Good news. The Challenger Class is more forgiving than I thought. Bad news. Upon choosing to change my quest, (survive 24 hours), to a challenge, (Defeat zombie necromancer), the zombies stopped dragging their feet, and sprinted at us.
Worse news. The basic zombies can be revived until the zombie necromancer is dead, and even the most basic type of zombie is almost as strong as I am.
Worst news. A zombie swordsman is currently chasing us through an abandoned grave yard.
What the hell?!
I know it's a challenge, but this is pretty much a death sentence! I active all my boosts, and infuse my AGI into my body. I feel like a wave crashes over me, pushing me around forcefully. I let out a yell, and Epic Vocals makes the zombie swordsman slightly confused.
He swings his sword down, and I use the kinetic energy stored in my body, forcing my hands to grab his wrists at a staggering speed.
I move to my left, and grab his left hand, pulling it towards me. He tries to regain his footing, but I grab a hold of his sword and pull hard.
It's wrenched out of his hands, and I feel information flooding my mind. Basic sword formations, footing, how to swing right. I don't get all of it, but enough to know how to work it.
The zombie swordsman rushes at me, as I poise the sword over my shoulder. I bend my knees, and spread my feet. When he gets closer, I drop lower, and stab upwards into his stomach.
The armor breaks easily, and I pull out the sword while kicking him away. He falls to the ground, and I use the opportunity to stab him in the head, ending him forever.
Or, until the zombie necromancer finds him.
I breath a sigh of relief, and head over to Fein. She found a spear that she can use on the ground. It's slightly to big for her, but it works fine.
We head off away from the zombie horde, and I look at my status.
(STR 37 AGI 35 CON 39 DEX 5 INT 3 MP 35 HP 25)
As I hold the sword, a steady stream of information goes to my mind. It tells me the basics of swords in general, but it tells more about the type of sword I have in hand in more detail.
(Challenge: defeat zombie necromancer! Reward: +1 all stats, basic passive, ??)
The zombie necromancer is all we have to kill, but with the massive horde of zombies in the way, it won't be easy. I think the best way would be to light them on fire, by using Epic Energy Generation with my STR.
This combo makes heat, and with enough, small fires. We have been here for 4 hours now, so I learned some stuff.
For example, Epic Vocals also works on myself. I can force myself to move, regardless of the situation, to an extent. I also learned what stats make which energies.
STR makes heat, AGI makes kinetic, CON makes gravity, Dex slows down time around me, MP and HP do nothing, and INT makes electricity.
Of course, the effects are very small. I barley noticed when I used DEX, and CON makes an enemy slightly slower at best. STR can barely make a fire, and AGI loses most of its power if it leaves my body.
Still, this is an Epic Passive. I'm supposed to be much stronger before I get any of these. The challenge reward is a basic! And I got them early!
Definitely worth it.
We keep walking in peace, as I practice my Energy Generation. It's slow, and hard, but I'm getting better. By the time the cool down for Return is done, I should be strong enough to kill the zombie necromancer.
I try to keep a small fire in my hand. It doesn't hurt me, as I direct the energy away from me, but if I lose control or focus, it goes out.
I tried to use two stats at once, but the result was a splitting headache and my hand being burnt. Not doing that again.
We run into another zombie, a wandering one. "Stay back. I want to kill it with just my fire" I tell Fein. She nods and backs up. I use my ability and a small fire starts.
The zombie sees me and runs over. I crouch down and wait for the last moment, before I suck under a swipe and slap it in the face.
I've tried to make a punch with the fire, but it doesn't work. It fails to cover my hand, and goes out quicker.
The zombie screeches, and runs at me again. The side of it's face is burning slightly, but not enough to matter.
It goes for an overhead strike, so I dodge left and shove it's stomach. It's old and rotten clothes catch fire, and it burns quickly. The zombie screams, and tries to attack again, but I dodge using kinetic energy.
I force my body to move, causing small injuries, but I get better at fine control and efficiency. Eventually, it burns to death, the rotten skin tearing at the neck.
As it's head smashes into the floor, Fein walks over, and we continue away from the horde. Nothing of interest happens for another hour, before the zombie swordsman reappears. A katana in hand.
One look at the katana, and a sense of familiarity fills me. I hold my sword up and watch as the zombie swordsman slams the sword into me.
Angry. Or furious. That would be the best words to describe my mood now. I don't know why, but seeing the zombie treat the katana like a chunk of metal pisses me off.
I move my sword up to meet it's swing, and knock the attack to the side. I pull my sword back, and thrust it forwards, spinning the blade as I do. It slices through the zombie like butter, and it falls limp again.
I take the katana, and clean it off with my shirt. They're both covered in dirt and blood, but it's something. As I hold the katana, I feel the information rush into me again, but it's different this time.
When I picked up the double sided blade, it felt artificial, and my muscles were untrained in the practical use.
But this time, I feel the information not force inside, but outside. Like apart of me that was locked away, it bursts out from within, and my muscles feel natural as I make the moves.
Knees bent, back and neck straight, eyes focused on everything and nothing at the same time, I lift the katana over my head, and swing down.
It cuts through the air, a whistle sounding around. As it descends, I pull the blade closer to my body, making a slice in front of me.
My memories start to open up, but in structured bits. I remember a room, blue and red mats on the floor, pictures on the wall. My sensei, learning about the sword, hand to hand, and small staffs.
The memories return, and I feel more whole, like less of me is gone. It feels exhilarating.