"It worked!!"
Livia happily exclaimed.
Varlo had entirely turned into a zombie.
Vincent gritted his teeth,
Rage burned within him.
Such disregard for human life! How could she?
But despite his anger, he didn't act.
He was no match for her.
Vincent didn't want to die.
The zombie stood. Unmoving.
Livia was mesmerized.
She walked around, carefully observing it.
"Hey,"
She turned to Vincent.
"Can you control the zombie? What are your abilities?"
Her eyes trembled with excitement.
Vincent gave her a puzzled look.
"Your ability is not just to turn people into zombies? You have other abilities, right?"
Her smile wouldn't go down.
The zombies deeply intrigued her.
A light flashed in Vincent's eyes.
"I can tell you,"
He nodded.
"Great!"
Livia exclaimed.
"But I have a condition,"
Immediately, her face sank.
Their eyes met.
"What condition?"
"You have to tell me how you gained your ability and what it is."
"Hmm..."
She thought for a second.
"Alright. Then, I'll start first."
"I gained my ability thanks to the virus."
She started, not breaking eye contact.
"My ability enhances my eyesight."
"At first, the virus caused me pain. But the pain quickly faded. Something unlocked within me. I gained the ability."
"How do you know what it is? And how to use it?"
Vincent asked.
"Hmmm..."
Livia paused for a second again.
"It came so naturally, as if it was always a part of me. My brain contained all the information. It felt like that information was always there; I had just forgotten it."
'So she has no system,'
Vincent concluded.
He carefully observed her.
Every eye movement. Every microexpression. Every pause.
But she didn't break eye contact. Nor did she stutter, even once.
'She doesn't seem to be lying,'
"I confirmed it with Varlo as well. He experienced the same thing. The knowledge of his ability just emerged in his mind."
Livia added.
Vincent nodded.
'The system should be unique to me. So, it's a part of my ability,'
"It's your turn." Livia finished. "How did you gain your ability?"
Vincent looked at her thoughtfully.
The memories of her effortlessly slicing Varlo's throat flashed before his mind.
The memory of her hitting him.
All too vivid. The strength difference was evident.
"To answer your first question. Yes, I can control zombies, but only if I form a contract. The number is limited."
He replied truthfully.
She could kill him at any moment.
He didn't want to risk lying to her.
She already knows he is the source of the virus. Yet took no action.
It won't change anything if she knows a bit about his ability.
"How I gained my ability..."
He paused.
"Sigh..."
A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
He explained the encounter with Marin. The events that led to his awakening.
He just slightly adjusted the details in his favor.
Vincent said the knowledge of his ability emerged in his mind. He didn't mention the system.
"Hmmm..."
Livia stared at him thoughtfully.
Her eyes hinted at an extraordinary visual prowess.
Deep intelligence hid behind them.
"If you can control zombies, why did you get so injured fighting a demon?"
She asked.
Vincent sighed again.
"At the moment, I can contract only three zombies. I can't waste precious space contracting ordinary zombies."
'At the moment...' Livia immediately understood the keywords. 'The number will grow in the future.'
Livia looked at Varlo.
"You can contract him."
Uaghhhhh!
A low groan tore the air.
"I can,"
Vincent nodded.
Uaghhhhhh!
His eyes widened.
Heart skipped a beat.
SWOOSH!
Varlo leapt at Livia.
It took time for a freshly turned zombie to start moving.
But once it smelled human flesh, it wouldn't hesitate to attack.
Swoosh!
Livia landed several steps back.
Before Varlo even attacked, she had retreated.
High perception.
And with her special eyes, she saw the attack coming.
"I'm not strong in combat."
She rushed toward the door.
"I'll leave it to you here."
She ran out, closing the door.
BOM!
With a smack of his fist, Varlo cracked the door.
CRASH!
He effortlessly shattered the door.
Varlo chased.
Livia was nowhere in sight.
But he followed the lingering scent of human flesh.
Doors broke.
Spinters flew in the hallways.
Varlo broke everything blocking his way.
Vincent was not in a hurry.
His mind raced.
Countless thoughts clashed.
