Dorian, Zion, and Sampe launched themselves at the zombies cautiously yet ferociously as the battle between the undead and humans ignited in the hallway.
Dorian had no trouble attacking the zombies and evading their assaults, thanks to the agility boost he possessed.
His movements were sharp and lethal against the slow, staggering zombies.
His techniques with the Dagger of Darkness had evolved from merely swinging it randomly to following a unique pattern that his body had gradually become accustomed to.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Zion and Sampe. Not only were they scared and disoriented, but their techniques were also flawed.
Zion punched and kicked at the zombies as though he were in a street fight; his movements were erratic, and a few times he nearly missed his steps while kicking. Sampe was no different.
Even Clarissa, who had no combat knowledge, could tell the vast difference between Dorian and the two. His combat prowess was far superior to both combined.
Dorian sneaked a peek at Sampe and Zion while locating another zombie.
"They are definitely going to die," he noted.
Fighting like this in an open space would be manageable, but in such a confined area as the hallway, it was fatal.
"It's not like I didn't warn them in the beginning." He shrugged and refocused on his battle.
SHRIEK
The two zombies in front of him attacked simultaneously; one swung its claws ferociously while the other lunged at Dorian, trying to grab him.
Dorian immediately moved to the side, evading both zombies.
The zombies shrieked in disappointment and redirected their attention at him once more, but Dorian had already used the space between the wall and the two zombies to swiftly move behind them.
Now standing beside them, he swung the dagger, and the heads of both zombies fell to the ground.
[ Slayed 2 Zombies, +20 EXP ]
[ 120 EXP remaining to level up ]
"Twelve more zombies remaining to level up, not bad," Dorian remarked.
Unfortunately, there were only three zombies left on this floor.
Zion and Sampe were each dealing with one, leaving just one that had already closed the distance with Dorian.
Dorian had no difficulty slaying the lone zombie, as there was ample space for him to do so. He made a simple dash movement, dodged the zombie's claws, and chopped off its head with the Dagger of Darkness.
He wiped the blood from the dagger using a cloth piece from the zombie.
Zion and Sampe had already dealt with the other zombies; the fifth floor was successfully cleared. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.
"Fuck, my hands!"
Zion cried out in pain, alerting the others.
"What happened? Zion!" Sampe asked.
"The zombie bit my hands," Zion revealed, tears dripping from his eyes as the pain brutally surged through his system.
As an elite, he wasn't accustomed to such pain.
"I told you, one of them is going to die." Dorian sighed.
Sampe had already arrived before his friend, checking the injury and its severity.
Clarissa looked concerned from where she stood as well.
"Dorian, what are we going to do? Zion is losing a lot of blood," Sampe said.
Dorian shook his head and replied, "Say goodbye to your friend now while you have the chance, Sampe."
Sampe and Zion looked at Dorian, "What???"
"I warned you all at the very beginning about the dangers of these situations. Have you forgotten already?" Dorian responded.
Sampe and Zion stared at each other and then at Dorian, both extremely confused.
"Why are they so confused? Were they not paying attention when I explained all these times to the others? Well, serves them right for not listening. I have no time to babysit," thought Dorian.
"Your friend is going to turn soon. You two should share your goodbye kisses now or whatever before it's too late," Dorian delivered the devastating news.
Zion shivered uncontrollably upon hearing the news, his limbs weakening as he knelt on the ground.
"What are you talking about? Normal human beings only turn when they die from zombie injuries. If we treat Zion, he won't die, which means he won't turn either," Sampe explained frantically, trying to save his friend.
Just a few minutes ago, he had witnessed one of his schoolmates turn, and now he was about to witness his friend die and transform into one of those disgusting zombies. He couldn't afford to watch such a scene unfold; he wanted to prevent it.
"Yes... maybe we could treat him," Clarissa supported.
Zion fixed his eyes on Dorian, attentively waiting for his next reply, which would decide his fate—unfortunately, it couldn't get any worse.
"Are you telling me none of you have watched or read about a zombie apocalypse in the past more than eighteen years of your lives?" Dorian couldn't help but ask.
"I watched a few, but those are fantasies, and this is reality. What rules in the fiction world stays in the fiction world. Please, Dorian, help me. I don't want to die," Zion pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
Dorian only shook his head.
This action seemed to trigger some sort of hostility in Sampe.
"This is why you were always bullied. You're a nerd, living in your fantasy bullshit instead of reality. I am not going to let you judge my friend based on those crappy books you read, Dorian," he lashed out.
Dorian wasn't provoked by being called a nerd.
In fact, he had gained a special advantage from being a nerd. He had become an important character in this broken world precisely because of his nerdiness, and he was one hundred percent certain of surviving because he read those so-called crappy books.
"Fine. There is a first aid box on the first floor; I'm sure you know where it is located. Take it and treat your friend with it.
Only Clarissa will be coming with me from now on. If I catch any of you getting close to me, I'll kill you without hesitation. Is that understood?"
"Fine, whatever!" Sampe responded.
He stormed toward the staircase.
Clarissa tried to talk him out, but he rudely cut her off and continued his descent.
"I blame myself for following that nerdy bastard in the first place," Sampe grumbled as he made his way down.
Clarissa watched Sampe until he was out of sight and then turned to Dorian.
"We should leave," Dorian said to her, handing the Dagger of Darkness back to her.