“Do you think he has some weird status effect that’s making his veins black and bulge like that?” - unknown female
“Hmmmmm, no, my heal isn’t working on him but he should be fine, I checked his body and besides his veins looking like that there’s nothing else wrong with him, he is at 100% health” - unknown male
Slowly opening my eyes after hearing people talking around me I am greeted with two humans looking over me, one of them, the female, has short red hair and is kinda chubby….she’s big, almost as tall as me. The other is a small petite male with an indifferent expression. Has short blonde hair and in general just looks like a little boy.
“Fetch him some water Ciela, he’s waking up” - boy
Ciela goes running off hurriedly listening to the little boy’s commands. Odd watching her large mass listening to this fragile boy. Either way I need to figure out how these two survived.
“Hi, my name is Jeffrey, Ciela and I found you laying in a bunch of low level zombies so we cleared them out and brought you over to our hideout” - Jeffrey
“Thanks for that kid, wait, what...did you say low level zombies...what do you mean? How did you clear them out?” - Axel
“Ciela is a pretty good melee fighter, and when I say low level….could you possibly not know about the game system? In the beginning there were some people of course, but at this point none of them are alive” - Jeffrey
“Game System?” - Axel
“So I was right, hmmf, you’re lucky to still be alive with that lack of knowledge. Well to put things simply, something has brought hell upon earth and granted us with a gaming system where you can level up and obtain abilities and stats. There is no limit really, you can make yourself smarter, stronger, faster! But the only way to grow stronger is by killing! Most start out on zombies then start battling stronger monsters like the hordes of insects for example.” - Jeffrey
“O-okay, but why did so many people become zombies….and how do I get skills and abilities?” - Axel
“Well first off, say status in your head or out loud, as for the skills and abilities, there’s a few that are on the easier side to acquire, but that’ll come later. For now you should try and familiarize yourself with the game system.” - Jeffrey
“And the infection?” - Axel
“Hmmm, yeah, no one really knows exactly on what basis people were chosen to either become zombies or be granted the game system.” - Jeffrey
“So if you don’t stay human you die and become a zombie?” - Axel
“I haven’t heard of anyone turning into anything but a zombie, but who knows, on the other side of the globe there could be a different path the infection takes you or something.” - Jeffrey
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It seems like this kid is pretty well informed, but even he hasn’t heard about a hybrid like me. I wonder how he’d react if he knew. But from what I’ve gathered I can conclude that I’m not as powerful as I thought…..I mean fucking insects and a whole range of monsters are out there? Luckily I was held up in this supposed low level area this entire time.
My best bet is to empower myself with this game system, it seems like that’s the way this puny weak looking kid was able to survive. He told me to say….status! ……….
“Hey kid, it’s not coming up.” - Axel
“Hmm? Your status? Say it out loud, you might not be concentrating enough to get a response, saying it out loud will definitely work though.” - Jeffrey
Ciela finally gets back with my water, huffing and puffing she hands it to me with her sweaty paw.
“Thanks….” - Axel
Alright here goes….
“Status!” - Axel
Nothing…..nothing's happening….it must have to do with the fact I’m a hybrid, but without skills and abilities...fuck. Jeffrey did say that to become stronger you have to kill, for me that will only be more true. I know that I powerup when I eat the zombie’s hearts, but that is slowing down. Maybe my infection will be able to take the energy from stronger monsters to better strengthen me?
Looking down at my perfectly healed shin gives me hope….yes...with this body that’s so adaptable I can only gamble the infection continues to carry my existence through this hell, it’s different from that which has inflicted the undead, it takes priority on self, or maybe it always has. It could be that the original bodies of the undead couldn’t take the minimum energy requirements and were broken down to sustain the virus.
Looking up I notice the kid is looking at me with an expression of slight interest, I imagine he wants to know what I found after viewing my status, of course I have nothing to give him.
“Sooooo Jeffrey? All of this has been quite mentally draining, perhaps we can continue this after I take a power nap?” - Axel
“Of course, that’s fine. Besides it’s best for us to wait until our squad leader, Matt, gets back, so that he can try and help you figure out what’s wrong with your veins. He has a special variant of the observe skill that should be able to identify any problem you may have. He was a speci…..” - Jeffrey
I let the kid drone on as I get lost in my own thoughts...…..shit. That little dirt rag might be able to tell that I’m not human, well it was nice meeting this kid but I’m going to get out of here. Taking sometime to figure out where I am is the first step.
Hmm, seems they brought me up into one of the upper floors of a library. Not too high that I can’t just jump out of a window though. And if my body works the way I’m hoping it does, I should be able to resist even greater heights than before I blacked out. Either way, I need to make a choice. What should I do with the two hooligans in front of me.
It would be weird if I suddenly run away with inhuman strength after demonstrating I don’t know anything regarding the game system. From what the kid has said and his attitude with it all, this world sucks and a lot of people have died. But there is a lot of people left fighting and growing stronger, information exchange is in place and if my suspicion is correct, then this little group of 2 out of 3 should be part of a larger organization.
In that case I have no choice, although there’s no turning back from here…...it’ll be worth it. I mean, a few nights ago I was thinking I had hit a dead end, an absence of life around the globe and nothing left to live for…..but now? It might be a different world, but it’s still filled with life! New strange creatures and people with great strength fighting for the right of humans to live on this planet….it’s….beautiful. AND I NEED TO BE A PART OF IT!!!!
As the kid is still droning on about his big brother being in the military I walk over and give him a little shoulder hug.
“Hahahaha he sounds like a great guy, and thanks for helping me out man” I say as I look him in the eyes and glance over to the silent chub that is Ciela.
“You too Ciela, come over here, let us make a pact…... You two are the first people I’ve met since shit hit the fan” I say as I have my left arm on Jeffrey and my right arm on Ciela.
“I don’t have any strength currently but I know that I will need power in order to live. On top of that I need….to find my sister….You two are the only people I got, I know we just met, and I know she doesn’t have much of a chance….but still, she’s all I have, or had…... how about you guys help me out a little while I grow in strength. In exchange I’ll owe you a thousand! So what say you?” At first they looked at me oddly but their expression softened, and they, I imagine, were about to lend me a hand…..but we both know that won’t happen, we know what needs to be done…………….their heads pop covering my face in blood, brain, and skull fragments.