'Save you? It would be best if you died together.'
Vincent calmly removed the needle from his vein.
He didn't want to save her at all.
But he did want to contract Varlo.
He was an awakened, after all.
"No,"
His eyes widened.
A realization befell him.
'If she could kill him while he was alive, why can't she now?'
The more he analysed, the clearer it became.
'She is not stupid. She must have calculated that when Varlo turns into a zombie, he would attack her.'
His heart pounded.
The calmness vanished.
'She is testing me. Testing me whether I will save her. If not...'
Swooosh!
He stormed out of the room.
His arm hurt.
But the pain paled in comparison to before.
A crisis cornered him. Existential crisis.
She would kill him.
Unbeknownst to him, the elderly man's finger moved.
The corpse of Auri's grandfather.
...
Vincent ran down the hallways.
BANG! BANG!
The banging on metal echoed throughout the hospital.
Vincent followed.
He reached the stairs.
He was on the third and last floor of the hospital.
BANG!
The banging came from below.
Vincent ran down.
In no time, he reached the ground floor.
But still, the source of the banging was not within sight.
It came from below.
Vincent followed the sound.
He reached the corner of the hospital.
A utility room.
The door shattered
Cleaning tools scattered around, broken.
A metal floor door lay on the floor.
Forcubly torn open.
Vincent wasted no time.
He rushed down the stairs leading underground.
Bang! Bang!
He reached the source.
Varlo came into sight.
The underground room resembled a storage.
The zombie banged on a thick metal door—a door leading to another room.
The door was slowly giving out. Filled with dents.
Vincent's expression darkened.
Memories flashed before his eyes.
Anger resurfaced.
'She killed them,'
The warm smiles of the people fueled the anger.
His nails dug into his flesh.
She killed them as if plucking grass!
Who will bring justice to them!?
Hatred overwhelmed him.
He wanted her life!!
'No,'
Auri's face flashed before his eyes.
'Auri is still alive. I can't leave her with this madman.'
The memory of Livia grabbing Auri's delicate neck was fresh in his mind.
'I can't act on impulse. For Auri!'
Vincent calmed down.
'What's behind that door?'
A thought crossed his mind.
'Likely something useless. But if not, and she could use to defend, if I turn on her, she'll take my life,'
'And I don't know the strength of the zombie.'
He still hadn't used the attribute points he received.
But he refrained from using Probe. He already used it once.
If he used it again, his mana wouldn't recover in time.
He will have to use another attribute point.
[Mana: 24/30]
[Attribute points: 4]
Vincent stared near the bottom of his status window.
'I can't underestimate her.'
He shook his head. Abandoning every idea.
Thud!
Vincent slammed his palm across his nose.
A line of blood flowed down.
He willed in his mind.
IN an instant, his mana went up.
[Mana; 44/50]
He touched his violet blood and extended his arm.
'Contract. Activate!'
Vincent willed.
Something significant drained out of his body—an invisible energy.
A strange emptiness washed over him.
The blood floated off his fingers.
The droplets floated in the air, above his fingers.
Swoosh!
The droplets flew forward.
They slammed into the zombie's back.
As if transparent, they entered the zombie.
The zombie halted.
[Notice]
Vincent received an announcement.
[Congratulations, you contracted your first undead]
[Name your undead: ...]
'Hmm...'
Vincent frowned.
"Prim?"
[Name set: Prim]
Instantly, the zombie's status window appeared.
[Name: Prim]
[Species: Undead - Awakened Zombie]
[Awakened Ability: Super Strength]
[Strength: 16]
[Agility: 11.4]
Vincent's heart fluttered.
'Amazing,'
A sense of security washed over him.
He didn't need to worry if he encountered another demon hound.
The zombie retreated from the metal door.
Vincent could control it with a thought.
"I contracted it. You can come out now."
Creeeeak!
The metal door screamed.
Livia walked out.
Quickly, she shut the door.
Sealing it with a lock.
"What took you so long?"
She asked casually, pushing her hair back.
Her beautiful face revealed to the limelight.
