I was bored!
There was literally nothing to do in this place, except for walking or watching the other monsters moving around.
It was still the middle of the night, only a couple of hours have passed after the gargoyle left me and the other zombies on our own. He told us to do what we wanted, but what there was to do in the middle of a graveyard?
At first, I decided to explore. Not having to keep the facade of a normal zombie anymore, it was easy for me to leave the group behind and go away fast.
I didn't know what I hoped to find in this place, but I was disappointed by not finding anything.
'Nothing, nothing and even more nothing! Just a bunch of Undead shambling and some critters, but no more than that.'
I looked around for hours, and there was nothing! Even in the few crypts, the ones not in ruin, I entered there were only empty graves. Annoyed by the boredom, I decided to sit on a tombstone and to learn more about my new condition.
I opened my Status and used the “Identify” skill on some details that I didn't understand. The first thing that I wanted to know better was my race, and with the skill's level up, now I could.
Zombie: Undead-type monster. A corpse that regained some semblance of life, usually because of magical means. The zombies are brought into existence by re-inserting the soul of the departed into a body, without repairing the connection between the two. By doing this, the soul will act only as the energy source for the corpse that will move and act by instinct alone, with no trace of intellect.
Differently by skeletons, zombies still have their flesh and muscles, so they are physically stronger.
All right, that wasn't different from the general description of a zombie. There was a particular focus on the soul being detached from the body, and how it gave the energy to move, and sentience to a living being, apparently.
'Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind.'
It looked like an important detail, so it was better to not forget it. Then, I passed to the Revenant part of my race.
Revenant: a particular kind of Undead who kept their mind when they rise. They are considered a superior subspecies. Only the strongest Undead races are blessed by this occurrence and are considered extremely dangerous, as usually, the strong grudges that they bore from life are the cause for this phenomenon to happen.
Ah. So, I was a super-zombie of some kind. It was obvious that I was like that because of the gifts received from Admin G. That probably explained the difference in Ranks between me and the other guy that I inspected before.
I'd like to know more about that, but strangely I couldn't get any information about it. Maybe my skill's level was too low to analyze that part, either that or there wasn't anything else to know.
'Well, that was informative. Now, I hope to find something to do here or I'll go crazy.'
Maybe I'd find something more if I went towards the centre of the area, instead of wander here in the outskirts. I stayed here because I thought that the deeper you went, the more dangerous it would become, with stronger creatures and traps.
As a monster myself, it should be sure for me to go there, but I preferred not to risk it, least I'd attire the wrath of somebody who could break my spine like nothing. I'd like to live more than one night, thank you very much. So, I'd stroll around here for another while, hoping to find someone with a lick of intelligence to strike some kind of conversation.
"Gasp!"
A sound from behind me caught my attention! That was a voice, and that meant somebody was here. I turned around to greet a fellow talker, and I stopped immediately.
Before me stood a human, dressed in armour and pointing a big sword in my direction while trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"A-a-a-a z-zom-zombie!!!"
He was a young male, I'd guess still a teenager, judging from the fuzz that covered his face and the slightly scrawny body, a metallic plate protecting his chest. His head was covered by a bowl-like helmet, a bit too large for him, and a heavy sack was placed on his shoulders. But the most curious part was his expression, a mix of excitement and fear while he was standing there, eyes fixed on me.
'From the looks alone, he seems a rookie. Let's see...'
The "Identify" skill was activated once again and I gave a good look at my new friend here.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Paul
†Race: Human
Level: 1 (10%)
Rank: F
Sex: Male
Age: 16 years
Job: Fighter
HP: 11/11
MP: 9/9
Status: 100%
Rank ups: None
STR: 12
INT: 8
DES: 10
WIS: 7
VIT: 11
CHA: 7
SKILLS
Sword Proficiency
Cut them up. You can use melee weapons of the Sword category.
