Next to the baits are four subjects, wearing only thick pants and shirts of different colors. They are the members of Z squad, all four carrying old or deteriorated looking weapons.
When they all made their choices, only an old man and a boy of about 8 years old were left. I said to the woman who asked to join my group:
-You will carry them.
She nods, takes the rope and drags them violently, at the same time she says:
-Walk you damned scum.
Apparently she takes out her frustration on someone weaker.
-Let's go! I signal my group, and we head in a different direction than the other would-be hunters.
"My group couldn't be weirder, a beautiful, gloomy goth, an infiltrator pulling two baits and me a transmigrant," I think until I start to smell a rather unpleasant and vomitous odor.
I try to pretend that I don't feel nauseous because both Lila and the infiltrator walk as if nothing has disturbed the environment. Although I would have liked to take some clothes out of my backpack and place them around my nose and mouth.
As we continue walking I quickly notice the sounds of heavy footsteps, I attribute it to my profession as a hunter, I order the group to stop and sharpen my eyesight using fear.
In the distance I see a killer dog, almost two meters tall, walking with its abdomen open and dragging its guts, its color is grayish, it must be rotting.
"I think those who mention the undead could never imagine how great is the stench they emit", I think at the same time I tighten the hilt of my dagger.
Cut!
Blood!
[You have killed a human of rank F+: +0.29]
The head detached from the body rolled in front of the old man whose face was covered with blood.
I cut the ropes, and with a threatening look I said to them:
-Get out and survive if you can, or I myself will behead you now.
The old man and the boy walk away.
I hear several footsteps approaching, apparently some nearby undead sensed the smell of blood.
-Let me finish off the monsters, I'll give you half of the cores. -I say as I drop my backpack.
-I don't want the cores, you can kill the monsters if you want. -Said Lila.
I nod, we are still in the outskirts of the city. I listen carefully and feel the fear approaching.
I take a deep breath and then jump to the right, and at that moment I hear a chuckle, I regain my concentration.
In front of me appears a being that came out of the middle of two ruined buildings. An eye is hanging from the right eye socket, there is moss on part of its rotting skin, and in some parts the skin is hanging and the bones of what was once a human can be seen.
Cut!
Cut!
Cut!
[You have killed a human of rank F: +0.23]
The disgusting, fetid head falls to the ground and soon after the arms. I made sure to avoid, trouble, in case it was still active without a head.
I jump backwards. The fetid dog with the dangling guts tried to reach me and give me a bite.
I infuse fear into the dagger and jump towards the dog.
Cut!
I jump back after I manage to sever one of the front legs of the undead dog, which fell muzzle-first to the ground when it tried to bite me after losing one of its legs.
I don't waste the opening and attack the back of the dog's neck again before it gets up.
Cut!
Cut!
It took two slashes to send the killer dog's head rolling to the ground.
[You have killed a 2-skull monster: +0.55]
I sit down on the ground, but my rest is short-lived, three more nasty-looking zombies approach.
I run towards the zombies at the same time while instilling fear into my dagger and then attack.
All three heads roll, but this time one of the zombies lets out a brown, fetid substance that flies through the air in gushes and soils some of my clothes.
[You have killed a human of rank F: +0.19]
[You have killed a human of rank F: +0.17]
[You have killed a 1-skull monster: +0.2]
"According to studies, the annoying thing about killing zombies is that they don't all have, cores, and the ones that do are a bit stronger than when they were alive. Let's check", I think and then proceed to extract the heart of the 4 zombies, and only one had a core and it was the one that spread that pestilent liquid, then I extract the core of the killer dog.
After that, I clean my hands using dirt and walk to where my backpack is. I store the cores and then carry the backpack to my shoulder. After that, I check the body of the would-be slayer and see in the pockets of her pants a black device that has a green light flashing.
I put the device in a pocket of my backpack and tell Lila:
-Let's find shelter. It will be dark soon.
"There is nothing worse than night in this world," I think to myself as we walk and see a two-story building, which seems to have withstood the catastrophe despite its worn and unpainted appearance.
We enter without letting our guard down, look around the building's dilapidated interior, climb up to the second floor, and take shelter.
I take out of my backpack a package of cookies, which I had bought as a supply for this mission.
I try the cookies and they taste no worse than the bread I bought with the coupons. We don't have a bonfire so as not to attract the supernatural beings that are the most abundant at nightfall.
I see Lila take out a pudding wrapped in a napkin, and I don't know where she got it. I immediately think of the system, but it would take away the few fear points I earned, so I resist my curiosity and hug my briefcase to get some warmth.
Suddenly, Lila pulls out a red blanket as if she were a magician and tucks herself in.
"Yeah I think it must be a magic storage item or something. This woman must have good resources," after wandering a bit in my thoughts, I look at her and say:
-Lila, we can't both stay up all night. Why don't we take turns?
-Sleep if you want, I don't sleep much, I'll watch everything and let you know if anything happens. -She answers me and I nod.