The mall was dead.
Glass shards covered the floor like broken ice. Blood had dried into dark trails leading nowhere. Bodies lay scattered everywhere. Some were torn apart. Some were half-eaten. Some had turned into monsters that still wandered, dragging their feet.
Arien walked forward slowly, his blade steady.
Sophia followed him closely, bow ready.
Quest Active
Extermination Order
Kill 100 Zombies
Progress: 46 / 100
Zombies rushed out from the food court.
Arien moved first.
One slash.
A head fell.
Sophia's arrows followed, clean and precise.
Level Up
Level 7 → Level 8
They advanced deeper into the mall.
The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating.
Progress: 79 / 100
Then Arien stopped.
He heard it.
A human voice.
"Help! Please—someone help me!"
Arien turned immediately.
They ran.
Inside a large clothing store, they found him.
A young man stood in the centre, surrounded by zombies.
But something was wrong.
Every zombie that stepped closer suddenly collapsed. Their skin cracked. Smoke rose from their bodies. They burned from the inside before they could even reach him.
Sophia stared in shock.
"Master… why are the zombies dying on their own?"
Arien's eyes narrowed.
A flame skill, but how in the world is he able to get it? It's very rare to get an elemental skill this early, if not luck, and come to think of it's the same person I saved from thugs before, but it's not the time to think about the skill will not last more than 10 minutes, I should help him quickly.
Then he ordered Sophia to cover me from behind and shoot any zombies who got in my direction. Then he rushes, and the zombies with a machete, and the remaining die with the help of Sophia.
The young man noticed them and bowed his head respectfully despite trembling.
"Sir… It's you again," he said. "The one who saved me before."
Arien recognised him.
"Are you fine?"
The boy nodded.
"My name is Ash," he said. "I owe you my life."
Sophia looked around carefully.
"This burning area… is it your skill?"
Ash swallowed and nodded.
"It awakened when I killed my first zombie," he said. "The System called it an elemental skill."
Elemental Skill: Ember Domain
A passive fire field spreading up to 100 meters.
Weak undead are burned upon entering the domain.
The user cannot control the flames directly.
"I don't understand it completely," Ash said quietly. "But zombies can't come near me."
Arien nodded.
"Watch our backs," Arien said to Sophia.
"I'll clear the rest."
"As you say, Master," she replied.
They moved forward.
Arien cut through the remaining zombies.
Sophia fired arrows without hesitation.
The floor became slippery with blood. Bodies piled between torn clothes and broken mirrors.
Progress: 88 / 100
Ash watched silently.
"You're strong," he said respectfully. "Compared to you… I'm nothing."
Arien did not answer.
Level Up
Level 8 → Level 9
Progress: 94 / 100
Suddenly, Ash fell to his knees.
"Please," he begged. "My father is trapped upstairs. He went to search for supplies."
Arien looked toward the escalator.
Zombies filled the upper floor.
Sophia tightened her grip on the bow.
Arien nodded.
"Take us."
They fought their way up.
Arrows flew.
Steel flashed.
Progress: 99 / 100
At the gate of an office store, Arien killed the last zombie.
Quest Completed
Kill 100 Zombies
Inside, the lights flickered weakly.
They found the body near a desk.
Ash froze.
His father was already dead.
No struggle. No last words.
Too late.
Arien lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
Ash stood there silently.
Then his fists clenched.
"It's not your fault," he said, voice shaking. "I'm weak. Truly… utterly weak. If I were stronger, he'd still be alive."
The mall around them was filled with corpses, human and undead alike.
This was the world now.
Strength decided everything.
Ash's shoulders shook as he cried, his head lowered, fists clenched so hard they trembled.
"I'm weak," he said again, his voice breaking. "So weak that I couldn't save my own father."
Arien stepped closer.
"Ash," he said calmly, "if you want to become strong… You can come with me."
Ash looked up, tears filling his eyes.
"Can I really?" he asked. "Someone like me?"
"Of course," Arien replied. "But you will have to repay the favour."
Ash wiped his face quickly and nodded.
"I will," he said. "I swear it."
Arien placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop crying," he said quietly. "Your father is no longer with us in this cruel world. If you break here, his soul will only be saddened."
Ash's breathing slowed.
"Fight for your life," Arien continued. "Live the way you choose. That is how you honour the dead."
At that moment, the System's voice echoed.
Subordination Sub-Quest Completed
Target: Ash
Status: Voluntary Contract Established
Main Quest Completed
Rewards will be distributed at a safe time.
A warm pulse passed through them.
Level Up
Arien → Level 12
Sophia → Level 10
Ash → Level 8
(Skill Usage Growth Confirmed)
Ash stood up and bowed deeply.
"I'll go with you," he said. "Wherever that is."
Arien turned toward the dark exit of the mall.
"To our shelter," he said.
The three of them walked forward together, leaving the dead mall behind.
To be continued.....