David’s fight didn’t go unnoticed. His fresh blood, the collision of metal, and the Kobold’s curdling screams could be heard everywhere. It attracted attention. Enough attention to lure Infected, those who had survived or even defeated Kobolds storming the shopping center and headed to the third floor.

David didn’t know how many Infected had survived, but he was certain the Kobolds couldn’t have defeated hundreds of Infected from the first and second floor. The Kobolds reached the third floor too quickly with too few injuries to have eliminated all Infected.

It came as no surprise when dozens of Infected reached the third floor. In fact, by now, the Infected were already with them. Some snarls and groans rang out from the stairwell the Kobolds used earlier, while others reached the third floor through the escalators and the other stairwells.

David’s right leg caved in, blood spurting from a wound inflicted by a spear thrust. The spear blade had pierced his leg cleanly and inflicted even worse damage when it was pulled out with brute force.

That’s annoying.

He still felt like screaming at the top of his lungs but used that energy to fight instead.

Think of the pain as a way to ensure that you are still alive. Pain makes you mortal. It shows you that you are alive.

David noticed the injury in his leg too late. He’d been certain his movement wasn’t restricted all this while. Or maybe it was, and he just didn’t notice anything. One way or another, David wasn’t going to escape now. There were five Kobolds left to kill and a few dozen Infected to play with.

There was no path of escape. Maybe he could use the chaos and escape to the emergency staircase, but he was slower than the Kobolds and uncommon Infected. His leg injury didn’t grant him any advantages, either. If anything, it attracted the Infected.

He was bleeding the most severely, transforming him into the Infected’s main target.

That being said. Everyone had to die.

Now!

One of the Kobolds approached him, but David didn’t waste any time. He threw his sword through the air, impaling the charging Kobold with a trace of luck. The Kobold wasn’t dead. It grasped the sword handle tightly and pulled it out of its chest.

“I wouldn’t have done that,” David mumbled, his attention lingering on a spot behind the Kobold.

If one were to label Infected as mindless, one would have to consider Kobolds stupid.

They weren’t like Infected, but their intelligence was…questionable, to put it simply. The Kobold before David didn’t understand what he said, but it noticed where he looked. Thinking that the Infected were behind him, the Kobold turned around. But there was nothing like that. On the contrary, its brethren charged at the Infected. They roared aloud, the rage fueling them getting the better of the Kobolds.

Only the injured Kobold charged at David. They were alone.

It spun around once more, ready to behead David, but the half-dead man had already made his move. He was holding a spear in his left and rammed it into the Kobold’s chest. The Kobold screeched desperately. Its claws coiled around the spear shaft, trying to pull it out of its chest, but it was already too late. The spear blade pierced the Kobold’s heart.

[You have defeated Kobold(Iron III.)]

David used [Cure Wounds] before and after he killed the Kobold. It alleviated the pain sweeping throughout his body and soothed his sore muscles, yet it also weakened him. The crimson motes used as a replacement for holy power drained his body while simultaneously healing him. It wasn’t a perfect solution.

But it was something.

His eyes shot across the battlefield while lifting his right hand to press firmly against his chest. A fountain of blood gushed from the deep gashes all over his right arm, but all David could focus on at this moment was the drumming of his heart.

Was he excited just now? Did he enjoy fighting with his life on the line?

A dangerous glimmer flashed through his eyes, and the corner of his lips curled upward. David’s grip around the spear shaft tightened, and he kicked the dead body to retrieve his weapon. He eyed the shortswords sprawled all over the floor for a moment but turned back to the battlefield when groaning, Infected approached him. Some were faster Infected, which threatened to reach him at any moment, but David stabbed one of them in the eyes, piercing his brain in one go, before retreating. He reached two Kobolds fighting the Infected near the stairwell and thrust the spear into their calves before pushing the Infected in their direction.

The Infected scratched as he shoved them aside, infecting him. David’s sorry state didn’t help slow the infection as it nestled in his blood in no time, but his plan worked out. The undead switched to the closest source of life, attracted by the blood spurting from the holes in the Kobolds’ calves, and attacked.

But David was not yet done. More Infected followed the trails of blood and approached the battlefield. They swayed past the Kobolds as if they couldn’t hear them.

Blood is a stronger trigger than noises. Alright. If it’s like that.

David pulled his left arm back. It ached, and several healing gashes tore open again, but that was fine. David smiled through the blood soaking his hair, covering his face. He hurled the spear through the air and hit a Kobold’s shoulder. The spare blade pierced through and through, splattering the creature’s blood through the air.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

A moment later, the Infected, who’d swayed past the Kobolds, turned around. They locked targets and attacked, swarming the Kobolds from all sides.

