Adrius stood by the van door and called out to Miranda. Within seconds, all three of them quickly exited the van, and they observed Adrius with careful and concerned eyes to ensure he is okay. Seeing the genuine worry on all three of their faces, Adrius felt a wave of reassurance and warmth. With a warm smile, he said, "No need to worry, everything went well. It's time to continue our journey. It looks like there's a camp set up for the refugees around Westminster. It might be a good place to settle down." He then gestured for them to move toward the bridge.
When they reached the corpse of the super-Zombie, Miranda gripped Charlotte's hand tighter and held her breath in shock and fear. After a few seconds, without taking her eyes off the super-Zombie, she asked, "How did you kill this thing, Adrius? It looks so strong... Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Severus, who was still standing above the zombie's body, listening to Arthur's explanation, quickly spoke up, "Your brother killed it alone, ma'am... From what Arthur's saying, it was really easy for him."
At hearing Severus's response, Charlotte started cheering for Adrius, but Miranda and Patricia were staring in disbelief. Their eyes kept darting between Adrius and the zombie, struggling to grasp the fact that this terrifying monster had been taken down by Adrius. The zombie's entire body was covered in wounds and blood, yet Adrius didn't even have a bruise(thanks god). This was completely unbelievable for both Miranda and Patricia.
Adrius shook his head and said, "This is Severus Kent... the leader of the group of survivors over there."
It took Miranda a few moments to snap out of her stunned state. "It's a pleasure to meet you… I'm Miranda."
This time, it was Adrius who didn't let Severus speak. "Well, we'll be on our way now..."
Severus, who hadn't expected such haste, quickly responded, "Hold on, don't rush, man. Let's wait, we'll go together." Seeing Adrius hesitate, he continued, "The chance of another zombie on the bridge is very low, I know, but it's better to move together. That way, our safety is more guaranteed. And believe me, if I were a bad guy, I wouldn't be dragging this many useless people I've never even seen before along with me. If it makes you feel better, you can keep a meter distance from us... Look, we need your strength, and you need ours... The hall is not far, just 15 minutes tops."
Adrius honestly couldn't find a good reason to oppose Severus's logic, and finally, reluctantly nodded in agreement. With Adrius's confirmation, Severus started smiling, and within minutes, they all set off toward the bridge again. On the bridge, several zombies wandered between the cars, and it seemed like a few had even gotten stuck inside them. Adrius took this opportunity to help Miranda level up, which she happily and quickly accepted.
Every time a zombie appeared, Adrius would pierce his sword into the zombie's chest, pinning it to a car or the ground, allowing Miranda to deliver the final blow with her military knife. Of course, this assistance from Adrius gave Miranda a smaller share of *the Life Flame* to absorb. After killing all sixteen zombies on the bridge and in the cars, Miranda managed to reach Level 4 and earned one skill crystal and one treasure crystal.
A little later, when they reached the other end of the bridge, they arrived at a checkpoint where police forces and two people, clearly experienced with multiple level-ups, were standing guard. Seeing the group of survivors, two *Awakened* Ones from the checkpoint quickly made their way toward them. One of the Awakened Ones, in a polite tone, said, "Hello, I'm Mina Stone, a member of the Awakened Unit of the defense Minister's party form new Prime Minister's camp. Are you all here to join the Prime Minister's camp?"
Severus answered with a smile, "Of course, ma'am."
Mina asked, "May I ask if any of you are Awakened?"
Severus asked in confusion, "Awakened?!!!"
Mina kindly explained, "We refer to those who use the Akashic Record as Awakened, by order of the Minister of Defense, Stimer."
Severus scratched the back of his head in confusion, "Okay... In that case, five of us are Awakened, and the rest are ordinary citizens." Then, glancing sideways at Adrius, he added, "Are there any special conditions for Awakened to enter, ma'am?"
Mina, still in her kind tone, responded, "No, there are no special conditions, as long as you follow the laws. Aside from that, all the treasures, skill crystals, and spirit seeds if you have any, you can keep them all. Ordinary citizens can also keep their personal belongings and provisions." She then politely invited them all to enter the camp grounds.
This level of respect, politeness, and kindness felt somewhat odd, especially given the current conditions...
After passing through the checkpoint and reaching Parliament Square in front of Westminster Hall, they were met by a crowd of several thousand people. Various tents filled the street, the green spaces, and every available open area. Continuing on their path and entering the building, they were led to a somewhat large room on the second floor, where a woman and two men were sitting behind desks, typing and studying.
Mina handed over the group to the people in the room and quickly returned to her post at the bridge checkpoint. The people in the room again politely and patiently recorded everyone's information. They also asked questions about whether they were Awakened or not and if they had any interest in becoming Awakened. According to the middle-aged woman, who seemed to be the main person in charge, the main data of the Awakened were privately stored by the party they belonged to in their internal system, and only the Prime Minister had access to that information, aside from the party leader. The only downside was that it was mandatory for the Awakened to join one of the political parties, though there was no obligation for ordinary citizens to level up. The Awakened had to join a party, but in return, they would receive much better benefits and conditions than the ordinary citizens, based on their level and contributions to the party.
Throughout the process, Adrius couldn't help but wonder why the authorities at this camp were being so polite and generous with the refugees. After all, before the Akashic Record, governments and administrations weren't this kind. Unless... they were in competition with another camp. But who could possibly compete with the Prime Minister and his ministers? No one, except for the King and the Dukes.
