When Michael arrived at the residential buildings
they found Liam's team had already cleared one of the buildings
"they're making things easier for us without even trying" Hank said, pleased at the sight.
Michael had already informed them about the survivor group that had refused to ally with them.
"There are ten buildings in this neighborhood. At this rate, we can clean them all in two days," Hank began calculating Liam's team's speed in clearing the building.
"Focus. We start now," Michael stopped him from overthinking the future.
"Okay, now we'll start the plan. We'll split into three teams: (me and Hank), (Sean, Zola, Peter), (Yu-Min and Theo)."
"Each team will choose a floor and clean it separately," Michael explained.
The building's door was locked, but because the power had failed, all modern electronic locks were useless, so Michael easily opened the door.
The zombies inside were attracted by the creaking sound of the metal door and rushed toward them the moment the door creaked open.
"Let's finish this quickly," Michael spat to the side, muttering.
Five zombies charged at the team, but they were instantly blown apart.
"Michael, are you still angry at Yu-Min?" Hank asked as he and Michael ascended to the third floor, separate from the others.
"I'm not angry… but I haven't forgiven him" Michael shook his head and replied.
Hank let out a dry laugh and didn't speak about it again.
Upon reaching the third floor, a lone zombie wandered in the corridor.
Michael encouraged Hank to fight it himself, wanting him to overcome his fear.
"Okay, I'll do it." Hank gripped his spear tightly, veins bulging, and stepped toward the slow-moving zombie.
He gathered all his courage, suppressing every fear, ignoring the roar, the stench, the fear creeping up his spine
Taking a deep breath, Hank thrust his spear at the zombie's head. The spear struck its cheek, but Hank reacted quickly, pulling back before stabbing the neck, causing black blood to spray everywhere, coating the spear.
"Not bad… better than my first kill" Michael said, but Hank excitedly interrupted.
"A skill book dropped!" Hank's eyes lit up, forcing himself to ignore the disgust, and he kicked the body to retrieve the book.
{Skill Book: Wind Blade Spell – Rank-1}
(The Wind Blade forms by compressing and condensing mana, reducing surrounding air pressure, which accelerates the surrounding wind until it becomes as sharp as a blade.)
[Quality: Rare]
[Mana Cost: 5 per blade]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
[Do you want to learn this skill?]
[Yes] [No]
"You got it. You're learning it," Michael said with a smile, giving Hank permission.
"Thank you, Michael," Hank said gratefully. He quickly learned the skill and increased his stats.
"Come on, let's finish the rest of the floor and help you level up," Michael said, diving back into zombie combat.
^Tony Miguel POV ^
The residential building sweep was completed smoothly; the team only faced a dozen zombies.
"I'll check the park kiosk; maybe I can find some food," the green-haired girl Rose said, pulling Tony from his thoughts.
"I'll accompany you. It's too dangerous to go alone these days," Bernard said, drawing his great sword, clearly smitten with Rose.
"Just be quick and don't mess around." Tony dismissed them quickly. "Ugh, staying with these idiots is lowering my IQ," he muttered under his breath.
"Help! Help!"
About half an hour later, Bernard and Rose ran toward them in panic, chased by a massive black husky, two meters tall.
"Run! Everyone, run!" Tony shouted, calling to Liam and Jean to flee. He saw the husky crush Rose's head with a single blow.
Tony ran as fast as he could, spotting a glimmer of hope: the survivor group from the library resting nearby. He redirected and ran toward them.
"Liam, hurry up, man!" Tony shouted. Behind them, the husky was closing in on Bernard.
Two hours later, the team had completely cleared the building without injuries. All newcomers reached Level 2 and received their skill books.
"Did you notice something strange, Michael?" Sean asked, sitting by the building's door after clearing it.
Everyone resting nearby perked up.
"It seems that the first time you kill a zombie, a skill book drops consistently," Michael said, falling into deep thought.
"Yes, we can make use of this," he said, and a cunning glint appeared in his eyes.
"What do you mean…?" Sean shivered at his friend's expression.
"Hey, look over there." Before he could finish, Sean froze and pointed at Tony and the others running toward them.
"Be careful!" Michael shouted as a black shadow leaped forward, knocking one of them to the ground.
When Liam finally arrived, the shadow was clear—a massive, terrifying black-and-white husky with blood-stained teeth and red eyes full of killing intent.
