The crimson interface hummed right before Kai's eyes, glowing red against the purple darkness of the library floor. The teeth of the mutated beast were buried deep in his left shoulder, ripping his skin and turning his vision blurry with burning pain."Yes!" Kai screamed in his heart. "Extract! Extract it all!"The moment he spoke the command, a warm, powerful shockwave exploded inside his body.Black mist surged out of the dead beast's open mouth and flooded straight into Kai's chest. The terrible tearing pain in his shoulder disappeared in a single second. His open flesh knit back together, his broken skin closed tightly, and his tired muscles filled with raw, terrifying force.A sharp bell rang inside his head as red text flashed across his eyes.[Extraction Successful!] [Target: Mutated Hound (Tier 1)] [Rewards: +5 Strength, +3 Agility] [New Skill Acquired: Corpse Blade (F-Rank)]Kai felt a surge of energy rushing through his veins. It felt like a cold, heavy power burning through

The dust from the shattered ceiling began to clear, showing the horrifying creature standing in the middle of the room. The mutated alpha zombie was nine feet tall, with thick gray skin like solid stone and arms as long as tree trunks. Black veins pulsed across its heavy chest, and its jaw was split open, dripping acid onto the wooden floor.Behind the barricades, the students screamed in terror. The rich boy who had talked back earlier began to wet his pants, crawling under a metal desk to hide."Stay back and keep quiet," Chloe snapped at the others, grabbing a heavy iron leg from a broken chair. Her eyes remained locked on Kai, watching how he would react to this mountain of muscle and death.Kai did not flinch. He adjusted his grip on the broken iron pipe, watching the black and green venom light swirl around the metal. His mind was completely calm. He did not feel panic or rush in blindly. His system stats had given him high agility and strength, but against a beast three times h

Through the glowing purple eyes of his zombie scout, Kai watched the cozy scene inside the sports complex.Brandon was laughing, tossing a small bag of chips into Sarah's lap while the tall security guard captain leaned against a mountain of stacked supply crates. They were living like royalty while the rest of the campus starved.Kai opened his real eyes back in the library armchair. His grip tightened around his iron pipe until the metal groaned under his strength. A hot, dark anger burned in his chest, but he did not jump up to attack right away."Rushing in like a wild fool will only get me shot by those crossbows," Kai muttered to himself, his voice cold and steady. "I need more power. I need higher stats before I break their little kingdom into pieces."He stood up and looked around the fortified library. Chloe had done a great job. The windows were sealed with heavy steel plates, and the front entrance was blocked with three rows of thick wooden desks. The surviving students we

Kai did not waste a single second asking useless questions. He grabbed Chloe by her wrist, pulling her back inside the small iron door.Fang slipped in right behind them, his dark eyes glowing softly in the dim light of the library hallway."Where is he?" Kai asked, his voice flat and cold.Chloe pointed toward the dark storage closet at the end of the corridor. "In there. He snuck through the ventilation duct while we were fixing the front desk. He tried to stab one of the girls to steal the key to the back door, but I managed to cut his arm with my knife. We tied him up."Kai walked down the hallway, his heavy boots making soft, echoing sounds against the floor. He kicked the storage closet door open.Inside, a young man was tied tightly to a wooden chair with thick electrical wire. He wore a dark jacket with a security badge pinned to his chest. Blood dripped down his left arm, where Chloe had slashed him.When the captured scout saw Kai entering with a six-foot blood-bone spear an

The heavy crossbow string snapped with a loud THWACK!The black bolt flew through the dark purple fog like a lightning strike. It slammed straight into the left side of Kai's chest with a dull thud, pushing him back two steps into the mud.Vance burst out laughing, a crazy, desperate sound echoing through the empty courtyard. The remaining two guards cheered, pumping their fists in the air."I got him! I got him!" Vance shrieked, wiping sweat from his face. "That bolt is dipped in viper poison! Your heart will stop in five seconds, you worthless piece of trash!"Kai stood still in the dark path. He looked down at the black bolt sticking out from his chest, feeling a cold, burning liquid spread through his veins. But before the poison could slow his heart, a bright crimson interface flashed across his vision.[Warning! Lethal Poison Detected!] [System Feature Triggered: Defensive Extraction!] [Absorbing Toxin... Converting Poison into Temporary Energy!] [Weapon Attack Boosted by 200% f