Zane did some logistics while resting on top of the Keeper of the Dead. The loot he gathered within that brief run he did was enough to fill half of his backpack. Taking them all out, he shone his phone’s light on these items as he inspected them one by one carefully without using Hi-Analysis. The corked test tube contained some sort of red liquid in it, and if Zane had to guess, it could be either a heal potion or something more devious than healing. I really hope this is a healing potion, Zane thought. Hoping for the best.

Next in line were these gem-like gravels, smaller than those sapphire he got from the blue-maned wolf. Shining a light against it made it look quite a lot similar to amber, fossilized resin except for its varied color. Rather than honey-yellow, it was more too mint green, and the subtle glow it had only enhanced Zane’s curiosity. He was itching in using Hi-Analysis but with second-round coming close, he was better off reserved it for an emergency, and not to mention he only got 2 MP left.

Last but not least, came the highlight of the shambler zombie’s drop. He lifted it up with his two hands, pinching it by the edge of his fingers. Medieval clothing, how interesting, Zane stared at the short-sleeve tunic with the fabric kind of rough at first touch. It didn’t look like it would be comfortable to wear, but nonetheless, a loot was still a loot. It was either he sells it or keeps it for himself, and these clothes were definitely leaning toward being sold.

Zane emptied his bag, and set these loots of his to the side. Keeping it in one place as he needed the extra storage for adventuring. In an RPG game, storage capacity was the bread and butter in exploring especially for those keen on collecting every item that could be collected. And the problem of storage was the reason for him being here. He vowed to obtain that Bag of Holding as it could solve almost every problem he had in this world and in his own world. And with that bag, carrying a gun on Singaporean soil wouldn’t be a problem at all.

He ventured back to the valley. Keeping himself at the plains rather than in the forest. Even with the bright moonlight above his head, he doubted it would do any good inside the dark forest. Running through the plains, he made quick work out of the stray shamblers he met. Them being alone and slow made it child’s play to Zane. The edge of his Blue-Iron Dagger sliced through those crumbling rotten flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Yet killing these zombies got him thinking. Come to think of it these zombies used to be human, Zane realized that what he killed used to be human. He wondered whether he was normal or not. And perhaps watching those zombie flicks made it easier for him to act this way.

Do zombies here exist only from curses or is there a spawn point for monsters like this? Another food for thought as he pondered whether the monsters existed like any normal beast on earth, going through the cycle of life and death, or perhaps they existed through the fantasy way, born from spawn point like in a game.

The groan of a nearby shambler snapped him out of his deep thought. He leaned back. Dodging the grip of the zombie as he shuffled his feet to a safe distance. Zane readied his dagger and charged. He went low and gave a leg sweep, sending the shambler tumbling on its back, and to finish it off, Zane stabbed it right through the eye, cracking the skull and into the brain. He twisted and turned a few times and the zombie turned back to a motionless corpse.

“I really need to be more careful,” he reminded himself. Snatching the usual floating loot while something else drew his curious gaze. “An axe?”

The weapon looked no different from a fire axe you can find in the emergency box. He grabbed on to it and different than the usual loot, he received a message.

[Congratulation on your hundredth Shambler-zombie kill!]

The message was somewhat hinting at the fire axe was a gift for his achievement. And for a gift, Zane couldn’t help but wondered what kind of stats it had. His curiosity won over him, putting aside his concern for emergency cases, Zane used Hi-Analysis.

[Aguya’s Fire Axe (3.5-Star). Vivid in red. It has a pick-shaped pointed poll, opposite of the cutting edge. There’s a rumor going around that a part Aguya’s nail melded during the creation of the axe head. Attack: 40. Effect: When attacking, the edge glow in red reaching 460-degree celsius. +3 Strength.]

“Whoa,” Zane said. Staring at the ordinary-looking fire axe that was far from being ordinary. Slowly, his grin grew wider as if he just got a present for his birthday. The effect of it was enough to make him giddy as Zane found himself a target to try it on. He bolted. Shortening the distance between him and the shambler in a few seconds. Zane dug his heel on the ground and leaned back. Swinging the fire axe with both his hands as the silver edge quickly glowed in red light.