Lvl 2
Passive
Strike
Hit hard! A strong hit with your weapon to damage your enemies. Fighter Skill.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Lvl 1
Active (2 MP)
He was so weak! Just barely better than a normal zombie, and not even by so much! I was caught by a certain discomfort from this view, seeing as the guy clearly wanted to fight me.
That wasn't good. Forget about not having a weapon, I wasn't ready to fight somebody else, nevertheless a human being! I knew that one day this would happen, but it was too early! I knew it was the only choice for me, a monster, in such situations, but my mind couldn't conceive the idea to kill somebody.
I would try to flee. I'd just move around for a bit, trying to find an opening and then I would run as fast as I could. The heavy pack on his back would slow him down, giving to me the chance to go out of his sight and hide.
'It'll be fine. I have just to tire him for a bit and then I'll escape.'
"T-this i-is my o-occasion to l-level up, f-finally!"
So, he didn't see me as a danger, but only as a bunch of experience? That hurt, and I was trying to keep some level of morality. I'd slip a couple of punches during the battle if only to teach him to not underestimate an enemy, whatever they were.
I stood there, waiting for him and putting up again the act of a simple zombie. Fortunately, he didn't notice my difference before, or his reaction would be different.
He raised the two-handed sword over his head and rushed forward to strike me, yelling like a madman. It was so pathetic that I internally cringed, only a mindless thing would be hit by that.
'Seriously, how much of a rookie is he? Such things never work...'
I would never allow me to be killed by such an amateur, another reason to get the hell out of here. When he was close enough, I side-stepped out of his way and I watched him keep running until he tripped on a tomb, crashing on the ground.
'That will leave a mark for sure.'
While the young Fighter was trying to raise himself up, without taking off the heavy load on his body, I slowly tried to go away. My attempt brought me only a few steps away, as the guy finally connected his brain and got in fighting position again.
"F-fucking monster! I'll show y-you what I'm made of!"
Apparently, the fall made him realize that the sack was an obstacle to his movements, so it was left on the ground, and my dodge made him angry. Still, it wasn't a reason to insult!
He advanced again, this time his run was more controlled and he started swinging his blade as he got closer to me. The problem was that all of his strikes were too telegraphed, I could easily avoid them by stepping behind or to the side. I wondered how did he survive so long without a party, and with how wide were the swings and the weight of his weapon, how much longer until he tired himself out?
'Come on! I don't even want to fight. Let me go on my way.'
This dance went for a while I was starting to worry about the rookie who was still going for me. Soon I'd be forced to attack if I really wanted to escape, but now it would be more from the situation than the fight itself.
Suddenly, I hit my back against something hard and big. A glance showed me that it was a wall.
Given how the landscape was almost identical I never noticed for how much I was backing up and he took advantage of my blind spot to push me towards one of the ruins and blocking my escape routes.
'So he isn't a complete idiot.'
Panting hard, the young Fighter showed a smug smile sure that victory was in his grasp. After recovering his breath, the boy pointed his blade at me, a new cockiness in his words:
"Ahah! Y-you've fallen in my trap, a-abomination! W-with nowhere t-to f-f-flee, you'll fall to m-my might!"
With those words, he charged, but there was something different in his movements: his stance was more stable, the arm was moving with calculated strength and his grip on the weapon was firm. That was nothing like the previous attempts. There was precision, speed and power in that hit!
The assault was too sudden, and I had nowhere to run. I could only stand there, as the deadly weapon made its way into my chest.
The sensation of the piece of iron that pierced my flesh was terrible. I could feel its coldness inside of me, its foreign presence intruding my lung. That strike had an unexpected strength behind it, especially coming from such a feeble guy like this one.
I subconsciously knew that I wouldn't die from this, but the impression was still hard on me and seeing the hitten part, the damage would be awful.
You suffered a moderate wound. HP -5
'That's it?!'
I watched the notification signalling the HP loss suffered, and I was surprised to find out that it was less than one-fourth of my total life.
