Zombies (1)

'My next step is to number one, to strengthen my malnourished body so I can begin to practice the Demon Reaper art once again. Second, I need to undergo more battles to raise my combat experience as much as possible in a short amount of time.'

Evan didn't know why but he felt a pressing sense of urgency to increase his strength as soon as possible as a vague feeling of unease began to well up inside him.

Continuing to read more about Ki through the manual, his eyes narrowed in thought.

'When a warrior breaks through to rank 3, the importance of Ki is raised with the primary energy being used undergoing a change from mana to Ki. The uses of Ki include additional tempering of the body and when charged to a sufficient level can add an increased effect of super strength, agility and endurance.'

'According to the manual, the primary energy a martial art utilizes is Ki, with the usage of mana being a temporary bonus, for example, increasing one's reaction speed. However, mana is not to be neglected, as it provides a large augmentation to all abilities, whether through combat or day-to-day use.'

Closing his eyes, Evan inhaled a deep breath full of air before exhaling. He repeated this several times until he felt that they had purged the unnecessary thoughts flowing through his mind.

Opening his eyes again, his golden pupils came into full view as he once again stood up and resumed his training, stopping only when he felt he could not swing anymore due to his aching muscles.

***

Commander Vanderson reclined back on his chair in the commander's lodging as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, which caused his face to squirm, making the scar stand out even more.

Having received this scar from a battle against one of the monsters lurking deep in the Forbidden wilds, he kept it simply to remind himself not to grow dull and lose his edge and not overlook his aim to gain strength on this arduous climb of improvement.

Holding a letter in his hands, which was the cause of his thoughtfulness, Commander Vanderson appeared greatly tempted after reviewing the letter's contents.

In the post-apocalyptic era, letters were pretty rare as supplies to all the trees in the forests were cut off after humans continuously lost their ground and were made to cower in three heavily fortified cities as their last declaration of struggle.

However, even though they are rare, people from impressive backgrounds or the super-rich possessed the means to get their hands on them.

A few minutes went by as he continued contemplating his next set of actions.

Every so often, his eyebrows would furrow only to smoothen out a few moments later.

'Should I accept?'

Torn from indecision, he just followed the option, which appealed to him the most as he retrieved a pen from his storage ring and began writing a reply.

Although letters and pens were mostly obsolete at this point, many of the humans in high-ranking positions used these as tools for correspondence, as they provided a greater deal of privacy instead of using Digi-watches.

Since the government created Digi-watches, the other major political factions knew that the government had a way to spy on the humans who used the Digi-watches in everyday use or as a form of correspondence.

As such, they regressed towards simplicity and returned to how humans conversed with each other before the advent of technology.

After finishing writing his reply, Commander Vanderson blew a whistle he received alongside the letter as he awaited for the messenger summon to arrive.

After the 'collision' occurred, almost all animals mutated and turned into different species. However, there were a few rare exceptions which miraculously remained the same without suffering from any mutation of sorts.

The messenger summons was one of those said animals as a snowy-white owl came through the window leading into the corridor.

Placing the letter in an envelope, he tied it to the owl's hind legs with a string as he saw it set off towards the destination where he was to send his reply to if he was interested in the proposal.

Leaning back in his chair, Commander Vanderson gazed in a certain direction as an incomparably solemn look made its way on his face.

'People may think that my current actions are cowardly and motivated by hatred, however, I will let them continue to think so because they do not understand the truth, their eyes are blinded by the glory and prestige those in power emit, failing to see the dark layer of treachery underneath.'

Sighing, he closed his eyes before resuming his duties as the commander of the outpost.

***

The next day, after a few hours of sleep, Evan felt that he returned to his peak condition after the mad training he underwent to achieve the novice level of mastery in the Whispering Retribution Art.

Now, accompanying the rest of the squad as they ventured into the Forbidden Wilds, he felt a bubbling desire for battle.

'Since when did I become such a brute?'

Questioning himself internally, Evan let out a dry chuckle as he mused that it was just ingrained in members of the Hale family.

Recalling the reason why he felt such a large desire to battle, a wide grin split his face as a ferocious look bloomed in his eyes.

'According to the Captain, there has been intel stating there were various sightings of hordes of zombies camping at a location thirty minutes away from the outpost.'

Since this was the first time he would witness a zombie in the flesh, Evan couldn't help himself from feeling a keen sense of curiosity about those abominations who were formerly part of the human race.

As the Fanged Wolves continued travelling, Otto issued a warning in the form of a hushed whisper.

"Before we go in and engage with the zombies, there is a rule you must abide by if u wish to keep your life," turning his head he looked Evan straight in the eye as he continued.

"Do not let the zombies touch you if you don't want to turn into a mindless brain dead creature like them. Zombies possess a vicious infection, which will be transmitted to any human if these abominations prod them."

Nodding to show he understood, a solemn expression manifested its way on Evan's face as his determination to battle soared.

'Let us end the misery of those unfortunate to be plagued with a fate worse than hell.'