Since there were no enemies in the area, I would usually take this time to nap, but I was much too tense. From my past life experience I knew that if a bad thing happened once, it was likely to happen again. While I scared them off this time, that didn't mean my skill would work on any other group that showed up.
My first thought was to move.
'But to where?'
If I went in the wrong direction then I could be in much more dangerous waters. Although I had many memories about the area, I still couldn't fit them all together to give me a fair understanding of the map of this place.
'Should I stay for now?'
Rather than randomly wander off, I felt that staying put was the better choice.
'But what if they come back?
...Tch, I'll have to deal with it when it happens.'
Without any better ideas coming to mind I decided to stay put for now. But I did think of a way to make good use of my time.
I pointed my finger out in front of me and used Curse Shot. A black orb the size of a baseball quickly formed at the tip of my finger and then flew lazily forward. The fact that it could move through the air so sluggishly seemed to defy the laws of physics, but this was magic after all.
I already knew this was how Curse Shot worked but I didn't use it for nothing. In the midst of its flight, I squinted my eyes and focused on it.
'Move! Move!'
As I desperately willed it, the black ball finally responded by suddenly moving to the right. However, it then burst into nothingness and I felt attacked by fatigue. Getting a little tired after using magic was a normal thing but this was the first it was this intense.
'It's hard but,'
I could see it. The way to grow stronger. Not long ago I didn't care about exercising my powers, but that choice no longer existed. Just like in my last life, those who were weak would just be at the mercy of strong.
I might have squeezed out a few wins when I was human, but those civil methods wouldn't work here. If this was truly a world like one from a fantasy game, then I had to follow the cruelest rule.
'Survival of the fittest.'
I still didn't want to fight. But I had to be prepared.
When I wasn't asleep, my first priority was always to train the two spells that I had. Close combat wasn't even on the table since I didn't attempt to check how I would fare against humans.
I just wanted to ready in case anything happened. But, my luck was never good. As if being caught in hide and seek before I finished hiding, they returned before I was prepared.
The same group slaughtered my new neighbours that spawned like roaches when I went to sleep. This time their formation was tighter and they appeared wary. I knew immediately that the same move wouldn't work again.
Running far away was sounding like a good option again but I didn't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Luckily, the group didn't rampage like last time and stopped culling my brethren a good distance before my grave. Once they left this time, I decided to move my bed.
I didn't go too far, just enough so that I would be safe if they came again. I might have practiced but yep, I wasn't about to try fighting all four of them at the same time.
My new bed was easy to make so I was able to quickly settle in and continue training until they came back once more.
'What the hell are they here for?'
Since my fellow undead came back like cockroaches, I doubted that they were trying to annihilate us, but I couldn't see any benefit to killing us. Like, aren't there goblins or slimes you could take care of?
On their third visit, the humans made it past my former bed. When I saw them walk over my grave my figurative heart was pounding as I praised myself for making a new home. However, these damn humans started making it a habit.
Each time I thought about moving my grave further away, the damn bastards would move their progress up to where my last grave was. It was to the point where I had to wonder if they secretly trying to piss me off or if these zombies were serving themselves up on a platter. Even if I changed the direction I moved my grave to, the same thing happened like I was already in the palm of their hand.
As I kept moving my grave, I forgot my original plan not move too far since I might go in a bad direction. And then, as I walked a couple steps to find another spot for my grave, I suddenly froze in place. Despite being undead I felt my blood turn cold and my body tremble. Instinctively, I could feel it.
'Don't go there.'
My instincts as a zombie were telling me that I would die if I kept moving. After a moment, I slowly retreated while fearfully looking out for anything dangerous. Then, I heard the familiar sound of explosions; the group of four were earlier than expected and were destroying zombies and skeletons alike.
'Tch, I need to hide quickly.'
I dropped to the ground and hastily dug open a new grave to hide in. As I looked out from my grave, a thought came to mind.
'Wait, why am I doing this?'
I suddenly wondered why I could do nothing but run and hide. When even in my past life I at least fought back.
As I watched the four approach with barely any vigilance left in their expressions, my anger grew. This was no longer a dangerous battleground, it was just place for their personal enjoyment.
'I really ran from people like this? Did I truly become so weak?'
The little time I spent in peace corrupted me. So much so that I forgot all of the pain I had to endure in my past life.
'What the hell are you doing? Did you learn nothing from that time? Are you just going to let the same thing happen here? Is this just going to be a freaking repeat?! What the hell was all that training for?!'
I felt no sensation but I still tightly clenched my fists while watching them. I stopped caring about the fact that they were humans or the fact that they could easily kill me. I wasn't the type of person to think like that, nor did I want to be.
'The weak always get stepped on.'
Unlike the other times, after experiencing a hint of death once more, I changed my mind. This couldn't continue. I couldn't keep running.
'There's nothing wrong with avoiding a battle. But continuing to run won't solve anything. If these guys are gonna keep getting in my way, then as their senior in life, I'll teach them what death is like.'
Even though they were now but a few metres away, I no longer felt that imaginary sense of anxiety. I was a zombie after all, I didn't have that emotion to begin with. As they turned back, this time I didn't sigh in relief. I carefully took note of where they were going and quietly pursued.
I came to this world with the resolve to not work, but there was nothing wrong with a little exercise.
'Now then, it's time to teach these young'uns not to disturb my slumber.'