Survivor System: From Weak To Overlord

Chapter 7. Fate

Wilson walked quietly down the fourth-floor hallway, the air thick with dust and the smell of old blood. 

Every step echoed faintly against the broken tiles. He held his axe tightly, eyes scanning the shadows that stretched across the walls. 

The silence felt wrong, too heavy, too still. In this kind of world, silence only meant danger waiting to wake.

He stopped for a second, listening. Somewhere far off, a pipe dripped water. Somewhere else, a faint groan echoed. 

Wilson’s fingers tightened on the axe handle. “Trouble’s coming,” he thought. “It always does.”

“Wilson?”

He turned sharply. Sophia’s voice broke through the still air. She stood behind him, her face pale but kind, one arm wrapped protectively around the small boy beside her. “Yeah?” he asked, lowering his weapon slightly.

Sophia looked nervous, glancing at Kevin. The boy’s eyelids drooped heavily. His small hand clutched the edge of her torn jacket. “Kelvin is getting tired,” she said softly. “I don’t want to be a bother, but… is there a way for us to stop for a bit? Maybe he can sleep for a while.”

Wilson looked down at the boy. Kevin’s feet were dragging, and his breathing was slow. The kid was exhausted. 

Wilson sighed, rubbing his neck. “Alright, Sophia. You two can rest here. I’ll keep watch. No zombie’s gonna come near you or the boy, not while I’m here.”

Her eyes softened with relief. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“I’ll go lay him down,” she added, gently guiding Kevin into one of the empty rooms. The place was dusty and half-broken, but it was the safest they had.

Wilson followed them to the door, watching in silence. “Thank you,” Kevin whispered suddenly.

Wilson froze. It was the first time he had heard the boy speak. His voice was soft, shy, but clear.

“You… talked!” Wilson said, eyes wide. “You actually talked!” His face lit up with a grin he hadn’t felt in days. “You said thank you.”

Sophia turned, smiling faintly. “It’s the first time I’ve heard his voice since… since I tried to pull him away from his mother. He hasn’t spoken since then.”

Wilson nodded slowly, understanding. “Well, I’m glad he’s talking now. You two get some rest, alright? When you wake up, I want to hear all your stories.” 

He reached out and gently patted Kevin’s head. The boy’s small smile almost made the ruined world feel warm again.

Sophia led Kevin into the room. Wilson had laid out some fabric and torn blankets earlier, hardly comfortable, but better than sleeping on the cold floor.

He stood in the doorway for a long moment, watching them settle down. Kevin curled up beside Sophia, clutching her arm like he was afraid she might disappear. Within minutes, both were asleep.

Wilson leaned against the wall and smiled faintly. “Maybe this is what it feels like to have someone depending on you, he thought. Feels strange… but good.”

The peace lasted only a few minutes before his instincts started whispering again. He knew there were still zombies on this floor. He could feel it, and if they found this room.

No. He wouldn’t let that happen. He looked once more at the closed door. “Sleep well,” he murmured. Then he turned and walked down the dark hallway, axe in hand.

The air grew colder the farther he went. The building creaked with every shift of the wind. Shadows stretched across the walls, some shaped like human figures.

Wilson frowned. “This city… none of this makes sense,” he muttered. “Zombies, rain, the power surge, how did it all start?”

He stopped near a broken window. Outside, the night sky glowed faintly orange from distant fires. The rain had washed the streets clean of life but left behind a terrible silence.

“It all started after the rain,” he thought bitterly. “Like someone flipped a switch and the whole world died.”

He took a deep breath. “System,” he whispered. “Scan the area for zombies.”

A faint blue light flickered across his vision. [Command received. Scanning immediate surroundings… no zombies nearby. Would you like to scan the full floor?]

Wilson blinked. “You can do that?”

[Affirmative.]

“Then yeah. Do it.”

[Scanning full floor… detected fifty-seven hostile lifeforms located on the eastern section of the building.]

Wilson nodded. “East side, huh? Alright then.” He tightened his gloves and gripped the axe.

He started walking, his footsteps soft and steady. The tension in his chest was rising again, not fear exactly, but the heavy focus before a fight. His muscles itched for movement.

He thought about Sophia and Kevin. “If she sees what I can do… she’ll think I’m a monster,” he thought grimly. “How do you even explain to someone that one megawatt of electricity hit you and you lived?”

He shook his head. “No. Better she doesn’t know.”

As he reached the eastern corridor, a low growl broke the silence. Wilson stopped. His pulse quickened. 

Shadows moved ahead, slow, uneven shapes. The stench hit next: rot, blood, and mold. He grinned faintly. “Guess I found them.”

The first zombie stumbled out of a doorway, its face torn and eyes glowing faint blue. Then more followed, dozens of them, swaying, snarling, dragging broken limbs.

Wilson raised his axe. “Let’s see how much stronger I’ve gotten.”

He dashed forward, and the world blurred. In an instant, he was in front of the first zombie, his axe cutting clean through its neck. 

A wet thud echoed as the head rolled away. He spun, moving faster than before, each swing sending blood splattering across the walls.

Zombies fell one after another, their bodies hitting the ground like broken dolls. “Is it me,” he muttered between breaths, “or did I just get faster?”

[Your rank has increased. You are now classified as King Slayer. Strength and speed upgraded.]

“King Slayer, huh?” He smirked. “Has a nice ring to it.”

[Updated stats: Physical strength exceeds all known human limits. Maximum running speed, five hundred miles per hour. Electrical ability unlocked. Additional powers available with continued kills.]

Wilson stared at the fading light of the system screen. “Five hundred miles per hour…” He could barely believe it.

He tightened his grip on the axe. The last few zombies began to back away, as if realizing they were outmatched.

Wilson raised his weapon, electricity crackling faintly along the blade. “Let’s finish this.”

He vanished in a flash of motion. Screams filled the corridor, sharp and brief. Within seconds, silence returned. Only the faint hum of static remained.

When it was over, Wilson stood in the middle of the carnage, his axe dripping with blackened blood. His chest rose and fell calmly.

He looked around, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. “If I keep this up,” he whispered, “there’ll be no stopping me.”

A sound caught his ear. A faint metallic clink. He turned sharply. Down the far hallway, a figure moved, fast, too fast to be human. It darted behind a wall before he could focus.

Wilson frowned, every muscle tensed. “Who’s there?”

Silence. Then, from the shadows, a voice, low and rough, answered, “You’re not the only one the storm changed, Wilson.”

The lights flickered once… then went out completely. Wilson’s grip on his axe tightened, and in the darkness, something began to move.