The world around Ethan fell into disarray, the infected swarming the hallways like a plague of locusts. Their distorted bodies crawled through the school, mouths open, hungry for fresh meat. It was an insane sight, a nightmare in reality. But not for Ethan. Not any more.
He stared at the hallway ahead of him with eyes that burned with cold determination. His tendril, blood-soaked, cut through the bodies in front of him as he maneuvered his way. This is what it has become for him now—elegant, efficient, and brutal. It was a matter of time before he took aim at his next target: a swing of the weapon brought a flood of obliterated infection, as though it were nothing more than invertebrate beneath his boot.
Outside, the red sky suffocated into deeper shades of crimson, glaring ominously over the battlefield. The air stank of death, the remnants of humanity struggling to hang by the last threads of their existence.
But not Ethan.
He had accepted it, for this was the new world. World of blood and death, in which only the strongest would survive.
His senses flared as a fresh wave of infected came rushing from the left. Their growls were guttural through the narrow hallway. But none of this would be visible to his eyes-no need; the moment he felt them approaching, his blood surged, feeding off their nearness to amplify his power even with the patterns of progressive seconds. The tendrils of his blood ventured out and hooked onto the first of their number, transfixing it through its chest. The others hesitated, their movements angered by the sudden interruption.
But Ethan would not wait for them to catch up to the sequence of events.
He struck again and again, using his blood to mold sharp, spiked chains he sent slicing and crushing through the group with terrifying precision. They crumpled one after the other to the floor, their landing noise muffled by the ringing in Ethan's ears.
Survive, Dominate, Consume.
The mantra etched in his flesh, echoing in his mind, sounded even more internalized than the blood that coursed through his veins. This was his new norm, with the power he now wielded.
And nothing, not even the infected or the remnants of humanity, could stand against him.
His hand hovered over the wrist where a glowing red symbol had appeared-his system interface, the very source of his power. The symbol flickered, and a message appeared:
System Initializing…
Then, there was a sudden onrush of information through Ethan's mind, and he was feeling the connection to the system becoming clearer and the acquired abilities in him beginning to expand. Each of his senses was sharpened, his blood resonating with the energy around him, as though the system were so much a living, breathing entity, one that even recognized his potential.
New Skill Unlocked: Blood Telekinesis.
New Evolution Path Available: Blood Manipulation-Tier II.
Current Rank: Hemostasis-Blood Sovereign Protocol Activated.
A shadowy smugness tugged at the corners of Ethan's lips. His power was increasing. His potential had no limits. The system was not just a tool. It was an extension of himself and was adapting to his needs.
The hallway seemed to respond with a ripple. As if with liquid walls, it rippled in on itself. The floor cracked, a faint, eerie hum filling the room. Each beat of Ethan's pulse quickened-not from fear, but anticipation.
Something was coming.
He was ready.
The familiar grinding sound of metal against stone spread down the hallway, followed by the unmistakable thump of something massive coming closer. Ethan remained unmoved by it. Blood seemed to grow in him, gripping tightly to its weapons. Now that the infection had mutated-ex evolved-it was time for tests.
A massive shape emerged from the shadow at the end of the hall: towering, bloated, grotesque, the skin pulled tightly over jagged bones; an eyeball lit up with an unnatural glow and a cavernous maw filled with teeth like razors. An elite zombified mutation boss in the ecosystem, the creature belonged to the class called elite zombie boss mutation.
The creature let out one long roar, echoing off the walls and down the hallway; a real chill shot through Ethan's body. He felt no fear. There was only cold calculation.
The creature hunched forward, thrashing the air overhead with its giant limbs. Ethan's blood reacted instantly. Again, he called upon his Blood Grasp skill, flinging crimson tendrils into the path of the beasts barring their assault and immediately effective contact with blood.
Ethan narrowed his sight. I've got this.
He focused and narrowed his effort by channeling more blood through the constriction surrounding the beast's limbs. He then flicked his wrist and sent the beast hurling into the wall so hard that he could feel the impact reverberate through the ground beneath him. It growled out a noise denoting pain, but the beast was not through. It lunged, faster this time, jaws snapping shut in a fierce bite that would have torn anyone else apart.
But Ethan was not anyone else.
His blood surged forward like a tidal wave; hardened before becoming a spiked shield, the creature was stopped dead in its tracks. The monster's teeth were against the blood, but none of them mattered; still, the shield held.
Ethan snapped his fingers, and blood spikes spun outward, stabbing through the creature's corpse from all angles. It gave off one last, deafening scream before crashing lifelessly into the ground.
Ethan stood over the now-fallen creature, his chest rising and falling with steady breath. Battle had been effortless. Power coursed within him, and it was undeniable.
System Update: Boss Defeated. New Loot Unlocked.
A brilliantly glowing orb materialized before Ethan, shining with an ethereal brilliance. He reached out to take it into his grasp, his blood feeling alive with energy coursing through him. The orb disintegrated in his hand, and new abilities poured into his system.
New Ability Unlocked: Crimson Surge. Blood Manipulation—Tier II Active.
Loot Acquired: Bloodstone of the Sovereign. Permanent Stat Boost: Vitality +10.
Ethan released a relaxed breath, an expression of momentary satisfaction flickering in his gaze. This was merely the dim light at the end of a crimson tunnel; the battle was far from over.
The system was undergoing changes; so was he.
Once again, as Ethan turned towards the darkness of the hallway, he felt the vigor of his blood rushing through him. The outside world lay in wait to be put under his rule. And he would be the one to determine its fate.