This time, the notification felt like a punch to the gut. What did they mean by "incorporate"? Was this the confirmation that the world was finished? Many questions raced through my head, but somehow, the answer felt obvious.

"It doesn't change anything; I'll keep resisting no matter what."

I reached the main entrance of the office and gazed at the barrier. This time, it had turned crimson, and there were some whistling sounds in the air, like a kind of howling.

Outside, a commotion caught my attention. In the distance, I could see a large group of walkers heading towards a position. My first thought was survivors; they must have finally set out toward the main refuge, or maybe to my sanctuary, considering it was public on the map.

I headed toward the place at a trotting speed, thinking it would be great to have a mount, but then I realized I didn't even know how to ride.

As I got closer, I could see a fierce battle. Initially, there were over 100 students, but several had fallen to the walkers. I noticed that the combat skills of these walkers had significantly improved. However, with my arrival, the tide of the battle shifted back in favor of humanity.

"Protect my rear; I can handle anyone coming from this side. If necessary, you can escape to that building; I have my sanctuary there."

When I shouted my instructions, most of them were surprised. At first, they gave me astonished looks, especially at my armor, but soon, they organized themselves to defend.

For my part, although I was facing almost a third of the present enemies alone, it didn't prove particularly difficult. The trick was to maintain constant and fluid footwork while swinging my battle mace horizontally. With each swing of my weapon, up to five walkers would fall.

Seeing that no one had retreated from the battlefield, I began to gain more confidence. These students had at least some experience, and in these situations, it was adapt or die, and the first level wasn't really that difficult.

"Pick up that girl."

I began giving orders to prevent further casualties and to change the positions of some members.

"You three, good job, swap with that group. Leave the new enemies to me."

Along with the increase in aggressiveness and strength of the regular walkers, a new type of walker had appeared, with clawed hands. These were thinner and moved faster, but they posed no problem for my armor, so I could literally tank them.

"Enough for now; let's return to the sanctuary."

I ordered a tactical retreat. We had eliminated a good number of walkers in the vicinity, but of course, it was very difficult to truly get rid of all of them. Most of the group members were exhausted.

Stolen novel; please report.

When we had advanced far enough to lose the walkers trailing us, we made a stop to catch our breath.

"Thank you very much for your assistance. My name is John. We decided to leave our refuge to check the situation at the base marked on the map, but before we could get there, the next wave started."

"My name is Alex. I was the one who completed the infection zone. Currently, I've established a sanctuary in one of the classroom buildings."

I saw John's face hesitate, but he quickly asked what was on his mind. I could tell that, unlike many other students, he had a quick mind for evaluating situations.

"So, the Ashen Sanctuary is yours. What about the central base marked on the map?"

"I'm at odds with them. They formed an oppressive council and tried to take my belongings. When I refused, they ambushed me and tried to kill me."

John's face immediately turned sour. I could see that he was internally debating. Truthfully, for him, it must be easy to believe what I was saying. Everyone knew each other here and knew the kinds of twisted personalities most had. The only thing he considered was whether I could fend for myself against the other side, after all, nobody wanted to board a sinking ship.

"There's not much to think about, John. We've already fled from an oppressive council because they tried to violate me. There's no way we'll join another one. For now, Alex is the only one who has been a help. We can join his sanctuary and hear his explanation of the events."

"Very well, folks. Those of you who have decided to stay can follow me. The sanctuary is on the rooftop of the nearest education building. There are still some wings left to clear, but I've been able to eliminate most of the walkers inside, so it's relatively safe."

On the way, I had small chats with most of those who decided to follow me— a group of 40 people, including 27 relatively young women.

Apparently, they had found a lot of information about what was happening by exploring the surroundings. The system had hidden information in many places, mostly in hard-to-reach locations or disguised in plain sight as common things.

"So, you unlocked the special class of Ashen Knight. Are you some kind of religious fanatic?"

"No, Miss Jane. The class itself has nothing to do with religion, although it's inspired by the crusading knights. Actually, it's a way to strongly oppose demonic and corrupting powers."

"So, you're not a religious fanatic, but there are still doubts about your fascination with crusading knights. What do you like about them, or is it just their fashion sense?"

"In the first place, good point about their fashion. Their armor is certainly elegant and imposing. Similarly, I like this armor. Secondly, the idea of committing oneself to a cause is not unfamiliar to me. My father has devoted his entire life to the military and serving the country, with the few exceptions when he's home and dedicates time to his family."

"So, it's about the style, huh? What was that about your father being in the military?"

I could see surprise on Jane's face. Usually, this was the part where they would start humiliating me.

"My father is a high-ranking officer in the army's special forces."

"Don't kid me; are you serious?"

I was left puzzled for a few minutes.

"Yes, I am. His last field assignment was in Africa."

"Don't kid me; he participated in pacifications?"

"Uh, yes, I understand he carried out field missions as well. Anyway, can you give me some space?"

"Oh, sure, pardon me. Jajaja, it's just that I find the military a bit interesting."

Jane's attitude was completely unexpected. Instead of ignoring me, she seemed eager to hear stories from the military and my training. Unfortunately, the situation we were in didn't leave us much time to talk, at least not until I completed the infection zone.

When we reached the rooftop, I explained a bit to the guys about how the store system worked. After all, they hadn't had access to it during the first wave. Then, I bought a stamina potion and proceeded to rest to replenish my energy.