Chapter 5: Tunnels and Bones

As the sixth person to have killed a demon, you have been granted a Title!

You have earned the Title: Pioneer!

In front of me, a translucent window popped up after I killed the demons.

“A title?” I said, my voice a bit curious.

Pioneer

Granted to the first fifteen individuals that have killed a demon during the Judgment Day.

+ 3 to all Stats

For a moment, I stared at the written words on the screen. It was not a bad start. After all, back in the previous time line, I was unable to gain this title. Well, that was expected since I have been hiding since day one back then.

Around us, the cries and wails of the surviving students still crescendo. But I chose to ignore that for now. Right now, I have a more pressing matter at hand. I needed to verify first my current stats.

“Just to be sure,” I mumbled. “Open Status Window!”

A mechanical Bling! sound rang, and my status screen appeared in front of me.

Chase Marcus

Race: Human

Level: 1

Experience Points: 439/2381

HP: 121/121

Mana: 54/54

Stamina: 103/106

Strength: 3 (+3)

Agility: 10 (+8)

Vitality: 4 (+3)

Intelligence: 9 (+3)

Dexterity: 15 (+3)

Luck: 8 (+3)

Titles:

Pioneer (+3 all stats)

Unallocated points: 0

“As expected,” I said as my I gazed on my experience points. “It’ll take more than just that to level up. I need to kill more of those bastards.”

Each individual has a different starting status. Those that were originally athletic have greater stamina and agility, and those that have been lifting weights have higher strength. Rationally speaking, leveling up was not the only way to boost one’s stats. You could train your body to its maximum potential, and stats would naturally flow in as a result.

I have tried it before, and back then, my base stats were around 35 per attribute. Of course, luck was not included in that.

I had not experimented on what luck would do, and I would rather not to. After all, there was this high chance that it would be nothing but waste of status points. There was this definite rule that as you gain more levels, the harder it would be to go up the ladder. There would be an exponential rise in the required experience points for every level you gained in this shitty apocalyptic world.

“W-What was that?” I heard a voice behind me whisper. Upon turning around, I saw Jerry gawking at my direction. His eyes were wide open, almost bulging. “W-What’s happening? Those are… are monters… demons, right?”

I simply nodded. At the corner of my eyes, I saw that Franchesca was still in deep shock. Moreover, her classmates were still wailing in fear, and screams of terror would come out every now and then.

Those pieces of shit were literally giving out our location.

“Jerry, let’s go,” I said as tapped his shoulder. He nodded and followed me, his hand firmly holding his sister’s.

I approached Franchesca then grabbed her hand. It was ice cold.

“Are you alright?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

She was unable to reply. I sighed and frowned. I hate to see her like this.

“The Franchesca that I know is a strong person,” I said as the memories of my previous life resurfaced. “She’s strong-willed. A survivor. Someone who wouldn’t crumble to mere demons.”

As I said those words, a sobbing sound came out.

Crap. I made her cry.

“W-Wait!” I stuttered.

Did I say something wrong? I racked my brains of the possible things to say but no words came out.

When I was fighting demons, I was steady and calm. But against her crying face, I was in stupor. I was unable to fully speak.

Behind us, screams echoed. I instinctively glanced at the source. Demons. Dozens of them.

“D-Demons!”

“W-Why are they here?!”

“R-Run!”

In the blink of an eye, the classmates of Franchesca were being slaughtered one after another. I ushered my group towards our escape.

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As expected, it was finally happening. This city was indeed the spawn point of demons. The longer we stayed here, the more dangerous it would be.

I firmed my grip on Franchesca’s hand. She was trembling, and it would not be a surprise if she suddenly fainted from here.

I wonder, how did she survive the apocalypse back in the previous timeline?

With heavy breaths, we ran away from the university. We soon reached the metallic gate.

“H-Hey, what about those guys back there?” asked Jerry, his breaths deep and heavy.

“We’re leaving them behind, of course,” I simply stated.

“Y-You can defeat those d-demons, right?” he said. “W-We… You should help them! They’re dying out there, mate!”

“Are you stupid!?” I snarled. Jerry shriveled after my remark. “We don’t have that luxury right now!”

I cast glance at Franchesca.

“I don’t give a damn if those guys die,” I said. “We’re getting out of here—and I’m taking only you guys with me!”

As I said those words, we’ve finally gotten out of the university. Outside, a nightmare unfolded before our very eyes.

Numerous buildings were toppled all over, their previously majestic exteriors cracked and reduced to smithereens. Smoke perpetually swirled up into the sky, smog filled the streets, and numerous cars burned into infernos. Scattered about were numerous corpses of what appeared to be humans.

Screams and shrieks echoed, and occasional cackling laughter from the demons crescendo.

I quickly stormed my brain for a way out.

“The subway,” I said as we stood there, our eyes glued to the burning city. “Let’s go.”

There were no objections about my decision. All of us went towards that particular destination. Thankfully, no demons spotted us as we tried to escape. We arrived to the subway without much hitch and strife.

As far as I remembered, back in the previous timeline, the trains in the subway were non-functional, but the tunnels themselves were intact. I guess I had to thank the government for that.

“Are you alright?” I asked Franchesca. She had been silent until now.

She bobbed her head once, forcefully.

I bit my lips after that sight. I swore that I would not let anything bad happen to her this time.

“There’ll surely be monsters along this path,” I said. In front of us was the flight of steps that lead towards the underground. I saw everyone stiffen. “But this is far safer than staying on the surface.”

I did not know if my last statement brought relief to my group, but that hardly mattered now. This path was our best shot for survival. I was sure.

