The Source of Life

Before he could react, a zombie struck him in the face, causing blood to pour from his nose and a loud ringing in his ears. His left hand, clutching the cleaver, throbbed with sudden pain as another zombie bit into the back of his hand, causing the cleaver to drop to the ground.

All of this happened in a split second. Ignoring the pain in his head and hand, Simon kicked the zombie in the stomach, hoping to dislodge it. But before he could, another zombie grabbed his leg.

Sensing the danger, Simon knew he was in trouble as the zombie yanked his leg forcefully.

Unable to keep his balance, Simon was pulled to the ground, falling heavily and hitting the sofa with a loud thud. The impact sent the sofa rolling against the wall.

Before he could scramble to his feet, two zombies pounced on him, pinning him down. Their faces twisted with grotesque expressions. One zombie wrapped its hands around his throat, while the other opened its mouth wide, aiming to bite his face in a frenzied attack.

Simon was horrified, struggling to breathe, as despair and unwillingness surged within him.

It all happened in the blink of an eye—from the moment he smashed the skull of the first zombie with his hammer to being overpowered by three more that stormed in. Within two or three seconds, his neck was being throttled, and he suddenly felt a surge of heat in his forehead as a warm current flowed into his body.

Simon realized that his hammer blow had utterly crushed the first zombie's head, releasing its life source into him. In that instant, his entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames, numbing even the pain of being choked.

A flood of information appeared in his mind:

"Life Source: 5/5"

"Promotion Successful"

"Level 1 Life Source Wielder"

"Life Source: 0/10"

"Stomach and Lungs: Choose one to enhance"

These messages suddenly appeared in Simon's mind. His entire body felt scorching hot, and a surge of new, formidable strength coursed through him. With a powerful twist, Simon managed to throw off the two zombies pinning him down.

According to the information in his mind, he had now become a Level 1 Life Source Wielder, and the transformation was immense. His strength had increased significantly.

Overturning the two zombies on top of him, Simon quickly got to his feet. With an angry shout, he swung his hammer, striking another zombie that had just lunged at him. Although he missed its head, the immense force of the hammer blow crushed its chest, creating a gaping hole. The impact sent the zombie crashing backward, colliding with another zombie that was crawling in from the balcony.

Without pausing to retrieve the fallen knife, Simon turned and sprinted toward the bedroom. Despite his newfound strength and speed as a Level 1 Life Source Wielder, being surrounded by a horde of zombies was still extremely perilous. He planned to retreat to the relative safety of the bedroom.

With a swift dash, Simon bolted back into the bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind him. Barely a second later, the zombies crashed against the door, their forceful blows reverberating through the room.

Simon pressed his body against the door, bracing against the relentless assault, while his mind raced to process the new information. The message that stood out most was undeniably, "Stomach or lungs, choose one to enhance."

According to the prompt, he could opt to enhance either his stomach or his lungs. Reflecting on the agony of being choked and unable to breathe, he immediately chose to strengthen his lungs.

Instantly, a new message appeared in his mind: "Lung enhancement initiated." "Ability unlocked: Strong Lungs I."

Simon quickly felt a warm current emanating from his lungs, a strange sensation of strengthening and transformation. Soon, new information surged into his mind, explaining the function of "Strong Lungs I."

His lung capacity had doubled, allowing him to hold his breath for over three minutes. This significant enhancement filled Simon with both astonishment and delight. With the city submerged, the increased lung capacity meant he could survive underwater longer, greatly improving his chances of survival.

"Thankfully, I chose to enhance my lungs. I wonder what ability I would have gained by enhancing my stomach. Improved digestion? With food already scarce, faster digestion would only make me hungrier," Simon mused.

As he pondered, the sound of the creatures battering the door grew louder. The wooden door was beginning to splinter, and the lock was starting to give way. Realizing the door wouldn't hold much longer, Simon braced himself.

Just as the lock was about to be completely dislodged, Simon suddenly stepped aside. With a loud crash, the lock flew off and the door burst open, sending a zombie sprawling into the room.

Simon, having anticipated this, sidestepped swiftly and brought the hammer crashing down on the back of the zombie's head. With his newfound strength as a Level 1 Soul Source, this blow carried at least five hundred pounds of force. The zombie's skull shattered on impact, spraying fragments of bone, brain matter, and blood in all directions, like a watermelon being smashed.

The decapitated creature collapsed heavily into the bedroom, and a white sphere swiftly shot towards Simon's forehead. Instantly, a new piece of information surged into his mind.

"Level 1 Soul Source: Source Energy 1/10"

This message clarified that to advance from Level 1 Soul Source, he would need a total of ten sources of energy, meaning he had to kill nine more zombies. This realization sparked a flicker of excitement within him. What abilities would the next breakthrough unlock?

Having smashed the zombie's head, Simon quickly positioned himself in the doorway. Becoming a Level 1 Soul Source was not merely an increase in strength; it was a comprehensive evolution of his abilities. His power, speed, reflexes, vision, hearing, and sensory perception had all improved.

The narrow doorway prevented the zombies in the living room from rushing in all at once. By blocking the entrance, Simon ensured he wouldn't be surrounded. At most, he would only have to deal with two zombies at a time.