Even the poor Paul was expecting something more, judging from the face he made when he saw me still moving.
"H-h-how it's p-possible?! Until now I k-killed every c-creature w-with one hit of m-my Strike skill. Y-you can't possibly be still standing!"
His voice shook me out of my daze, and I took note of how little pain I was feeling! It was there, but it wasn't on the level one would expect by a sword thrust in their body. It felt more subsided than that, more like I just bumped my toe against something hard, but that's it.
I realized then that it was because of my Undead condition: my nerves were unresponsive and my organs weren't working. The only thing that moved me was my soul, and I could feel some things because my connection was stronger than usual. My reaction was only a reflex, a residue from my old life.
I was a human no more, and suffering this kind of wound with no grave consequences made me finally understand that fact! All thanks to this rookie adventurer. I was a monster, time to act like one.
"A-ahah! Of c-course! You're the f-first humanoid m-monster that I f-fight. I must've held back my strength! A simple z-zombie can't be s-so sturdy..."
My hands clasped his wrists, blocking his arms in place, still holding the sword embedded in my chest and tightened them into an iron grip, impeding him to escape.
"W-what?!"
This world operated on a "kill or be killed" policy, and if I wanted to survive, I had to adapt to it. I couldn't permit to give out mercy to my enemies, I had to cast aside part of my humanity and embrace my new nature.
'Nothing personal, kid. That's just how the world spin...'
He struggled, trying to escape from my hold. My strength wasn't much higher compared to his, but it was enough to keep him in place. Sure it wasn't easy as his every attempt gave a strong pull to the sword, shifting it uncomfortably inside my right lung. It was annoying, but it wasn't enough to make me lose my grip.
I dug my thumbs into his wrists and pressed hard. I felt his hold on the weapon loosening, that was the moment to act.
"L-let me go, you b-bastard!"
'As you wish.'
I immediately let go of his arms and threw a punch with my right hand. The strike hit him square in the face, the force behind it enough to make him step back a couple of steps.
You inflicted a small wound. Damage -1 HP
Proficiency reached. Skill Hand to Hand Combat acquired. Skill Hand to Hand Combat is now Level 1
Hand to Hand Combat
Fists of fury! You can do more damage while fighting unarmed.
Lvl 1
Passive
Neat. I just acquired a new skill by doing a simple action, and it was really useful one. You'd never know when you'd have to fight with your bare fists.
I grabbed the hilt jutting out of my body and began to dislodge it. If I didn't do it, it could become an annoyance later on. Besides, the poor adventurer was disarmed and shocked so much, that he wouldn't be much trouble.
"N-no! T-this can't be h-happening! Yo-you're not a n-normal z-zombie! I m-must alert t-the Guild!"
With those words, the guy turned and ran. He decided that I was too dangerous for him to fight, that was an important lesson to learn early on.
Unfortunately, I couldn't let him go. If he got to this Guild and reported about me, there would be trouble for me. I'd be hunted down by many other, and experienced, adventurers. That was something I couldn't allow to happen.
I yanked the sword out of me. The movement was too brash and enlarged my wound, but the pain was so faint that I could just ignore it.
Now armed, I gave chase. That guy couldn't leave this cemetery alive, and by means of his own sword, I'd make sure of that.
In his hurry to get away from me, the Fighter forgot that I was faster than the classic zombie and that his armour was slowing him down. Even with that headstart, I was soon behind him, sword clasped in my hand and readying a diagonal full swing once I got close enough.
The pursuit brought us back to where we met just moments ago, with the rookie's big bag still laying on the ground. Was he trying to retrieve his gear? It was a stupid move to do in these circumstances.
'... Unless there's something important or useful to him in there!'
I sprinted ahead, pushing my legs to the limit and I swung the blade. The length of the weapon compensated my reach and the point traced a long gash on his unprotected back.
