Cynthia’s Skill- Field Observation

Surprisingly, it was Cynthia who started to explain why she was almost certain they would find something behind the hostel.

"Among the orbs we split, I got a skill got 'Field Observation'. It allows me to locate treasures and enemies." She led them behind the hostel and continued. "And the skill is showing me enemies and a treasure behind the hall."

"Wow, you totally look like the snobby type." Jenny who didn't look bothered commented to her.

"What?, I don't?" Cynthia let out a small smile despite refusing the claims.

"Thanks for saying it." Jon thanked her instead. He had survived for almost a day so far, and he intended to keep doing so as long as possible. Dying to benefit someone else's gamble wasn't on his agenda, so he was happy she said something to prepare their minds.

When they reached the back of the dormitory, the reason for the silence at the entrance of the dormitory became horrifyingly clear. The zombies had gathered here—tens of them, standing motionless, as though in a trance.

They were likely the girls who had turned into zombies. At the front of the still tranced zombies sight, it was an unexpected thing to see: a small tree, no taller than an adult man. It looked fully grown, its leaves lush, but its height was disconcertingly stunted.And for a moment, they too were frozen, taking in the unsettling scene.

But all of a sudden, the tree began to vibrate. As if the zombies had suddenly awakened, they turned not toward Jon and the others, but toward each other, attacking with brutal savagery.

Though it seemed a small mercy that the zombies were killing each other, the relief was short-lived. Once a zombie had killed five others, it bolted forward, faster and more dangerous than before.

The three of them tensed, their traits keeping them from panicking, sharpening their focus instead. The zombies were getting stronger in their presence.

"So they get stronger the same way?" Jenny was perplexed at the situation.

"We need to take them down before they get even stronger," Jon said, his voice grew serious. Cynthia and Jenny nodded in agreement, and they moved in formation.

Cynthia, in the middle, leaped into the air. Channeling her mana, she summoned bullets of air and formed a small swirling tornado the size of a grown man with a fluid motion of her hands. Sending both attacks forward, taking out three zombies with precise shots to the head while the tornado tore through seven more.

"Wow!" Jenny exclaimed, awestruck by Cynthia's skill. "She's controlling the air!"

Jon, too, was impressed. "Is it manipulation?," he muttered, and she heard him.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I guessed," Jon replied with a shrug. "It's kind of obvious, though." Without waiting for her response, he moved forward, gripping his spear tightly. He hadn't realized yet that his instant calculation skill, did more than just speed up his thoughts.

Jon extended his left hand and spent a portion of his mana to stop the movements of five zombies in front of him, and with his spear, they dropped lifeless to the ground.

He used another portion of his mana to halt the movements of seven more before stepping in with his spear, its tip glowing with the energy of the moon.

His movements were fluid and precise, every strike clean and efficient. Gone were the clumsy attacks of earlier; now, he fought like a seasoned soldier. Even with the knowledge of a soldier, he knew the proper amount of mana to release at a time.

As he exhaled, the pale blue energy of the moon flickered softly around him. Jenny, still riding the high of excitement, dashed to her position on the right, raising her hands to summon fireballs and silver whips, which she swung with reckless abandon. Her sword, forgotten, lay unused behind her.

Despite the chaos of Jon and the girls joining, the zombies continued killing each other, growing stronger with each kill.

And before they knew it, only five were left. But, these five had a fierce gleam in their eyes.

Jon noticed it, but before he could voice his concern, a series of system notifications began to flood his vision:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 7 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 8 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 5 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 10 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

Quickly checking his status, Jon saw his new level:

[LEVEL: 11]

He exhaled as he saw it. Just from a few minutes of killing, his level had risen from 9-11.

"Be careful." For these five zombies, they couldn't fight like they previously did. It only took a single scratch to lose themselves.

Both girls nodded in silent understanding.

Jon concentrated his moon energy into the tip of his spear, while Cynthia compressed the air into a dense ball, and Jenny summoned energy gauntlets that crackled with intensity.

The five remaining zombies, not waiting anymore charged at them, hands curled into claws. They were walking faster than the normal zombies, like the one Jon killed earlier.

And Jon attempted to stop it's movement, but it struggled, resisting his power. But that little was enough.

He dashed forward with all his might, thrust his spear into its skull and with a sickening boom, the head exploding on impact.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 13 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

He had said it previously, in this nighttime if he fought that zombie from earlier. It wouldn't last. But he couldn't relax just yet as the battle intensified, with Jon narrowly dodging a swipe aimed at his head. In a fluid motion, he severed the zombie's hand with his spear.

KRGHHTC

With the grousque sound, it just ran forward ignoring it's hand. At this point, it had become an easier target.

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 12 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

Meanwhile, Jenny and Cynthia handled their foes with equal ferocity. After a brief but intense fight, all the zombies lay dead. The three of them stood still, breathing heavily, trying to recover.

"Whew, that was something," Jenny said, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Yeah," Cynthia agreed, but her eyes were fixed on the tree. Throughout the battle, it had been shaking, and now that the last zombie had fallen, it suddenly went still.

Jon noticed her gaze. "Should we check it out?" he asked.

Cynthia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

So they approached the tree cautiously, keeping their guard up. But as they got within five meters of it, the tree let out an ear-splitting scream.

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE

The sound was so piercing that survivors across the campus heard it, many collapsing and shaking in terror. But the situation was worse for, Jon, Jenny, and Cynthia.

Blood poured from their ears, eyes, and noses and their eardrums shattered. They fell to the ground, and started coughing blood.

When the scream died down, it's roots tore free from the ground and started thrashing violently—and they were right in its path.

Struggling to stay conscious, they summoned walls of magic—moonlight, air, and silver—but the roots smashed through their defenses effortlessly, sending them flying.

And now, another set of the tree's roots, sharp and deadly, were aimed directly at their heads.