"Caelum!" Gunther's concerned voice was the first to pierce my ears. "Sh*t, retreat! I'll deal with him!"
"No!" I roared, causing pain to erupt from my abdomen. "Keep your distance! Await my signal!"
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
I unloaded my new magazine unto Hunter's head in a desperate attempt to keep my damage output high. I needed to keep him in front of me.
I could not allow him to run free.
Even with his clawed hand digging even deeper into my gut and even coming out the other side, I continued without pause. I gripped the bloody arm that stabbed into me and made sure to hang on for dear life. I needed to maintain this distance so that the damage my bullets could likely deal was all at the highest point.
Thus, with every shot, a spray of zombie blood and green goo splattered across the wall. An abstract painting was being created with only two colours as my companions watched the brutal display.
It was a happy sight because this meant that my shots weren't as futile as they were just a few moments ago. Hunter's burst of strength was diminishing, and it was diminishing fast.
Click—!
I had to reload again, and I dreaded this moment. I hugged Hunter's torso with my legs to make sure he couldn't escape and used my hands to renew my magazine. Just as I expected, five long bloody marks appeared on my chest, digging deep and reaching my bones.
Blood gushed out as I felt myself get lightheaded.
"Is that all you've got?!" I yelled a battle cry to boost my own morale.
I once again placed the muzzle of my gun on Hunter's skull and fired lead straight into his brain. But not without earning another wound for myself as I watched my free hand get torn off.
"Gah!" I cried out, but I did not stop shooting.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
I was thoroughly enraged at this point as the pain muddled my senses. I had never experienced a wound this bad before, and it was not something I wanted to experience again.
With blood dripping from my severed wrist, I used the rest of my left arm to protect my vitals. For every bullet I shot, I earned an equal, if not worse, wound in return. By the time my magazine became empty, my left arm was a mangled mess and several wounds had appeared all over the other parts of my body.
I could not protect myself perfectly.
I was too slow. Too weak.
I could only be thankful that it was Hunter's instinct to strike first with his arms. His legs were only meant to chase, and since I made no attempt to run, his attacks were rabid and reckless.
All he wanted to do was kill me and devour the mutant essence that would be corrupted after my death.
With my gun empty of bullets, I went and used what remained of my blade. Hunter's head was badly damaged, regenerating at a much slower rate than just a few moments ago. Thus, my blade was actually able to achieve something.
I hacked and I slashed without a care for my own wounds.
Blood stained my entire body as I practically bathed in green zombie goo. My own crimson blood mixed with the vile green liquid, making me look like a Christmas tree. My wounds were ornaments, vibrant and beautiful.
I was desperate. My vision was darkening, and I could feel my own life leaving me.
How much longer was Hunter going to stay alive?!
I was growing anxious, as with every exchange, I grew more and more fatigued. My life was ending, and although Hunter's regeneration was waning, he was still alive.
Cursing inwardly, I mustered up the strength to yell, "Now! Kill him!"
Hunter was weakened enough that it was safe for the others to walk up to him. Even if Hunter wanted to attack them, I could actually hold him down with my weight. If it was any earlier, then I feared that Hunter would change targets to fully utilise his agility once more.
A flurry of attacks thus befell what remained of Hunter's head. I held the bastard down with all my might, tanking his counterattacks and blocking what I could.
It took but a few breaths before something beautiful happened.
—Hunter's head had been fully annihilated, severed from the rest of his body and crushed like a watermelon.
[You have killed a Level 9 Zombie!]
[You have acquired a High-Tier Mutation Fragment x1!]
The timely chimes of the system's notifications rang in my ears, soothing my worried soul.
"Haaah, haaah, Haah," I heard the heavy breaths of all my companions as I weakly grabbed my blade and cut into Hunter's heart. I then made a show of searching for Hunter's Mutation Fragment before summoning it from the system.
I popped the fragment into my mouth, and almost instantly, my situation stabilised. My wounds slowly began closing as my physique grew by leaps and bounds.
"Finally," I muttered out and sighed as I collapsed onto my back. My companions all looked at me in worry, but I simply shrugged it off, "I won't die any time soon. My wounds will eventually heal,"
"Even your severed wrist?" Jennifer asked with great concern.
"...That won't grow back unless I can reattach it... Where is it?"
"Here," John tossed my hand back and I placed it on my mangled arm that barely even resembled an arm.
While watching my hand heal, I recalled the entire battle. 'Thankfully, that mechanic existed,'
Hunter had taken a bite out of Mutant flesh. This meant two things: a berserk state, and an eventual death.
I had the zombie virus within me, and logically, Hunter's consumption of it should have strengthened him further. But the virus within me was slightly different. It granted me immunity to zombification, and at the same time, it gave me superior abilities.
Since Hunter had taken a bite out of me, his abilities had soared—but only for a while.
He had been on his last breath, and although unplanned, victory was guaranteed. All I had done was keep everyone else alive while Hunter's strength rocketed into the sky.
He was a firework.
And now, there was darkness.
"Well done, everyone." I chuckled as I looked around, "Let's rest here for the night."
"Sounds good," Jane sat on the ground, her nerves fried by that tense encounter just now. "We've been fighting for the entire day... That Hunter guy is a sign that we need to stop."
Everyone else eventually followed suit and we all allowed ourselves this opportunity to rest. Gunther distributed dried beef jerky to all of us and we munched on it in silence.
Eventually, the night passed.
...
When morning came, and the clock struck eight, the world around me turned grey. Time was stopped, and only the cyan light of the system was alive. I saw the faces of my companions as they went about their own tasks. Their smiles, their frowns, and their pursed lips were all frozen in place.
[Testing Time Remaining: 00:00:00]
[You have completed the Test of Adaptability: Survival in an Unfamiliar World!]
[You have completed the Test of Capability: Group Survival!]
[You have completed the Test of Temperament: Camaraderie!]
[You have perfectly cleared the Three Tests of Worth!]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Returning to reality...]