Thud!
The floor trembled as the giant zombie crashed to the ground, its hulking mass sending a dull echo rippling through the marble tiles of the lobby.
rek let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His hands began to glow with a soft, muted light as he stepped forward, crouching before the damaged figure of Yuki.
With subtle tugs of his fingers, the dents and gashes in her cuirass began to reshape, the steel groaning faintly as it nded under his will. Piece by piece, her battered armour knit itself back together.
A notification shimred in the corner of his vision:
[Your Wraith has risen to Level 10!]
He blinked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "How do you feel?"
The twin orbs glowing behind the narrow slits of her helt flared brighter. Her voice echoed faintly, a reverberation of great resolve. "Stronger. With a decent sword... I could have killed that thing myself."
rek turned his gaze toward the zombie’s massive corpse. Just beside it, a crimson orb pulsed faintly with energy. As he surveyed the room, he spotted two additional orbs, both glowing green, nestled among the scattered bodies of other zombies. The aftermath of battle had left the once-grand lobby strewn with blood, shattered marble, and the silence of the dead.
He stepped over a fallen limb, crouching by the red orb. If mory served, the last red orb had gifted him the strange cylinder — the part that made his revolver a lifesaver. This one, he suspected, might be under the sa weapon category.
The mont his fingers brushed its surface, a flash of light surged through him. Behind him, Tevin stirred.
The orb dissolved into a stream of glowing embers, which spiraled into the air before solidifying in rek’s hand — an elegant double-edged longsword. It was gleaming white, with a slender grip wrapped in leather, a balanced blade, and double cross guards shaped like sweeping wings. The tal shimred faintly as though humming with power.
Item Type: [Weapon]
Item Na: [Ivory Sword]
Item Description: [A sword sharp enough to cut through the defenses of Stage One creatures.]
Weapon Skill – Ti Deceleration: [Slow down ti for your foes just long enough to deliver a devastating blow. Usable once per week.]
"Ugh..." A groan escaped from behind as Tevin pushed himself up on one elbow. A sar of dried blood streaked across his pale brow, just beneath a tangle of silver hair. His eyes found rek’s briefly.
Without a word, rek extended the newly acquired sword to Yuki.
"Here. A replacent for your deford blade."
She stepped forward, wrapping her gauntleted fingers around the hilt. The mont she held it, the blade responded, the faintest hum rising in the air. She gave it a few experintal swings — sharp, clean arcs — and nodded with quiet satisfaction.
"Harvest the cores," rek said, eyes already shifting to the glowing green orbs. He turned to Tevin. "Take one. I’ll handle the other."
Tevin gave a faint grunt in acknowledgnt, wiping his brow as he staggered toward one of the orbs. rek approached the other, kneeling as the erald light enveloped his hand. The mont his fingers touched it, the orb dematerialized into a curled scroll — which unraveled in his mind, feeding him knowledge he hadn’t possessed a second before.
A voice filled his thoughts, calm and neutral:
[You have acquired the skill: Telekinesis]
Telekinesis – [This Stage One skill grants you the ability to move objects with your re thought. Active.]
A second prompt followed:
[Skill Upgrade Requirents: Crush three Type One zombie necks using Telekinesis (0/3).]
As the knowledge settled into him, rek clenched his fist and felt the invisible pull of a force now within his grasp.
Nearby, Tevin was staring at his own scroll, eyes narrowing as the text burned itself into his thoughts.
[You have acquired the skill: Bone Manipulation]
Bone Manipulation – [This Stage One skill grants you the ability to bend and shape bones at will. Active.]
He didn’t say a word, but a faint smile graced his face.
The femur and other massive limb bones of the Type One giant zombie shattered free from its body. They hurtled through the air toward Tevin, twisting and reforming mid-flight until they locked together into a fearso double-ended bone spear.
Tevin caught the spear with ease, spinning it between his fingers as a confident smirk played on his lips. He glanced up and saw rek thodically working through the remaining zombies, carefully harvesting essence cores from their heads.
Without hesitation, Tevin moved to follow his lead.
As he worked, Tevin couldn’t help but steal curious glances at the man beside him. rek’s curly brown hair was a wild ss, and his bright golden eyes shone with quiet determination. Though rek didn’t look a day older than him, there was sothing about the man that made Tevin’s skin crawl with a strange apprehension.
There was an aura around rek—cold, sharp, and simply vile—that made Tevin picture him as a brutal killer.
He couldn’t explain it; it was just a feeling that poked at his nerves, a silent warning no one else seed to notice. His father and the others did all they did without a hint of concern.
Tevin guessed it was because they hadn’t awakened a job, their senses dulled to the subtle dangers lurking beneath the surface of people.
Yet, as he watched rek restrain himself, trying not to harm them despite his father’s selfish and reckless commands, Tevin’s perception began to shift. Maybe this odd, dangerous man was exactly the kind of ally he needed to survive.
Finally, they had gathered 101 essence cores. rek carefully set aside 25 of the most potent cores, while he and Tevin consud the rest together.
[You have consud a Level 12 Type One zombie’s essence core.]
[You have risen to Level 9!]
Tevin’s level rose more modestly, reaching Level 6.
With their task complete, rek returned to the afterlife shop. Veyra accepted ten essence cores—all Level 5—with a nod of approval. The remaining cores, weaker and less valuable, were tucked away for future use. After retrieving a worn book and a pen from his apartnt, they left the complex.
The only sound that accompanied them on the empty road was the sharp clink of Yuki’s armored boots striking the cracked pavent.
"It’s only been a week," Tevin murmured, voice heavy with disbelief, "and the world has already descended into ruins."
rek’s gaze remained distant as he replied quietly, "I have to find my brother."
Tevin turned his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "You think you can do that?"
rek’s lips twitched faintly in a half-smile but he shook his head. "Not yet. I have to find sothing first."
"Why so mysterious. Tsk!" Tevin clicked his tongue, a mix of frustration and intrigue.
He never realized rek was hunting for... souls!
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