A gentle wind brushed my hair as Simurgh's massive talons lowered me back to the ground. After a silent journey out of the inheritance chamber, I now landed in an unfamiliar forest. Towering trees loomed overhead, their thick foliage blocking the sunlight, casting shadows that made the ground beneath my feet look dark and damp.
I let out a heavy sigh. Not from exhaustion... not because my body was drained—I'm a zombie, I don't know what physical fatigue even is. But... mentally, I was spent. Too much had happened. Too much information and too many decisions in such a short time.
"I need... rest," I murmured before slumping against an old tree.
But before I could truly relax, curiosity pushed me to open my status—I hadn't checked it since the end of yesterday's slaughter.
[STATUS]
Name: Sylvia Hortensia
Race: Noctira (Rank 2 – Evolved Zombie)
Element: Death
Level: 21/30
Stats
HP: 18,000 / 18,000
MP: 0 / 0
STR: 2,180
VIT: 18,000
INT: 120
AGI: 528
LUK: ERROR
Active Skills
~ Infectious Bite (8/20)
~ Razor Toxic Claw (11/40)
~ Shadow Piercing (5/40)
~ Void Steps (3/10)
~ Appraisal (1/10)
Spell
~ Gravebind – Forbidden Death Spell (Rank 4) – 1,500 MP
Passive Skills
~ Killing Stroke
~ High-Regeneration (8/40) – Restores 450 HP per second
~ Toxic Affinity
~ Blood Instinct (New)
Titles
~ Reincarnated
~ First Evolution
~ Second Evolution
~ Blessing from Goddess Persephone
"Leveled up... quite a lot," I murmured softly, my eyes scanning through the numbers and skills that now felt more... substantial.
But what really made me pause was the Spell section—it was now separate from Active Skills.
"So... I have a separate slot for spells now?" I mumbled, then my eyes fell on the name of the spell.
Gravebind.
A high-level death spell... I had chosen it earlier because it sounded good and cool but—
"...DAMMIT."
It just hit me.
"My MP is zero!!"
I smacked my forehead. What use is having a cool spell if I can't even cast it? My zombie race is indeed tough, but the drawbacks are clear I have no mana.
"Will there be an evolution that changes that?" I whispered with a sigh. Who knows. But now's not the time to complain. I chose to ignore it for now.
My eyes shifted to the small bottle in my hand that I'd obtained from the inheritance chamber. The thick purple liquid still glowed faintly, as if waiting for the right moment to be used.
Use it now? Or wait?
My instincts said: wait.
I need to know when a truly desperate moment comes. There's no guarantee I can control its effects. So, for now, I stored it in my system inventory.
Then I sat back down. Not because my body was tired—I don't need sleep, don't need food. But my mind... my mind was utterly drained.
These hands... had just slaughtered dozens, maybe hundreds of living and undead creatures.
Yet... even as I closed my eyes, the system wouldn't let me rest.
TING!
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED]
Title: Third Evolution – Challenging the Limits of the Undead
Target Rank: Rank 3
Time Limit: 7 Days
Reward:[Chain of Abyss – Weapon Class: Living Chain]
My eyes snapped open.
"...Seven days?" I repeated the system's voice.
Seven days to go from level 21 to 30? That means I'll have to hunt faster, more efficiently. And whatever this Chain of Abyss is, if it's a reward directly from the system, then it's clearly not just some ordinary weapon.
"I haven't even rested for an hour," I muttered, letting out a dry chuckle.
But the instincts inside me... urged me to rise.
As a zombie, I don't have the luxury of laziness. Every second I spend not killing is a missed opportunity. And if I stay still too long... then they—humans or other mutants—will catch up to me.
I stared into the forest ahead. Quiet. Damp. The faint scent of blood still lingered in my nose, from who knows where.
I stood up.
My bones made soft cracking sounds. Shadows quivered gently around me.
"All right," I said, gazing far ahead.
Seven days.
Seven days to tear through this forest again.
I stepped forward... and the shadows around me moved in unison.
The hunt begins a new.