"We need to exercise caution. We know little about level 4 zombies, and my fire shield is nearly depleted," Lucas cautioned, his jian sword cutting through the approaching zombies.
"Swoosh!" His swift slashes dispatched the undead before him.
"Lucy, stick close to me," he instructed, despite the continuous sounds of their leveling up. The ongoing battle felt like an eternity to them.
"Lucas, I've found it!" Lucy whispered urgently behind him. She gestured to the north of the woman's house, where a distinctive zombie was surrounded by a horde of others.
"Why is it so far from where we're fighting?" Lucas wondered aloud, taken aback by the distance of the level 4 zombie.
"Lucy, we need to reach it. The shield is fading," he decided, seizing her hand and leading her in a run towards the distant target. Amid the frenzy, he paid little heed to the discrepancy between their noise and the zombie's position.
"Ahh!!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly, stumbling due to Lucas's abrupt movements and rapid pace.
"Slow down, Lucas! Please!" she implored, struggling to catch her breath as he continued to pull her forward with little respite.
"Why do you always drag me without a word of explanation?" she chastised, her frustration evident.
The level 4 zombie seemed to sense their approach, emitting an agitated shriek.
"Grrr!" It charged towards them. While such a reaction from zombies wasn't unprecedented, this one appeared… vexed.
"Lucy, freeze it!" Lucas directed, gauging the zombie's rapid speed.
"Freeze!" Lucy invoked, channeling the power from her earring towards the zombie in accordance with Lucas's guidance. Sensing his intent, she hoped for an effective strategy.
As the zombie began to freeze and slow, Lucas closed in swiftly, his jian sword aimed at the creature. He muttered a command, "Fire blaze!" slashing his blade through the developing ice, terminating the zombie's life.
"Lucy, use icicle on its head!" Lucas shouted, his sword pointing toward the frozen zombie's cranium
"It's already dead. icicle is my last ability," Lucy replied, her actions swift as she beheaded another zombie.
"Just do it, trust me!" Lucas urged, urgency in his voice as he drove his sword further.
"Alright! Icicle!" Lucy declared, determination in her eyes. She directed her intent toward the specific point where the icicle would penetrate.
"Swoosh!" An icicle materialized before Lucy, soaring through the air and piercing the zombie's head, creating a small hole in its forehead. Instantly, the zombie's brain was encased in ice.
Seeing the icicle embedded in the zombie's forehead, Lucas swiftly brought down his jian sword, severing the decaying head from its body.
---
[Level 4 Zombie Killed, Awarding 200 Exp!]
---
Approaching, Lucy eliminated the last remaining zombie. "Lucas, wasn't the zombie already dead? Why did you make me use my abilities on it?" she inquired, questioning the rationale behind wasting her last skills of the day on a creature that resembled a character from those yellow mouse cartoons.
"Over there, that's where the level 4 zombies are coming from," Lucas pointed out, leading her gaze to a section devoid of zombies. The undead had converged upon them, and their numbers had dwindled.
"What?" Lucy's confusion deepened. She turned her head to observe the zombie-free area, spotting a small, luminous green orb. Its vivid hue stood out against the building's contrasting colors.
"That's what I'm curious about. Do you remember that particular zombie? It seemed strangely resilient, enduring even fire and sword," Lucas remarked.
"So, you had me incapacitate it by freezing its brain?" Lucy concluded, recognizing the intent behind Lucas's request.
"Yes," Lucas confirmed as he walked towards the orb. The encounter with the level 4 zombie had not provided him with much new information, as Lucy's freeze ability had rendered the zombie immobile before the fight could begin in earnest.
"It's surprising that no other humans ventured out to investigate, considering the commotion we caused with our shouting and the zombie battle," Lucy mused, picking up her pace to catch up with him.
"Even if they did hear us, the sound of people screaming in their final moments is likely all too common now. I doubt anyone possesses the confidence or courage to step out and confront the zombies. Otherwise, we would have encountered another group of survivors by now," Lucas reasoned, casting a glance back at the strewn zombie corpses behind them.
"Lucas, why do you think the zombie was guarding that orb?" Lucy questioned; her curiosity piqued
"Guarding? I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps it wanted the orb for itself," Lucas ventured, his gaze fixated on the radiant orb a short distance away.
"Wanted this?" Lucy asked, eyeing the luminous green sphere that remained suspended.
