Leonard crept forward, maybe he could pull off a surprise attack.
It all depended on the zombie's perception.
His heart pounded as he advanced silently.
10 meters... 7 meters... 5 meters...
Suddenly, the female zombie turned!
She bared her sharp fangs and let out a low growl toward Leonard.
Her hollow, murky eyes showed no trace of human emotion.
So, she's got decent senses, enough to detect someone approaching.
She raised her arms and staggered stiffly toward Leonard.
At close range, the blood veins in her eyes were clearly visible.
The pressure of the moment was overwhelming.
For a split second, Leonard considered retreating.
He could definitely outrun her.
But the thought passed in a flash.
Instead, he clenched his jaw and held up his wooden shield to protect his face, his left hand ready to strike.
As the zombie's claws swiped at him, Leonard swung his fire axe at them.
Her attack was brute force. Just charging straight at him.
Leonard wasn't using any technique either, just pure instinct.
Back in Room 838, Rebecca watched Leonard leave to chase the zombie.
She was baffled.
"When I needed help, you stayed inside. Now that the zombie's gone, you head out? What kind of logic is that?"
"This guy's nuts! What's he trying to prove fighting a zombie?" she muttered.
In the hallway, Leonard was still locked in a tough battle.
Both his axe and shield were being used to block the zombie's claws.
She couldn't reach him, but he couldn't land a hit on her head either.
There was a "safe distance" between them.
In the admin group chat, people had already switched to spectator mode, probably even grabbed popcorn and beer.
[Look, look! Zore on the 8th floor is fighting a zombie.]
[Haha, it's like two noobs pecking at each other.]
[That guy Max on the 4th floor just made a move. He's brutal.]
[Let's see who gets the kill first.]
[My money's on Max. That guy killed someone before the survival game, did time, and even kicked his pregnant girlfriend until she miscarried. He's a monster.]
Leonard caught a glimpse of the chat mid-fight and felt a jolt of anxiety.
That savage, Max, had made his move too!
Leonard had acted after seeing the messages, but Max was clearly working off his own instincts.
Max wasn't just ruthless. He was a predator.
Leonard tensed up, urgency flooding his chest.
If Max got the first kill reward, it'd be a disaster.
And things were about to get worse.
At the opposite stairwell, a bloated male zombie was lumbering up.
Leonard was already struggling with one.
If two ganged up on him, he was screwed.
The fat zombie turned its bald head toward Leonard. It had noticed him.
Time to end this quickly!
Leonard went all in.
He swung his wooden shield hard, knocking the female zombie's arms aside, then sprinted around her to get behind.
He was faster and more agile.
Now the back of her head was right in front of him.
"Time to send you off!"
Leonard raised his axe and smashed the blunt side into the back of her skull.
Thud!
The blow cracked her skull open.
She collapsed at an angle, twitching violently as thick, murky fluid sprayed from the wound.
Leonard pounced, pinned her down, and hammered her head again and again with his axe.
-25
-30
-30
Damage numbers floated up as he turned her head into mush.
[Target eliminated. Gained 10 EXP. Leveled up to Level 2. Attribute boost unlocked. Skill slot unlocked.]
Three glowing items floated above the body, tagged with his player name "Zore," giving him loot priority.
Leonard's eyes lit up. He grabbed them and stuffed them into his dimensional backpack.
[Obtained Skill Card (Level 1) – Triple Strike]
[Obtained UV Flashlight ×1]
[Obtained Attribute Candy ×1]
First kill reward, secured!
Leonard couldn't help grinning.
Before he could celebrate, the fat zombie charged toward him, faster than expected.
His blood still ran hot from the kill, and he instinctively stepped forward to fight.
But then he paused.
He already got the reward, no need to risk it now.
"Better head back. I need to figure out what I just picked up."
Leonard played it safe and sprinted back to his Room 815.
The fat zombie chased him all the way to the door, but the Level 3 room door held strong.
If it couldn't break a Level 1 door, there was no chance against a Level 3.
With 65 durability, more than double a Level 1. He was safe.
Ignoring the scratching at the door, Leonard examined his loot.
Leveling up gave him overall improvements though not massive.
Leonard
Level: 2
Status: Healthy
Mental: 12
Strength: 11
Agility: 10
Constitution: 10
Sanity: 88/105
Stamina: 82/105
HP: 100/105
Hunger: 53/100
From the stats panel:
Mental, Agility, Constitution: +1
Strength: +2
Sanity, Stamina, HP: +5
Leonard flexed his chest. He did feel stronger.
"Not a huge upgrade… Let's check the rewards."
He took the three items from his backpack and laid them on the table.
A card like a playing card.
A flashlight.
And a candy in a foil packet.
He picked up the card, data immediately appeared.
Skill Card
Name: Triple Strike
Level: 1
Effect: Perform three rapid melee attacks, dealing 85%, 100%, and 120% damage respectively. The third hit is guaranteed to crit.
Cost: 5 Stamina
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Requirement: Must be wielding a melee weapon.
Condition: Strength must be above 10.
Description: "Three's the charm."
"A skill card… So skills need to be equipped to use."
Leonard equipped it.
He had unlocked a skill slot at Level 2. Perfect timing.
Gamers would find these mechanics second nature.
He tapped "Equip". The card vanished from his hand and appeared in the slot.
A small icon floated before him, representing Triple Strike.
How to use it, though?
As soon as he picked up the axe, he just knew how.
Like muscle memory. He could feel it.
He almost launched into a combo right then but restrained himself.
Looks like equipping a skill card makes it instantly usable, no learning curve.
Then he looked at the other two items.
Also solid rewards.