I led the group towards the underground tunnels, and our steps echoed as we went deeper down. I realized that all of the lights were out. It was dark, eerily dark.

I heard soft, hissing sounds. I signaled the group to stop.

“Jerry, the light,” I said, as I pointed at the pocket of the bag where it was stored.

Jerry, still pallid and clammy, took out a flashlight. He opened it then let out a scream.

“Aaaaahhh!”

His voice echoed through the tunnels, and he almost stumbled down. I did nothing but stare at the creatures that were unveiled by the light.

Large plants that were twice the size of an adult human. Their flowers were filled with sharp fangs, and drools dripped down their mouth. Numerous vines crawled and latched through the walls of the subway. Beneath those plant creatures, bones covered the ground.

“T-Those are human bones, right?” said Jerry, his eyes wide, almost popping out.

“Calm down,” I said. At the corner of my eyes, I could somehow see that Jerry’s sister was close to fainting. “They’re Demonic Fly Traps. They’re much easier to kill than those demons above us.”

At the head of those plant creatures, a translucent box floated.

Demonic Fly Traps

Lv.3

These creatures have the same level as the green demons above, but their immobility was a great handicap. If one knows that these creatures were weak to the smell of burnt wood, then these bastards would be nothing but living sources of exp.

I took out a piece of wood inside the bag and burned it. The smoke quickly spread through the tunnels, and the previously hissing demonic plants began to screech and wail. The members of my group were struck by fear after seeing this, and if not for me signaling them not to run away, they would have fled the subway.

After almost a full minute, the screeching stopped. The demonic plants quivered, and their petals started to fall off one by one.

I asked Jerry to hold the wood-turned torch for me.

I unsheathed my sword and licked my lips. I struck the bodies of the plants one after another. They gave a soft, screeching sound, before their bodies eventually withered away then turned to dust.

There were a lot of them, and by the time I was finished, I had finally gained a level.

You have leveled up!

I grinned after seeing the notification.

“System, allocate all points to agility!”

Do you wish to allocate 5 points to agility?

I was still inspecting our immediate surroundings when I replied, “Do it.”

5 points has been allocated to agility!

Once again, I felt the boost from the added agility. I grinned.

“If we use this tunnel, we’ll eventually arrive at Nagan Station. We can walk towards the mountains from there,” I said. “It’ll take around five hours before we arrive.”

There was no response from my group. Franchesca was still quivering, her face anxious and pallid.

I signaled the group to move forward. Occasionally, I would step on piles of bones, sending a loud cracking sound throughout the subway.

The dark tunnels were illuminated by our make-do torch, and the flashlight I now held in my hand. The sound of water dripping down from above served as background.

“O-Over there.”

For the first time since the apocalypse started, Jerry’s sister spoke. I looked at the direction she was pointing at. A distance from us, I could make out two silhouettes of what appeared to be humans.

We kept walking, and soon, the light from our torch revealed their figures.

Two naked women. And they were absurdly gorgeous.

I heard Jerry gulp down the lump in his throat.

“Help us!” said one of them. She was close to sobbing, and tears were evident at the corner of her eyes.

“Please! We don’t want to die!” said the other.

I broadly grinned. I licked my lips then said, “Then, come over here.”

There were lust and malice within my voice, and at the corner of my eyes, I knew that the members of my group were staring at my direction.

The two women approached me, their naked bodies exposed for everyone to see.

“This tunnel is indeed a treasure trove,” I mumbled. My eyes turned predatory.

Without warning, I unsheathed my sword and struck the two women. Blood splattered as their heads rolled through the ground.

Jerry’s sister screamed. As I thought, the shock was too much for her to handle.

“It’s fine,” I said. “They’re not humans. Look.”

As I said those words, their corpses slowly turned into a grotesque monster. Their ivory skin turned gnarled and dried, and their hairs turned into leaves and roots.

Jerry’s sister was dumfounded as she witnessed the sudden transition.

“Dryads,” I said. “They take the form of humans and entice unsuspecting survivors. They’ll suck you dry until only your bones are left.”

I stepped over a pile of bones on my left. They cracked then turned to dust.

“These bones… they’re not because of those demonic plants from before,” I said. I once again licked my lips. After all, these pesky creatures called Dryads were around Lv. 5. Killing them like this was a stroke of fortune by itself. “There’s so much bones in this subway. I wonder how many people these bastards have killed by now.”

The Dryads squirmed, but their bodies refused to move.

“You piece of shit! Human! I will kill you!” said one of them. The soothing voice from before had turned deep and ominous. “I will devour you! I will eat your flesh! I will lick your bones! You damn piece of sh—”

I struck my sword deep into its squirming body. It screamed in pain, and I twisted my sword further in.

I chuckled. “Are you saying something?”

I pulled out my sword then struck its body again, then again, then again. I only stopped after its body had withered then turned to dust. Of course, I did the same to the other monster.

I checked my status points. The experience gained was not much, but I was sure that these creatures dropped that certain item.

And I was correct.

On the place where the Dryads had turned into dust, a small gemstone glimmered against the torch’s light.

“System, identify!” I said.

Tears of Dryad

Dryads are elusive creatures that feed on lust and flesh of their victims. They will feed on the life force of their prey and use that to extend their own lifespan. Due to their low ability to produce an offspring, their race is among those that are near extinction.

Effects: Cures all abnormal status

Heals 15000 HP

Heals 250 Mana

Number of uses: 1 per stone

It was an item that would normally be used by high-leveled individuals. It was merely a stroke of luck that I was able to encounter such monsters here.

I tucked the stones inside my pocket.

This was a good start, definitely.

“Let’s go,” I said to the group. “We need to get out of this city as soon as possible.”