Survivor System: From Weak To Overlord

Chapter 5. New Allies!

Wilson moved through the quiet building, his boots echoing faintly against the dusty floor. The voices he had heard earlier were still somewhere ahead. 

He couldn’t tell exactly where, but they were close. His heart raced with a mix of worry and determination. If there were survivors, he had to find them.

The fifth floor was darker than the rest. Broken lights flickered overhead, giving off weak flashes that made shadows dance on the walls. 

Wilson’s breathing was steady now; his body felt lighter, stronger than before. He could feel the energy running through his muscles like electricity. “Where are they?” he muttered under his breath, scanning the hallway.

He dashed forward, faster than he ever remembered running in his life. It was like something inside him had unlocked a new level of speed and strength. 

Each step felt easy, almost too easy, then he heard it, a low growl. He stopped at the corner of the hall and peeked around. His eyes widened. 

A group of zombies, at least forty of them, crowded around a door. They clawed and banged on it with hungry moans, trying to break through.

Wilson gripped his axe tightly. The handle felt warm in his hands, as if it were responding to his energy. “Guess it’s time to test this again,” he said quietly.

Suddenly, a feminine voice echoed in his mind.  [System Locked On!]

His heart thumped faster. That voice again. He didn’t fully understand how it worked yet, but he didn’t need to.

He took a deep breath and ran straight toward the zombies. The first one turned, its mouth wide open, teeth stained with blood. 

Wilson swung his axe clean through its neck. The body dropped before it could even fall toward him. 

Another lunged, and he spun, letting his body move on instinct. His axe flashed again. He didn’t stop.

He cut through them one after another, his feet moving in a blur. Every swing was faster than the last. 

He moved like he was dancing, slipping past claws and teeth, leaving a trail of fallen corpses behind.

When the last zombie fell, Wilson stood still, breathing hard but not tired. He looked down at his hands. “This is… unbelievable. I’m superhuman now.”

He smiled, a wild grin spreading across his face. It was strange, but for the first time since this nightmare began, he felt powerful.

Then, another growl came from ahead. More zombies, at least twenty, staggered toward him from the far end of the corridor.

He raised his axe again, eyes glinting with excitement. “I never thought I’d be happy to see zombies,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s go!”

He charged. When the fight ended, silence returned. Wilson stood among piles of unmoving bodies, his axe dripping. 

He counted roughly forty of them. He couldn’t believe it, he had taken down all of them alone. He leaned on the wall, still amazed. “System, tell me… what level am I now?”

The voice returned inside his head. [System Analysis: Level upgraded. You have unlocked skill use: Level 1.]

Wilson blinked. “Skill use? What’s that supposed to mean?”

[You can now use powers enhanced by the system. For beginners: Shock Blast and Weapon Cry are available.]

His mind spun. Shock Blast? Weapon Cry? He didn’t even know what those were yet, but the idea made him feel like he was living inside a video game. 

Only, this wasn’t a game, one wrong move and he’d die for real. “It’s just like a game,” he whispered, “but there’s no restart button here.”

He started down the hall again, checking every corner, every door. If there were survivors, he had to reach them before something else did, then he heard it. A voice. “Someone, please help us!”

Wilson’s chest tightened. There were people alive here. He followed the sound to a janitor’s closet. 

The door was barricaded from the inside. Scratches covered the frame. “Hey!” he called, knocking softly. “Are you okay in there?”

Silence. Then a shaky voice answered. “Are you human? Or… one of them that knows how to talk?”

Wilson blinked, then let out a short laugh. “I don’t think zombies can talk this much.”

Inside, he heard whispers, then the sound of a lock turning. “Okay,” the voice said nervously, “I’ll open the door… but please, don’t attack us.”

Wilson raised his hands. “I promise, I’m not one of them. Just a normal human.”

The door opened slowly, creaking. A woman stepped out, blonde hair tangled but still shining under the weak light, clothes dusty but neat. 

She was holding a small boy in her arms, no older than seven. Both of them looked exhausted and scared.

Wilson froze for a second. It had been so long since he had seen another living person. “You’re… human,” the woman said softly, almost in disbelief. “After all I’ve seen today, I wasn’t sure anymore.”

Wilson smiled, trying to sound calm. “No need to explain. I get it. You did what anyone would’ve done.”

The woman nodded, still holding the boy close. “I’m Sophia,” she said. “And this little one is Kelvin.”

Wilson crouched slightly, giving the boy a friendly smile. “Hey there, buddy.”

Kelvin hid his face in Sophia’s shoulder, too scared to respond. “Are you two the only ones here?” Wilson asked, scanning the hallway behind them.

Sophia hesitated. “Yes… at least, I think so. I work here. I was helping evacuate people when everything went wrong. I heard Kelvin crying… his mother was hurt.”

Wilson’s eyes softened. “What happened to her?”

Sophia looked down, her voice trembling. “She was bitten. I tried to help, but… it was too late. She turned before my eyes. I barely managed to pull Kelvin away.”

Wilson looked at the boy again. Kelvin’s tiny hands were clutching Sophia’s shirt tightly. He sighed. “You did the right thing. You saved him.”

Sophia smiled faintly. “I didn’t have a choice. Someone had to.”

For a moment, they both stood there in silence. The building groaned around them, the wind whispering through broken windows.

Wilson finally said, “You’re a good person, Sophia. I’ll get you both out of here alive. I promise.”

Sophia raised a brow. “You talk big for someone covered in blood.”

Wilson laughed under his breath. “Comes with the job, I guess.”

She smiled back, and for a brief second, there was warmth between them, a flicker of hope in a place swallowed by death. “Alright,” she said, shifting Kelvin to her other arm. “You lead the way, Wilson. I’ll follow.”

He nodded, gripping his axe again. “Then let’s find our way out of this hellhole.”

As they moved down the hall together, the flickering light went out completely. The sound of something heavy dragging echoed from behind them. Sophia froze. “Wilson… what was that?”

Wilson turned slowly. The air felt cold, thick. From the shadows, a deep growl rose, louder, stronger than before. Wilson lifted his axe, eyes narrowing. “Stay behind me.”

A huge shape stepped into the faint moonlight, its body twice the size of a normal zombie, veins glowing faintly blue under its skin. Sophia gasped. “What is that thing?”

Wilson’s grip tightened, his heart pounding. The voice of the system whispered in his mind again. [Warning: Mutated zombie detected. Tier 2 threat.]

Wilson’s jaw clenched. “Looks like we just found our first real challenge.”