Around fifty meters from the city limits, Devon spoke to his sister. "I'm gonna test out my strength, okay? Bony, you walk slowly and catch up with her, got it?"
But without waiting for Raline's reply, he sprinted forward with impossible speed toward the city boundary, then leaped over the two-meter-high border, landing silently inside the city limits.
Thirteen Zombies were shambling nearby. They instantly turned, sniffing the air, having caught the scent of human life.
Devon gave a cynical smirk as he watched them begin to stagger toward him.
He drew his sword, Caldemor, and charged toward the first zombie. With fluid, lethal grace, he swung the blade at the first one, aiming straight for its neck.
He repeated the move with the next one. His movements were a blur of attacks and evasions, executed at a speed far exceeding that of a normal human.
In no time at all, he had severed the heads of all the zombies.
'Heh... those were too easy to kill,' he thought, wiping his blade clean with a piece of paper he picked up from the street.
He tried his best not to touch the zombies' bodies at all. Based on countless works of fiction, they were contagious, and if someone was bitten, they would turn into a zombie soon after.
Shortly after, a golden panel materialized in front of him. Devon read the black text shimmering on the golden background.
[Target Eliminated: 13 Zombies]
[Experience Gained: +403 EX]
[Mortuary Essence Absorbed: +260 ME]
[Corruption Increased: + 1.625%]
[System Calibration: Stable]
[Level Up]
[+1 Level - All base attributes increased slightly.]
"..."
Devon was slightly stunned by the last line. 'How did I Level Up already? That was so fast...'
He glanced at all the bodies, which were now dead for the second time, and finally realized why his level increased so quickly. There were thirteen of them.
When Raline and Bony finally caught up to where he was standing, sliding his sword back into its sheath, Devon was chuckling to himself.
"What's so funny, Dev?" Raline asked suspiciously, casting a glance at the dead zombies. Their rotting bodies released a pungent stench, making her wrinkle her nose.
"You killed them all that fast?" she pressed, not giving her brother a chance to answer the first question. Her brother just chuckled again, then hopped onto Bony, sitting behind Raline.
"I already reached Level 3. This Anubis System is leveling up super fast," Devon said, taking Bony's reins from his sister's hands.
Raline frowned. "But this is only your third day? So you're leveling up every day?"
Devon laughed. "Depends, I guess. If I have opponents, the level goes up fast."
"Hmm. It seems way easier for you to kill these Zombies than the Skeletons, right?"
"Yeah," he laughed again. His mood felt lighter after fighting the zombies. At least now, he felt a sense of ease knowing how easily he could dispatch them.
They walked casually into the city, and Devon suggested they head straight for the biggest mall they could find.
The city turned out to be a massive, advanced metropolis, complete with luxurious, grand skyscrapers. It was different from Newark, which was only a medium-sized city.
Devon and Raline didn't recognize this city, but the remnants of its wealth were still apparent, even though it was now a dead city. Digital billboard screens were installed everywhere, and the cars abandoned in the streets were all expensive, branded models.
"Dev, what city is this...?" Raline asked, looking around in awe.
"I don't know. But this city is totally different from our old one," Devon replied, also surveying their surroundings. 'This city could actually be a good temporary base for us...'
He had already used his Death Sight to note the locations of both the living and the undead. When they came across any auras, Devon chose to simply avoid them.
Of course, Bony was quick enough to bypass them easily.
His reason was simple. He wanted to figure out and count exactly how the Anubis System worked. He didn't want to use something without studying it first.
Now, he thought, they might finally be able to settle down somewhere for a bit so he could open his Status Window. When they found the mall, they immediately entered through a damaged doorway.
But his intention to avoid the zombies was quickly ruined. The mall was full of them, and he would have to kill them all if they wanted even a minimal level of comfort inside.
"Raline! Help me keep count, I've killed forty-eight so far!" Devon shouted to his sister. She was still sitting on Bony's back, ascending the escalators to the upper floors, following her brother as he cut down the zombies.
She nodded enthusiastically. "Roger that, big bro!" she replied brightly, excited to watch her brother look so cool, playing his sword and slaying the zombies.
Finally, Devon got annoyed with the constant fighting. He found a massive steel rolling door for a supermarket that was still locked. It seemed the supermarket hadn't opened yet when the city was moved.
With a surge of satisfaction, Devon forced the door open, waving Bony and Raline inside. He killed a few more zombies that tried to follow his sister and slammed the rolling door shut again.
He then grabbed a small iron rod, bent it with his enhanced strength, creating a makeshift lock for the rolling door.
Raline, who had dismounted Bony, squealed with delight. The supermarket they had found was massive.
"Devvvv!!!! This is awesome! It's way more complete than the one in Newark, I'm dead serious!"
She rushed over to Devon, who was sheathing his sword after wiping it clean with a wet tissue he found nearby.
He was stunned to see his sister so happy—truly happy, not faking it. And seeing her smile after days of her crying in fear, Devon couldn't help but smile back.
"Glad you like it, sis," he said, stepping past her toward the center of the supermarket.