The vial felt warm in Ren's pocket.
He stood at the top of the stairs leading to the basement. There were twelve zombies waiting down there. The system had said.
Even though he had eaten, his stomach still felt empty. It wasn't hunger for food this time, but something more. It was a pulling feeling, like his body knew there was power down there and wanted it.
The heat was back too. Some energy was still trapped inside his chest, looking for a way out. The system had turned some of it into the serum, but more remained.
[EXCESS ENERGY: 3 UNITS REMAINING]
[CONDENSE INTO SERUM? YES/NO]
"Not yet," Ren said. He wanted to see what happened first.
He took the vial out from his pocket and held it up to the light. The red liquid inside swirled like it was alive.
[MINOR STRENGTH SERUM (F-RANK)]
[EFFECT: +1 STRENGTH FOR 1 HOUR]
[CONSUME? YES/NO]
One point of strength. It didn't seem like a lot. But Ren had been at 0.7 before. He knew what a difference numbers made.
What would 4.7 feel like?
Only one way to find out.
Ren uncorked the vial. He was about to drink it, but then he paused.
What if it killed him? What if his body rejected it? The system had made it, sure, but that didn't mean it was safe.
But then again, he'd swallowed a raw core and survived. If that hadn't killed him, this probably wouldn't either.
He tipped the vial back and drank.
Gulp.
The liquid felt very hot as he swallowed it. It felt like drinking boiling water straight from a kettle. When it reached his stomach, the heat spread fast through his body. His muscles got tight, his bones started to ache, and his skin felt itchy.
Then it settled.
The hot feeling cooled down. Ren flexed his hand and he felt stronger.
[SERUM CONSUMED]
[TEMPORARY BOOST APPLIED]
[STRENGTH: 3.7 → 4.7]
[DURATION: 59 MINUTES, 54 SECONDS]
A timer appeared in the corner of his vision. Counting down.
Ren grinned. This was insane. He'd made a drug that turned him stronger. Just coughed it up like it was nothing. And he could make more. As many as he had energy for.
The possibilities spun through his head. He could use them himself. Could trade them. Could build a whole business around them. In a world where strength meant survival, he'd just found a way to sell power.
But first, he needed more energy. More zombies.
Ren started down the stairs. The serum had kicked in fully now. His body buzzed with energy, eager to be used.
The basement opened around him. The light bulb at the top of the stairs barely reached the bottom.
A moan echoed from his left.
Ren turned. Two zombies came out from behind a pile of broken desks. One was missing an arm. The other had half its face caved in.
Ren picked up a metal pipe from the floor. It was heavier and stronger than the mop handle. He swung it once, to see how it felt. Perfect.
The zombies charged. Their movements were easy to read.
Ren stepped forward to meet them. The pipe whistled through the air.
Crack.
He hit the first zombie hard in the jaw. Its head snapped back and dropped to the ground.
The second one jumped at him but Ren stepped to the side and swung the pipe down.
Crunch.
He hit the zombie's head.
[DEFEATED: INFECTED STUDENT (TIER 0) x2]
[ABSORB? YES/NO]
"Yes."
The bodies dissolved. The energy flowed in, mixing with the hot energy from the serum..
[VIRAL ENERGY: +4 UNITS]
[TOTAL ACCUMULATED: 7 UNITS]
Ren moved deeper into the basement. He found three zombies near an old boiler. He put them down one by one. Then three more came from the maintenance closet.
Each fight was easier than the last. The serum made him stronger. His body moved so well that it seemed like he had spent his whole life training to fight.
By the time he finished killing the zombies in the basement, his arms barely tired. The pipe was still intact. And his energy levels had gone up.
[BASEMENT CLEARED: 12/12 ZOMBIES ELIMINATED]
[VIRAL ENERGY: +24 UNITS]
[TOTAL ACCUMULATED: 31 UNITS]
[STRENGTH: 3.7 → 4.1]
[SPEED: 3.0 → 3.3]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRST HUNT]
[REWARD: GENE-SIGHT (PASSIVE ABILITY)]
New text appeared.
[GENE-SIGHT: ALLOWS HOST TO PERCEIVE GENETIC INFORMATION AND THREAT LEVELS]
[ACTIVATION: AUTOMATIC IN COMBAT SITUATIONS]
[ADDITIONAL BENEFIT: SLOWED PERCEPTION DURING ANALYSIS]
[EXCESS ENERGY: 31 UNITS]
[CONDENSE INTO SERUM? YES/NO]
Ren thought about it. Thirty-one units. How many serums could he make from that? He focused on the question, and the system responded.
[SERUM COST: 5 UNITS PER F-RANK SERUM]
[MAXIMUM CRAFTING: 6 SERUMS (1 UNIT REMAINING)]
Six serums. Each one worth two days of food according to the system's trade value. That was twelve days of food. Almost two weeks. People would kill for that kind of security.
Or he could use them all himself. Become even stronger.
The smart play was to split the difference. Make a few. Save some energy. Test the market.
"Make three," Ren said.
He began to feel is stomach burning hot. It was more intense this time. He doubled over, coughing, and three vials came up. He caught them in his hands.
[MINOR STRENGTH SERUM x3 CRAFTED]
[ENERGY REMAINING: 16 UNITS]
Ren stared at the small bottles of liquid power. Three chances to change someone's life for an hour. Or to change his own.
He pocketed two opened the third one. His temporary boost from earlier was almost gone. The timer showed three minutes left.
Time for a refill.
He drank.
The heat rushed through his body again. His muscles grew slightly. His senses sharpened.
[SERUM CONSUMED]
[STRENGTH: 4.1 → 5.1]
[DURATION: 59 MINUTES, 57 SECONDS]
Five point one. Ren clenched his fist. The pipe in his other hand groaned. He loosened his grip before it bent. This was getting dangerous. He could accidentally break things now. Hurt people without meaning to.
Good. Let them be afraid for once.
His stomach growled again. He was hungrier than ever before. Refining used energy. Fighting used energy. Making serums used energy. His body was a furnace and it needed fuel constantly.
He needed more food.
That meant going back to the cafeteria. Back to the Safe Zone.