New York University (NYU) is one of the most prestigious universities in all of America together with Columbia University, and one of the most important in the world, attended also by international students.
The campus extended over several acres and is an "open campus" integrated into the streets of Greenwich Village. Unlike Columbia, which has a clearly defined boundary enclosing its 32 acres in Morningside Heights, NYU blends into the surrounding city. Inside and in the immediate surroundings, life was organized to be self-sufficient: the university was like a small city of its own—supermarkets, karaoke places, and even some restaurants invited students to stay within the area without going too far out.
The distance between the male dormitory and the gymnasium was only about four hundred meters, but since all the streets were infested with dangers in the form of zombies, evolved insects, and animals that seemed to have transformed into beasts, crossing that distance had become an arduous task.
Andrew took the bow and aimed without pause, repeatedly striking the monsters with arrows that immediately burst into flames.
Along the way, he had saved five more people, bringing the number of survivors at his side to nearly twenty-four.
A man with gold-framed glasses and a rather attractive appearance was chatting with a female student who looked at him with obvious infatuation. The man's name was Lucas, and he was the vice president of the university's student association.
Before the arrival of the Evolution Register System, Lucas had been a model student with excellent grades and, in addition to his good looks, had many admirers. Even now that the world had changed, there were still some surviving girls who looked at him with strange sparkles in their eyes.
Lucas had also dared to fight, since at that time he had no other option to survive. He was Level 3 and could handle two or three zombies on his own. When he encountered Andrew's group, he was about to be surrounded by six zombies, which would have meant death for him.
After killing two zombies and the other four being killed by Andrew, Lucas joined the group and helped eliminate the remaining zombies. After all, even for someone like Andrew—who had constantly fought and killed creatures of higher level than himself—it was not 100% safe to protect such a large group of people without one or two zombies slipping through.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the distance and rushed toward the group of more than twenty people at astonishing speed.
Andrew had just killed a mosquito nearly thirty centimeters long, and before he could react, that shadow had already passed through his defensive perimeter, appearing in front of Lucas.
Lucas' face turned pale, and he stepped back.
If he were facing some zombie, it would be fine, but if a giant bee or a mutant dog or mutant rat with above-average speed appeared, then there was no way for him to react!
Since Lucas had so far killed only zombies, he had gained extra attributes only during the first four or five kills and had earned only stamina. He had also used the six status points gained from leveling up to increase his strength, so his speed was simply average.
Lucas grabbed the girl he had been chatting with and did not even hesitate to throw her in front of that strange shadow, shielding himself in the process.
The shadow flashed suddenly, and in the next instant, the girl's body split in two. Her blood splattered everywhere, and an expression of shock and disbelief shone in her eyes before she died. Not even in her wildest dreams would she have expected that Lucas—the usually cultured, polite gentleman—would not hesitate to make such a cruel move.
The survivors panicked, and some began fleeing in all directions in disorder. Others froze in fear, and some, smarter ones, simply moved closer to Andrew, the only hope of survival.
As for Lucas' selfish act, no one noticed… No one except the beautiful and seductive yet at the same time heroic Brunilde. Although such a move was impossible for someone like her to ignore, there was no contempt or disgust in her gaze; she had seen people do worse things than what she had just witnessed simply to survive one more day.
The shadow was so fast that no one could react to its speed. The strange creature suddenly seemed to realize something as it rushed at terrifying velocity toward Andrew.
Clearly, the creature had understood that he was the best tonic for its evolution.
Andrew felt his scalp go numb and instinctively raised the bow to protect himself.
Clang!!!
The sound of metal colliding with metal rang out loudly. The green shadow was forced to halt its movements because its strength and Andrew's were quite similar.
Only now was Andrew able to clearly see the appearance of the monster attacking him.
The shadow was actually an enormous mantis nearly three meters tall. Its terrifying eyes stared at him with killing intent flashing within them. Its two large scythe-like forelegs pressed strongly against the bow, trying to push Andrew back.
If it had been Andrew before obtaining the Fire Bow, he would certainly have been at a disadvantage. However, thanks to the twenty strength points granted by the bow, he was able to match it in physical power.
"Be careful! That mantis is not specialized in strength at all! Its current speed must be nearly twice yours!" Brunilde's voice echoed in his ear, providing vital information.
In fact, even without her telling him, Andrew knew that his current agility was far inferior to that of this mantis. Earlier, if it had not been for his reflexes and luck, his head would already have been separated from his body without him even knowing how he died.
Andrew grunted as he pushed forward with all his strength, forcing the mantis back. Then, without a second of hesitation, he added all his saved status points to agility.
In a fraction of a second, he felt his muscles grow stronger yet at the same time more flexible. Andrew felt as if an electric current ran through his body, causing a slight tingling sensation that soon disappeared.
Swoosh!
The nearly three-meter-tall mantis vanished and, an instant later, reappeared in front of Andrew, slashing the air with its scythe-shaped forelegs.
However, the current Andrew, thanks to his improved agility, was finally able to clearly see its movements.
Clang!
Andrew and the mantis engaged in close combat with the intent to kill each other. To survive. To evolve. To become stronger.
From the others' perspective, they could only see two silhouettes constantly flickering and hear the continuous sound of metal clashing against metal. For them, it was difficult to believe that a human being could fight in such a way against such a terrifying creature without losing ground. Only then did they realize Andrew's strength.
Although Andrew's combat experience was average and his skill lacking, the Fire Bow was a rare-level treasure capable of penetrating the defenses of almost all creatures below level 50—even if he was currently using it as a sword. The mantis had obviously not yet reached that level, as its scythes showed small cracks that slowly widened with each collision.
However, the mantis was a natural hunter that had used its scythes since birth, so it was naturally more skilled than him in combat.
Each had their own advantages, and for a moment the battle reached a stalemate, seemingly without an exit.
Several zombies, apparently attracted by the noise of the battle and the strong scent of life, began staggering toward them.
Andrew quickly noticed them and understood that at this rate not only would all the survivors die, but he too would fall once surrounded. After all, the mantis did not fear infection—but he did.
Strengthening his resolve, Andrew observed the battlefield and slowly retreated, luring the mantis to a specific point. Once there, Andrew used mana and created six chains of fire using the residual heat of the approaching zombies.
The mantis was clearly caught by surprise as the chains wrapped tightly around its body. Its movements were halted, and its two scythes were stopped midair by two blazing chains. The beast struggled fiercely in an attempt to free itself, and the chains restraining its scythes began to strain as if they might disperse at any moment.
Seeing this, Andrew's expression changed slightly. Recovering quickly from his brief daze, he raised the bow and aimed at the mantis, striking the creature in the head.
After the swoosh of the released arrow, the mantis' movements froze for a moment. An arrow had embedded itself into its forehead—and it began to burn.
[You have obtained the Soul Power of Great Mantis the Level 25. Agility +14, Strength +10, Magic +10, Mana +10.]
[You have reached Level 10 and leveled up. You obtain 2 attribute points to distribute freely.]
[You have reached Level 11…]
[You have reached Level 12…]
[You have reached Level 13. You obtain 2 attribute points to distribute freely.]
An enormous sphere of spiritual power exited the body of the Great Mantis and entered Andrew's body, nourishing and purifying him, raising his power to higher levels. In addition, he had gained four levels of strength.
Moreover, after its death, the mantis had dropped other items. Beside its corpse were one red sphere and two scrolls.