The wound at Kael's shoulder swiftly closed as wisps of smoke was released from the region, his passive jumping into overdrive.
Seeing the slowly approaching eyeball watch him so closely and so intensely sent a chill down Kael's spine. It made him feel like a specimen that was being studied.
Not to mention, this was the first time an undead didn't immediately lunge at him, which made Kael feel uneasy. Of course, he didn't consider the zombie he met when he was acting out his gecko stunt in Mission Impossible.
'Are these creatures evolving?'
Still, he pushed through his unsettling feelings and quickly checked his status, specifically his stats. He had to be sure of where he currently stood to plan how he would act. He couldn't afford to die now. He still had to save his little sister.
****
STRENGTH : 4 + 6
AGILITY : 4 + 6
VITALITY : 6
MIND: 8 + 2
ENERGI : 18/ 25
*****
After processing the improvement to his stats in less than the blink of an eye, Kael focused his attention back on the undead, while simultaneously boosting his Agility stat by one Energi to reset the countdown.
'I have to act quickly. I can't allow it to draw more attention.'
With that thought in his mind, Kael added four more Energi points into his Strength stat, making him almost twice as strong as the possibly strongest human. He gripped one of the roots plunging into his body and forcefully yanked it out before crushing it in his hand. Within a split second, he gripped the second root and repeated the same action, causing his body to fall back to the tiled floor.
The eyeball studying him swiftly retreated as several more tendrils flew out of the undead's body and streaked towards him.
-SWOOSH!
-SWOOSH!
-SWOOSH!
-SWOOSH!
Seeing the over a dozen roots shooting towards him while cutting the air with a sharp sound, Kael knew he couldn't afford to hold anything back. Even as his Energi points quietly fell while the two wounds on his abdomen sealed shut, he sent another three points of ENERGI into his Mind stat, as his mind cleared further and the world around him seemed to slow down more.
He could now easily follow the roots that were almost upon him, and Kael didn't hesitate to move.
'Down!'
His body squatted down as the first root cut into the afterimage he left behind due to his blinding speed.
'Right!'
His squatting position smoothly transitioned into a roll to the side as he dodged three more tendrils. Rising to his feet, Kael jumped over a root that was snaking towards him, his body leaving afterimages in his wake as he pushed more ENERGI into his Agility stat.
He jumped into the air and twisted in time for four roots to streak past him, their dark surfaces mere inches from his body. The moment his feet touched the ground, his body moved rolled forward, dodging more attacks that flew past above him.
Seeing no more obstacles between him and the monster, Kael burst forward with all his might and swiftly bridged the distance. The eerie-looking eyeball still floated above the monster's head, still watching him, as if everything was simply moving according to its plan.
And what happened next proved it was.
Kael watched in vivid clarity as tens of bulges suddenly formed across the undead's body. There was no part of the creature that was not covered.
'Bloody hell!'
His pupils turned into pinpoints.
'There is no way to escape.'
The thought formed naturally within his wildly churning mind. So he did the next best thing.
As hundreds of black tendrils erupted forward at a blazing speed towards him and covered the short distance that was barely between them, Kael sent more ENERGI into his Strength stat, yelled out without a care for if he attracted new waves of zombies, and punched out with all his might.
"IGNITION FIST!"
-BOOOM!
The air exploded as a wave of golden flames spread outward, the shockwave sending the monster flying into the other side of the hallway wall, a web of concentric cracks spreading from the point of impact.
At the same time, many of the roots erupted in flames, yet many more drilled into Kael's body, raising him into the air and turning him into a pincushion. Kael coughed blood as his vision spun wildly. There was no part of his body that was not bloodied at the moment, and he looked no different from a corpse.
Yet he was still alive. In fact, even as blood pooled in his eyes, he glared hatefully at the undead on the other side. He took a deep breath and flexed his muscles, splintering the already burnt roots and sending them sprawling to the ground.
-ROOAR!
The zombie on the other side yanked itself away from the hole in the wall, the eye coming from the undead mouth suddenly shining with a crimson light. The monster's torso split open grotesquely, revealing an abyss filled with rows of small but razor-sharp teeth as it released a bellowing roar.