However, as long as the Prime Minister and his government didn't ask for anything unreasonable or restrict his freedom, Adrius didn't mind their political games and rivalries. He was still waiting to see whether the government or the Dukes would prove more effective in this new world. Adrius was certain that democracy and republics would soon be destroyed in this new world, but he wasn't sure if the current king could maintain or even rule his kingdom.
After their information was recorded, they were guided to their temporary accommodation by a police officer. During the walk, Adrius's mind was occupied with the decision of which party to join. According to the information given by the woman in charge of registration, Barbara Green's party was responsible for the police force and internal security of the camp; Agnes Hughes's party handled the intelligence and espionage, mostly made up of special and high-ranking Scotland Yard officers; and Jackson Stimer's party, the former Minister of Defense, was in charge of the military, including patrolling outside the camp and all military operations. Other parties were also being formed, but these three needed the Awakened the most and were the most crucial for the camp.
After some thought, Adrius realized it was an easy choice: Jackson Stimer's party was the best option for him. The military and power of the camp were under this party's control, and it offered a lot of opportunities for leveling up, especially with the patrols outside the camp. Another reason was the greater resources and power Stimer's party had at its disposal.
When they reached their temporary tent, Miranda asked, "Which party do you think I should join?"
Adrius, after some thought, replied, "Forget about Agnes Hughes's party, in my opinion. Espionage is the hardest and most dangerous, aside from the fact that you'd have to leave the girls alone for long periods. Between Barbara Green's and Jackson Stimer's parties, if you join Green's, your work will be easier, and you'll mostly deal with ordinary people, but it'll be harder to level up. On the other hand, Stimer's party is more dangerous and difficult, but you'll have plenty of opportunities to level up..."
Miranda asked, still unsure, "Have you already decided which party you're joining?"
As Adrius sat on his travel bed and began examining his crystals, he answered, "I think Stimer's party is the best choice for me, as I said, leveling up will be much easier. But don't rush it, we still have a few hours. Take your time to think... Just please close the entrance of the tent so no one can see inside. You should also use this opportunity to check your crystals."
Miranda nodded and, after closing the tent entrance, went over to the only empty bed in the room to check her crystals. Adrius took the first crystal, a milky white one with an ancient symbol on it.
[> ------------------
Dense Bone (basic-tier, Passive Skill) Level 3: Doubles the density and resistance of bones. Also accelerates healing for damaged bones and increases muscle strength as bone resistance increases. +10 Resistance, +10 Strength.
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Adrius thought about it for a moment and then decided to learn it. Immediately, a white light filled the tent as the crystal changed form and was absorbed into his body. As he learned the skill, Adrius could feel mana concentrating on his bones, as if the mana was compressing and simultaneously rebuilding them.
Behind him, Miranda, Patricia, and Charlotte were all staring at Adrius and the magical things happenings around him, even afraid to blink, lest they miss something.
Adrius quickly opened the next treasure crystal. The same process happened, but this time, instead of the crystal being absorbed into his body, it began to change shape. After a few moments, a simple black leather armor appeared on the ground. Adrius quickly grabbed the armor to check its details.
[> Karaka Armor (Basic-tier): A leather armor made from Karaka lizard skin. It's lightweight and durable, and can be repaired by absorbing mana. +5 Health and +5 resistance when equipped. <]
Adrius was more in need of long leather gloves or shin guards, as this torso armor was more suited for human-to-human combat than for fighting monsters or zombies. However, the armor was both light and subtle, not restricting his movements. On the other hand, he was sure that in the near future, his enemies would not only be animals and zombies, and he would soon have to face off against his own kind.
Adrius put the armor on under his sweatshirt and over his blouse. He quickly opened the remaining two treasure crystals. One was a small vial with a deep navy solution, just two fingers tall with a cork lid, which was a low-level detoxifying solution. The other was a silver earring with black engravings, which gave +5 to his senses stat. Adrius placed the antidote in his bag and put the earring on his ear.
Finally, he opened the last skill crystal, a smoky-colored one with bronze engravings. Taking a deep breath, he poured his mana into the crystal.
[> --------------
elite Swordsman (Intermediate-tier, Passive Skill) Level 1: Grants the user access to the skills and memories of every elite swordsman in human history. Upon learning, the user masters all forms of swordsmanship.
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Adrius didn't waste a moment in learning the skill. As soon as he did, a flood of techniques and memories related to swordsmanship and combat filled his mind. The memories felt like his own, not someone else's, as if the presence of the original owner of the memories had completely faded, preventing any harm to his mind or personality.
This was the best skill he could have gotten from a crystal. It was exactly what he desperately needed, something he wasn't even sure existed. This passive skill had granted him all the necessary techniques for swordsmanship, but he lacked the habits, physical, and mental strength of a swordsman, which the memories helped compensate for by giving Adrius a chance to practice properly. He could even use these memories as experience in his battles. It was truly an excellent and complete skill, and all he needed now was a little time to master it.
Adrius quickly summoned his status window.
[> ------------------
Name: Adrius Wallace
Level: 14
Race: Human
job: None
Title: None
Specialty: None
Status Points: 12
|> Strength: 44 (+20) | Speed: 42 (+10) | Stamina: 29 | Resistance: 22 (+5) | Intelligence: 11 | Senses: 15 | Mana: 126 | Magic: 120 | Health: 13 (+5) <|
> Active Skill: Shadow Master (Basic-tier) Level 9 |
> Passive Skill: Cold Logic (Intermediate-tier) Level 3 | dense bone (basic-tier) level 3 | elite Swordsman (Intermediate-tier, Passive Skill) Level 1 <> (Current Coordination: 20%) |
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