First mission(2)

I walked back to the car and leaned on the hood.

I was planning on watching the fight. After all, what better way could I pass the time? Plus, I was close enough to step in when they needed me to.

Focusing my eyes on the three, I stopped all my thoughts and paid attention. They were going to fight Tier 2s. Even I, in the beginning, had some trouble with them.

The three dashed forwards with their ARs in hand and let the bullets fly. Angela and Daniela were nervous. They kept missing shots. But Bruce, who was on the awakened side of the military camp, was like a pro.

Since ten seven zombies were running after them, the three had to be quick on their feet. Bruce aimed his gun at the first zombie. He let his bullet go, and it flew over to the zombie's leg. He shot another one, but this time he aimed for the head.

The Tier 2 stood no chance. It lost its balance and died with a bullet to his head.

Daniela, after the first few misses, calmed down and started hitting her targets. She aimed her gun at one of the running zombies and shot.

*Shhh

The bullet flew in the air and made contact with the zombies' head. It fell over. She then did the same, but this time, her luck wasn't as good. The bullet pierced the zombie's neck, but didn't kill it. She then redeemed herself with her next shot.

Her bullet, like the first one, flew through the air and pierced the zombies' head. Again, the zombie fell over.

Bruce didn't let Daniela take the spotlight.

He towards the zombies running at them and let his bullets go in bursts. Like this, he killed three more. Like that, only four zombies remained. Three Tier 2s and the Tier 1.

Angela, unlike the other two, wasn't doing anything. However, that didn't last much longer. She quickly took a deep breath and let her bullets rain down on the zombies. Her atrocious aim led to her only killing one. But it was still better than her not doing anything.

With now only three remaining, the three sprayed their guns.

After a minute, the bodies of the zombies surrounded us. "Good job, guys."

I was impressed. I originally thought I would have to step in and help. After all, ten zombies is a good amount. Even I would worry a little if I'd have to fight that many in one go.

The three looked at me with a glare while panting.

"You could've helped us."

Angela said what they were all thinking. I smiled and told them why I did that. "I don't wanna carry the team. How would I know you could handle yourselves if I wasn't with you?"

They stopped their glares and stood straight up. "He's right. We need to get stronger to survive. If he dies or isn't with us. We're screwed." Daniela chimed in.

"True."

"You're right. Sorry."

Bruce said, and Angela apologized.

I shrugged and told them it was understandable. "Let's go look for crystals." The two girls looked confused, so I explained to them what I meant.

"Zombies have crystals. You eat them and eventually you can get superpowers."

"You also get stronger after everyone you eat."

I nodded at what Bruce said, but added a warning. "But it comes with a price. It hurts like a bitch."

The girls gave a "Couldn't be that bad" look, but I didn't bother stressing how much it hurt. They would eventually find out.

The four of us then searched every single body for crystals. I started off searching the Tier 3 zombies while the rest split their work up.

'Let's hope this one has one.'

I was searching the last Tier 3 Body. And as if God heard me, I found one. It was round like the Tier 2, but it had more of a lilac color.

I shoved it in my pocket and walked towards the others.

Angela was jumping, while Bruce had a smile on his face. "So you guys found one as well." The two nodded while Daniela gave a small pout.

"Nice. Anyway, do you guys wanna take a moment to eat them? It should be a quick process."

"Sure. Did you find any?"

Angela, curious, asked me.

I nodded my head in confirmation. Daniela's eyes lit up hearing this. She probably hoped I'd give her it.

"Can I eat it?"

"Nope. I don't think your body could handle a Tier 3 crystal. They increase in strength every time."

"It can't hurt that bad, right?"

"You'll see."

Since there were no zombies around us, we sat on the ground and popped our crystals in our mouths.

I felt it go down my throat before dissolving and moving through my body. At first, it felt nice. However, after five seconds, the pain came. My bones felt like they were being drilled and being broken. My core felt like it was breaking and my muscles felt like they were getting torn apart.

"Arghh." I screamed finally, not being able to take the pain.

After a minute of this unimaginable pain, I fell back and took a deep breath. With a small smile, I counted all the benefits this crystal brought me.

First off, my body got stronger. My bones felt like steel and my muscles felt more flexible and sturdy.

However, the most important thing that changed was my core and mana.

The very first thing I noticed was how my mana got denser. It wasn't by a crazy amount, but it was a pretty good one. The mana I could store also went up by a bit. But it wasn't to the point where I'd be able to stop time for 5.5 seconds.

Finally, my core got lighter. Like the increase in my mana, my core didn't get lighter by a lot. But it was certainly a noticeable amount. It was around what I call the Mid-stage. Once I get to light red, I would in my final stage of that color.

With a light push, I got up from the ground and patted my clothes, removing the dust. However, I didn't get much cleaner. Blood was still all over me.

So, I walked to the car and took out my water bottle. I then poured it over my blood-covered face, cleaning it.

I turned around to see Daniela with eyes open, Angela on the ground panting, and Bruce with a wide smile.

I walked beside Daniela and asked, "What do you think now?"

"Definitely not looking forward to eating one."

I laughed and looked back to the two on the ground.

"So, what changed?"

The two looked at me with smiles and answered.