Chapter 3

I slowly peeked outside. The first thing I saw almost made me gasp out loud. There, about a dozen meters away was a figure with its back turned against me. But that wasn't what shocked me. What shocked me was that the figure was bending over and tearing into what seemed to be the corpse of another student. I quickly withdrew my head and closed the door quietly.

My heart hammered in my chest as I slammed the door shut, pressing my back against it. "What the heck is going on?!" I whispered to myself, my voice trembling with panic. "I'm so dead. Oh my gosh, I'm dead. This is it. It's all over." My mind raced with terror, images of that horrifying scene outside playing on loop. "What was that thing? Why is this happening to me? What should I do?!" I felt a wave of desperation wash over me. My thoughts were a jumble of fear and disbelief, spiraling out of control. "I can't believe this is real. I can't stay here, but I can't go out there either!"

My breathing was fast and shallow, the walls of the restroom seemingly closing in on me as panic took hold. My panic only intensified as I paced back and forth in the cramped restroom, each step a rapid beat matching my frantic heart. My eyes darted around wildly, searching for anything that could offer a semblance of safety. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a small trash can. I stopped abruptly, my breath hitching in my throat. "Maybe... maybe I can use this as a weapon?" I whispered out loud, desperation lacing my voice.

Clutching the trash can with trembling hands, I upended it, its contents clattering to the floor. The can was lighter than I expected, almost too light to feel like a reliable weapon. I turned it over in my hands, inspecting it, my mind racing with thoughts. "It's not much, but it's something," I muttered to myself, trying to muster some courage. "Looks can be deceiving, right?"

Despite my attempt at optimism, fear still clung to every word, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Trembling with apprehension, I clutched the trash can tightly, my knuckles turning white. "Is this really a good idea?" I thought, my voice barely a whisper, quivering with terror. "What if that thing out there is stronger than me? I could end up just like... like them." I glanced at the door, my whole body shaking. The thought of facing whatever was out there filled me with an overwhelming sense of dread.

"But if I don't go, I'll just be waiting here... waiting to die."

That thought hit me hard. "I don't want to starve to death here. At least if I face it, I might have a chance." And then, amidst the fear, a spark of something else flickered in my mind - the possibility of becoming stronger by confronting this horror. "Maybe, just maybe, facing this fear could make me stronger," I thought, trying to steady my shaking hands. "It's a long shot, but that's all I've got." With a deep, shaky breath, I steeled myself, preparing to face the unknown.

Decision made, I reached for the door handle, opened the door, and slowly peeked out once again. That thing was still bent over the corpse, stuffing its face with glee. I bent my knees and started to slowly sneak my way toward it. I almost jumped out of my skin when seconds later a pinging sound startled me and a text box appeared in the upper right corner of my vision.

Thankfully, I didn't make a sound.

New skill unlocked:

Sneaking Level 1 = Does 1.5 times more damage when attacking an unaware opponent.

Skill Description: This skill allows you to move around without being noticed. The higher this skill gets the less likely you will be noticed when you are sneaking around. When attacking an unaware opponent, you will do 1.5 times more damage. Every level in sneaking will give you 5% extra damage when attacking unaware opponents.

I ignored the box text as I refocused back on my current task. One foot at a time, I slowly closed the distance between us. When I was close enough to touch it, I lifted the trash can above my head and swung it against the back of its head as hard as I could. To my surprise, when it connected, its head exploded. The headless body stayed upright for a single moment as if still contemplating whether it was still alive or not, before falling down.

You attacked an opponent's weak spot. 100% critical chance was applied.

You attacked an unaware opponent. 50% extra damage was applied.

Base damage: 40

(40*2)+40 = 120 damage.

Congratulation! You have defeated a level 5 zombie.

Experience has been distributed.

"Whoa, did I just one-shot it?" I looked at the headless zombie corpse with disbelief in my eyes. The text box mentioned that the thing I just killed was a zombie and that it was level 5. I doubted I would have had such an easy time if I was still at level 1. I wasn't given any more time to think about it though as I soon realized that my little assassination operation didn't go unnoticed.

Some distance away, a few other zombies that were part of a larger group suddenly broke off and veered off toward me. I quickly retreated back into the restroom and closed the door. I waited for a moment, to see if they would attempt to break in or not. The text boxes mentioned that this was a sanctuary location, so I didn't think so, but I should still verify it. When nothing else happened for a while, I decided to open the door again to check what was going on outside. To my surprise, the first thing I saw when I opened the door was a rotten face inches away from me.

Naturally, I screamed bloody murder and jumped back. However, the zombie made no move to come after me. "Huh? Can it not get in?" I slowly approached the zombie and waved my hand in front of its face. It didn't react in any way. I glanced at the border of the doorway. My hand was currently inside the border. I slowly inched it toward the zombie's face. When it was about an inch outside the border, the zombie suddenly jerked upward and launched his entire face toward it, mouth wide open.

I quickly retracted my hand. The zombie's head suddenly bounced off an invisible barrier when it hit the border. My eyes fell on the trash can I was carrying. Then on the zombie still standing in the doorway, and then finally on the 2 other zombies standing just behind it. With all my strength, I launched the trash can toward the first zombie's head, making sure that I didn't cross the border by accident. The trash can smashed into its head and it was launched back into the other 2 zombies standing behind it, knocking them over.

You attacked an opponent's weak spot. 100% critical chance was applied.

Base damage: 40

40*2 = 80 damage.

"What?! Oh, there is no way. How is this even fair? I can just stand here, and attack them for free? What is this, an XP farm?" I was beyond shocked. But as I gathered my thoughts, a sly grin began to spread across my face. "You know what? This might actually be my golden ticket. Every opponent is going to give me power, make me stronger. I'll become the strongest in the world. The strongest!"

I laughed, a wild, ambitious glint in my eyes. "Hahahahahah! Imagine that!" But then, my laughter faded, replaced by a look of intense determination. "No more running, no more fear. It's time to take control and rise to the top." I didn't know it then, but this "XP Farm" would turn out to be one of the safest and fastest methods of surviving and leveling up.