Zombies are Tier 1 Undead Demons.
Mindless humanoid creatures with an instinctual craving for life. They consume living beings, draining their gift of vitality to strengthen their corrupted ones.
They can be considered weak since they're slow and predictable. Their bodies are fragile and vulnerable to fire. Sure, they're more durable than mortals but Superhumans shouldn't have a difficult time killing them...so long as there's only one of course.
The problem begins when there's a horde of them, and that's precisely what Cedric has been facing since he awakened as a Superhuman.
In the Purgatory battlefield, Cedric's visage could be seen jogging at a brisk pace, followed by a trail of Zombies in his wake.
His expression was relaxed and serene. One could tell that he's not having a difficult time handling his pursuers for now. If things continued like this, then lasting for 3 whole hours shouldn't be a problem at all.
That said, Cedric knew that's not gonna happen. He's experienced in this after all.
Pausing in his tracks, Cedric brandished his sword as he promptly disappeared from his position. Shortly after, he reappeared behind the group of Zombies he was luring.
He didn't look back, he just flicked his sword to get rid of the bloodstains before shifting into a jog once more.
Behind him, the group of zombies froze before their heads suddenly exploded into bits. They would never know how they died, not even if they still had consciousness.
"System, tally the result of my kills after I'm done here. I can't afford to be distracted." Cedric ordered softly.
[As you wish, User Cedric. Do not disturb mode, on!]
Nodding to himself, his eyes flashed as he caught several groups of zombies appearing out of thin air on his vision field.
'A group of 10 at 4:00, 15 at 12:00, 20 at 6:00.'
The closest to him was the group of 20 and they were already marching in his direction. Cedric took a deep breath to keep himself steady, his thoughts whirred as the 『Multitasking』 skill came to life.
His brain processed information at a mind-blowing speed. His senses were primed to react to all stimuli while his brain processed everything in microseconds.
Like a wolf amongst the sheep, Cedric charged the closest group of zombies. His sword emitted a faint light as he sliced, and stabbed his foes.
Destroying the head of Zombies was the most effective way of killing them. Stabbing their hearts or ripping off their limbs hardly does anything, Cedric knew this from experience as well.
With the help of 『Footwork』 skill, along with the grace of someone who almost mastered the 『Fencing』 skill, Cedric's silhouette has yet to be touched by these nasty things.
He was light-footed, graceful, yet extremely lethal. And thanks to his 『Breathing』 and 『Recovery』 skills, Cedric wasn't even sweating just yet.
Five minutes have passed since the start of the Hell Dive. Last month's Cedric would feel the exhaustion creeping up to him at this point, yet for the current Cedric, this can't even count as a warm-up.
Snuffing the seed of arrogance and recklessness sprouting within him, Cedric focused his thoughts on his task.
His eyes darted all over the field, almost covering it entirely. Cedric wasn't straining his body and mind to get the most out of his 『Vision』 skill, he was using it just enough to serve his current purpose.
Still, even with just that, Cedric's sight could almost cover the entire battlefield that he's in. And from his calculations, its size should be about 15 kilometers at max.
Cedric's sight could cover 10 Kilometers and it's not just limited to linear sight, it's a dome around him, allowing him to see what's behind him as well, he could also shift his perspective comfortably in this range. In this radius, he could freely zoom in and out. If he concentrates on a certain spot, his vision would start penetrating his target, allowing him to peer past their shell and scrutinize them in crisp detail.
If he decides to strain himself, Cedric would be able to cover this entire field, but the stamina cost of maintaining that isn't something that he can afford right now. That is why he's not doing it.
Still, a 10-kilometer range of perspective was a lethal tool on any kind of battlefield. And this is just his eyesight alone. Cedric still has his other senses to rely on should his vision fail.
The fight continued of course...
Cedric's shadow continued to dart here and there. He would attract the zombies' attention in groups and instantly dismantle them. Sometimes, he wouldn't even bother getting their attention, he would just kill them directly like they were nothing.
As time passed, Cedric could feel his body warming up and adjusting to the environment of the battlefield. His clothes fluttered as the wind whizzled past him.
His body and his sword turned into a blurry streak as he continued demolishing small groups of zombies in his wake. His senses worked wonders in his fight, allowing him to notice even the slightest twitch in their muscles.
With how sharp his senses were, he could almost predict what their next move was going to be. He was also attuned to the changes in the battlefield as he immediately sensed it when the horde evolved.
Glancing at the digital clock hanging above the battlefield, Cedric instantly put the two together.
The moment the clock went past 10 minutes, the Zombie Horde evolved.
Still on the move, his brain analyzed the changes within the battlefield. In his field of vision, he noticed that more groups of zombies spawned out of nowhere. The size of each cluster increased as well.
Previously, the maximum it spawned was a group of 20. Now, that became the minimum. At the edge of his maximum range of vision, he spotted a group of 50, slowly marching toward him. The zombies also appeared slightly more feral than before.
'Oh...so that's what happens. Got it.' Cedric remarked inwardly as he continued demolishing another group of zombies.
The group of zombies spawn at 1-minute intervals. This discovery should answer the question as to why he always got swarmed before.
Thinking to himself, Cedric wondered what would happen when the field became so full of zombies. Will they continue spawning until their body stacks like a mountain or will it pause?
'...I don't feel like figuring that out right now.' Cedric concluded that thought and continued his killing spree.
Really, this has been comfortable so far. Yes, he could say that even with the increased number of Zombies around him.
One has to know that Cedric has yet to sweat from all of this. He still looked as fresh as a daisy even after killing hundreds of zombies by now. His clothes were a little dirty from the grime and fluids of the zombies he killed so far but overall, it wasn't that bad.
Time passed by and Cedric continued on his killing streak. The longer he spent doing this, the more comfortable he got. At least in the sense of finding his rhythm within the battlefield.
Deep down, he could also feel himself improving even further. This must mean that his skills were growing at a rapid pace as he continued to fight as well. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that he most likely learned a new skill as well. But that's a matter for later.
He was so engrossed in his task that, by the time he noticed it, he had already gone past his previous record of survival.
It was when he was in the middle of analyzing the changes of the horde at 20 minutes that he realized it.
'Oh shit! A new record! Damn!' Cedric exclaimed inwardly as he swung his sword around, beheading several zombies in a row.
That should be a double record break as well. Since he not only lasted longer than before, but he also killed way more zombies.
'Must be entering the four-digit amount on my kills too! Damn, if I complete this, wouldn't I be swimming in Demon Souls then?'
Excitement grew within him, but he snuffed it out to concentrate. Really, he couldn't be too over-zealous right now. The horde just evolved for the second time, for crying out loud!
The second evolution of the horde turned the Zombies more aggressive. They're faster too. Now, groups of 50 were the minimum. He saw 100's spawning in a cluster from his field of vision.
Due to the increase in number, his killing rate needs to increase too, or else he'd be swarmed by them.
'Okay, now it's starting to get challenging.' He mused inwardly.
Still, Cedric was doing just fine, killing ordinary zombies with his worn-out sword.
It was then that he suddenly noticed a particular zombie appearing in his field of vision. He almost didn't notice it because it looked like a normal zombie.
He only discovered it when its stomach suddenly expanded greatly, and that happened while he was in the middle of demolishing a cluster of zombies.
Alarmed, he focused on it and knew exactly what was bound to happen so he paused in his tracks and spun the sword in his hand so quickly that it somehow turned into a shield.
Just in time to defend against the acidic spit that the mutant zombie threw up in his direction.