The zombie had crept right behind Rina, its jaws open wide, inches from Rina's neck, ready to bite.
"What—?!" Rina spun around in blind panic.
Because she was still gripping the heavy weapon with both hands, she turned with far more centrifugal force than she intended. The metal bat followed her momentum in a wide, desperate arc.
BONK!
The sound of metal meeting skull echoed through the area. The zombie didn't even have a chance to snap its teeth before it was blasted off its feet, sent tumbling across the pavement like a bag of discarded trash.
"Ahh! I... I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Rina shouted, instinctively apologizing to the monster as it rolled away.
"Why the hell are you apologizing to a zombie?!" Seraphine barked, sprinting out from the room despite the throbbing pain in her side.
She didn't give the creature a second to recover. As it lay flat on the ground, dazed by Rina's accidental strike, Seraphine stepped up and swung her bat with every ounce of fury and adrenaline she had left.
CRACK!
The zombie's head caved in under the crushing blow, the metal bat splitting bone with brutal finality.
Blood splattered in every direction, warm droplets bursting outward and painting Seraphine's cheek crimson.
Rina flinched, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the sight.
"D..don't h..hit it like that," Rina stammered, her voice trembling.
Seraphine stood over the mangled corpse, her hands shaking as the adrenaline began to dip. She looked Rina in the eye, her expression hardened. "If I hadn't killed it, we'd be the ones on the ground right now. It was us or that thing."
"But still... you don't have to be that violent," Rina argued, her gaze was fixed on the floor.
Seraphine walked over, her heavy boots crunching on the gravel.
She placed a hand on Rina's arm, her voice dropping to a calm, steady tone. "Rina, listen to me. I know you're soft-hearted, and honestly, I like that about you. But don't be too soft out here. It'll backfire on you, and I won't always be close enough to swing a bat."
She pointed toward the mangled corpse. "And don't feel guilty. It's not human anymore. It's a zombie now."
Rina's lips quivered. "…But… but still, it was human after all…"
Her words trailed off as her eyes widened. A faint glow shimmered across the zombie's corpse. "S… Sera, do you see that light?" she whispered, pointing with a trembling finger.
"Where?" Seraphine turned, her grip tightening on her bat.
Both girls watched in silence as a soft, white light began to emanate from the center of the zombie's chest.
Both girls stepped closer to the strange glow. As they reached it, the light dimmed, flickered, and finally faded away, leaving behind two objects on the ground.
A sleek black box.
and...
a worn book.
Before they could even reach out to touch them, a surge of static hissed through their consciousness.
A series of translucent notification windows flooded their vision, pouring information directly into their minds.
Seraphine staggered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
-----------------------
{ [ You have successfully killed and absorbed the Dharma Power of level :1 - 'Zombie Student' ]
[ You have acquired 200 Dharma Power (DP) ]
[ You have leveled up!! (LvL : 1-->2) ]
[ You have received (2) Attribute Points (AP) ] }
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At the same time, Rina's vision blurred as a flood of messages poured into her mind.
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{ [ You have successfully killed and absorbed the Dharma Power of level :1 - 'Zombie Student']
[ You have acquired 100 Dharma Power (DP) ] }
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"I... I think I leveled up or something, Rina," Seraphine muttered, her eyes darting across the invisible interface only she could see in her mind.
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NAME : Seraphine Ashbourne
RACE : Human
LEVEL : 1 DHARMA POWER : 0 / 200
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ATTRIBUTES :-
• STRENGTH : 20 (10) -- ( average human )
• AGILITY : 12 (10)
• ENDURANCE : 15 (10)
• INTELLIGENCE : 18 (10)
• PERCEPTION : 14 (10)
• WILL POWER : 22 (10)
• MANA (awakened) : 19 (10)
[Attribute points : 2]
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SKILLS :-
•ACTIVE : NONE---- ( MAX - 3 )
•PASSIVE : NONE
[MESSAGE] -- Can't undo once a ACTIVEskill is Equipped
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Seraphine's eyes narrowed as she glanced at her own status window. "Mm… let's distribute the attribute points later," she muttered, pushing the thought aside for now. Her gaze shifted toward Rina. "Didn't you level up too?"