You inflicted a moderate wound. Damage -5 HP
Proficiency reached. Skill Sword Proficiency acquired. Skill Sword Proficiency is now Level 1
Sword Proficiency
Cut them up. You can use melee weapons of the Sword category.
Lvl 1
Passive
"Gaaaahhh!"
The hit was enough to stop him and make him fall down. I quickly regained my equilibrium and walked to stand over him. The wound was shallow but was bleeding quite a bit and it crossed all of his back, causing him to suffer.
He was grovelling on the ground, shaking so much and crying. Big and loud sobs came from him, and when he turned his head to face me, I saw the round, fat tears flowing from his eyes. The whole view was quite pathetic I felt a bad taste in my mouth.
"P-pleeasee! Don't k-kill meee! I'm... I'm not rea... hic... dy to dii-ieeehh!"
I looked at him with pity. I knew that it was a one-sided battle, with me being the advantaged party because of cheat abilities, but life was unfair like that and I had to do what was necessary to survive. I thought I already accepted this, but at the moment of truth, I couldn't simply do it!
Sure it was hard on my mind, and his pleading was making it even harder. This was the final decision: on one side, there was my whole humanity. On the other, my survival. The result and my fate depended on this single choice.
"... I'm sorry."
Surprise was his last emotion, as I plunged the sword into his heart and the life left his body. The least that I could do for him was to grant him a fast death, and so I have done, but the look in his eyes would never leave me.
You inflicted a fatal wound. Critical Hit confirmed. Damage -16 HP
Experience required obtained. You are now a Level 2 Zombie. All Stats +1
I stared blankly at the new corpse for a while, letting the fact that I'd just killed a person to sink in. The notice of my level up went ignored for the moment, as I was trying to cope and placate my overdrive of feelings.
'It was necessary... I could avoid to kill him... He would alert others of my existence. I would become a target!... I could just make him faint... But I chose the more permanent solution...'
All those thoughts swirled in my brain until I glanced at my reflection in the blade. For the first time since I woke up, I saw my new face: it was not-existant! Completely vanished! Only a skull with nothing covering it for the major part. The only part with some skin still on it, was on the left, surrounding my single eye, and it was grey from the decaying. The other eye was just a little white light inside an empty socket. Combined with the whiteness of the bone, I looked like a faded panda with asymmetrical face-marks.
That couldn't be the face of a man! Only a monster could have such a visage, and thas was mine!
A dry, humourless laugh escaped from my lipless mouth. No, I didn't go crazy, I was just amused by my forgetfulness!
I was a zombie! No way to go around that fact. I had to stop brooding about it and just accept it as it was.
“Ahahah! Yeah... Now I'm ready for this world!”
I would completely embrace my new nature, without forgetting who I was but never letting it to stop me.
I watched the body of Paul, the young, unlucky Fighter who helped me to realize all of this and to accept it, and I took his armour.
'He won't need it anymore. It would be a waste to let it here to rust.'
I put the chest plate over my tunic, fastening in place with its belts and placed the helmet on my head. On my back resided the sheathed two-handed sword that I used to kill him.
Looting the corpses of your enemies was one of the first rules, and I could do with better equipment.
'Not excellent, but for starters will do nicely.'
Next, it was the big sack with all the rest of his gear. There were torches, a bedroll, a couple of changes of clothes, meters of rope, a maintenance kit for armours and weapons, some dry rations and other sundries.
Most of all were discarded as not needed or straight-up useless. I only kept the maintenance kit, the rations, five meters of rope and a book that I found on the bottom of the bag.
It was a leather-covered little thing, with some kind of official seal on the front. But the most important part was the title, that I found on the first page:
““The Official Guide for Adventurers”, huh? Now, this is an interesting find! I was craving some reading!”
Now I just needed someplace peaceful to read it. I began to walk, leaving behind a body, some objects and a part of me. The Sun started his ascent at that moment, almost as to symbolize my rebirth. I should choose a new name for me, it would be appropriate...