Devon watched them go. The figures moving down the slope got smaller and smaller, steadily moving away from the mouth of the cave. Occasionally, one of them would flinch, their bodies giving a quick jump as some sound—a branch snapping, maybe—startled them.He simply observed, not feeling the slightest urge to go after them, not even a little bit. They must be going for supplies, maybe food, he thought, chewing on his lip.But why only five people? Out of twenty three total, that's wild.It made no sense. He shook his head slowly. If only five of them went down, they would barely stand a chance if they ran into even one normal, run of the mill Skeleton with its basic, human level strength. That was just a dumb risk.But still, he didn't want to help them, and honestly, he wouldn't. Raline was the only reason he hadn't already ditched this whole mess and the cave they were hiding in. His entire focus was her.Suddenly, Bony, the skeletal horse, lifted its skull, its empty eye sockets p

But thankfully, after a few terrifying moments, Raline’s paralyzing fear shifted into quiet, suppressed sobs. She began to cry hard against her brother’s chest, who could only hold her tightly, speechless.Devon’s heart twisted painfully in his chest. If only none of this had ever happened...His mind went back to Anubis’s cold, demanding words.“I will give you my power in stages. You must master the first stage within one week. Only then will I grant you the subsequent level of ability.”One week felt like an eternity. They had only been here for two days, and it felt like they were trapped in a nightmare, one they might never wake up from.He winced, remembering his sister's excited expression when she first heard he had gained Anubis's power. Now, she was terrified by a single undead monster.Devon was scared, too, deep down, but he made sure not to show it. He forced himself to appear strong because he had to protect his sister. That was the only thing that mattered.After she had

Around fifty meters from the city limits, Devon spoke to his sister. “I’m gonna test out my strength, okay? Bony, you walk slowly and catch up with her, got it?”But without waiting for Raline’s reply, he sprinted forward with impossible speed toward the city boundary, then leaped over the two-meter-high border, landing silently inside the city limits.Thirteen Zombies were shambling nearby. They instantly turned, sniffing the air, having caught the scent of human life. Devon gave a cynical smirk as he watched them begin to stagger toward him.He drew his sword, Caldemor, and charged toward the first zombie. With fluid, lethal grace, he swung the blade at the first one, aiming straight for its neck.He repeated the move with the next one. His movements were a blur of attacks and evasions, executed at a speed far exceeding that of a normal human.In no time at all, he had severed the heads of all the zombies.'Heh... those were too easy to kill,' he thought, wiping his blade clean with

Devon just stared at the list of abilities in his Status Window, realizing he had been relying purely on his physical combat and Death Sight. The other skills remained untouched.‘Essence Siphon, Minor Life Drain, Spectral Hand, and Ephemeral Shift… I haven’t even tried them once.’He sat up slowly, wincing slightly. His whole body still ached from the corruption purge, but the pain was manageable now, he could actually move. Raline was humming softly, busy cooking something that smelled ridiculously good, considering they were in a store hiding from the undead.The sight made him smile. At least one of them was keeping things normal in this disaster.“Sis, I’m gonna test something. Stay back a bit, okay?” he called out.Raline turned from the camping stove, holding a pot of instant ramen she had apparently enhanced with a can of peas and carrots. “Try what?”“My skills. I’ve only been using one of them this whole time.”She nodded eagerly, setting the pot down on the folding table sh

After she finished bandaging him, Raline showed off her finds with obvious pride. She had found not just medicine, but also books about herbs, medicinal plants, and even some dried herbs in the supermarket’s organic section.“Look at this!” She said excitedly, holding up a book titled ‘Natural Remedies and Healing Herbs.’“It says some herbs can boost immune system, reduce swelling, even help with pain. This place has a ton of dried stuff!”She already started organizing them into categories. Anti inflammatory, antibacterial, pain relief, immune boosting. It reminded Devon of how she used to organize their tiny kitchen back home, making the most of their limited space.“You’re seriously into this, huh?” Devon observed, genuinely impressed.“Well, yeah. Totally! It’s fascinating!”Raline pulled out several small packages. “Chamomile for sleep and anxiety, ginger for nausea and inflamation, turmeric for pain and healing, peppermint for digestion… There’s so much we can use to make our o