As Leo and Willie searched for zombies, they descended to the third floor to locate any threats. Luckily, there was just one of them, so they both took care of it right away. Leo helped Willie kill it.
They encountered no zombies at all as they descended to the second floor. Since there were no bloodstains in the hallway, indicating no recent activity, every room on the floor was securely closed.
When Leo finally made it to the ground floor, he shushed Willie and went to look around by the Life Pulse.
He sensed all living beings within a 100-meter radius after releasing a pulse of energy. Unfortunately, the breadth of his innate ability was restricted.
"The first floor has three zombies, some of which are dispersed over a distance of almost 70 meters.
We need to be cautious and move quickly to eliminate them before they become a threat," Leo whispered to Willie. With their plan in place, they stealthily made their way towards the first floor, ready to confront the zombies.
Blood was seen on the doors of the three open rooms that Leo observed. Zombies were not completely deaf, but their sense of hearing was quite poor. Like Willie, the raucous disturbance will undoubtedly draw unnecessary attention.
"Willie, you handle the one on the right; I will handle the one on the left. Mine will be the last one at the end of the corridor. Wishing you luck!"
Given that Leo had always assisted Willie in killing zombies, it appeared that he was quite afraid. He had to tend to one of them by himself now.
Leo is powerless to stop it since he is aware that the terror will subside after a few deaths. He wanted to demonstrate to Willie that zombies are not unkillable and to help him comprehend their abilities.
Leo saw a zombie silently moving toward his target and standing close to the student girl's corpse. Leo knew that the zombie was hibernating, even though it appeared to be sleeping while standing.
Zombies went into hibernation when they stood motionless or moved slowly from one location to another. They will break out of this state and pursue their prey as soon as they see it. Zombies could smell the warm blood from a distance because they were sensitive to it.
They were easily killed with a sneak attack in such states. Due to their limited energy from their dead bodies, the majority of zombies go into a state of hibernation.
Leo swiftly eliminated it with a single decisive blow to the head, as he had done previously. It dropped a survival coin, and a substance the color of a white brain was dripping from its head.
Leo took the spoils and hurried out of the room to finish off the second one. It was positioned near the exit. Zombies crept slowly from one spot to another in the vicinity of the entrance.
Leo took a backward approach and dispatched another zombie. But instead of dropping more dead zombies and shining so brightly that one would have to close their eyes, it dropped a white chest along with the survival coin.
'Treasure Chest'
Leo became very excited at the sight of the white chest because even this most common treasure chest, the white chest, was extremely rare. It had the opportunity to drop the treasure chest after the monster was defeated.
Initially, many survivors obtained treasure chests, but over time, they became rarer, prompting people to seek out stronger monsters.
Leo aimed to collect as many treasure chests as possible to improve his chances of survival and defeat stronger enemies who might yield additional chests.
As he lifted the glowing white chest, a clear message flashed before his eyes.
[Would you like to open the White Treasure Chest?]
'Yes.'
The white chest began to slowly vanish into the air, letting out bright light. A sword covered in reddish-brown rust rested on his hands in its place.
[You have received a rusty sword.]
[Rusty Sword]
[Attack: 9-10]
[Durability: 10]
[Description: The rusted iron sword.]
The sword's blade had a low level of sharpness, making it dull. When Leo felt the familiar sensation of holding a sword, he was very happy. Leo remembered how, in his former world, he had trained to defeat monsters much stronger than himself with this rusty sword when he finally obtained it.
He started later than the other hunters and was slow to obtain the gear from the system at that time. He was weak, left far in the rear, and hunted monsters much above his level.
Holding his newly acquired weapon, Leo returned to Willie's room.
He was breathing heavily near the lifeless zombie's corpse. Sweat cascaded down Willie's forehead, giving him a paler complexion than usual. Because Willie didn't have Leo to reassure him in the event of an error, it was scarier for him.
The zombie's head and chest bone had been broken, leaving a mixture of brain, flesh, and blood on the ground.
"Willie, you did a fantastic job. Could you please reactivate your life pulse?"
To be on the safe side and avoid any surprises, Leo asked Willie to check their surroundings another time. After receiving a negative response from Willie, Leo told him he was planning to head to the closest library, which was ten minutes away from the dorm.
"You are welcome to wait for me in any of the rooms here. Since he is a friend of mine, I will not make you go with me if you don't want to risk your life."
"No, I will accompany you. If I follow you, I have a feeling that I will live a longer life. And without me, how are you going to make it there undamaged?"
In Willie's eyes, Leo was more akin to a monster than a human. He managed to repel a double zombie attack and dispatch a zombie in a one-on-one fight.
"Then take the lead."
It certainly made his trip to the library easier, so Leo grinned a little. He can hunt lone zombies and dodge most of the dangers when he is with Willie. Leo's skills were unmatched when it came to fighting zombies, and Willie knew he was safer with him by his side. With Leo leading the way, Willie felt a newfound sense of confidence.
"Incidentally, who is this friend you are risking your life for?"
"Adam Lane, my best friend."
"What? Adam Lane, a new student who started this year and gained popularity right away, and you are his closest pal?"
Leo remembered how well-liked Adam was at his university. Girls were talking about him because of his pale face, curly black hair, and calm demeanor. In what way was he called? 'Amazing Adam!'
Since Adam and he attended the same elementary, junior, and high schools, he had known Adam since they were young children. He was always the center of attention, outshining everyone around him.
Leo appeared ordinary from the look of him. His diminutive frame, pale complexion akin to that of a sick person, and a scar on his forehead from the knife's slash rendered Leo's appearance passable, if not downright ugly.
Leo's parents passed away prematurely in a car accident while he was in junior high school. He got that horrible scar on his forehead following the disaster that killed his parents.
Leo was looked after by his father's younger brother, his uncle David Wright, and his wife Amelia Wright shortly after the surgery. They adopted him and assisted him in getting over the loss of his parents.
Adam was there too, helping him out at school and paying him a visit while he was in the hospital. It was he who suggested Leo enroll in their city's top university. He assisted him in getting ready for the exams and in preparing the required paperwork.
In their nation, the university he is attending is highly esteemed. Many individuals of all social classes came in order to secure a promising future for themselves.
They both decided to major in economics. Leo chose to pursue his father's career, while Adam was required to study it because his family was wealthy and owned a large corporation in the city.
Leo was determined to reach the library, driven by thoughts of saving Adam.
'Adam, it's my turn now, and I am coming to save you this time.