While Andrew observed the movement of the group of zombies several meters away, he immediately noticed that some of them were knocking on the doors in an attempt to break them down. However, those doors were completely made of metal, so it was absolutely impossible for the current zombies to break through them, no matter how hard they tried.
The noise of the banging on the metal door had attracted other zombies, causing the group of a little over fifty to soon grow to eighty. This, combined with the sinister atmosphere of the surrounding environment, further worsened the emotions of the students and professors Andrew had saved.
Could it be that there are people inside? A thought like that flashed through Andrew's mind. The more he thought about it, the more concrete that idea became.
To survive, Andrew had not merely wielded the Bow back and forth, killing all kinds of creatures that appeared before him with nonchalance; he had also paid close attention to the behavior of the zombies. Since zombies were temporarily the most numerous, they were the type of enemy he knew best.
From what he had learned so far, these slow but deadly creatures could sense the presence of any form of life and even the smell of blood from a distance of about twenty meters. Even if that was not the exact limit, it was certainly quite accurate.
"There are definitely people inside," Andrew concluded. Otherwise, he could not think of any other reason why the zombies were so determined not to move elsewhere.
He turned and saw the people he had saved looking at him, which gave him a headache… If it were not for their presence, Andrew would have already taken out the treasures he had obtained after defeating the Great Mantis, and among those treasures there might have been something that could help him get out of the problematic situation he was currently facing.
However, he did not trust these people enough to reveal such treasures to them. It was precisely because he did not want to fully reveal his strength that he had only used his Fire Control for a short time to quickly suppress the mantis before killing it as fast as possible.
As if she knew what he was thinking, Brunilde, who stood beside him, smiled and said casually, "How about just abandoning them? Everything will be much easier for you if you leave behind these burdens who might stab you in the back at any moment."
Andrew looked at her in frustration without saying anything.
"Don't look at me like that~ I'm just saying." Brunilde shrugged and said nothing more.
She knew it was impossible for Andrew, as he was now, to do such a thing. After all, it had only been an hour since he had been forced to fight for his life. He could not change that much without experiencing the true cruelty of the new world he now lived in.
However, Brunilde was certain that he would adapt soon. Otherwise, if he did not have the mental strength to sustain such a mindset, he would die.
Just when Andrew did not know what to do, the group of zombies—now composed of more than eighty monsters—suddenly moved toward them.
Seeing this, Andrew shot an arrow from a distance, accurately striking a zombie in the forehead. Before the zombies could react, he quickly fired another arrow from the same direction, and another zombie collapsed to the ground.
"Retreat!" Andrew said to the group behind him. He did not know whether they would be able to leave, as several zombies were blocking his view.
Unfortunately, after five arrows, he had little magical energy left, and the assault was temporarily interrupted.
"Take cover here!" After saying these words, Andrew jumped out of the hiding place he had just left and, pulling out the stinger of the bee he had killed, charged toward the approaching zombies.
In just a few seconds, the distance separating him from the zombies was closed. Andrew struck twice at full speed with the stinger, and the heads of two zombies flew into the air.
[You have acquired the Soul Power of Level 3 Zombie.]
[You have acquired the Soul Power of Level 3 Zombie.]
…
Within ten seconds, Andrew had killed seven zombies.
Suddenly, Andrew found himself surrounded by another twenty zombies.
Jasper Flynn, wielding a huge axe, hurled himself at the zombies, killing them instantly. Turning abruptly, Andrew saw a man in his mid-thirties. Looking around carefully, he realized that the man was fighting against a zombie. However, he soon noticed a young man about his own age killing the zombies around the older man with a sword.
"Damn it! What's wrong with this zombie and this insane speed!" Jasper Flynn cursed.
Hearing the complaints of the thirty-five-year-old man, Andrew began to reflect on his current agility—it was already around 54 points. That meant he was more than five times faster than the average person. His movements were extremely quick, so when Andrew had been assisted, he began killing the other zombies in front of him while Jasper Flynn stood near him, now fighting another zombie.
Looking more carefully, Andrew observed the man wielding the enormous axe and was surprised to recognize him. Wasn't he the university's janitor? When had he become strong enough to use such a massive axe? However, just as his mind began to question this, another change swept across the battlefield.
"Ice Bullets."
A cold yet pleasant voice echoed out. Immediately afterward, ten tiny spheres of ice floated in the air and shot toward ten different zombies, striking their heads precisely and taking their lives.
"Oh? That woman's control over mana is greater than yours… And as if that weren't enough, her current magical power is only slightly lower than what you had when the Soul Registers descended upon this lower world… How strange…" Brunilde's surprised and slightly confused voice sounded beside Andrew.
Since he had saved other people and none of them had even glanced at the woman standing next to him, Andrew had silently concluded that she was invisible to others and that only he could see her; therefore, he was not too surprised to see her casually strolling around as if nothing were happening.
Andrew looked at the woman who had joined the battle, and his eyes could not help but light up. What a beautiful girl! Her blonde hair and blue eyes made her look like an ice fairy… However, although he appreciated her beauty, that was all. After all, Andrew had already seen the incredibly beautiful demigoddess beside him, who was undoubtedly a great beauty.
Andrew's movements did not falter in the slightest as he continued killing zombies, and with every passing second one or two fell at his feet.
As if the arrival of the blonde-haired woman marked a new beginning, the group of more than eighty zombies was terrifying; anyone would have been overwhelmed by them, and even an evolved would die if surrounded. The danger posed by these creatures was further increased by the fact that the gym was surrounded by buildings, making it a poor place to launch an attack but an excellent place to defend. In this case, since the humans were the attackers, they had no choice but to endure.
However, whether it was Andrew, the blonde-haired woman, Jasper Flynn the janitor, or the swordsman he had seen earlier, all of them had qualities they could be proud of and could be considered the best among the university's students and staff… Thus, less than two minutes later, all the zombies, including the most isolated ones of the group, had been exterminated.
Blood had formed several pools, and flesh was scattered everywhere. The smell was extremely repulsive, and the sight could frighten anyone. However, the people who fought this time had struggled against death and crawled among dozens or even hundreds of corpses to reach this point; therefore, none of them showed an excessive reaction.
The four fighters looked at each other with a hint of caution in their eyes. Now that the world had changed, it was hard to say whether people's hearts had not changed as well. Consequently, none of them trusted the others too much.
The blonde-haired woman, endowed with the ability to control ice, looked at them coldly. In her gaze, there was even a hint of disgust, difficult not to notice.
The atmosphere had become somewhat strange; no one seemed willing to speak.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps coming from afar caused Andrew to shift his gaze in that direction.