Chapter 2: Dead Lunch
Uh oh.
This is bad. Very bad. Damien thinks I'm dead; he probably came here to clean up my body. Even for someone like him, he'd at least be at a little risk if it got out that he was a murderer.
I know for a fact that he's done this before, though, and he probably doesn't expect his most recent victim to get up like nothing happened. What am I supposed to do here?
"Hey, Damien, I know you killed me and all, but I got turned into a zombie. Sorry. Just destroy my brain and make it painless, please."
Like hell that's gonna happen! He pushed me around enough before I was immortal. I'm not gonna let that happen again. I looked around the corner again to see three guys congregating in front of my door.
The cleanup crew, I guess. Fortunately for them, there wasn't gonna be any mess for them to clean up today. There was Damien, a level 3 fire ability user. From what I've seen, he can make and manipulate flames around his body.
He doesn't have very much range, but he seriously packs a punch. He also has pretty good defense for a fire ability since, for most people, hand-to-hand combat is off the table with his body being covered in fire.
There were two others wearing level 1 badges, so they should be fairly weak regardless their abilities. of I figured my best bet was to just take the heat (no pun intended) and make a break for it out of my room, but I knew I couldn't outrun Damien.
I would just have to take a risk, wait for him to enter my room, and get the jump on him when he least expected it. Peering at him from around the corner, I somehow understood where I would have to attack him to efficiently bring him down.
[Yes, that is a side effect of zombification. You can rapidly and subconsciously analyze the structures of potential victims to aid you in subduing and consuming them.]
Woah, can you read my thoughts?! That's messed up, Gamma!
[Hah. I know you've been imagining that girl Anastasia, well... performing some possibly regrettable actions.]
Shut up! Shut up! I'm in the middle of a crisis here!
[Don't worry Mars, I'm here to help you. Your sex drive remaining intact is very good. It's a sign that the synchronization went as planned without causing any severe brain damage. If I recall properly, your exact thoughts were "Aah, just like that, babe."]
...
Shut. Up. NOW!
My fantasies are mine alone! You can't say anything about them, you emotionless machine!
[I'm hurt, Mars, but I think you have bigger things to worry about at this present moment.]
Gamma was right. Damien walked into the room. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that he swaggered into the room. Rich kids, ugh.
I prepared for my sneak attack. I'd planned it all out perfectly in my head. Hah, I'm like an assassin. My attack played out in my head hundreds of times, honing it down to the millimeter. I was ready for anything.
He turned the corner, and I jumped out, executing my perfect attack! Ha ha ha ha ha, I'm invincible! I'm a master strategist! Nobody would be able to survive this perfectly planned attack!
BLAM!
Oh. Oh, no.
It seemed there was a variable that I hadn't accounted for, and that was my target itself. How stupid could I be!
It failed! My attack failed! But I planned so meticulously! Damien has instinctively punched me in the chest with a fist covered in fire. The full brunt of this explosive attack, along with the momentum from me diving at him actually split my body in half horizontally.
Wait! This is my chance! Damien is stunned from my sneak attack, and isn't moving!
I grabbed his foot and dug my teeth into his ankle.
"AAAAAAGH! GOD DAMMIT!"
Damien shook me off, but with my new zombie teeth and thirst for flesh, I did substantial damage to his leg. I'd ripped out and swallowed his tendon.
"GET HIM! GET HIM YOU DUMBASSES!"
Damien cried out as he fell to the ground, screaming in pain. The two level ones looked at each other and then looked at me, ready to come forward and kill me before they stopped in their tracks, horrified.
My body was stitching itself back together with little strings of flesh. My organs were being pulled back inside of me and suddenly I could feel my legs again. I got up and looked up at them, blood dripping from my mouth.
I grinned horribly. I had tasted flesh. And I wanted more. I lunged at the boy on the left, going for his neck. Before I could reach him, a fist struck me across the face. The other boy must've had a strengthening ability, because it hurt like hell. My jaw broke, but healed in no time.
I jumped at the strengthening kid instead, this time feinting for his neck but actually trying to bite into his flank. There's a reason he's just a level 1; he swung wide for my head, but by the time he realized it was a feint, it was too late.
I sunk my teeth into his succulent flank, taking out a decent chunk. The boy fell to the floor, bleeding out rapidly. I licked my lips while looking at the other boy. This one just tried to run, but I got on all fours and shot myself forward.
I bit out a chunk of his calf, stopping him from moving, before climbing onto his back and ripping out his jugular with my teeth. I turned around, covered in blood, to see a furious Damien. He hopped up on one leg and covered his arm in fire. Fortunately for me, he was close range.
Without being able to move, this would be easy. I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen. It was a shitty apartment, but at least the owners wouldn't be violating any fire safety laws, because this put his fire out right away. After coating his body in fire extinguisher foam (What the hell is that stuff called, anyway?) I hit him over the head with the canister a few times and stood over his body, exhausted.
Then I snapped out of it. Oh, my god. I just killed three people. Looking at the bodies on my apartment floor, I expected myself to be disgusted, but instead, I found myself to be very very appetized. Although I was a little ashamed of myself, I didn't really feel bad for these guys since they'd just tried to kill me, and decided to dig in.
As I ate, I noticed little notifications popping up on my display. My mana was increasing. And I could feel it coursing throughout my body. It felt amazing. Sensual, even. I could also feel the rest of my body changing ever so slightly.
"Gamma, what's going on?"
[Due to your passive ability, {Mana Drain}, your body is become stronger and your mana capacity is increasing.]
Oh yeah, I'd read about that when I checked my status. This felt incredible.
[+1 Strength]
[+1 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+7 Mana]
[+3 Mutation Points]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[+1 Skill Point]
Mars' status menu:
[Name: Mars Valentine]
[Level: 2]
[Race: Zombie]
[Mutation Points: 4]
[Skill Points: 1]
[Skills:
Immortality (MAX):
*PASSIVE*
Bearer is effectively immortal so long as its brain remains intact. Bearer will not age and all injuries will be healed rapidly.
NOTE: If bearer does not consume human flesh regularly, the effects of {Immortality (MAX} will be diminished, reducing healing capabilities of the skill.
Pain Tolerance(LVL 1):
*PASSIVE*
Increases bearer's tolerance to pain.
Mana Drain (LVL 1):
*PASSIVE*
Through consuming human flesh, bearer can harvest the mana within it and increase his capabilities with mana-required skills as well as increase his physical capabilities.]
[Mutations: N/A]
[Ability: N/A]
[Curses:
Zombified:
Bearer has been affected by a strange and ancient pathogen. No longer requires sleep. Buffs to all stats. After going long enough without eating, bearer will turn into an insatiable killing machine, out to consume human flesh.
G.A.M.M.A.: The incredible and powerful system known as G.A.M.M.A. has granted pity on the pathetic bearer and granted him new life as a zombie. G.A.M.M.A. is amazing, beautiful, and all around the greatest creation the universe has produced.]
[Capabilities:
Strength: 7 (+3)
Agility: 6 (+2)
Endurance: 5 (+1)
Intelligence: 8 (+1)
Mana: 7
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone