Zombies.

{Zombie} Lvl. 10. (normal).

Strength: 70.

Speed: 20.

Defense: 0.

HP: 500/500.

MP: 100/100.

Magic: 1.

Skills: Infection.

***

"Zombies?!"

Cain had expected many things, but zombies were totally out of expectations.

"How the hell did zombies get here?!"

Cain suddenly noticed something...

These zombies were wearing clothes similar to the ones those that had decided to stay and wait for the government to save they.

Hell, he could even see the bald head of the department head from amidst the crowd.

Before Cain could fully understand the situation, the zombies that were previously just standing there seemed to have found a goal, as they all charged at Cain, guttural shrieks escaping from their bloody mouths.

'No time to think to deeply.'

Cain immediately drew his weapon from it's sheath.

From what he understood about zombies, what made them truly fearsome wasn't their individual power, but their ability to infect those they come in contact with, turning them into zombies as well.

Cain had no intention of becoming a zombie. Although these monsters were weak when it came to defense and agility, their strength was abnormally high. If he let them get the opportunity to grab a hold of him, he was truly fucked.

'Metal Creation'

Using the {Metal Creation} skill in his possession, he created a suit of armor that covered his entire body, leaving almost no gaps that could be penetrated. The only gaps were located where his limbs were. If he wanted to live through this without turning into a zombie, protection was a must.

He didn't want to take any chances, especially since he didn't even know how they could spread their infection. Whether it be by scratching or by biting, now that his entire body was covered, it didn't matter.

He expended over 300 mana points creating it, which was a lot when compared to his entire mana pool.

The {Metal Creation} skill consumed a lot of mana after all.

The metal suit of armor he had created had defense proportional to his own defense stats, so he didn't need to worry about it being penetrated. If it had been his ordinary skin, things would be very different.

The charging monsters had no regard for their own wellbeing as they charged as Cain. They even trampled over those in front who were slower.

When they were close enough, he was able to smell the stench of rot coming from them. Cain was absolutely disgusted by what was before him.

Their bodies had begun to change colours, and their mouths were covered in dried up blood. They all had at sores or one form of injury or the other present on their bodies.

Cain was disgusted, but some things just had to be done.

He jumped from the stairs, directly into the crowd of zombies. He didn't even need any skills. He and his blade were more than enough...

SLASH!

SPLAT!!

The defenses of the zombies made only a single slash enough to take them down. When he noticed that only an attack to the head would kill them completely, he made a note to always go for the head.

He swung his blade left and right untill all the zombies that had charged at him were dead. He didn't even hesitate to cut down these things that were once humans. To him, they were all the same. They were all prey.

***

The entire place was filled with headless bodies in less than a minute. There were about 70 bodies he counted, indicating that the majority of them were here. About 30 of them however, were not here.

The heads of Blaze, Vincent and the others that had gone with him when he left the hall the other day were not present amongst the heads he had cut off, indicating that they were most likely still alive, as they had left the hall alongside him.

The only reason they could be infected was if they had gone back to the hall after he had left.

"What the hell could have caused this?"

Cain decided to bite his teeth and ask the system...

{Replying to host: These zombies were most likely created due to one of the following reasons. One, they were infected by a devil. Two, one of them underwent a very rare mutation, turning this unfortunate individual into a zombie, resulting in the infection spreading overnight}.

'Devil? What is a devil?' Cain asked, a bit confused.

{Replying to host: Devils are the intergalactic species that have invaded your planet upon the inception of the God Ash. An example will be the {Bladed Devil} you have encountered in the past}.

'So, you are saying that the real name for those monsters, is devil?'

{Replying to host: Affirmative}.

'Sigh... Which possibility do you think is most likely?'

{Replying to host: The first one}.

'Well I'll be damned!'

Cain's few run-ins with these so called devils had been nothing short of problematic.

'But what kind of devil could have done this? The devils I've seen till now have never possessed those types of powers.'

{Replying to host: You haven't seen a lot, host}.

"..."

Cain could somehow sense the sarcasm in the system's synthetic voice.

'Well... only one way to find out.'

