PIERCE IT

Before leaving, he realized there was no easy way to leave unnoticed, so he decided to take a different approach.

With a burst of speed and the use of his shadow steps to move through people's shadows, he vanished from sight.

He normally would have informed Jenny and Cynthia about were he was about to go, but his distrust was still at its peak.

So, as the survivors were watching the locations the fighters went off to, Jon had slipped away.

As Jon left the cafeteria, spear in hand, he sprinted towards the boys' dormitory without any particular reason—he simply followed his instincts. And part of his reason was partly to see if he could get some of his belongings. After running about 300 meters, he was forced to stop abruptly.

His earrings blared a little, and he swung his spear to the side instinctively.

CLANG!

The impact jolted him backward a step. Jon turned to see his attacker: a zombie.

But this one was different. Its skin was red, and its eyes gleamed with a spark of intelligence. Its claw, covered in metallic armor, had clashed with his spear.

'Strong.' reacting at the force behind the attack. It was actually a zombie with a metal related skill.

Using the backstep he gained from the zombie's strike, Jon adjusted his stance and launched his attack. He activated his shadow steps, disappearing and reappearing behind the red zombie. His Moon gaze identified a weak spot, and with his spear charged with moon energy, he struck.

CLANG!

To his shock, the spear barely made a dent, even at the weak point. The zombie only staggered forward a step, grunting in annoyance.

KARRRGH!

The zombie turned swiftly, landing a powerful kick on Jon's chest with its metal-covered leg. He barely blocked it with his spear but was still thrown back. Before he could recover, the zombie closed the distance, swiping at him with its claws. Jon dodged, his mind racing.

"My speed is fine, but I need more strength," he realized. His strength stat had always been the lowest, something he hadn't paid much attention to until now.

"Add 13 points to strength."

The change was immediate.

[STRENGTH: 83]

Still, his strength lagged behind his other attributes. His other stats were entering the 100s.

Raising his spear again, Jon dodged another swipe and slammed the spear into the ground, the vibration on the ground attempting to throw the zombie off balance. He followed up with another thrust, this time denting the metal skin slightly.

BOOM!

The zombie screeched, regaining its balance and lunged again. Jon activated shadow steps, trying to get behind it, but the creature twisted its body at an unnatural angle, dodging his strike. It retaliated with a swift swipe of its claw.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The fight was brutal, each clash pushing Jon to his limits. But as they fought, Jon began adjusting his movements to fit the situation, refining his technique, trying to fight more fluidly like a martial artist—a suggestion given to him by his Soldier Physique trait.

And despite his now growing frustration, Jon kept returning to one move: the piercing thrust. It wasn't the only technique he knew, but every time he executed it, something deep inside him stirred. He couldn't describe it, but it felt like something powerful was awakening.

Deep within him, a flame flickered, faint but growing with each strike. Jon tried to pull at it with his mana—nothing. He tried with moon energy—still nothing.

"What else can I use?" he thought, desperation creeping in. Then it hit him. "Willpower! My mind world!"

Focusing all his will, he reached for the flame, and it shifted a little. Now, he knew he had his answer, but it still wasn't working fully.

Meanwhile, the zombie's speed increased. Its attacks came faster and faster, overwhelming Jon's senses. His temporary danger-sense blared warnings, forcing him to rely heavily on shadow steps just to stay alive.

The zombie wasn't getting faster, it was just that Jon was concentrating a lot on the flame that was growing inside him, so in turn he was slower.

He was pushed to the edge again and again and was on the edge of getting scratched.

'No...No...No it can't end like this.' he roared inside him.

"I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Jon roared, determination flooding his voice. "I WILL PIERCE THAT BODY!"

And just like that, the flame that had been flickering within him roared to life.

Jon felt it. The flame, no longer flickering, burned brightly, its location clear to him now. It was in his core, in the middle region of his body. And the Information about it flooded his mind, as if guiding him on how to use it.

With renewed focus, Jon leaped back, channeling the flame into his spear.

Immediately, a surge of power coursed through him.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED REQUIREMENT...]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED...]

[MARTIAL EXPERT...]

[YOUR *** HAS...]

He couldn't focus on the notifications; he only felt his strength multiply. His muscles and bones tensed and relaxed in rapid succession, pushing his body to new heights.

Suddenly, a thick concentration of white energy formed at the tip of his spear. Jon stared in shock, realizing what it was.

"It's...fucking aura."

Aura—something he'd only read about in novels, something that was supposed to take years of training to master—had appeared before him in just five days.

"The Soldier Physique must have pushed me to the brink of unlocking it," Jon thought, quickly piecing together the puzzle. He wasn't foolish enough to think he'd reached this point alone.

"Now, what if I add moon energy?"

He coated the aura with his moon energy, turning it a bluish hue. Its power magnified exponentially—at least four times stronger than before when he just used moon energy alone.

A grin spread across Jon's face. "You're so dead."

The red zombie, sensing Jon's newfound strength, hesitated. Its earlier confidence wavered as Jon's spear now radiated deadly power. Then Jon moved,

WHOOSH!

SLASH!

THUD!

The zombie's head hit the ground before Jon even realized what had happened. He stared at the headless corpse in disbelief, then at his spear.

"What...?why was it so easy."

He didn't have time to dwell on the sudden victory. The notifications poured in.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 25 (METALRED ZOMBIE) REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

Finally, the message he'd been waiting for since the beginning of the day:

[YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 25 UNRANKED REALM. YOU NEED CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS TO ADVANCE YOUR REALM.]