He'd barely pressed Yes before the countdown reached zero. As the screen pulsed, a cascade of notifications bombarded Tamiel's vision:
[Now integrating with the user's body]
[A dormant seal has been detected]
[Commencing operations on breaking the seal. Brace yourself.]
Panic clawed at his chest. Dormant seal? What the hell did that mean? But there was no time to think.
A sharp, sudden jolt of pain stabbed through his skull, like a hot knife splitting his mind in two. He stumbled backward, clutching his temples, but the pain spread through his veins, his bones, every cell of his body felt like it was being ripped apart and reassembled at the same time.
Outside his window, the sky had turned an unnatural green. Clouds churned like a living thing, roiling with a sickly glow. Then, without warning, dozens of massive green orbs streaked through the sky like falling stars, each one slamming into different corners of New Eden.
When they struck, they erupted in thick, murky smoke that billowed out and then vanished, leaving nothing behind but silence. The sky cleared, as though nothing had ever happened. But everyone every human across Eden had felt the same shiver, the same system message,but not the same dread.
Inside his room, Tamiel was far from normal. His scream tore from his throat a raw, primal sound that ripped through the air. Blood poured from his eyes and ears, staining his uniform, soaking into the carpet. His veins bulged under his skin, glowing faintly with an eerie green light.
Outside in the hall, panicked footsteps echoed. Students were screaming, crying, pounding on doors, looking for any safe haven. But Tamiel's room was a black hole of horror; the sound of his screaming made even the most desperate flee.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the pain lessened. His body convulsed, trembling violently. His vision blurred just before it went dark. A final message flickered in his mind:
[Multiple bloodlines detected]
[Six latent bloodlines identified]
[Merging bloodlines and rebuilding physique for synergy with the bloodlines. Brace yourself.]
His consciousness winked out like a candle in the wind.
When he came to, Tamiel felt... different. Every breath sent a wave of cold clarity through his mind. His limbs felt lighter, stronger. He lifted his hand it was steady, the tremor from before gone.
He tried to sit up, but his head throbbed. His vision wavered, struggling to adjust to the blinding light of his room's overhead lamps.
He staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. His skin was slick with sweat, sticky and cold. Every inch of him ached. A heavy crash from the hallway snapped his head up.
BANG!
He tensed.
BANG! BANG!
Something or someone was pounding on his door. Hard enough to make the hinges creak.
A sudden sense of dread pooled in his gut. He scanned the room for something anything to defend himself. His eyes fell on the alloy katana he'd bought months ago on a whim, thinking it would be cool to hang in his dorm. It had cost him half his gaming savings, but now it felt like the best investment he'd ever made.
He grabbed it and turned toward the door just as the final BANG! split the air. The door buckled inward, metal and plastic groaning in protest, then gave way.
Five figures stumbled through the opening. Their clothes were shredded, streaked with blood and bits of flesh. Their eyes were clouded, unfocused. One's jaw hung at an impossible angle, dripping thick red saliva. Another's fingers were reduced to bone and sinew.
Tamiel's heart froze.
Zombies?
It felt like every survival horror game he'd ever played, every late-night movie marathon. But this was real. He could smell the iron in the air, feel the terror clawing at his throat.
The five zombies jammed at the doorway in their frantic rush to reach him. He swung the katana with all the force he could muster.
WHOOSH—CRACK!
The blade met the first zombie's neck and sliced through like paper. Its head tumbled to the floor, and the others surged forward, teeth bared.
Tamiel swung again. One head, then another. Blood sprayed across the walls, painting them in a sickening crimson. He moved on instinct, muscle memory from a thousand gaming sessions driving him.
Slice. Slice. Slice.
Within seconds, all five were dead or whatever passed for dead now. Their bodies slumped, unmoving.
A sudden chime filled his vision.
[5 zombies killed. 25 EXP gained.]
[Achievement unlocked: First kill in the apocalypse. Triple EXP received.]
[Basic tier storage ring awarded.]
He stared, chest heaving. His mind reeled. The messages. The kills. The blood. All real.
His gaze shifted to the mirror across the room. He stumbled over, each step feeling like it belonged to a different person. When he looked at his reflection, he gasped in utter shock.
His skin was paler almost porcelain-like but it glowed faintly under the fluorescent light. He was taller now, easily six feet. His once-slim build had filled out, a lean, athletic frame replacing his teenage awkwardness. His jet-black hair now sported streaks of white that framed his face in a way that made him look older, sharper, more dangerous. But it was his eyes that shocked him most.
