Mark walked toward one of the many seats in the Auditorium and sat down to rest; the consecutive battles had left him quite exhausted.
"Are you really going to kill him?" Iris sat down beside him and asked in a low voice with a tense expression.
Mark nodded with his eyes closed: "Yes, I'm going to kill him, but not now, not here."
Iris's heart tightened. Just a day ago, she would have walked away from Mark and reported him to the authorities if he had said something like that to her, but what about now?
*It seems he thinks it's normal to kill other people,* she thought, feeling a terrible shiver run down her spine.
Mark looked at her and smiled: "You think it's normal for me to kill people, but it's not..."
He took a deep breath and continued, his eyes shining with determination: "I decided I will do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means killing other people—enemies, of course."
Iris listened in silence, her small fists clenched and her gaze a bit hollow.
She was still very shocked by everything that was happening.
Everything had been so normal, and then people started eating each other, triggering a terrible wave of panic and despair that spawned chaos.
Mark saw Iris's expression but did not comfort her. He took a *Survivor Box* from his *Spatial Storage* and opened it before everyone's curious eyes.
> [+1 Minor Mana Recovery Potion]
> [+2 Kilograms of Rice]
.....
...
Everyone's eyes, including Iris's, widened in shock and disbelief at seeing such a magical and shocking scene.
Mark didn't care in the slightest about their reaction and continued opening the Survivor Boxes kept in his Spatial Storage.
In addition to a large amount of food, many Common Grade Weapons and dozens of Minor Mana Recovery Potions, Mark also obtained many other items...
[Minor Healing Potion]
Grade: Minor
Effect: Heals the user's superficial wounds within a few minutes.
.....
[Minor Stamina Potion]
Grade: Minor
Effect: Helps recover the user's physical stamina.
.....
[Minor Strength Potion]
Grade: Minor
Effect: Increases the user's Strength by 10% for two minutes.
.....
[Minor Agility Potion]
Grade: Minor
Effect: Increases the user's Agility by 10% for two minutes.
.....
[Skill Book: Strength]
Level: Common
Effect: Increases the user's Physical Strength by 20% for 5 minutes.
Usage Cost: 50 Mana Points.
Cooldown: 20 Minutes.
.....
[Skill Book: Fireball]
Level: Common
Effect: Launches a Fireball at the enemy, causing a small explosion.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.
Usage Cost: 10 Mana Points.
.....
"Two Skills!" Mark's eyes sparkled with joy and excitement; he hadn't expected to obtain Skills so easily.
Easy for him—but for the other Awakened in the world? Obtaining even one Skill Book was proving to be very, very difficult!
The eyes of Iris and the other Awakened widened in shock; they swallowed hard, their eyes focused on the Skill Books, the potions, and the small mountain of resources before Mark.
The other survivors looked at the large amount of food with eyes gleaming with desire and hunger.
Mark put away part of the food and looked at Iris and the other Awakened: "Take a weapon and distribute the food equally."
He then moved away from the spot, leaving all the work to Iris and the other Awakened.
*Ding!*
[Do you wish to learn the Skill Book: Strength?]
"Yes!" Mark did not hesitate and nodded, his eyes shining with expectation.
[You have learned the Skill: Strength (Common)!]
A wave of information entered Mark's mind; he closed his eyes and reviewed the information. Thanks to this knowledge, Mark learned how to use the Strength Skill in just a few seconds.
"Very good! Now let's test it with tenfold Supreme Amplification!" Mark nodded with satisfaction.
He didn't hesitate and activated the Supreme Amplification Talent, amplifying the power of the skills by 10 times.
[The power and effects of the Skills have been amplified by 10 times!]
[-10 Spiritual Energy Points]
[-10 Spiritual Energy Points]
Mark took a deep breath after seeing the notifications and activated the Strength Skill.
[Strength Skill activated! User's Strength has increased by 200%!]
A wave of unprecedented strength coursed through Mark's entire body, making him feel as though he could crush a massive mountain with a single punch!
"With this skill and the Fireball skill, my chances of survival have increased greatly!" Mark almost started laughing out loud, happy to have become stronger.
He deactivated the Supreme Amplification Talent and learned the Fireball Skill, adding one more ability to his arsenal.
Iris approached Mark with a machete in her hand and sat down beside him with a smile on her face while eating a chocolate bar.
"Want some?" she asked, moving the chocolate bar toward him.
Mark smiled and didn't hesitate; he took a bite of the chocolate bar, right above the spot where she had bitten before.
Iris's brown eyes widened in shock, her cheeks turned red, and her expression became shy. She lowered her head and went back to eating the chocolate, her heart beating very fast.
*So cute~* Mark almost laughed aloud seeing her like that.
He took several chocolate bars and bags of snacks from his Spatial Storage and began to eat while he rested.
Iris didn't hesitate and ate with him without asking permission, leaving Mark speechless. He felt as if Iris were the girlfriend he never had, which made him a little nervous, though Mark didn't show it in his expression.
After eating, Mark leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. Iris did the same with a calm expression, but inside, nervousness was gnawing at her heart.
The other survivors were also feeling very nervous. The Auditorium only had one entrance and one exit—to leave, they would have to face hundreds of zombies!
Three hours later...
Mark stood up, straight as a powerful spear, and looked at the other Awakened and survivors.
"It's time to go!"
His words left everyone visibly tense; they stood up and approached Mark.
A very beautiful young woman looked at the Awakened in the room and suggested: "Why don't we introduce ourselves and talk a bit about our Talents?"
Iris and the others nodded, thinking it was a great idea, and looked at Mark.
"Alright, you start," Mark agreed with a smile, his eyes focused on the beautiful young woman.
The young woman nodded and introduced herself: "I am Sophia Valentine. My Talent is similar to Telekinesis, but much, much more powerful."
*Sophia Valentine...*
Mark thought with narrowed eyes, remembering that this was the name of the girl considered the most beautiful in the University.
Iris pouted and pinched his waist very hard: "Stop looking at her, you idiot!"
Mark's face contorted in pain; he took a deep breath and coughed: "That's a very good Talent! Next!"
The next to introduce himself was a tall and muscular young man named Raymond. His Talent was Super Strength—he basically had much, much more strength than a normal Awakened.
Mark also thought his Talent was very good, but not quite as good as Sophia's.