Chapter 5

The zombies were non-intelligent beings, and their sense of smell served as their direction-finding sense.

Since no one remained in the house, they traced the scent of life outside. By then, they were pouring out of Reckless' room through his window, causing him to hurriedly close the window with all his might. The ones that had yet to enter the house were also converging on their location.

"Let's take action now!" Reckless refused to give up, and Rhea firmly nodded. She pushed her brother aside and dashed away with their big, fluffy dog running after her.

Soon, smoke billowed into the sky, as the siblings' home was now set ablaze by their own hands.

A coughing Rhea appeared behind them, her face red as she struggled to catch her breath, her hand on her knees.

"Darn it," she coughed, admiring her handiwork.

They had successfully set the building on fire, thereby killing hundreds of zombies. However, compared to the total number of zombies, their kills were relatively few.

"I think we should run," suggested Reckless.

Suddenly, both of them stiffened.

Messages continually sounded in their heads, and after about five minutes, they looked at each other.

"You...you heard that?"

Reckless nodded, his lips curling into a smile.

He felt more powerful than ever before.

Who would have thought that they would be rewarded without directly killing a single zombie?

Now, he was a Level 10 Youngling.

The euphoric feeling was hard to describe. He had even gained some weapons.

It was only now that he felt Uranus was somewhat generous. It rewarded them with the kills of the hundred zombies that were burning, probably because they indirectly contributed to it.

Rhea was also in the same boat. She was now a Level 13 Youngling – probably because she has contributed more, and had also acquired a weapon. Going from being a helpless girl to what she was now was simply incredible.

Now, she could protect her precious little brother.

"They are here," Reckless suddenly said and summoned his saber once again.

Rhea also summoned her sword, 'Broken Dawn' – a thin sword with a broken handle. The sword radiated a black mist at the edge and looked ominous. Once equipped, it gave her additional Health and Stamina, adding about 10+ points to her current fifty-something points.

Like they had done before, Reckless took the front, with Rhea guarding his back.

Although it hadn't been more than twenty-four hours since Reckless had arrived in this world and started slaying zombies, he was already experienced to the point that one would have thought he had been dealing with the ghouls since the day he was born. He was incredibly agile, and every time he slashed his sword, a zombie fell.

Rhea wasn't idle either; with her own stats and the boost from her sword, she could enter the midst of the zombies and slay some before returning behind Reckless.

What had begun early in the morning had now turned late into the afternoon. Exhaustion overwhelmed the two, but more than exhaustion, they felt a sense of hopelessness.

Even though they had been battling for over six hours, the zombies were still coming, seemingly endless.

Though their strength and other attributes were growing with each passing second, their mental power was also quickly depleting.

Gritting his teeth as he narrowly avoided a zombie's claw, Reckless ordered, "We have to run!"

Without saying anything, he turned around.

Rhea was momentarily stunned before grabbing her brother's hand and started running after him, with the fluffy dog following.

The dog had somehow grown bigger, and its fur had turned silvery, shining in the golden sunlight. What the two failed to notice was how the dog could keep up with them. Their speed was at least five times that of a normal human, but in their current situation, yet the dog wasn't lagging behind, however, they couldn't focus on such details right now.

They ran uphill and finally reached the entrance of a forest. The trees had grown incredibly tall and sturdy, about 100 meters tall . Reckless suddenly paused and gritted his teeth, then climbed a tree, leaving Rhea confused as she watched him.

Then, in one swift motion, he cut down the largest and longest branch of the tree, making it fall onto the road. Although the branch couldn't stop the zombies, it could at least slowed them down a bit. After doing this, they continued running.

There was nowhere to hide, and they didn't encounter anyone else; the entire city was eerily silent, with only them and the zombies.

As evening approached, the sunset was unbelievably beautiful, but neither of them could admire it.

The golden incandescent sun was out in its full glory, casting a streak of orange and reddish hues across the sky, stretching the shadows of the four figures.

"I am dead tired," Reckless said, his chest heaving up and down, sweat glistening on his forehead as he leaned against a tree for support.

Rhea was in the same condition; her snowy face was red from running, but her eyes shone brighter than usual.

She also stopped and gently placed her brother in front of her. Carrying a five-year-old boy while running was no easy feat, but she didn't complain. The little boy looked at the exhausted duo with his big, bright eyes flickering, then glanced back at the zombies, which were about a mile behind them but still visible, resembling an ocean in the distance.

"I am freaking thirsty," Rhea fanned herself with her hand, feeling hot. She even had the urge to take off her clothes, but she restrained herself.

Reckless didn't pay her much attention as he decided to check his attributes which he hadn't had the chance to study since.

He summoned his status window, a simple act that always brought a smile to his face in situations like this but what he saw truly surprised him.

[Name: Reckless

Health Points: 150

Status: Youngling {Level 1 - 30}

Level: 22

Agility: 130

Weapon: Doomsday Saber, Heavenly Coat, Feather of Truth, Unbroken Dagger.

Retainer: None

Skill: Endless Manipulation

Strength: 250

Stamina: 100

Mana: 220

Points: 250

Appearance: C

Title: Zombie Slayer

Charm: 25

]

Many things had changed, but he is going to observe them one by one. He clicked on the weapon column and examined the description of his new weapons.

Doomsday Saber: [This sword can cut through any creature below Level 30. Once equipped, it deals a damage of Health –5 to the opponent and grants Health +5, Agility +5 to the owner. Upgrade: 30 points.]

Heavenly Coat: [This coat was once worn by a trusted servant of a nameless Captain. It protects the wearer from attacks below Level 10 and mitigates 20% of the damage received below Level 20. Upgrade: 50 points]

Feather of Truth: [When used to write, the writer can only tell the truth]

Unbroken Dagger: [A formidable dagger capable of piercing even the thickest skulls. It is as light as a feather and as fast as the wind. It grows in power along with the user.]

Reckless frowned slightly at the Feather of Truth, considering it somewhat useless. However, the Heavenly Coat would serve as good armor.

He summoned the coat, and an obsidian armor enveloped him. The polished armor made him look somewhat regal.

After some thought, Reckless decided to upgrade it. After clicking on the upgrade option, the Heavenly Coat's name and description changed.

Heavenly Armor: [It protects the wearer from attacks below Level 20 and mitigates 15% of the damage received below Level 30.]

It couldn't be upgraded further.

Reckless dismissed the window and checked his Skill instead, something he had been curious about since earlier but hadn't had the chance to investigate.

Skill: Endless Manipulation.

Description: [You can manipulate anything]

"Manipulate? Anything? What does that mean?" Reckless muttered to himself.

He was racking his brain when he heard Rhea's sudden gasp. He dismissed his stats, looking at her.

"What's going on?"

"Look."

He followed her gaze and squinted his eyes when he realized what was happening.

The countless zombies suddenly paused in their movements and went still. Then, they began parting ways, creating a path.

"What's happening?" Rhea mumbled, her heart filled with confusion.

Reckless squinted his eyes thoughtfully, a feeling of unease creeping over him. Why did he have the sense that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be anything good?

He hoped he was overthinking things.

"Wait, what's that?"

A gigantic zombie, about three meters tall, emerged from the path the other zombies had created. Its bleak eyes seemed to possess an intelligence of their own, filled with malevolence and a hint of greed.

This zombie was unlike the others; its skin was obsidian in color, and its eyes stood out against its hide. It was faster than the ordinary zombies, and before they could react, it was only a few meters away from them.

"Summon your weapons!" Reckless shouted.

Rhea didn't hesitate and summoned her weapons, instantly enveloping herself in a bright red armor, gloves, and a red helmet.