The rest was bloody history.

***

David sat unmovingly.

He didn’t know how he discerned the bank among the bodies of rotting Infected, and dead magical creatures, but he did it. Somehow.

David breathed roughly. His throat felt like it was on fire. Even though David’s neck and throat hadn’t been injured, he had problems breathing. It was like every breath drained some of his life.

But he didn’t dare using [Cure Wounds] any longer. The crimson motes were dangerous. They nearly killed him even if David didn’t know how the motes would have done that. The battle had ended, yet cleansing the infection nearly killed him.

It’s a blessing and a curse. I survived because of these motes, but they’re dangerous. There is no way I received this power without having to pay a price. A price I have yet to understand…

David didn’t move. Not even his lips parted. Yet, it wasn’t like David did not want to move. He tried to, but it was all to no avail.

The blood battlefield unfolded before him, probably attracting more Infected, but David smiled. He had no energy left to fight, yet the smile never left his lips.

Did I ever feel like this? Alive like this?

He couldn’t move, and it was clear that the last ten minutes had been the most dangerous experience in his entire life.

But why do I feel so good? Is it the experience? The freedom? Or is it the change? Why do I feel so good even though my whole body is broken? Every breath gets to me, and it hurts to keep my eyes open. I feel like closing my eyes and never opening them again, yet…I’d rather endure the pain and stay alive…than die…than give up.

David had yet to fully comprehend his situation, but there was one thing lingering on his mind.

Since when do I have a purpose in life?

A few minutes of silence passed. No Infected or Kobold reached the third floor, and there were also no survivors. David expected someone or something to happen, yet nothing like that happened.

His foggy mind cleared at some point, so he checked the notifications he’d missed while he was busy fighting.

The first notification attracting his attention was a crimson-red rectangle. There were multiple notifications like that, and they all looked the same. It was a warning, which David had promptly ignored.

[Emergency Warning! Your Holy Sea has been damaged due to excessive usage. Do NOT use your Holy Sea!! Time until recovery [11H:48M:25S]]

That’s surprising. To think the system would warn me like that. As if I cannot tell that I’m abusing the energy reservoir when it’s cracking and screaming. I might be a little bit dull, but I am not that dumb.

But more surprising than the system slapping him on his hand like a worrying mother was the countdown. David didn’t expect the Holy Sea to recover this quickly.

[Facing death head-on, you put a heavy weight on your Soul. However, the User remained unfazed and overcame the dance with death.]

[Your Soul has grown.]

Lowest(Basic) → Lowest(+)(Basic)

The pair of notifications appeared simultaneously. David hadn’t seen them before but probably belonged to the crimson message. David hadn’t paid much attention to the warning message even as it dispersed, yet the countdown in the bottom corner of his vision attracted his curiosity.

[5H:48M:10S]

The countdown went down… So my Soul is closely related to the Holy Sea’s condition and recovery…and probably more. I should be able to tell the difference once the Holy Sea is healed up.

David felt good, but only for a moment. His expression soured suddenly.

Why does this feel like the system is encouraging me to break my Mind, Body, and Soul? And why didn’t my Body grow stronger, either? Did my Body not go through its limit? After all of this?!

David clicked his tongue, which was painful but worked out just fine. He didn’t lose a limb and slowly regained control of the remaining parts of his body as well. But there was no rush. He was still the only spectator of the magnificent bloody massacre.

[Proficiency of Cleanse increased.]

[Proficiency of Cure Wounds increased.]

[Proficiency of Cure Wounds reached 100%.]

[Tier-0 II] → [Tier-0 IV]

A few more notifications were pending, however, only one attracted his attention. The other holographs were generic, mentioning the contamination of his blood, the infection, and the increase in his Skill Runes’ proficiency, but this one was different.

It was a purple message sprinkled with sparkles that shone like the stars in the sky. It was also etched with intricate symbols, giving it a unique appearance.

It was…fancier than the messages David had seen until now.

Abandoned. Injured. Infected.

Betrayed. Slashed. Survived.

You survived against all odds.

You murdered instead of healed.

You did not die.

Death’s grasp around your neck tightened. You were bound to die, yet you didn’t.

You were supposed to give up. Surrender, but you did not.

You are alive.

You, David Stears, have attracted the interest of [Bereth, the ???]

That…is a weird message, but who the hell is Bereth?

David barely finished the notification when something materialized before him. The fabric of space and reality seemed to twist as something formed out of thin air.

It was black, rectangular, and probably the size of his palm.

The object looked like an ordinary graphite slate if not for the symbol engraved into it.

That looks like a Skill Rune, doesn’t it?