only had companions, but he also had that gigantic sword compared to just his hammer.

When he reached the second floor of the building, he was about to continue making his way down if it wasn't for the sight he came upon when he reached the first step leading to the base floor.

Piled on the steps leading down were zombies, and from the looks of it, it appeared that there were a lot more than what he had to deal with previously. The entire floor seemed to be a gathering of them. It was as if everyone who tried to escape failed to leave for reasons Noah couldn't comprehend.

"If you were gonna run away, then at least get out of the building! Damn… this would take too much time to get through… but maybe…"

Noah's thoughts went to his upgrade in his stats; technically, his body should be considered abnormal now, and to him, that meant he should be able to jump from the second-floor window without any problems.

Being sure of his new decision, he hastily went into the hall of the second floor, to be met by wandering zombies in the area, as well as zombies attacking random doors; more than likely, the possible survivors behind them caught their attention.

Unfortunately, one of the few dorm rooms near his location just happened to be a closed door where zombies were converging. Unlike the time where he was swarmed by countless zombies because of his screams, there were only five zombies scratching away at the door before him.

'Well, I won't let free exp go to waste right in front of me.'

He could've avoided the zombies who weren't paying attention to him so he could get into the open room nearby, but why would he not kill the zombies on the way if he could? He was growing addicted to leveling up.

Excitedly, he quickened his pace, rushing to the group of zombies pushing against each other in their mindless attempt to get through the door. Even though his shoulder was usable to use his hammer, albeit barely, he still decided against using it for now. Instead, he felt around the side of his bag, retrieving his newly acquired dagger.

'Let's test this little baby out!' As if he found a new toy, Noah hastened his steps to the farthest zombie in the rear, impaling the back of its skull. There was no blood splattering on himself like last time; it was only when he removed the dagger from the zombie's head that blood began to splurge.

Noah wasn't sure why, but clean kills weren't as satisfying; he wanted to revert back to the hammer, but now wasn't the time. He didn't want to bring too much attention to himself when he still needed to leave the dorm.

He managed to kill three of the zombies in the same manner. However, while he was finishing the third zombie, a growl sounded, and his presence was finally discovered. The growl alerted the last two zombies, preventing him from continuing his charade. With no time to waste, Noah swiftly shifted tactics, abandoning stealth in favor of swift and decisive action.

Noah quickly retreated to retrieve his hammer, discarding the bloody dagger into his bag. As the last two zombies struggled to navigate the growing pile of corpses, he seized the opportunity to grab his hammer and swiftly dispatch them. Despite the pain in his shoulder, he adapted his swinging technique, relying on his hips and momentum to deliver powerful blows.

The echoing clangs of metal striking bone reverberated through the hall, impossible to conceal from the sensitive ears of the nearby zombies. Those who were previously idle began to turn towards the source of the noise, while the others, still fixated on their futile attempts to breach closed doors, persisted in their mindless endeavors.

At this time, Noah chose to ignore the rest while he rushed for the open room. Before entering, he noticed the wooden chest laying next to the last zombie he killed. Disappointed that he wasn't lucky enough to get a bronze chest like before, he wasn't going to let free items go to waste. He hurriedly grabbed the side handle of the chest before dragging it to the room, closing the door behind him.

He didn't bother wasting time to observe his surroundings; no sane person should be staying here after leaving the door completely open, and he wasn't planning on staying here longer than he needed to.

His focus was entirely on the chest. Immediately opening it to view its contents, only to become disappointed. He wished he had opened the chest slower, as all he was given this time was a small pile of gold. At least now he knew that he should expect to be ripped off more when it comes to the drop rates. He would've liked to have spent more time complaining about the chest, but he still hadn't forgotten about his reason for coming here.

He made his way towards the window but not before making sure he retrieved all of his gold.

"What in the world…" Noah found himself momentarily stunned as he surveyed the chaos unfolding outside. Towers of smoke billowed into the sky in every direction, creating a scene of utter devastation. However, what truly shook him were the more bizarre and unsettling sights that accompanied the destruction.

He didn't count zombies as strange, not even the scattered figures of hundreds of zombies or even the screaming students who were either combating them or fleeing. What he found strange were the common things you see everyday that were no longer so common. Bugs and rodents! But unlike before, they grew to the point that the innocent everyday critters could now be considered a danger. He saw a mouse the size of a small dog viciously attacked a zombie, tearing into its flesh before succumbing to the overwhelming numbers.

The sight of spiders, towering nearly a meter high, pouncing on unsuspecting victims, both zombies and humans alike, left Noah in disbelief. Additionally, common birds had grown in size, although their numbers in the area seemed limited. Those present appeared more interested in the abundance of dead bodies littering the campus than in anything else.

Doubt almost began to brew in his heart from the otherworldly scene. Unlike the games and fantasy novels, reality left them without any room to safely grow or even remotely grasp what was going on.

But his doubt left just as fast as it came and was replaced with eagerness and excitement. The thought of obtaining something like an overgrown spider sounded badass. His thoughts couldn't focus on the subject when spotting students randomly making use of magic during their struggles against the "monsters."

One person conjured a fireball which he threw towards a zombie, missing the one he was aiming for but was able to set the shirt of another ablaze.

Then there was another person who appeared to be speaking a string of chants while her hands were holding a praying gesture before using it on a friend who was just being attacked by one of the mutated mice.

Noah was certain that what she used was healing magic. He couldn't be certain of its effectiveness from this distance, but seeing magic for the first time confirmed his will to level up even more.

He had to reconsider jumping out of the window. He didn't want to be too impulsive; he needed somewhat of a plan. As he could tell, he could get overrun easily if he just ran into the herd of zombies while blindly swinging, which was really what he wanted to do. Instead, he chose to observe from a distance to properly ascertain his next destination.

His eyes scanned the scenery with the aid of his skill before he muttered. "The beauty about attending a good school are opportunities like these."