"Alright, I almost made it… oh, sorry!"
A young man in his twenties, with short black hair, emerald-green eyes, and an average appearance, ran frantically through the crowd, earning curses from the people he bumped into.
Hah… hah… "I made it."He took a deep breath and raised his head, only to be greeted by a massive sign that read:
'Z University of Applied Sciences'
"Oh, Michael, how are you? You came early today."The guard called out to him, clearly surprised.
"Huh??? Sir, do you know my name?"
The guard laughed loudly."Well, you may not be famous, but no one else shows up this late every day except you."
Michael scratched his head awkwardly."I don't think that's a good reason to be famous… haha. See you tomorrow, Mr. Guard."
Michael was a second-year engineering student, the only child of loving parents. Due to his father's injury, he had to work to support his family, which caused his academic performance to be average.
"Hah… another boring day. I guess I should review Gauss's Law for calculating the electric field… ugh, I hate physics."Michael yawned as he stamped books behind the library desk.
Yes, Michael worked in the university library. Nothing exciting… at least not yet.
"Hey! Michael! Want to play some ball when you're done?"A blond, brown-eyed young man with a strong build slammed the door open and walked into the library.
"Shhhhhh, Sean! We're in a library—show some respect."Michael warned him under the irritated stares of students.
"Ah… right, sorry everyone, carry on."Sean quickly apologized, intimidated by the looks that seemed ready to devour him alive.
"So, Michael, are you playing?"Sean leaned closer and whispered.
"Uh… let's leave it to fate. You know I'm busy."Michael avoided eye contact.
"Bro… you're lying again."Sean rolled his eyes at the obvious lie.
At that very moment, something happened that would change their lives forever.
{The transformation is complete. Awaken, consciousness of the continent.}
[Mana integration in progress… Mana integration complete. The consciousness of the continent wishes you good luck.]
Suddenly, floating words appeared before them. Shock filled Michael's eyes."Sean… do you see this too?"
But the shock didn't last long…Everyone lost consciousness.
Roooaar!"Help me!!!"
When Michael regained consciousness, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life—students were eating each other alive.
Well… they were no longer students anymore.
"Michael! Michael! Wake up, focus! What do we do?!"Sean, unexpectedly, tried to stay calm, though the tremor in his voice betrayed him.
"Why are they doing this… are they even human?"Michael stared at the massacre.
As soon as he finished speaking, the floating words appeared again:
{Zombie lvl1: Humans whose bodies failed to adapt to mana and became corrupted, turning into grotesque zombie creatures that feel no fear or pain.The only way to kill them is by destroying the head.}
"I… I remember him… that's John—"
Roooaar!
The zombie approached Michael. Its pupils were completely white. Its body hadn't fully decayed yet, but pieces of its face fell off with every step. It wasn't fast… but it wasn't slow either.
Ughhh—!Seeing the flesh falling from the zombie, Sean couldn't hold it in and vomited.
"Sean! Sean! Get behind the desk with me!"Michael called out, but Sean didn't respond. His eyes were empty, frozen in shock.
Michael grabbed him and dragged him behind the desk.
Hah… hah… what do I do? What do I do now?The sounds of chewing and flesh being torn apart filled his ears.
"Sean… listen to me. I don't want to die like this."Michael pointed at the mutilated bodies.
Then, in a desperate move, he grabbed a metal chair, smashed the glass, and took the emergency axe—
The worst decision of his life.
Ring!!! Ringg!!!
The fire alarm blared loudly.
Every zombie in the library turned toward him.
"Damn it… I'm such an idiot!"
"Michael! The head! Aim for the head!"
Sean, who had barely overcome his shock, shouted.
HAAAAH!
Michael swung the axe with all his strength and buried it into the zombie's head.
[You have killed a Level 1 Zombie +5 XP]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 1. You have 3 stat points to distribute. Think of your status.]
At the same moment Michael killed the zombie, the alarm stopped.He turned and saw that Sean had smashed the alarm device with the chair.
But it was too late.Three zombies were already approaching the desk.
Michael didn't have time to read the floating messages—The second zombie was already closing in.
"Sean! Sean! I can't pull the axe out—it's stuck!"
Michael struggled, but the force of his strike had lodged it deep into the skull.
"I'm coming! We'll pull it out together—on three! One… two… three!"
Sean managed to pull the axe free, while Michael fell backward from the recoil.
"Sean, take it! Kill it! There must be some benefit to killing them!"
Michael had finally managed to read the messages.
Sean gripped the axe tightly, waiting for the zombie to reach the desk—
BOOM!
The moment it did, he drove the axe into its head. White brain matter splattered everywhere, causing Sean to vomit again.
"Sean… did those words appear to you too?"
Still vomiting, Sean nodded.
Michael wasn't imagining things.
He took the axe back, waited for the next zombie—then killed it.And the next.
Notifications kept appearing:
[You have killed a Level 1 Zombie +5 XP]
[You have killed a Level 1 Zombie +5 XP]
"Michael… think of your status now."Sean whispered.
Michael did as he said, and a window appeared before him:
Name: Michael De Von SantosLevel: 1 (25/10 XP)
Class: None
Mana Points: 26
Strength: 7 (10 for an average male)
Endurance: 9 (10 for an average male)
Vitality: 7 (10 for an average male)
Agility: 11 (10 for an average male)
Intelligence: 13 (10 for an average male)
Available Points: 3
Skills: None
Michael stared at the stats, confused about some of them.
Vitality: Determines the body's healing speed and mana recovery rate.
Endurance: Determines stamina and resistance to disease and attacks.
Mana: The new energy of the world, formed from electron movement instead of electricity for unknown reasons.
"Hey, Michael… do you understand any of this? I don't get anything."Sean scratched his head.
"I think… our bodies have been digitized somehow."Michael said it hesitantly, but he sounded certain.
"So… where should I put these points?"
"Tell me your stats."
Sean read everything he saw:
Name: Sean MaximusLevel: 1 (25/0 XP)
Class: None
Mana Points: 12
Strength: 15 (10 for an average male)
Endurance: 12 (10 for an average male)
Vitality: 10 (10 for an average male)
Agility: 8 (10 for an average male)
Intelligence: 8 (10 for an average male)
Available Points: 3
"Put two points into agility and one into intelligence."
Michael figured his friend shouldn't be slow in a world like this—the slowest die first.
"Hah! This feels amazing, Michael! You should try it! I feel like a new person!"
Sean shouted loudly—
Before Michael immediately jumped on him and covered his mouth.
There were still zombies in the library.The sounds of chewing and screaming had never stopped.
"You're still an idiot even after increasing your intelligence."Michael held his head in frustration.
Two zombies had already noticed them and were approaching.
"Michael, assign your points. Leave these zombies to me."Sean patted his shoulder and took the axe.
Michael thought for a moment, then put all his points into strength.
Name: Michael De Von SantosLevel: 1 (25/10 XP)
Class: NoneMana Points: 26
Strength: 10 (10 for an average male)
Endurance: 9 (10 for an average male)
Vitality: 7 (10 for an average male)
Agility: 11 (10 for an average male)
Intelligence: 13 (10 for an average male)
Available Points: 0
Skills: None
As the surge of power flowed through his body, Michael felt stronger than ever.
When he looked up—
Sean had already finished killing the zombies.
This time… he didn't vomit.
"Hey, Michael… look what I found."
Sean pulled out what looked like a strange book and handed it to him…