[Chapter 8: Attracting Trouble]
Lucian was currently looking through a variety of items that he picked up earlier in the lot where his Shadow Steed rampaged, killing around three dozen zombies before dying. In his hands were a skill book and two glowing orbs with different colors—one glowing green and the other yellow. Compared to before, where the skill book was immediately absorbed through touch, he could now inspect the things in his hands through the panel in his eyes.
[Steady-Hands (F-rank): Grants the user exceptionally stable hands that remain unwavering even under extreme stress or panic.]
[Agility Attribute Orb (F-rank): +1 Attribute Point]
[Perception Attribute Orb (F-rank): +1 Attribute Point]
Lucian inspected the items as the horse continued to gallop toward Ayesha's dormitory. He examined the skill book and the attribute orbs, both of which he was seeing for the first time. The Agility Attribute Orb glowed green, while the Perception Attribute Orb glowed yellow. From his understanding, absorbing these orbs should increase the corresponding stats in his panel.
He also contemplated whether to consume the skill, as he still had no information on whether humans could only have a limited number of skills. He did not want to waste a potential slot on an F-rank skill, especially for something like Steady Hands. He already had an idea of how he wanted to proceed in the future—especially when he saw the "Class" section in the panel.
He looked back at Ivan, who was sitting behind him, and thought of something. He still did not know if he was the only one with the panel, and it was worth trying it out. But first, he wanted to get Ivan's permission, as even he did not want the F-rank skill.
"Ivan, remember what I said earlier about the skill books?" Lucian asked, glancing behind him. He told Ivan more about how he believed there was a ranking system for skills. He explained that one of the drops he was holding right now was a skill book of rank F, then asked if Ivan wanted to absorb Steady Hands.
Lucian explained first the implications of it—how Ivan might also gain a panel—but also that it might come with the cost of losing a skill slot, if such a limitation even existed. He didn't push Ivan, instead carefully explaining the weight of the decision he would be making in a moment.
Ivan thought about it. F-rank Steady Hands? He chuckled. Just from the name itself, it sounded weak—useless in the apocalypse. But he wasn't that kind of person; even then, he tried to find areas where such a skill might be useful if he decided to absorb it. Steady Hands. Would it be useful? Would he even use his calloused hands again in this world? Would there even be a need for it again?
He looked around at the zombies roaming the streets as he and Lucian went further and further toward the north of the city.
Ultimately, he decided to do it. He was Ivan—a mechanical engineer who had turned scraps into something and nothing into an unexplainable explosion. Plus, he also wanted to see the panel that his friend talked about, as he was really curious about how it looked. Similar to Lucian, he was an avid gamer and reader of novels; hence, there was a bit of excitement in him at the thought of a system panel appearing right in front of his eyes.
He took the skill book from Lucian, and immediately, the book turned into brilliant white light that went straight into his forehead. Ivan instinctively closed his eyes as he absorbed the light from the skill book.
When he opened them, what appeared was the bluish panel he had only seen in games—what he had only read about in novels. It was amazing. Fascinating. He didn't even know how this was possible. He thanked Lucian and quickly inspected the panel laid right in front of him.
[Ivan Cruz] [Class: N/A]
[Age: 22]
[Strength: 13]
[Agility: 10]
[Mind: 11]
[Perception: 12]
[Vitality: 13]
[Skill(s): Steady Hands (F)]
[Steady-Hands (F-rank): Grants the user exceptionally stable hands that remain unwavering even under extreme stress or panic.]
Ivan saw the text in front of him and was enthralled. "I see it, Lucian! I see it!"
Lucian smiled from the front as he confirmed another of his hypotheses. He was also happy that someone was now in the same boat as him—especially since it was his friend.
"So much for talking about an apocalypse, huh?" Lucian chuckled, recalling the night before, when they had been gaming and Ivan, out of nowhere, made a joke about the world ending and an apocalypse coming to their doorstep.
Ivan scratched his head worriedly; he hadn't expected it to actually come true just a few hours later. He was just spouting nonsense from whatever came to mind, but for it to actually happen? What luck.
Lucian then absorbed the two attribute orbs with a thought. Each orb turned into an energy of green and yellow respectively and shot toward his forehead. Surprisingly, his body suddenly felt rejuvenated, as if it had been infused with a high amount of energy. Although minimal, he felt slight improvements in how he saw things ahead of him and how his body moved with the wind. It felt ethereal, Lucian thought.
[Lucian Morales] [Class: N/A]
[Age: 20]
[Strength: 12]
[Agility: 12]
[Mind: 14]
[Perception: 15]
[Vitality: 13]
[Skill(s): Shadow Steed (B)]
He saw the increase in attributes on his panel and knew it was from the orbs he had absorbed. He quickly summarized everything he knew so far—zombies could drop skill books, attribute orbs... but what else? What were the odds of obtaining one? And what was the luck that allowed him to get a B-rank skill so early?
As more thoughts formed in his mind, Ayesha's dormitory suddenly came into view. It was a tall building of seven floors, with Ayesha living at the topmost part. She stayed with two other students to cut down on costs, as she was studying through scholarships. Unibersidad de Intramuros was a tuition-free public university, making it a top choice for many students.
As Lucian saw the familiar building in front of him, he couldn't help but worry. Dozens of zombies roamed around the gates of Ayesha's dorm. It made sense—the northern part of Intramuros had more people compared to the southeastern area where he lived. Even during midnight, it had always been livelier.
Lucian was observing the area when, out of nowhere, something charged toward them at high speed, slamming into the horse and temporarily stopping it in its tracks.
Grvvvvvv!
The steed reared up, neighing sharply as black mist flickered off its body—angered by the interruption.
The sound echoed across the streets.
And as if on cue, every zombie in the vicinity turned toward them.
Lucian's grip tightened on his sword. "Damn it..."
He watched as dozens—no, a hundred—of hungry eyes began walking towards their position.