Date: April 18th, 2027
Place: New York City – Lower East Side – Elias' Apartment Building
---
The Brute's body didn't vanish like the others.
Most of the zombies we'd killed so far had crumpled into nothing after death, their essence sucked into us, leaving behind only stains and blood. But this one stayed whole, its corpse slumped grotesquely against the ruined washing machines, black ichor pooling beneath it.
Miguel spat blood onto the carpet, propping himself up with his wrench. "That thing hit harder than a damn truck."
Claire crouched beside me, still pale, her hands shaking as the last glow of healing faded from her palms. Sweat beaded her forehead, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Is it… over?" she whispered.
"For now," I said quietly, though my hammer stayed in my grip. I'd learned better than to trust silence.
The HUD shimmered before me again.
---
[SYSTEM LOG]
Elias Cross – Level 3 → Level 4 (Tier 1, Common Class: Laborer)
Attribute Points per Level: 5
Bonus Attribute Points: 0 (Tier Bonus not yet unlocked)
Total Free Points: +10
Miguel Alvarez – Level 2 (Tier 1, Uncommon Class: Fighter)
Attribute Points per Level: 6
Free Points: +6
Claire Thompson – Level 2 (Tier 1, Common Class: Medic)
Attribute Points per Level: 5
Free Points: +5
---
"Looks like we all leveled," I muttered.
Miguel squinted. "So that's how it works. Kill monsters, get stronger."
"Not just kills," Claire said softly, almost defensive. "It gave me… essence too. For healing. For helping."
Miguel raised a brow. "Huh. Guess it's not just muscle that matters."
He said it without mockery this time, and for a moment, Claire's lips twitched with something like pride.
---
We rested against the cracked walls, each of us pulling up our Status Panels.
Elias Cross – Level 4 (Tier 1 – Laborer)
HP: 124 / 140
MP: 20 / 20
SP: 94 / 110
Attributes:
Strength: 16
Endurance: 14
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 6
Charisma: 4
Free Points: +10
Skills:
Reinforced Grip (Passive): +10% melee weapon stability.
Iron Skin (Passive): 5% blunt damage reduction.
Heavy Swing (Active): 150% STR damage. 20% stagger chance. SP Cost: 10. CD: 6s.
---
I exhaled slowly. The System was cold, numbers and efficiency stacked into my vision. It didn't care about lives. It didn't care about faces. Just survival.
But I wasn't going to let it turn me into the same.
I pushed five points into Strength, three into Endurance, two into Agility.
[STR: 16 → 21]
[END: 14 → 17]
[AGI: 7 → 9]
[HP: 140 → 170]
[SP: 110 → 130]
[Carry Capacity increased.]
[Movement Speed slightly increased.]
[Damage output increased.]
The weight of the hammer suddenly felt different in my grip. Lighter. Easier. My chest expanded with more strength than before, my breathing steadier.
---
Miguel grinned as he flicked his panel away. "Hell yeah. Put it all in Strength and Endurance. I feel like I could rip a car door off right now."
Claire frowned faintly. "That's… reckless."
Miguel shrugged. "Reckless keeps me alive."
Claire's own HUD glowed softly before her.
Claire Thompson – Level 2 (Tier 1 – Medic, Common)
HP: 80 / 80
MP: 40 / 40
SP: 70 / 70
Attributes:
Strength: 4
Endurance: 6
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 11
Perception: 9
Charisma: 7
Free Points: +5
Skills:
Minor Heal (Active Lv.1): Restore 15% HP. MP Cost: 10. Cooldown: 30s.
Field Bandage (Passive Lv.1): +20% effectiveness of improvised healing.
---
Her hazel eyes flicked to me uncertainly. "I should… put them in Intelligence, right?"
I didn't answer immediately. She was asking for guidance, but this wasn't my choice to make.
"Where do you want to be strongest?" I asked instead.
She hesitated, biting her lip. "I want to… keep healing. Keep you alive. Both of you."
"Then you already know where to put them," I said gently.
She nodded slowly, pushing all five points into Intelligence.
[INT: 11 → 16]
[MP: 40 → 55]
[Healing power increased.]
[MP regeneration increased.]
She exhaled, trembling but steadier now. "It feels… different. Like there's more inside me. Like I could do it more than once without breaking."
Miguel chuckled. "Looks like we've got ourselves a real healer."
Claire flushed faintly, ducking her head. But I could see the smallest smile tugging at her lips.
---
The Brute's corpse twitched suddenly.
Claire yelped, staggering back. Miguel raised his wrench. I hefted the hammer.
Then the body crumbled into black ash, dissolving into the air.
What remained shimmered faintly, resting on the ground: a dull steel shard, jagged and blackened, and a small glowing crystal pulsing faintly with golden light.
Loot.
Miguel's eyes widened. "The hell is that?"
I crouched carefully, picking them up. The shard was heavy, edges sharp like broken obsidian. The crystal pulsed warmly in my hand, resonating faintly against my skin.
The HUD flickered.
[Brute Fang – Weapon Component: Can be forged into melee weapons for +15% damage bonus.]
[Essence Crystal – Common: Absorb to gain +50 Essence, or trade in Safe Zone.]
So monsters dropped more than just essence.
"Dibs on the crystal," Miguel said immediately.
I shook my head. "No."
He scowled. "What do you mean, no?"
Claire tensed beside me, watching.
I met Miguel's eyes, steady. "Claire needs it more. She's weaker, and her class relies on Essence to grow. You and I can fight as we are. She needs every advantage."
Miguel's mouth opened, then closed. His jaw worked silently.
Finally, he exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "…Alright. Fine. Give it to her."
Claire blinked, startled. "Wait—I… are you sure? Both of you?"
I placed the crystal gently into her hands. "Yes. Take it."
Her lips trembled, her hazel eyes shimmering. "I… I'll use it well. I promise."
She clutched it tight. The crystal dissolved into golden light, sinking into her skin.
[Claire Thompson – Essence +50]
[Level Up!]
[Distribute 5 Attribute Points.]
Her face lit faintly in the glow, fragile but determined.
Miguel grunted. "Guess you're the boss around here, huh?"
I shook my head. "No. Just someone who remembers we're stronger together."
Miguel studied me for a long moment. Then he smirked faintly. "Yeah. Alright. I can live with that."
---
As we sat in the ruined laundry room, blood still dripping from the walls, I realized something.
The System wanted us to be selfish. To kill, to hoard, to grow at the expense of others. It rewarded survival at any cost.
But maybe… maybe that wasn't the only way.
I looked at Claire, clutching her stake but sitting straighter now, hope flickering in her hazel eyes. At Miguel, bruised and battered, but grinning through the blood, already ready for the next fight.
My hammer rested heavy in my hand. My chest rose and fell steady.
If this world was going to strip away our humanity, then I'd fight it tooth and nail.
Not just for me.
For them.
For everyone I could.
---