His irises were now a deep gold, swirling faintly as though alive.
He touched his face, and a grin spread across his lips.
No more normal life. No more endless cycle of classes, homework, gaming.
This was his chance.
His grin widened as he read the final notification again.
Time to farm some quality exp's.
A low growl interrupted his thoughts.
He turned, katana at the ready, just as another zombie appeared in the hallway. Its eyes were locked on him, drool trailing from its cracked lips.
Tamiel's pulse quickened. A thrill shot through his veins.
Let's go.
He stepped forward.
The zombie lunged, but Tamiel sidestepped, swinging his katana in a wide arc. The blade cut cleanly through its neck, severing it in one blow. The head hit the floor and rolled, leaking thick, dark blood.
Another notification popped up.
[1 zombie killed. 5 EXP gained.]
His grin widened.
He stepped into the hallway, katana dripping with gore. The scene was chaos incarnate. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, some missing limbs, others gnawed to the bone. The air stank of blood and bile. The walls, once sleek and silver, were now streaked with crimson.
More zombies turned to face him. Some crawled on broken legs, others staggered upright, eyes lifeless.
Tamiel's grin turned feral. EXP farm time.
He advanced, blade whistling through the air. Each strike was precise heads parted from bodies, torsos split open, arms hacked off. Notifications flooded his vision.
[2 zombies killed. 10 EXP gained.]
[3 zombies killed. 15 EXP gained.]
[Level Up!]
The rush of power hit him like a drug. His muscles burned, his mind cleared. Everything felt more vibrant. Every scent sharper, every sound crisper.
More zombies shambled into view, drawn by the noise. Tamiel welcomed them. His katana swung in a deadly dance, severing limbs and heads. His movements were fluid, almost artistic. Blood sprayed across the corridor, painting it in grotesque murals.
His grin never faded.
The apocalypse had come. And Tamiel Vale no, the new Tamiel Vale was ready.
Between swings, he felt something else stirring in his chest. Like a locked door slowly opening. His mind flashed with images a burning city, a woman's face, a baby crying. The pain was sharp, but the system's messages forced them back, like a dam holding back a flood.
One thought burned in his mind: What painful past?
Another zombie lunged at him a grotesque thing with half its face missing. Tamiel sidestepped, slicing upward. The katana bit through its chin and out the top of its skull. It dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
[5 zombie killed. 5 EXP gained.]
His breathing was steady, focused. He scanned the corridor, now silent but for the occasional gurgle of the dying.
A final message appeared:
[Congratulations. You have survived your first encounter.]
[You have earned a special reward: Title—Blood Reaper.]
[Title effect: Increases damage against infected enemies by 25%.]
Tamiel's grin widened. Blood Reaper. He liked the sound of that.
He moved to the nearest window, peering outside. Fires burned across New Eden. Smoke rose from shattered buildings. Sirens wailed in the distance. Drones zipped overhead, scanning for survivors or maybe more infected.
Everywhere, humans ran and screamed, and above it all, the green-tinged clouds still loomed, though dimmer now.
A world he once called safe now lay in ruin.
Tamiel's fingers tightened around the katana's hilt.
So be it.
His eyes glowed gold in the darkness.
A voice echoed in his mind, the system's cold, clinical tone:
[Bloodlines fully integrated. Six bloodlines merged successfully. New skills unlocked. Accessing skill tree…]
He shuddered as the new information poured into his mind. Skills. Stats. Classes. Titles.
Everything he'd ever dreamed of in a game,is now his reality.
He felt his grin return, wider than ever.
The game had just begun.
Without thinking, Tamiel burst into a run, his katana swinging with deadly precision. Every humanoid shape that moved in the dorm became a target student or zombie, it didn't matter. His blade carved arcs of red through the darkness, severing limbs, heads, torsos. The moans of the dead drowned under the wet slap of flesh and the ringing of steel on bone.
The zombies were slow too slow for him now. Whether it was adrenaline, instinct, or something deeper, Tamiel moved like a predator unleashed, a crazed beast driven by bloodlust. Every step sent gore splattering against the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. His eyes glowed gold with every swing, each strike faster than the last, each cut smoother.
His mind fragmented by the system's notifications barely registered the bodies he left behind. Messages flooded his vision in rapid succession:
[Zombie killed. 5 EXP gained.]
[Zombie killed. 5 EXP gained.]
