Returning his gaze to the approaching zombies, Daniel looked at them with cold eyes that expressed nothing. Seeing that eight of them had begun moving toward him, he felt neither fear nor anxiety. The only thought occupying his mind was that he could get rid of them in less than a minute. He knew that with his strength, he had nothing to worry about.
He had already noticed a weapon lying on the ground—a metal pipe. It was about 60–70 centimeters long, thick like a baseball bat, almost perfect. It lay among other larger and smaller metal pipes, along with pieces of debris scattered under the skyscraper. They were probably fragments that had fallen from the building.
He darted toward his weapon in an instant. The zombies were too slow to make any move; he weaved through them like a snake and had the pipe in his hands within 11 seconds.
He picked it up quickly, wasting no time. He moved forward. His movements were precise, as if he had been rehearsing this exact scene for years. The strike had to be fast, brutal, and merciless. He knew where to hit, knew it had to be a blow to the brain. Until it shattered, they wouldn't die. As he appeared in front of the first zombie, he didn't hesitate for even a second.
Using all his strength, he gripped the pipe with both hands and, with a single precise, lightning-fast strike, slammed it diagonally straight into his first opponent's forehead.
"BANG!"—a sound resembling an explosion.
Daniel felt as if he had just smashed a small, defenseless watermelon with a steel club. The zombie's head burst instantly, sending pieces of brain matter flying in all directions, and its body collapsed limply to the ground.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
A sudden system notification appeared before Daniel's eyes. Knowing he was in no danger, he examined it out of formality.
[Your First Kill]
[You have killed a "fallen human" of low level]
[Approach the body to claim your rewards]
Following the system's instruction, Daniel stood over the headless body. He noticed a faint green glow emanating from the lifeless corpse, sparking his curiosity even further.
[The user has the option to absorb two types of energy]
[ESSENCE]
[SOUL POWER]
He looked at the two options. He already had Soul Power, but now he was curious about what Essence was. Besides, he had nothing to worry about—he still had 16 free test subjects. So there was no rush.
Choosing Essence, he felt warm green light surge into his body in an instant. If he had to describe the sensation, it was overwhelmingly pleasant—so much so that he wanted to experience it again. His slight hunger vanished for a few seconds. Yet, even after his first kill, his expression remained unchanged; there was no difference between this and striking a cardboard box. His eyes remained as cold as ice.
[You have absorbed Essence]
[Available Stat Points: 4]
[Congratulations, you have created an Essence Core]
[You possess an Essence Core within you—kill and absorb more!]
Daniel felt as if he had gained a second heart in the center of his body. He couldn't feel it physically, but he could sense it spiritually. The sensation was so intense that even someone who had killed without hesitation doubled over in pain—pain that was twice as strong due to his newly acquired ability. But even then, he did not utter a single groan, only clenched his fists tightly.
[Essence Core {Basic} 21/800 1]
[The Essence rejoices in every cell of your body, exploring its new vessel]
[You are imbued with Essence; your body is growing stronger]
[Strength +3]
[Agility +2]
[Endurance +3]
[Stats]
[4 Available Points]
[+ Strength - 8]
[+ Agility - 8]
[+ Endurance - 12]
[- Intelligence - 3]
[- Soul Power - 38.34]
[Essence Core {Basic} 21/800 1]
Finally, Daniel felt relief, no longer feeling the pressure of his "second heart." Looking at his stats, he saw that he couldn't allocate points to anything other than physical attributes, so he put 2 into strength and 2 into agility.
[Stats]
[Strength - 10]
[Agility - 10]
[Endurance - 12]
[- Intelligence - 3]
[- Soul Power - 38.34]
[Essence Core {Basic} 21/800 1]
With a smile on his face, Daniel moved toward the next zombie, thinking only of becoming stronger. He advanced toward another one of those creatures that dared to stand in his way.
Moments later, he was upon the zombie. He acted swiftly, without hesitation, striking it down with a single, precise blow. Another body fell, and he could feel the Essence flowing into his body.
[Congratulations! You have killed a "fallen human" of low level]
[Available Stat Points: +4]
Without taking a break, and with even less effort, he continued to kill more creatures. The third zombie fell in mere seconds. The process repeated—each strike precise, each step bringing him closer to greater power. For his third kill, he received +3 stat points; for the fourth, +3; the fifth, +2; the sixth, +2; the seventh, +1; and finally, the last of the nearby zombies was struck down.
– BOOM!
[Congratulations! You have killed a "fallen human" of low level]
[Available Stat Points: +1]
Looking at his stats now, he felt that he had every right to laugh.
[Stats]
[16 Available Points]
[+ Strength - 10]
[+ Agility - 10]
[+ Endurance - 12]
[- Intelligence - 3]
[- Soul Power - 38.34]
[Essence Core {Basic} 178/800 1]
He whispered, "Add 6 to strength, 6 to agility, and the rest to endurance."
[Stats]
[Strength - 16]
[Agility - 16]
[Endurance - 18]
[- Intelligence - 3]
[- Soul Power - 38.34]
[Essence Core {Basic} 178/800 1]
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Daniel could feel the power within him. If he had been strong before, now he felt like he could kill his past self from three minutes ago with a single strike, just like these zombies.
Quickly calming himself, he glanced at the remaining zombies, knowing that their Essence was now too weak. However, he knew he had another option. Kicking off the ground, he reached a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, accelerating in an instant and killing another enemy just as quickly.
He only stopped 28 meters away after the kill—that was how much power he now held within himself.
He looked at his pipe, now completely bent. "You can hold on a little longer, right?" he said, clearly in a good mood.
Walking slowly toward the corpse he had just slain, he didn't even look at the notifications; he simply muttered, "Soul Power," in a quiet tone.
[Soul Power +7.08]