So what did I forget?
Oh, nothing much, just the ZOMBIES currently outside!!
Help!!!
Why were these accursed things even created? To traumatize my poor soul? Is that it?
No, it's okay, I'm now a full-fledged, strong, and confide—
I was mid-sentence when something grabbed my right foot...
I mechanically looked down, to see a rotting head with its eyeballs coming out of its socket, looking straight at me.
Nope! Nope! Nuh-uh!
I then flailed my foot around, trying to get its hands off me!
"Grargh!" I heard coming closer...
Looking up after I successfully got my foot out, zombies. Zombies everywhere!!
And why'd they have to be the human kind!! (┳Д┳)
The creatures shuffled toward me, their decayed faces twisted in grotesque grins as they groaned and staggered forward.
My heart raced, the old fear creeping back into my chest, but I had to hold it together.
I wasn't the same little ogre anymore. I could handle this.
I glanced at Titan, my stoic, still silent piece of armor, who had just been standing there like a statue. I took a deep breath and raised my hand.
Ice Magic. My magic surged through me like cold water, but it wasn't nearly as powerful as I needed it to be to deal with this many zombies.
"Time to level up, then," I muttered, snapping my fingers and activating Spore Manipulation.
Tiny glowing spores began to float in the air around me. I waved my hand, sending them swirling outward, causing the nearest zombies to slow down as the spores began to infect them. Their skin turned an even darker, more decayed shade as the spores took hold.
I felt the energy surge within me, the spores giving me a sense of control, and I could see my Spore Cloud ability activating automatically to confuse their senses.
The cloud expanded, a swirling mist of toxins spreading through the horde. The zombies around me staggered back, their movements jerky as they breathed in the cloud.
I was 50/50 on this one since zombies basically are decaying dead ghouls, so maybe it won't work, but thank god it does! How, I don't wanna find out!
Still, I smirked, the power rushing through me. The zombies were easy targets when they couldn't move or see properly.
But then I saw something massive moving in the distance. A giant zombie—easily twice the size of the others—was charging straight toward me, wielding a rusted axe.
"Great," I grumbled. "Big one, just what I needed."
I quickly activated Glacier Spikes (Lv. 1), sending jagged pillars of ice shooting from the ground, impaling a few of the zombies in front of me. The huge zombie was still coming, swinging its axe like it was ready to mow me down.
I wasn't about to let it get close to me.
I activated Foresight, and for a split second, the world slowed down. I saw the trajectory of the axe swing, and just before it could reach me, I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. The axe cut through the air with a *woosh* sound.
"Nice try," I smirked, feeling the magic flowing more naturally through me with each skill I used.
I wasn't about to get caught by the zombie's slow reflexes. Frostbound Aura flared to life around me, a shiny blue shield of icy energy that hardened as the zombie swung again.
The cold aura kept the brute at bay, pushing back the force of the impact.
And with that, I was done dodging.
I raised my hand and summoned Ice Magic once again, but this time, I poured more power into it. The ground beneath the zombies began to freeze, thick layers of frost spreading out in every direction. The zombies near me were rooted in place, their legs freezing solid, leaving them unable to move.
"Can't catch me now!" I yelled, turning my attention back to the giant. It had gotten closer, swinging its axe wildly.
I could feel the cold aura from Frostbound Aura protecting me, but this monster was still a threat.
I activated Spore Burst as I ran toward it, sending a blast of concentrated spores into the giant's chest.
It recoiled, its body twitching as the spores burned through its decaying flesh.
"Take that you giant piece of decaying shit!" I shouted, feeling the energy build in my chest.
The spores worked their magic, turning the once indestructible zombie into a wobbly, twitching mess.
Titan finally moved and lunged forward with surprising force, it's massive armored frame knocking the zombie off balance.
The giant crashed to the ground with a massive thud, and before it could rise, Titan smashed its skull with a powerful swing of it's fist.
The battle with the massive zombie was over, but the smaller zombies were still charging toward me, their grotesque faces contorted in hunger.
I turned to face them, activating Spore Cloud again. The cloud spread faster this time, thicker and more concentrated.
The zombies in its path began to stagger, slowing down, their movements sluggish as the spores began to take hold of them.
I was getting the hang of this (≧∇≦)
"Alright, let's wrap this up," I muttered, raising my hand again to unleash Glacier Spikes.
I thrust my palms out, sending the icy spikes shooting through the air, impaling any zombies who got too close.
The sound of them crashing into the ice echoed through the battlefield. The remaining zombies were trapped, too slow to evade my magic or the spreading frost beneath their feet.
As I watched them fall, I could feel it—the surge of power, the feeling of leveling up. I glanced at my skills.
[System alert!
Spore Manipulation (Lv. 3) -> Spore Manipulation (Lv. 4)
Spore Cloud (Lv. 2) -> Spore Cloud (Lv. 3)
Ice Magic (Lv. 1) -> Ice Magic (Lv. 2)
Frostbound Aura (Lv. 1) -> Frostbound Aura (Lv. 2)
Glacier Spikes (Lv. 1) -> Glacier Spikes (Lv. 2)
Keep it up little goblin! ]
I smiled. This was the kind of progress I needed. Also, the hell? Not needed you holographic blue thing!
I turned back to Titan, who had already taken care of the last few zombies around us.
My new teammate didn't seem to acknowledge the victory, but I could tell we had a solid win.
"Well, that was… something," I said, catching my breath, haa... moving in this newly formed body is exhausting!
Titan didn't respond. Of course, it didn't. But it was fine. I wasn't alone at facing that this time, and that made all the difference.
We started walking away from the battlefield, the ice melting around us as the last of the zombies fell.
"I'm starting to like this team," I muttered with a grin. "We make a good pair."
Titan didn't respond. But I think I knew what it would say anyway, frobably something like 'You're lucky I'm here, if you didn't you'd be one of those rotting flesh' or something, anyway I'll forgive it this time!（＾ω＾）