The morning meeting felt different.
For once, everyone was sitting around the same table—maps spread wide, weapons leaning against the wall, sunlight cutting thin lines through the boarded windows.
Ethan tapped a marker against the map. "We need a new supply route. The school district's cleared. The next target should bring us food and territory."
Mike rubbed his neck. "Hospital's still suicide."
John nodded. "Power plant's crawling too. We'd die before breakfast."
Emily looked uncertain. "Then… what's left?"
Before anyone could answer, Orgis, the oldest of them, spoke up for the first time that morning. His voice was rough but steady.
"The Ashline Market," he said. "Used to be the busiest place in Nexora. Dozens of restaurants. Cold-storage basements, warehouses. If there's food still left anywhere, it'll be there."
Nate frowned. "Also, the most crowded, old man. You really think anything edible survived that mess?"
Orgis shrugged. "Maybe not much. But if we don't risk it, we'll starve soon."
Ethan studied the map quietly. Ashline Market. He remembered walking there before the world collapsed—smells of grilled food, music, and lights.
"Alright," he said at last. "We'll clear it. District by district. In and out before sundown."
Mark grinned. "Finally, something worth the effort."
Alice muttered, "Let's just hope it's not crawling with surprises."
Moving Out
The group of six set out at dawn: Ethan, Mark, Nate, Alice, Mike, and John.
The streets were still. Only the occasional moan echoed through the alleys.
For the first thirty minutes, everything went perfectly.
They moved block by block—Ethan directing from the front, Mark and Mike breaking obstacles, Alice and John covering flanks, Nate keeping watch from rooftops.
Each section was cleared with precision: short bursts of combat, quick looting, silent progress.
「Kill confirmed. Points +0.2」「Kill confirmed. Points +0.2」
After half an hour, Ethan checked his wrist display. "District Four clear. We move to Five."
John grinned. "Feels easy today."
Ethan didn't reply. His instincts were whispering otherwise.
The Discovery
The next street opened into a wide square—an area strangely untouched by fire or collapse.
Banners still hung between the lampposts, fluttering in the wind.
"Ashline Market — 20th Year Celebration!"
Confetti lay frozen in pools of dried blood. The stage at the far end still stood, half-collapsed, microphones rusted and silent.
Alice whispered, "Wasn't this… where the mayor gave his speech before the fall?"
Orgis's voice crackled over the radio from the base. "Aye. The whole district was sealed off after that night. They never found the mayor or his convoy—declared lost in the confusion."
Ethan felt his stomach sink. "Lost," he repeated softly.
John looked around. "Ethan, you're thinking what I'm thinking, right?"
"Yeah," he said. "If they vanished here, this place isn't empty."
The Sound
A low rumble drifted from beneath the market's underground parking lot. It grew louder—like waves hitting steel walls.
Mark's grip tightened on his hammer. "That's not one or two."
Ethan's System flickered to life without command.
[Lifeforms detected: 1,972][Evolved signatures: 6+]
His breath caught.
"Everyone, back—now!"
Mike frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Retreat!" Ethan barked. "We're sitting on top of a nest!"
But it was too late.
The first moan came from the stage. Then another from the alley. Dozens of silhouettes staggered into view, then hundreds. From every corridor, every window, every door.
Ashline Market woke up.
The First Wave
"Form a perimeter!" Ethan shouted.
Mark swung his hammer into the first line of corpses, sending three flying back. Mike's shield slammed down, blocking a charging zombie that nearly took John's leg off.
Alice's blades flickered silver as she darted between stalls, cutting throats and retreating.
Nate fired from a rooftop, bolts whistling through the air. "There are too many!"
"Keep formation!" Ethan roared.
They fell back toward a narrow lane, funnelling the swarm. Blood splattered the walls.
「Kill confirmed. Points +0.2」「Kill confirmed. Points +0.2」「Kill confirmed. Points +0.2」
Mike shouted, "They're not stopping!"
Ethan's HUD blinked red: [Stamina 30%] [Surrounded]
"We can't outrun this," he said through clenched teeth.
Alice yelled, "Then what do we do?"
The System answered him before he could speak.
The Decision
[Job Selection Required – Survival Threshold Reached]Guardian – Defensive field, minor ally regeneration.Breaker – Offensive overdrive, converts stamina to destructive output.
The glowing options filled his vision as another wave surged forward.
Mike's shield cracked. John fell to one knee. Alice screamed his name.
Ethan's mind raced. Guardian could save them—but only if they live long enough for me to use it.
He looked at the endless wall of undead pouring in and felt his choice solidify.
"System—activate Breaker!"
[Confirmed. Job: Breaker Activated.]
The Breaker Awakens
Light burst from beneath his skin. His muscles tensed, bones humming like struck metal. The air around him distorted, pressure waves rippling outward.
Then he moved.
The first swing shattered six skulls at once. The second tore through a column of bodies, scattering limbs across the market.
「Skill Unlocked: Overdrive Strike」「+100% Strength for 30 seconds」
Ethan's roar echoed through the plaza, a sound half-human, half-machine.
Mark stumbled back, staring. "He's—he's tearing them apart!"
Alice ducked under a corpse's arm, shouting, "Don't stop! Follow him!"
They did. The team surged forward behind Ethan's path of destruction.
The ground shook under his steps. Every blow crushed bone and concrete alike.
But for every ten that fell, twenty more took their place.
The Second Hour
Time lost meaning. The air was red haze, screams, metal, and gunpowder.
Mike's shield finally shattered; he fought bare-armed, using a broken pipe. John's spear split down the middle, but he kept stabbing.
Nate ran out of bolts and fought with a crowbar. Alice bled from a cut across her temple but kept moving, fast and deadly.
Ethan was everywhere—swinging, breaking, pushing, roaring. His body burned with pain, but the Breaker's power refused to fade.
「Stamina Critical – 5%」「Overdrive cooldown expired」
His knees buckled.
"Fall back!" Alice shouted. "Ethan, you'll burn out!"
He looked at the endless tide still crawling over the barricades. "If I stop, they'll reach you."
"Then we stop them together!"
For the first time, Ethan hesitated. Then he stepped back, shoulder to shoulder with his team.
Together, they formed a ring—six figures against the sea of dead.
Dusk
By the time the last corpse fell, the sun was gone. The street was silent again—except for the ragged breathing of the survivors.
They stood in knee-deep blood, surrounded by hundreds of mangled bodies.
Mark dropped his hammer with a heavy clang. "Two thousand… maybe more."
Nate slumped against a wall. "We should've run."
Ethan stared at his trembling hands. The faint red glow of the Breaker Job still pulsed beneath his skin.
"We couldn't," he said quietly. "There was nowhere left to run."
Alice looked at him, eyes full of awe and fear. "What did you become?"
He didn't answer. The air still vibrated faintly around him.
He looked back at the celebration banners fluttering over the ruined square.
Ashline Market — 20 Years of Prosperity!
Now only blood marked the anniversary.
Name: Ethan Clarke
Level: 9
Job: Breaker (Rank I)
Strength – 40
Agility – 45
Stamina – 60
Points – 5
Skill: Overdrive Strike (Cooldown: 5 mins)
Notice: Guardian Path permanently sealed.