[Critical hit! 10 EXP gained.]
The flood of notifications was a symphony to his ears. But even as the numbers climbed, something shifted. A missed target lunged at him, its teeth sinking into his shoulder before he could react.
Pain exploded in his mind, a white-hot burst that seared through his fog of battle-fury. Tamiel's eyes widened in shock. The haze began to lift, his senses flooding back. He grunted, pure instinct taking over he swung a brutal kick, slamming the zombie off of him. The thing hit the ground with a wet thud. He stomped its skull, feeling the crunch beneath his boot, its blood spraying in a grotesque arc.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
Bodies both zombie and student littered the corridor, blood pooling in slick rivers that clung to his boots. The air stank of iron, bile, and sweat. His muscles screamed with exhaustion, his arms trembling with every movement.
A raw groan tore from his throat as he felt the last dregs of adrenaline leave his veins. His katana slipped from his blood-slicked hand, clattering to the floor. He couldn't even lift it anymore.
"Shit… what the fuck happened to me?" he rasped. His voice sounded alien, even to himself. He forced his eyes up, blinking away the blood that clung to his lashes.
Five zombies remained.
Just five.
They staggered toward him, jaws dripping with saliva, their eyes empty. He tried to raise his arms but found them unresponsive every muscle fiber felt like it had been set aflame. His heart hammered against his ribs as he cursed, "Damn it… how do I kill these five in my condition?"
His mind raced. He was a gamer, right? Always thinking outside the box.
A sudden idea sparked in his mind crazy, desperate, but it was all he had.
With a guttural roar, he hurled himself forward, using his shoulder to ram the closest zombie. The impact sent them both crashing to the ground, its putrid breath hot on his neck. He rolled, twisting his body so he landed on top. His legs pinned its arms. Before it could bite, he slammed his forehead down, again and again, feeling its skull crack, his own vision flashing with each blow.
Blood spattered his face, but he didn't stop until it went limp beneath him.
Four left.
He staggered to his feet, gasping, vision swimming. Another zombie lunged he sidestepped, letting its momentum carry it past him. He lashed out with his knee, driving it into the side of its head. Bone crunched. It toppled, twitching. Tamiel stomped on its throat, feeling the sickening give of its windpipe.
Three left.
The next one charged too fast to dodge. Tamiel dropped to his knees, letting it collide with his chest. Its arms wrapped around him, teeth snapping inches from his face. He reared back and smashed his forehead into its nose once, twice until blood and brains burst from the back of its skull.
Two left.
His breathing was ragged, his vision blurry. But the last two zombies were still coming.
He let his legs give out, falling backward as one lunged. Its weight bore down on him. He opened his mouth and bit into its neck, tearing away flesh. Hot, putrid blood filled his mouth, but he didn't stop he bit deeper, feeling its throat tear. It gurgled and went still.
One left he muttered.
The final zombie loomed over him, its face half gone, a single eye glaring. Tamiel's body felt like lead, but his legs still had strength. He drew them up and lashed out with both feet, catching it square in the chest. The force knocked it back, and it fell, cracking its skull on the metal railing.
He lay there, chest heaving, blood dripping from every inch of him.
Notifications scrolled across his vision.
[5 zombies killed. 25 EXP gained.]
[Survivor's Will triggered. 20% health restored.]
He felt his body tremble as warmth spread through him. The system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations. You have cleared the dormitory floor.you are the first person in the world to kill over 50 of the fallen and humans,Unique title unlocked: Survivor's Will.]
[Title Effect: When health drops below 20%, regain 20% health and increase resistance to pain for 30 seconds.]
Tamiel laughed a ragged, broken laugh but it was a laugh all the same.
He was alive.
Outside the dormitory, four students crept down the hallway. Their faces were pale, eyes wide with terror as they saw the carnage bodies everywhere, blood on every wall. One girl clutched a makeshift spear, her knuckles white.
"W-what happened here…?" one of them whispered.
Another boy stared at the pile of corpses and at Tamiel, who was slumped against the wall, bloodstained and feral-eyed.
He turned his head toward them, his gold eyes glowing in the gloom. A slow smile curled his lips.
"The game has begun," he whispered, his voice low and dangerous.
The three students exchanged horrified glances.
Tamiel's gaze returned to the carnage around him. His breath came in slow, steady draws. His katana lay nearby, still slick with blood. His lips parted in a grim grin.
its time he saw how mad the world will become.