"Alternatively, the zombie could have been more drawn to the orb's brilliance than to us," Lucas hypothesized, standing before the captivating orb.
"This time, you can touch it first," he proposed, casual in his tone.
"Me!?" Lucy exclaimed, taken aback by his suggestion. Observing Lucas's composed expression, she sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll do it this time. But you're next."
Having resolved her hesitation, Lucy walked towards the floating orb, extending her hand hesitantly. The orb, slightly below chest level and approximately a meter above the ground, emitted a soft, eerie glow.
A satisfying "Whoosh!" resonated as Lucy firmly gripped the luminous green orb with both hands, drawing it towards herself.
---
[Green Orb Detected!]
[Received Skill: Tiny Immortal!]
---
The system's voice promptly filled the air, coinciding with Lucy's contact with the orb. Initially perplexed, she took a moment to grasp the situation. As understanding dawned on her, she couldn't contain her excitement.
"Whoa, Lucas!" she exclaimed in amazement, watching as the green orb dissolved into her being.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Lucas was reassured by Lucy's well-being, even after the mysterious orb seemed to become a part of her.
"What just transpired?" he inquired, genuinely intrigued.
"It appears I've gained a new skill," Lucy responded, attempting to convey the development to him.
"Wait... What? A SKILL?" Lucas's shocked reaction left his mouth agape, a sight that seemed unlikely to change anytime soon.
"Yes. The orb was detected, and the system granted me this skill," Lucy explained matter-of-factly, elucidating the straightforward process that had granted her a skill, much to Lucas's astonishment.
"Is it really that simple?" Lucas marveled, his disbelief stemming from the extensive mental gymnastics he'd been conducting in an effort to acquire skills within the enigmatic system.
"Can you use the skill?" Lucas inquired; his interest piqued. He had an inkling that system-given skills might differ significantly from the inherent abilities humans had.
"Let me check first," Lucy complied, her anticipation apparent as she muttered, "Opening system!" her grin reflecting her confidence.
Inwardly, she entertained a thought, anticipating the surprise she was about to deliver to Lucas. After all, the roles had been reversed, and now she was in a position to impress him.
---
Name: Lucy Lyons
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class: Goddess of Snow and Ice
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 11 (790/1000)
Stats:
Agi: 11 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 24 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 17 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 32 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 6
Skills:
[Tiny Immortal: Immune to attacks for 5 seconds. (1 use/day) Grade 1!]
Unallocated Skill Points: 11
Coins: 620
Achievements Completed: 4 ᐃ
Items: 4 ᐃ
---
"WOAH!" Lucy's enthusiastic exclamation at the sight of the skill panel description filled the air. Her widened eyes and incredulous expression conveyed the wonderment she felt. She silently thanked herself for stepping forward and touching the orb first.
Lucas, momentarily startled by her exuberant outburst, immediately sought an explanation. "What's going on? Just tell me!"
Grinning, Lucy responded to his query, her giggles emphasizing her excitement.
"The skill has been added to my skills section, and the system named it tiny immortal," Lucy explained, relaying the crucial information to Lucas.
"It even provided a description of the skill's effects," Lucas responded, his interest piqued by the newfound ability.
"It did?" Lucas's curiosity was evident, his previous hesitation about urging Lucy to touch the orb slowly turning into a tinge of regret.
"Yes! According to the system, when I activate the skill, I become immune to all damage for a five-second duration. However, I can only use it once a day," Lucy detailed, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.
"Aha, that explains it," Lucas muttered, the pieces of the puzzle finally fitting together in his mind
"Explains what?" Lucy inquired, her happiness over acquiring the skill undiminished.
"That level 4 zombie. Its resilience might have been due to its proximity to the orb for an extended period. My attacks weren't ineffective; rather, the zombie might have retained a subtle form of that orb's skill. And when you hit it with the icicle, it likely lost its immunity," Lucas clarified, his understanding bringing clarity to their previous confusion.
"Subtle?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion coloring her expression. After all, Lucas was usually the one to provide explanations.
"The zombie could have briefly come into contact with the orb, perhaps through a bite or scratch, resulting in it possessing a faint aura of the skill. However, this aura might fade within a few more minutes," Lucas elaborated.
Lucy pondered for a moment before posing another question. "Then why hasn't the orb dissolved yet?
"I assume the orb hasn't dissolved because the zombie's contact with it was brief. But look on the bright side—it left the orb for you."
Wearing a complex expression, she replied, "Yes, Haha."