Chapter 8 - Horde

Leo opened his eyes as he scanned the surrounding area in puzzlement. He just rested his mental health for a while, yet after just two hours of resting, the sound of a seemingly giant marching in their direction woke him up.

Although he was not required to sleep, as a former human he still wanted to in order to maintain his humanity.

Looking beside him, he immediately saw the incomplete zombie banging his head towards the wall. Surprisingly, even if he slam his head towards the wall it was still intact... In fact, he even saw the wall crack slightly every time it banged its head toward it.

"What happened?" Leo thought as he glanced toward the gloomy horizon, in the far distance on the road, from the glassless building he was currently in.

Squinting his eyes, Leo saw a discernible many small figures walking in their direction from the distance.

"F*ck where did they come from!" Leo suddenly shouted inside his mind. Even though the horde is still far away, Leo knows what they are.

Zombies! Hordes of zombies!

Probably at hundreds!

Leo stared heavily into the incoming zombies. He didn't know what they were up to, however, he could feel that they were up to no good.

Don't tell me... Is it a coincidence or not?

Leo's eyes widen at the possible guess that suddenly came out inside his head. 'Yesterday, the incomplete and armless zombies were moving in the same direction... The same direction where the horde is coming.'

"Don't tell me they could track humans/living beings down!"

Leo excitedly thought as he, at last, could finally meet a human being! However, after a few seconds, his smile didn't last long upon seeing hundreds of zombies in the distance.

'What is the point of finally meeting one when they are going to die on the same day I met them?'

However, would I be willing to let the chance slip off?

I have been waiting for days and months, why would I let them die and give up?

Leo's eyes flicker with a glint as he passes through the wall beside him. The incomplete zombie, after slamming its head toward the wall, finally manages to destroy it and starts to walk into the horde.

***

As he unhurriedly makes his way to the horde in the distance, Leo opens his interference to check his progress and to upgrade one of his skills.

[ Name: Leo Ricafrente

Species: Wisp/Ghost

Lifespan: 0/ ???

Innate Skill: Mind Corrosion

___ Attributes ___

Level: 2( 8/20 Exp )

Free Attribute Points: 2

Health: 12/12

Mana: 20/20

Strength: 0.6 (0.5)

Speed: 6

Magic Power: 9

Soul Power: 27 (10) (Increase mana by 5 every 20 soul power.)

Skills: Invisibility (Lvl1), Mist of Illusion (Lvl2), Jinx (Lvl1), Constricted Soul (Lvl 5) ]

[ Tree Talent ] [ Store ] [ Inbox ] [ Inventory ]

...

Ding!

[ Do you want to upgrade the Level 2 "Mist of Illusion" to Level 3 "Mist of Illusion." ? ( Accept/ Delined).]

- 200 horror points!

Ding!

[ Congratulations upon successfully upgrading the "Mist of Illusion" to Level 3! ]

Ding!

[ Mist of Illusion (level 3): Release a constant stream of white fog in the surrounding area that obstructs the vision of beings within the area of effects.

Beings who inhale the fog for a set period of time would start hallucinating ( The effect depends on how high the soul power of the host is! )

Activation: 1 mana. An additional 0.1 mana would be consumed every second if the skill is still activated.

Upgrade cost: 400 horror points.

Note: The user could partially control the illusion based on what the user wants, but it would cost Mana! ]

***

Soon, after flying for 5 full minutes, Leo finally could clearly see the hordes of zombies walking toward the unknown.

Hundreds of walking flesh, red-stained tattered cloths, empty eye sockets, dangling limbs, and protruding bones. Leo could even faintly see the fat white worms munching on what was left on the open injuries of the zombies.

If Leo has a nose and could smell right now. Without a doubt, he would find the smell divine. 

With a grave expression, Leo floated above the horde (Less than a meter away) before activating his level 3 "Miss of Illusion" skill.

"I just hope that they would act similar to yesterday's incomplete zombie. Falling under the effects of the skill before killing each other."

Just as Leo activated the skill, a sudden unexpected fast blur appeared on his back. It is so fast that he only notices it too late.

Feeling the great danger brought by it, Leo turned his head only to see the fast-approaching sharp claws like a dagger heading toward his body.

Swishh!!

Without time to react, the sharp claw entered Leo's body, unimpeded before dispersing the black smoke in the air.

Ding!

-5 health...

Ugh!!

Leo groaned in pain, as his body/soul started to converge in one place. However, before the smoke could completely merge into one, the familiar fast blur from earlier again appeared beside him.

It was so fast that Leo didn't even manage to see the appearance of the attacker.

This time, feeling the impending death, Leo forces himself to think and activates his invisibility skill before diving toward the ground...

Boom! Crack!

Just after entering the ground, the concrete above him cracked and was destroyed due to the attack of the attacker.

Ding!

-2 Health points!

Ugh!

Leo gritted his imaginary teeth in pain as he rushed forward, away from the horde... For some reason, Leo couldn't dive too deep into the ground, he could only dive up to 5 meters before charging/bumping into a solid wall.

After moving away under the ground for a minute without deactivating his invisibility skill, Leo finally emerges from the ground. Entering one of the buildings.

"What the f*ck, what kind of entity is that! 

I almost died."

Leo gasped inside his head as he peeked outside the building, only to see the horde still moving in one direction.

"Who just attacked me!?" Leo asked inside his mind as he scanned the horde of zombies on the ground. Most of their levels range from 1 to 4, occasionally he could see some levels 5 and above zombies on their mids but their number is only minority.

After scanning their levels, Leo sighed deeply in disappointment. He still could not find who attacked him earlier.

***