- ROAR!
- GRRRR!
Many more smaller roars resounded from downstairs and outside as if responding to the elite's cry, and soon after, the ground shook slightly as the sound of quickly approaching footsteps spread out.
'I can't die!'
Kael pulled himself to his knees as he supported his body with his straining and bloodied arm. He could feel himself quickly weakening as the passive was rapidly drawing on his Energi reserve to heal him.
Yet... Kael could tell that it wouldn't be enough.
"I..." Blood poured out of his mouth like a waterfall. "...save...Rose."
Struggling to his feet, he approached the elite zombie slowly but surely, bloodied footprints left on the scorched ground, as the sole of his shoes had long given out.
The zombie watched him with an angry light flashing in its single eye, and soon after, small spores drifted from its body before spreading out and covering a wide radius. They drifted towards the staggering Kael and entered his body but were soon burnt away by the golden flames burning through his wounded body.
'Is that how it increased its level?'
Kael had that passing thought as he struggled to advance, yet his vision was already fading at the edges. As if not willing to wait for his slow approach, the zombie rushed at him, its undead instinct now surfacing.
-BAM!
Kael fell back as the undead collided with him. He held the monster back with his intact right arm, yet he could still feel the sharp teeth lining the zombie's abdomen digging into his flesh. However, he felt numb to the pain.
As the unsettling sound of crushed flesh drifted into his barely working ears, an image suddenly surfaced in his vision. He could see those big yet bright eyes that shone with intelligence. A weak smile formed on his blood-smeared face when he remembered that adorable yet mischievous pout.
'No...'
The dying ember flickered.
"ROSY!"
A loud cry suddenly erupted from Kael's lips, and drawing upon all the strength he could muster, Kael's cut stump streaked at the zombie's side as he roared:
"IGNITION FIST!"
Golden flames merely sputtered around the pointed bone, yet he still plunged it deep into the abyss in the monster's torso. Razor-sharp teeth cut into the flesh of his arm, and even through the numbness, Kael roared in pain.
"AAAAAH!"
Yet, the light of resolve in the depth of his bloodied eyes didn't reduce at all as he poured the almost used Energi into his Strength stat before pulling upward. Kael could feel his arm cutting past flesh and bone, but he barely registered the sensation before he passed out.
*****
Alice watched with bated breath, a line of blood flowing down the side of her face from a gash on her forehead as she held her trembling little sister close in a hug. Their backs were against the railing Kael had once climbed from, and she had watched the exchange between Kael and the undead monster, which was why her eyes were widened.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Just two roots had left them in this state, yet...
There, a few meters from them... was an unconscious Kael and a zombie whose upper body had been split into two, its corrupted blood splattered on the floor and walls, sitting on him.
'How?'
The question repeated in her mind like a broken record, but she quickly collected herself. She pushed her sister gently and swiftly rose to her feet, about to run towards Kael and check his body, when the sound of footsteps she had been subconsciously ignoring finally arrived.
Tens of zombies stumbled forward from the stairwell at the other side of the corridor, their eyes glinting with ferocious light and their snarls sending jolts down her spine.
A rueful smile broke out on her beautiful face.
"There is no need."
"We will all die."
She looked down at her unconscious sister, her eyes filled with despair. But little did she know that despite Kael being unconscious, several system messages were flashing before him.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[YOU HAVE ACHIEVED A COMMENDABLE FEAT!]
[YOU ARE THE FIRST AWAKENED TO KILL AN OPPONENT 10 LEVELS ABOVE YOU]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED +5 ACHIEVEMENT POINT]
[BONUS REWARD: YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN EPIC ITEM]
The messages stopped for just a breath before they continued.
[THE USER HAS BEEN JUDGED TO BE IN AN UNFAVORABLE STATE WITH DANGER FAST APPROACHING.]
[...]
[PRIMORDIAL OVERRIDE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!]
*****
AN: Thanks for reading. Please vote power stones if you are enjoying the novel.