Highschool Of The Dead

Slowly I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the ceiling, which was different from what I saw every day. Looking around, I noticed that it was an ordinary room and that I was no longer in the hospital.

"System", I spoke out loud.

[System]: What do you need, master?

"I just wanted to confirm whether it was a dream or not."

[System]: It's reality, master. You are currently inside the conjunction 'Highschool Of The Dead'.

I nodded my head in agreement and got out of bed, for the first time in a long time I was able to move my body freely, without waiting I ran to the bathroom mirror inside the room, as in Limbo I couldn't feel anything physical I was experiencing everything again after years.

"My appearance is similar to that of my previous world, only apparently improved," I commented when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

[System]: One of the blessings you received from the Goddess was to improve your body to support your soul, so your current appearance is due to your characteristics being maximized.

"I see, but what's this about supporting my soul?" I asked without understanding.

[System]: ...

"I guess that was information I wasn't supposed to know yet, right?"

[System]: I'd appreciate it if you'd pretend this conversation never happened.

After laughing and agreeing to turn a blind eye, I turned my focus to the mirror. I know that my illness has left me in shambles, but my current state is pretty decent to say the least. Dark skin accompanied by short wavy hair and amber-colored eyes.

"How long before the outbreak?"

[System]: Since classes will start in 1 hour, I'd say there are exactly 4 hours until the apocalyptic outbreak.

Leaving the room, I went downstairs and came across a figure very familiar to me, a short, slightly overweight boy with long hair and glasses on his face.

"Good morning, Kohta!" I greeted.

"Good morning, Elijah! I see you've got used to the time zone," said the young man with a characteristic smile on his face.

That was one of the changes I made in this world. I was now the foreign cousin of Kohta Hirano, who had just been transferred to an exchange program in Japan.

"You can just call me Eli, cousin, there's no need for formalities here," I said, slipping my arm around his neck and escorting him into the kitchen. Even though it's something I've created by force, it'll be nice to enjoy a family breakfast even once.

I noticed that Kohta was wary of my arm around his neck, I imagine because of the bullying he suffered at school, so I let him go to avoid discomfort. Since his parents aren't in the country, he's practically living alone with me now.

"Eli, let's eat and go out, I can't let you be late on your first day," said the boy as he set the table for both of us.

¤¤¤

After a calm walk and a bus, we arrived at Fujima College, the various students were happily heading to their destinations without imagining what was to come. Seeing their happy faces, a feeling of guilt welled up in my chest, after all, I knew the chaos that was going to happen.

"I'm not a hero..." I whispered to myself, trying to assuage this guilt.

At school, I walked with Kohta to our classroom, as we were in the same class, there was no need to separate. Kohta stopped at the door and thought for a moment, I think he was afraid to enter the place where the assholes picked on him.

Touching his shoulder, I say with an encouraging smile:

"Let's go, my cousin."

After a while, the teacher asked me to come in and introduce myself, and some of the students easily stood out from the others. A boy with gray hair and a serious attitude sat at the back, this was Hisashi Igou, the protagonist's best friend. A girl with orange-brown hair tied up in an iconic ponytail also sat in the back row, that was Rei Miyamoto, the protagonist's childhood friend and also the girl he liked, if I'm not mistaken she was dating Hisashi at that time in the story. Sitting further forward, with her pink hair tied up in two pigtails, was Saya Takagi, another of the protagonist's friends who liked him.

I winked at my cousin, who was sitting in the row next to the window, and began my introduction:

"Hello everyone, my name is Elijah Reed and I'm from America."

The class looked at me curiously and I could even see some girls blushing as they looked at me. Sensing that my popular phase was approaching, I smiled and continued with the standard introduction I'd seen many times in anime. Sitting down somewhere empty, I began to answer a few questions that the students nearby asked me, my presence becoming a novelty for them.

After almost an hour I finally managed to leave the room with the excuse of going to the toilet, I couldn't waste my time watching a class that would ultimately be useless.

"I need to go to the terrace, do you have a map of the place?"

[System]: I can only map what you've already seen and explored, master.

"I see. By the way, you don't need to address me with such formality, just Elijah or Eli is fine"

[System]: Got it, Elijah-sama.

"Now it gets worse..."

Since I'd have to map out the whole place, I decided to do this while looking for the staircase leading up to the terrace, where I could tell exactly when the outbreak at the school would start.

"Map everything."

[System]: Yes, Sir.

¤¤¤

On the terrace, I sat down in a corner and began to read some of the system's functions that I had previously ignored, and the one that most caught my eye was the "Shop" function. Even though I was used to moving around normally and interacting with the other students, I didn't consider myself fit to face a horde of zombies and survive on my abilities.

"My body can be improved, but I still don't know how to use it."

[System]: For this I recommend that you use the Shop to buy some skills or items that you like, Elijah-sama. I just have to inform you that only low-level items can be purchased at the moment.

"I figured that's what it would be."

When I selected the Shop function, a screen with a lot of information appeared in front of me. Using the filter, I selected some combat skills that might prove useful for my survival.

Two skills caught my eye:

|■[Kali (Rank-D)]: a martial art born in the Philippines that stands out for its emphasis on the use of weapons.(200KP)|

|■[Iron will (Rank-C)]: confers the ability to resist external pressures, maintain determination and persist in the face of challenges or adversity. Those who possess it show an inner fortitude that allows them to face difficult situations without giving up easily.(500KP)|

I bought the two skills and used the remaining 100 points to buy two elixirs that grant buffs and a steel staff to be my weapon.

"Now I don't have any Karma Points left, can I consider myself bankrupt?"

[System]: Absolutely, Eli-dono. But for your comfort, I can tell you that your skills and items will be very useful, especially the elixirs that will allow you to evolve more quickly at the start of the Apocalypse.

"Your nicknames are getting more and more creative, thanks for the feedback."

When I bought the Skills, an option to integrate them into my body appeared in the system. By selecting the "Yes" option, all the knowledge of combat with weapons flooded my mind and something like muscle memory filled my body. With the other Skill it was more subtle, as I felt no apparent change.

I was currently lying admiring the azure sky while Takashi was leaning on the railings thinking, he couldn't see me from this side of the terrace but I heard him coming in. A girl's voice woke me from my contemplation, and looking furtively behind the wall I could see that it was Saya, her movements as she talked showed how her curves were accentuated in her uniform.

"The author knew what he was doing with the design of these clothes."

[System]: Pervert.

After a heated conversation and calling Takashi an idiot several times in a single sentence, Saya quickly left the terrace. Takashi, for his part, went back to observing the scenery in front of him and thinking about his teenage drama.

Saya returned to the terrace and asked Takashi:

"Did you see a boy with yellow eyes and dark skin?"

"I saw him wandering the corridors, but it's been a while," answered Takashi, a little confused by the sudden question.

"Tsk, this newcomer is already giving me a hard time," commented Saya before leaving the terrace for good.

Takashi didn't know what she was talking about, so he just went back to looking at the sky and reflecting on his tragic romance with Rei.

"Why is she looking for me?" I asked aloud, confused.

[System]: 10 minutes and 57 seconds left, my lord Elijah.

The system was taking into account the time until the principal informed the students of the carnage taking place at the school over the loudspeakers. By then, a lot of shit will have happened and I can't just wait around. I swallowed the two elixirs in one go and felt my veins contract, along with my senses going numb for a moment. As I recovered from my dizziness, Takashi hurried out onto the terrace with a distressed expression.

"It's finally started," I said with an apprehensive smile on my face.