{Husky Rank-1: A domestic husky unable to adapt to the mana current flowing through its body during transformation, driven mad. Its only goal is to feed and evolve to higher life tiers.}
[Level: 5]
[Skills: N/A]
[Mutations: Increased size, explosive strength]
]Mutation Type: Undefined]
As soon as Michael activated his skill, new options appeared that hadn't shown when scanning the zombies.
"Guys, don't panic. It's only Level 5. We've fought stronger and won," Michael shouted to boost morale.
"Liam, get your team inside," Michael ordered, noticing the other team's shaken state.
The unknown is often the most terrifying for humans; seeing the monster reduced their fear, and hope began to appear.
Perhaps due to Michael's loud voice—or the husky tiring of eating only Bernard's flesh—the beast suddenly lunged at Michael.
"No, you won't!" Sean grabbed a shield from Peter, blocking the husky and pushing it away.
"Ugh, that hurts like hell!" Sean groaned after the impact. Michael started launching fireballs at the husky, burning its fur.
The pain fueled the husky's bloodlust, and it charged again.
"I'll handle this," Yu-Min said, stepping in with his katana. Mana blades sliced the air, cutting deeply into the beast's side, exposing its insides.
The husky howled in pain. Michael quickly followed with fireballs, scorching the creature further.
[You killed (Lvl 5) Husky – 50 XP+]
[Congratulations, Fireball skill upgraded to Level 2 +95 XP]
Michael's skill leveled up instantly, but he didn't have time to enjoy it.
"Michael, when it howled, I think it was calling for help," Sean said, pale and trembling.
Two more massive huskies, faster than the first, were heading toward them.
"Into the building, everyone!" Michael's heart sank. Sean carried the injured, Yu-Min checked the corpse for loot, and Zola shut the iron door.
Seconds later, two heavy impacts shook the metal door as the huskies attempted to break in.
"Give me the spear, quickly!" Tony called. He grabbed Hank's spear and placed it horizontally to fortify the door.
"What's happening??" Tony asked, facing ten pairs of eyes staring like daggers. Even the powerless survivors wanted him to lead a solution.
Tony took a deep breath and explained the situation, voice shaking.
"The swordsman is right. We must handle this quickly; we can't stay here until night."
Jean interrupted Tony before he could respond further.
Throughout the conversation, Liam hadn't spoken a word, overwhelmed by shock, grief, disbelief, and despair.
"We're against two huskies one Level 7, the other Level 10."
"Sean can't fight. We have three new girls we just saved."
"We can't run. And we can't fight them head-on." Michael explained clearly.
"I have an idea, but it needs cooperation from both teams," Tony suddenly said, outlining his plan.
"Can he do it?" Michael muttered in agreement and nudged Liam, who had been sitting quietly, in disbelief.
"Hey Liam, wake up! We need you!" Tony shouted and kicked him.
"They died… because of me…" Liam muttered repeatedly.
"Yes, they died. If you don't stand up now, we'll all die here," Tony slapped him hard enough to snap him out, bringing him back to focus.
"Ready?" Yu-Min asked at the door.
"Yes, open it," everyone replied. Peter and Liam held shields, with Jean, Zola, and Theo behind them.
Once opened, Hank and Tony attacked the huskies with wind blades and mana arrows, while Michael waited for the perfect moment to strike.
"Warrior's Shield," Peter activated his skill, covering his shield with a layer of white mana. Liam activated his skill too, his body expanding, turning into a 2.5-meter giant
"I'll handle the Level 10. Kill the other one and help me," Liam charged the white husky.
The clash between Liam and the Level 10 husky was nearly even. Peter was thrown by the husky's claws, and without his skill, he would have died.
The other husky lost balance briefly, giving Michael a chance to strike with fireballs, hitting its belly.
Yu-Min performed a sword dance, stepping forward and slicing the husky from below, guts falling out.
Even after these attacks, the husky didn't die. It lunged at Theo, who was too scared to react, and Theo torn apart before he could even react
"That damn dog!" rage exploded across Zola's face, he activated his skill,
throwing his mana-coated spear, hitting the husky in the eye, and ending its life.
[You killed Lvl 7 Husky – 70 XP+]
[Congratulations, you reached Level 3 with 3 free stat points]
At the same time, during the struggle against the Level 7 husky,
a collapse and howl signaled the death of another.
When everyone turned, Jean held his short sword dripping blood, the white husky lying behind him
a deep X carved across its body.