As the sound of footsteps drew closer, Kael's heartbeat slowed to a steady, rhythmic thrum, the chaos of the hallway fading into a distant hum.
While it might have seemed ridiculous—a recipe for death—for a group of low-leveled Awakened to face monsters over ten levels above them, Kael had already done the numbers in his head. He felt they could do it. Of course, that was only if they played their cards right.
With the knowledge of classes already explained by the system, Kael calculated that a zombie around Level 20 would have gained roughly 78 stat points. He doubted their Mind stat was included given their low intellect, meaning the system likely distributed four points to natural stats, mana included, and one free attribute point per level. Having leveled nineteen times, they would have gained a total of 95 points.
Yet, despite being only Level 3, Kael had already gained 8 natural stats and twenty free attribute points. Combined with his ENERGI—where each unit effectively counted as two stat points—he had already gained 48 points. At merely Level 3, his growth was simply monstrous. Not to mention, he had started with a reserve of 25 ENERGI points.
Most importantly, Kael knew his class skills were overpowered. How could they not be, when the skills of lower-ranked classes were already so impressive?
He remembered vividly the first time he had used Ignition Fist; he had caved in the skull of a zombie at Level 1, when his Strength was a measly 4 points. Now that his Strength surpassed ten—sitting comfortably in the realm of superhumans by the standards of the old world—he knew he could overshadow that feat with ease.
He had previously used the bone jutting from his healed stump to avoid the noise of a fiery explosion, but he didn't need to worry about that now. The more they killed, the stronger they would get.
Kael briefly recalled the moment his primordial instinct had taken over his body.
'Let's strive to be better than that bastard. No injuries today.'
*****
"Get ready!" Kael commanded as the creature stepped into view.
The Level 21 Common undead was a harrowing seven-foot juggernaut of corded muscle and tattered flesh. Its rotting aura hit Kael first—a thick, miasmatic haze that turned his stomach and blurred his vision with violent nausea. The creature's jaw unhinged with a wet crack, revealing rows of jagged bone spikes, while its fingers had fused into razor-sharp talons that scraped the floor with a metallic screech. Most daunting was the bone reinforcement—calcified white plates erupting from its joints like natural armor. As it caught their scent, its milky eyes pulsed with a crimson light, dark veins spreading grotesquely within them.
The others appeared visibly disoriented as the putrid smell hit them. Thankfully, Kael's shout pulled them out of their stupor.
"Now!"
The seven undead controlled by Rose lunged forward, rabid snarls erupting from their disgusting lips, as they moved like a desperate pack of hounds, their rotting limbs flailing as they threw themselves at the juggernaut.
Kael's instinct suddenly screamed at him. Without hesitating for a split second, he sent one unit of ENERGI into his Mind stat, entering the "Pencil Zone." Simultaneously, he dumped his remaining two free attributes into Mind; it was his main advantage over this undead, after all.
The effect was instantaneous. The world seemed to slow around him as his perception sharpened. The surrounding fifteen meters—matched to his Mind stat—appeared vivid in his mind's eye. He could feel every subtle movement. The moment he heard the bone plates of the undead make a subtle clinking sound and saw its corded muscles flex, Kael shouted to Alice.
"Your shield!"
The mana construct flew into the air just as the shambling monster snapped into a blur of explosive lethality. Its body barreled through the seven undead lunging at it, flinging them into the walls and doors as if they weighed nothing.
Kael, reacting before the monster even moved, flung the blue sword into the air and caught it with his mouth, freeing his hand to catch the shield smoothly. He arrived before the blurring juggernaut, shifted his weight, and twisted his body with the shield held tightly. The undead, speeding forward like a bullet, couldn't react as its head collided with the shield. With all the strength he could muster, Kael shoved the shield aside, parrying the monster into the wall.
- Bang!
Cracks spiderwebbed from the point of impact as a hole shaped like the monster appeared in the wall. Nathan stumbled and fell on his rear, the monster only a short distance away. No one else understood what had happened. One second the level 21 was charging; the next, it was lodged deep into the concrete, with dust and flakes of plaster raining down, coating the monster's twitching limbs in a fine white powder.
Ignoring the blue motes of the shattered shield and the pain of his bones nearly snapping, Kael rocketed forward. The blue sword fell from his mouth back into his trembling hand.
That rotting stench hit again, almost breaking his focus, but he pulled through with pure will and plunged his sword into the eye socket of the trapped undead.
- ROAR!
The creature released a guttural roar that shook the eardrums of the group, but it didn't last long. Kael raised his knee and smashed the hilt of the sword deeper into the skull.
- SQUELCH!
Blood splattered in every direction as the massive zombie slumped to the ground. Kael stood before it, panting slightly.
[YOU HAVE KILLED A LV. 21 UNDEAD (COMMON)]
[21 EXP GAINED]
[You have received an item for killing an opponent 10+ levels above you.]
'No Achievement Points, huh?' Kael wasn't too surprised. 'Is it because I didn't face it alone?' Still, he didn't dwell on it.
'I might have made a mistake,' Kael thought, watching his trembling hand while the hallway remained pin-drop silent. 'The strongest aspect of ENERGI might not be the stat boost, but this zone it sends me into. It turns me, someone who has never fought, into a fearsome fighter. It is almost as if I am puppeteering my own body. In fact, I find it difficult to keep my balance, with my missing forearm, but entering this state, makes it even easier to control my body than ever.' he lingered for a moment before adding, 'Let's call it combat trance.'
While the others stood stunned by Kael's might, Natalie's anxious voice resounded. "The other two are coming!"
Kael quickly pivoted toward Alice and Nathan. "Just focus on supporting me from behind."
Nathan didn't respond, staring with wide eyes, but Alice nodded. She wasn't too surprised by his strength, having seen him fight before. Still... 'He has grown stronger.' The thought rang in her head as she roused her mana to create another shield, standing behind Kael like a silent guardian. She handed him her sword, as his own had been destroyed by the force of his final strike. The new blade hummed with a fresh, crystalline energy, the blue light reflecting in Kael's dark eyes.
Nathan regained his composure and rejoined them as Kael moved forward. As he felt the quick, erratic footsteps drawing closer, Kael spoke without looking back.
"Rose, how are the undead?"
"All dead!" she replied instantly.
Kael nodded. The seven zombies were far lower-leveled; they never stood a chance. Raising his new sword, Kael sent one more unit of ENERGI into his Mind stat to stay in the zone.
"Can you control one of these?"
The group's eyes widened. Rose's voice came back, calm but tinged with excitement. "If I abandon the others, there is a chance. Though the odds are low, and I'll only be able to control one."
Kael nodded, while the others—Alice included—looked at the little girl in shock.
*****
AN: Thank you for reading. Vote power stones if you enjoyed the chapter😁.