It went through, and Zane couldn’t believe it. It cut so smooth as his blue-iron dagger couldn’t even be compared. For him, this was the epitome and literal definition of a hot knife cutting through butter.

The top half of the shambler laid on the ground with its arms flailing around, leaving its bottom half falling to its knees. Zane ended it in one stroke. Splitting its head in half as the burnt smell of flesh wafted in the air.

“Not gonna lie, but this is pretty heavy,” Zane said. Even with his elevated strength, he still could feel the weight of this axe in his hand, and he couldn’t imagine what it really weighed.

He threw out the needless complaint as nothing was better than having a real fantasy-like weapon. Zane just hoped he would get a better weapon in the future with some flashier skill in its effect.

Zane wasted no time, using his newfound weapon to the fullest of its capabilities. Axing them down in half one at a time, and by the tenth kill, he stopped. He glanced in the direction of where he was almost consumed by the horde, and it got him thinking. Unlike the dagger, the axe in his hand was well-equipped for a battle against many foes, and right at that moment, he decided.

He sprinted back to where the ruins were and to his liking the numbers of zombies wandering around were still many. Not as many as back then, but enough to make his blood boil in excitement. Grinning, he did the worst possible thing on land infested with walking deads.

“I’M HEREEE!” he shouted to the top of his lungs. Pulling the attention of these mindless humanoids as they dragged their feet to his direction, chomping their blackish yellowish teeth.

Zane felt the adrenaline rushing in his veins as he took the first strike. He killed the first one then another. Zane fought at the same spot as the bodies piled up and more of them kept on coming.

The axe in his hand went wild, mowing down zombies three at a time and sometimes even four. Them, clustering together made it easier for Zane to deal his deathly blow. Their numbers were dropping, but more came out from the forest near the ruins. The horde was coming back again, and Zane was at the center of it all.

He retreated, distancing himself to make sure the back wasn’t blocked. He was feeling the fight, but he wasn’t that of an idiot to get himself caught in the moment. Zane baited them to him just from his mere sight alone, swinging his axe like a Viking in battle. His experience was raking up, and a familiar ding came.

[You have leveled up to 15. Five stat points have been given.]

[Cleric-class leveled up to 10. Stat points distributed; +1 Arcane Power, +1 Vitality.]

Immediately, he dumped his stats all into the agility, bringing it to a whopping thirty-five points. His speed rose by another notch, and the axe went berserk. Slashing these zombies without any resistance as their many hands couldn’t even grasp the speedy Gonzalez. Backing away the moment they were too close, and mowing them down the moment he saw his chance. Zane rinsed and repeated the whole process as he grew more accustomed to it, flowing more naturally in his motion and his grasp to his surrounding. Half an hour later, he got what he wanted.

[You have leveled up to 16. Five stat points have been given.]

[Mage-class leveled up to 15. Stat points distributed; +2 Arcane Power.]

[Cleric-class leveled up to 11. Stat points distributed; +1 Arcane Power, +1 Vitality.]

Drowning in the exhilaration of speed, Zane didn’t hesitate and dumped it all again in agility. The office worker was now dominating the horde with his speed alone and against their slow movements, Zane was an unhindered conqueror. For the first time being here in the fantasy world, Zane finally felt powerful.

“Oof,” the breath in his lungs escaped in a rush. His feet were swept off the ground as the pain on his chest rivaled the pain he felt on that torturous night. He was brought to the ground as his eyes found a wide opened jaw reaching for his neck, he raised his axe and blocked the incoming jaw with the shaft. He struggled against the unyielding creature that kept chomping its disgusting smelly jaw. Zane kicked it away and rushed to get back on his feet.

His eyes found the thing that ambushed him out of nowhere and witnessed its frantic motion trying to get up from the ground. It stood on all four like a beast, yet it wasn’t. The humanoid appearance and its rotten smell were enough to tell Zane that this was a different breed.

“Hi-Analysis,” he uttered.

[Hunter Zombie][Lv.16]

[Hunter of the living. A different curse of the valley, and despite the decaying flesh, its muscles turned more flexible and stronger. The different curse even enhanced the primal animistic nature in it, droving its behavior and action akin to a beast of the wild, hungry for the flesh of the living. Those who are bitten may or may not be inflicted by the Curse of the Dead.]