Cain concluded that if this was the work of a devil, it must still be present in the department complex, most likely in the hall.

He stepped over the corpses, and headed towards the hall.

Standing before the doors, he took a deep breath, before pushing the doors wide open. He drew his weapon immediately afterwards. He was being very cautious, as the situation he was in right now called for maximum attention. A single scratch, and it was game over...

Slowly, he headed into the hall, his perception stat being utilized to the max.

He was a bit surprised when he saw that the hall was empty. There was nothing here, apart from a few disorganized chairs, everything seemed normal.

'Guess it must have left then. Maybe I can check the rest of the building?'

Cain had been eager to fight whatever could have caused the infection, as he was sure it would give him good benefits. So he was a bit let down when he saw the empty hall.

SNIFF.

Cain suddenly smelt it...

If one didn't possess the points Cain had in his perception stat, or higher, the odd smell would probably go unnoticed. Even with his perception the way it was, Cain could only faintly smell that odd smell.

'What the hell is that smell?'

Suddenly, Cain's senses screamed at him, telling him to move from where he was, or he would perish. His perception had saved him once again, just like before when he had that encounter with the {Mutant Spiked Beast}.

Pushing his control and agility to the max, he activated {Burst Step} in the blink of an eye. The explosive sound of mana leaving the soles of his feet echoed in the empty hall.

BANG!

Cain did a brief roll to stabilize himself, before he looked back to where he had just been standing.

A long, black tentacle had shattered the ground he had been standing upon. He quickly used his eyes to trace it's origins, and was shocked when he saw what had nearly claimed at least half of his life.

Attached to the roof, was a strange creature with numerous squid like tentacles surroundings it. It had terrifying looking yellow eyes that gazed at Cain like he was tonight's supper.

The monster flesh was ink black in colour, and the tip of it's numerous tentacles glittered with a metallic light.

The creature possessed a weirdly humanoid body as well, the tentacles were just an extension of it's main body. This thing was munching on a corpse while gazing at Cain. Since the thing wasn't attacking him now, Cain took this brief moment to take a look at it's stats.

***

{Miasma Devil} Lvl. 20 (special).

Strength: 120.

Agility: 120.

Defense: 20.

HP: 2,000/2,000.

MP: 1,000/1,000.

Magic: 15.

Skills: Infection, Tentacle barrage, Poison clouds.

***

Cain stood there for a while, processing all the information he had just taken in.

Although he was facing an enemy that could easily kill him, he was still very calm. Well, not exactly calm...

He could feel his heart begin to speed up in his chest. He was actually excited. The thought of fighting such a strong opponent, his life dancing on the edge, made him feel like he his face was about to split in two with how wide the grin on it was.

Cain looked at his own stats...

***

Name: {Cain Lenosi}

Level: 10.

Strength: 35.(10).

Agility: 49.(15).

Stamina: 17/34.

Vitality: 12.

Defense: 12.

Control: 1.9.

Perception: 0.5.

HP: 1,200/1,200

MP: 500/750.

Magic: 22.

Skills: Golden blood, Mana Blade, Lightening Edge, Blade Mastery Lvl. 1, Burst Step, Metal Creation Lvl.1

Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked).

Free attribute points: 10.

System points: 0.

{Inventory}. {Shop}.

***

With his calculations, he concluded that if he attempted to fight the {Miasma Devil} like this, he would definitely die before he could blink. It's stats were more than double his own stats, if the stats of his {Bloody Katana} were not included.

However, he still had his trump card... 

This trump card is what made him feel confident even when faced against such a strong opponent.

He gazed right back into those alien yellow eyes that gazed at him like he was prey.

"Golden blood!"

His aura exploded out like fireworks.

Golden veins began sketching themselves onto his body like an artistic masterpiece, his eyes turning slightly pale as his hair flew about in a mess, his aura taking the form of pale golden flames.

Pointing his sword at the devil, he said;

"Devil... To look down on me... is a grave sin. Please, atone for it with your life..."

His blade lit up with a magical light, flames of mana engulfing the surface.

Cain was going all out.