'She looks relaxed,'
Vincent frowned inwardly.
His suspicion confirmed.
She could've dealt with the zombie.
"What is behind that door?"
Vincent ignored her question.
"The generators are inside."
She replied.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
A deafening cry tore through the hospital.
Vincent's eyes widened in terror.
His heart sank.
Swoosh!
Livia stormed past him.
"No..."
His voice shook. Denial.
He stormed.
The zombie went with him.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
They ran up the stairs.
"Save me! Help me!"
Cries of excruciating pain echoed in the hospital.
Vincent's heart pounded.
His breathing grew thin.
A lump stuck in his throat.
Fear shrouded him.
Thud!
Livia arrived at the third-floor room.
She slammed her hands on the door frame, halting.
"No..."
Her gaze fell on the room.
"What happened!"
Vincent arrived a second later.
"Is she alright!"
He gazed into the room.
His eyes trembled in horror.
Bleeeghh!
The world turned upside down.
His head spun.
The scene engraved into his mind. Forever.
The elderly man had turned into a zombie.
His brain had survived.
They arrived too late.
They couldn't save Aurielle.
She lay on the floor.
Her eyes wide open. Open in terror. Tear-filled.
Blood sprouted from her mouth.
Intestines flowed on the floor.
Her abdomen was torn open.
The floor stained with blood.
Munch! Munch!
Her grandfather greedily grabbed her intestines.
His robust fingers drilled into her body.
He harvested her organs.
Juicy, young organs.
The zombie munched on the organs.
It didn't even notice Livia's scent.
It was concerned with the delicacy before him.
"Bleeeg..."
Vincent couldn't stop vomiting.
Tears streamed down his face.
He never imagined he would see this.
He didn't want this to happen. This was not real! Fake!
SLAP!
A slap echoed in the hospital.
Vincent's cheek turned red.
"Why did you leave her? Why did you leave her alone!!"
Livia shouted.
"I had to run from the zombie! But you didn't even think of her!!!"
Vincent was concerned with the thought of Livia killing him.
Fear. He was afraid.
He wanted to save himself. He didn't even think of her.
Aurielle didn't cross his mind for a moment. He had forgotten about her.
"I-I didn't...see her,"
His voice broke.
"Did you not think maybe some of the corpses survived! DID IT NOT CROSS YOUR FU.CKING MIND!!!"
Livia roared.
"You just reprimanded me for killing! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW!!"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"No..."
Vincent realized the truth.
THUD!
He collapsed on his knees.
His vomit stopped. His breathing stopped.
Silence took over the room.
Just the munching echoed in the room.
The zombie feasted on the delicious intestines.
Vincent turned pale.
'No...I killed her...My curse...'
Bom!
He slammed his fists on the floor.
'How come...'
Tears streamed.
Vincent drowned in guilt. He couldn't breathe.
But too late. Too late for anything.
Memories of her warm smile flashed before his eyes.
A moment of thoughtlessness. A moment of carelessness ruined everything.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
PAM! PAM!
He swung his head.
His forehead slammed on the floor.
Blood spurted.
"DEMOOOON!!!!! MOSNTEEEEEEERRR! DIEEE! JUST DIEEEE!"
His vision blurred.
With each impact, his consciousness faded.
"DIE YOU MISERABLE WRETCH! DIEEEE!"
THUD!
His eyes blanked out.
Vincent's body froze.
Warm blood flowed on the cold floor tiles.
The air reeked of blood.
Livia looked at the zombie grandpa eating his own granddaughter.
Her expression turned indifferent. Cold.
'This experiment confirms it...After turning into a zombie, the person doesn't refrain even a bit of consciousness.
The person completely disappears. He is a walking corpse, led by instincts. Even to the point...of a grandfather devouring his granddaughter.'
Swoosh!
A scalper tore the air.
Thing!
It pierced the skull.
Green blood splashed.
The zombie collapsed on Aurielle.
The green blood mixed with the red blood and intestines on the ground.
Lumps of hair floated in the puddles of blood.
'Too bad...'
A trace of regret flashed in Livia's eyes.
'I lost an awakened.'