Rina shook her head, biting her lip. "No… I think I need a hundred more Dharma Power. Since I only assisted in killing the zombie, I didn't get the full reward." She looked at her window with a faint sigh.
"Let's look at these for now," Seraphine said, crouching down.
The two items sat in the dirt, looking completely out of place against the gravel.
The black box was small, fitting easily in the palm of a hand, while the book was thin and a pale, aged yellow color.
Seraphine reached for the book first.
The moment her fingers brushed the cover, a fresh surge of information flooded her mind.
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{ [Healing spell--> LvL : 1 ] - Healing spells are considered one of the sacred spells.. At (level : 1) you can heal minor colds, coughs and headaches or migraines..}
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Seraphine frowned as she skimmed the description of the spell in her mind. 'What is with this healing spell…? Would it be able to heal wounds if its level is upgraded?' she wondered silently, her thoughts racing.
"Rina," she called out.
"Huh? What is it?" Rina scrambled over, peeking over Seraphine's shoulder with intense curiosity.
"How much Mana do you have?"
"32," Rina answered simply.
o_o
Seraphine stared at her in dead silence. "Are you serious?"
"Yes... why?" Rina asked, looking confused.
Seraphine's lips curved into a faint smirk. "I think you're meant to become a mage, Rina."
"What do you mean?" Rina tilted her head, clueless.
Seraphine held out the yellow spell book. "Here, take this. You might be able to use it better than me. Even though level one is kind of trash, it might become really useful once you level it up." She tossed the book lightly toward Rina.
"I don't get it… what are you say—"
The moment Rina caught the book, her body stiffened. A surge of energy rushed through her mind, and information began flooding in.
"Ohhh…" she gasped, overwhelmed by the description of the spell.
Rina's hands trembled as she held the book close to her chest. "D… do you really want to give this to me, Sera? Why don't you take it?" she asked, her voice heavy with guilt.
She could see the description clearly : the level one ability was weak, almost useless in its current state. But the potential was undeniable. Healing wasn't just useful; it was priceless in a world where wounds could mean death. If upgraded, this spell could become one of the most powerful abilities they'd ever find.
Seraphine shook her head firmly. "Yeah, take it. I only have nineteen mana points. It would be better if you have it. And besides… you also assisted in taking care of that zombie. If you hadn't slammed me with that bat, I might have turned into one myself."
"I... I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean for it to happen that way!" Rina squeaked, her face flushed with a mix of shame and panic.
"I know," Seraphine said calmly. "Just take it."
Rina hesitated, her grip tightening on the book. "B… but this is really a powerful skill. Are you sure you don't need it?"
Seraphine let out a long sigh, her eyes softening as she looked at Rina's conflicted expression. "I told you to take it. And if you really feel guilty… then use that healing on me often."
Rina's lips curved into a small, polite smile. "If… if you say so."
"Now let's check what's inside this box," Seraphine said, picking up the palm-sized black container.
Rina didn't open her skill book just yet. Instead, she leaned over Seraphine's shoulder, her eyes wide with curiosity, waiting to see what kind of treasure was hidden inside.
The moment Seraphine opened it, a blinding white light burst forth.
"Ahh! My eyes!"
Both girls recoiled, shielding their faces as the glare seared their vision. It felt like a flashbang had gone off in the small space.
It took several seconds for their vision to adjust. When they finally lowered their hands, the box was gone.
In its place, Seraphine now held a gleaming white sword.
Instantly, the familiar rush of information flooded Seraphine's mind, detailing the weapon's info.
Rina watched her, waiting for a gasp of excitement, but Seraphine's expression slowly soured. She stared at the description of the blade for a long moment before her lip curled in disgust.
"All that flashlight for this garbage thing?" she hissed, cursing under her breath.
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1:] { [Basic Sword] - A sword used to chop woods... Can inflict small wounds to creatures depending on the wielder }
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