Chapter 02: Darkness Manipulation!

Dai Zen shook his head, trying to free himself from the nightmare that surrounded him, and instead focused on the motionless forms of his classmates.

Some had enough willpower to trace sigils in the air with trembling fingers. Others lay still, pale and dejected like slugs sprinkled with salt.

Although he couldn't perceive the hidden screens floating before his classmates' senseless eyes, he was sure that each one possessed one—why else would they all look forward with slack mouths and glassy eyes, just as he had done only moments before?

Every silent breath rattled through the sepulchral classroom as Dai Zen's vigilant gaze swept over his frozen classmates' faces. The next occurrence would break the fragile stillness, precipitating their fractured world into chaos. The only uncertainty was what new madness was about to come.

His vigil was soon rewarded. The convulsing students calmed down, then pushed themselves up on hands and knees and rose in rigid, inhuman motions—as corpses reanimated through witchcraft.

As one, they emitted low, guttural moans that sent waves of panic through Dai Zen's thoughts.

"Hey—wake up! Shen Bao, you must have this weird screen, too, right? This is just some crazy hallucination!"

"Watch out!"

But Dai Zen's cry to his classmates went ignored. When his former classmate's head rose next, what emerged behind those familiar features was nothing but a monster.

Crimson eyes burned in a face pale as a corpse, and jagged obsidian claws gleamed where nails had been before.

'What the hell is this—zo-zombies?!' Dai Zen refrained from screaming.

He did not want that thing's attention to fall on him!

In the space of a heartbeat, the thing lunged at the nearest student. Disgusting fangs tore flesh and muscle, eliciting a scream like nothing Dai Zen had heard before.

Blood spattered the ground while the student struggled in vain, fighting to free himself from that wild grasp. However, his struggles were in vain.

After endless seconds, he finally lay still.

The creature opened the human's chest and began to eat something. After a few moments, the creature's body bulged before it lost interest in its prey.

"Ugh!"

"Aahh!"

"No! Someone help me- Arggg!"

"Kyaa-! Get away!"

"Let me out! I have a date prepared soon!"

"Let me go! I want to go home! Let me go!"

The terrified screams and clumsy attempts to escape from the remaining students shattered the stillness into a thousand splintered fragments. Dai Zen could only watch in frozen disbelief as zombies descended on his classmates, cutting them down or transforming them into scarlet blood that spread inexorably across the floor.

'This can't be real. It can't be!'

However, the coppery smell of blood and death permeated the air, and Dai Zen's stunned thoughts could not formulate a rational explanation for the madness unfolding before him.

This was no mere hallucination!

Dai Zen quickly snapped out of his stupor. Rather, he did everything in his power to calm his mind.

In total, Dai Zen saw six of these zombies, and before he could think about his next actions, his grim face became even more severe the next moment.

The first bitten student rose from the ground as if nothing had happened!

"Urrg..."

As one of the zombies turned red eyes towards him, his heart raced in a frantic rhythm. Dai Zen's cheeks turned pale as he witnessed the zombie rushing towards him with alarming speed. Although its speed couldn't compare to that of a prolific martial artist, for an ordinary person, it was more than enough to seal their fate.

Gripping the chair with white knuckles, Dai Zen attacked like a venomous snake the moment the zombie was within his reach.

—Bang!—

The zombie was thrown as if hit by a meteorite, crashing into the surrounding furniture and making them recoil. Dai Zen was surprised by his strength, far beyond what he remembered. But his emotions sharpened the next moment.

The monster stood up again within a few seconds, completely unharmed. Its crimson eyes turned towards Dai Zen once more, who realized with a start that the zombies probably felt no pain or fatigue.

Without hesitating in the slightest, Dai Zen lifted the chair and slammed it into the zombie's head with a muffled crunch. Only when the zombie lay motionless on the ground did Dai Zen stop to catch his breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

The floor was stained with blood, but escaping from this place before more zombies were attracted by the sounds of battle was his top priority. However...

[You have obtained the Existential Record of Badly Evolved Level 4]

<+3 Resistance>

<+2 Strength>

[You have leveled up to Level 1!]

[You gain +3 Stat Points to distribute]

...

The few floating messages were nothing but fleeting illusions compared to the cataclysmic changes that assaulted Dai Zen's body. A foreign power ran through his veins, tempering muscles and bones alike. Every breath was a gasping pant as he endured the pain with gritted teeth, but this suffering felt like ecstasy as he realized that power beyond comprehension flowed within him.

Dai Zen opened his eyes in surprise. In addition to the abnormal situation, he noticed something that struck his mind with electric shocks. The screen that notified him of the name of the monster he killed reminded him that he had a part of the zombie race.

"A Badly Evolved... Am I one of those things? No way!"

But in situations like these, overthinking was a privilege that no one had.

"Grrr..."

Two Badly Evolved rushed in his direction, but he managed to block their path with study tables.

"Hm?"

As he prepared for battle, Dai Zen's gaze was captivated by the mysterious dark stone sitting in the blood puddle of the enemy he killed, its cryptic graphics shining dimly in milky white.

Driven by instinct, his hand shot out to take this strange rock. However, upon squeezing it lightly, the tender stone crumbled into dust.

[You learned a <Level 7 First Rank Skill>]

[Darkness Manipulation | First Rank Skill | Level 7: With this skill, you have the ability to manipulate darkness or shadows. The effectiveness of this skill is directly proportional to the amount of Mana and Magic Power that the user possesses.

...

As the words flashed before his face, a black rune as dark as a starless night was engraved on his soul. A torrent of information flooded his mind. It depended entirely on the method of use I could give to the skill.

Dai Zen let out a deep sigh. His crimson eyes sparkled with amazement and excitement. It was a formidable power! Depending on how he used it, it would be a lethal weapon against his enemies.

As he concentrated, he instinctively felt that the darkness—the shadows clinging to the walls and floor— could be manipulated at will. It was a strange sensation, almost as if it were an extension of his arm.

His thoughts were interrupted when a Badly Evolved burst through the tables.

Dai Zen inhaled deeply and relaxed his mind, allowing his Mana to flow freely. His face paled as he felt a fraction of his magical energy flow outward.

His shadow distorted and widened, rippling as it became a dark, malleable mass. He thought about turning it into a weapon and the shadow obeyed, compressing into a sharp, black spear.

Dai Zen waved his arm forward and the shadow spear rushed in the direction pointed. Followed by a hiss, the tip penetrated the Badly Evolved's skull.

Followed by strong spasms, the monster's body collapsed, finally inert.

[You have obtained the Existential Record of Badly Evolved Level 2]

<+1 Resistance>

<+1 Strength>

...

"I can't use much of this Skill. With that attack alone, my Mana was reduced by almost half."

Dai Zen's Mana began to dissipate and he gasped with adrenaline still pumping through his veins. The spear in the monster's head rejoined the surrounding shadows.

Although he had proven to master his Skill, such consumption was nothing to scoff at.

"Perhaps the high mana expenditure is due to the size of that spear. I should try something smaller."

Then...

The second Badly Evolved stumbled over the corpse of its partner and staggered, about to collapse on top of Dai Zen. The latter took a step back to avoid being accidentally scratched.

He concentrated and his shadow molded to his thoughts. Soon, a dark ball the size of a human finger, but with a sharp point, floated in front of him.

"This time, the consumption was much less." He was satisfied with this less strenuous result. All that remained was to test its effectiveness.

Dai Zen forced the ball of magic to shoot forward with a slight impulse of his will.

In the next instant, and without the Badly Evolved having a chance to react, its skull was pierced. The projectile embedded itself in the opposite wall with a dull bang.

[You have obtained the Existential Record of Badly Evolved Level 3]

<+1 Resistance>

<+1 Strength>

[You have leveled up to Level 2!]

[You gain +3 Stat Points to distribute]

...

It happened in a fleeting moment.

The metal object hanging from his neck emitted a faint glow before expelling a pristine white sphere the size of a fist.

The glow dissipated instantly, and a strange but enchanting humanoid creature floated with its arms extended.

"Ahh~ Freedom at last-"

"A bug!"

—Bang!—

Dai Zen's heart almost jumped out of his chest when a monster appeared by his side without warning. Without thinking, he viciously attacked with a chair. The creature bounced on the floor like a rubber ball before crashing into a table.

"Ow! What was that?! Show yourself, human, and this princess will end your pathetic life a thousand times over." The bouncing creature floated back into the air. A grievous voice filled the room while a tiny finger pointed at Dai Zen.

Dai Zen looked at the creature in disbelief, realizing that it wasn't a monster.

At first glance, the creature looked like a sublime young girl of 30 cm. Her skin, white as snow, shone subtly as if it were made of light itself. Beneath the emotion-flushed cheeks were dimples that gave her a youthful and attractive touch. Her large and intense ruby eyes overflowed with mystery.

A white dress tightly hugging her small body was adorned with a pearl in the center that shone as if it possessed its own radiant light. Ruby ribbons tied back her flowing white hair, revealing an elegant neck. Four tiny and fragile wings in a pale pink seemed crafted from crystal, giving her a fragile yet mesmerizing appearance.

"Who are you?" Dai Zen demanded without relaxing his guard in the slightest. He had to ask the most crucial question.

"A human? And why is this princess bound to your soul?!"

***

[Dai Zen - Hybrid-Badly Evolved]

Level: 2

Trait: Nullity [Unique]

Evolution: First Rank

Class: No Class

Title: No Title

[Stats]

Strength: 19

Vitality: 15

Resistance: 20

Agility: 15

Magic Power: 15

Mana: 70

[Available Stats Points: 6]

[Skills]

—Darkness Manipulation | First Rank Skill | Level 7