The second floor of the library was unnaturally still.
Rows of bookshelves stood like silent walls. Chairs were overturned. Papers were scattered across the floor, some stained dark with blood. The faint smell of iron hung heavily in the air.
Lin Ye stepped off the stairwell and paused.
He did not move forward immediately.
Instead, he observed.
The reading area ahead was open. Large windows lined one side of the room, letting in pale sunlight that only made the scene more unsettling. Several bodies lay across the floor. Some had been dragged. Others were barely recognizable.
This was not the work of ordinary zombies.
Lin Ye's gaze shifted slowly.
Then he saw it.
At the center of the room stood a figure.
It was taller than the mutated zombie he had fought earlier. Its body no longer looked unstable or twisted. The flesh across its arms and shoulders had thickened, forming a rough, hardened layer. Its posture was slightly hunched, but there was balance in the way it stood.
More importantly, its eyes were not empty.
There was focus.
It was aware.
The creature slowly turned its head and looked directly at him.
A low sound escaped its throat.
Not a mindless growl.
Something deeper.
Something controlled.
Lin Ye did not step back.
His grip on the axe tightened slightly, but his breathing remained steady.
"A hunter-type."
He recognized it immediately.
These creatures did not rely on instinct alone. They watched. They adapted. They learned from movement and hesitation.
Much harder to deal with.
The distance between them was about fifteen meters.
Neither side moved.
For a brief moment, the entire floor felt frozen.
Then the creature moved.
It burst forward without warning.
The speed was far beyond anything Lin Ye had encountered so far.
The distance closed in an instant.
Lin Ye shifted his weight and stepped back.
The creature's claw slammed into the ground where he had just been. The impact cracked the tile, sending small fragments across the floor.
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
That level of strength could break bone easily.
He adjusted his stance.
Lower.
More stable.
The creature did not attack immediately again. It circled slightly, its head tilting as it watched him.
Testing.
Observing.
Lin Ye understood what it was doing.
It was looking for an opening.
The next moment, it lunged again.
Faster.
More precise.
This time it changed direction halfway through the charge, aiming for Lin Ye's side.
Lin Ye reacted instantly.
He twisted his body and avoided the strike by a narrow margin. The claw brushed past his sleeve, tearing the fabric slightly.
Too close.
If that attack had landed fully, the fight would already be over.
Lin Ye moved back two steps, creating space.
His mind remained calm.
No panic.
Only calculation.
The creature pressed forward again.
Its movements were smoother now.
More aggressive.
Lin Ye did not counterattack yet.
He watched.
Every motion.
Every shift in weight.
The rhythm of its attacks.
There was a pattern.
Subtle, but present.
The creature favored its right side.
Its left movement lagged slightly during transitions.
A small flaw.
But enough.
The next attack came quickly.
The creature lunged again, aiming straight for his chest.
Lin Ye did not retreat immediately.
He waited.
A fraction longer than before.
Then he moved.
He stepped inward instead of backward.
The distance between them closed instantly.
The axe rose.
Then swung toward the creature's neck.
The creature reacted.
It twisted its body mid-motion.
The blade cut into its shoulder instead.
A deep wound opened.
Dark blood spilled out.
But it did not fall.
The creature let out a sharp, angry sound and retaliated immediately.
Its arm swung toward Lin Ye's head.
Lin Ye raised the axe handle and blocked.
The impact traveled through his arms.
Heavy.
His grip tightened instinctively.
He stepped back, redirecting the force instead of resisting it directly.
"Too strong for direct clashes."
He adjusted his breathing.
Controlled.
Steady.
The creature charged again.
This time with more force.
Less hesitation.
Lin Ye shifted toward a nearby table.
At the moment the creature lunged, he kicked the table forward.
The heavy wooden structure slid across the floor, colliding with the creature's legs.
Its movement stalled for a brief moment.
That was enough.
Lin Ye stepped in.
Closer than before.
The axe rose above his head.
His muscles tightened.
Then he activated his skill.
A sudden surge of speed flowed through his arms.
The strike came down faster than before.
Clean.
Precise.
The blade sank directly into the creature's skull.
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the room.
The creature froze.
Its body trembled slightly.
Then collapsed.
Silence returned.
Lin Ye stood still.
His breathing remained steady, though slightly heavier than before.
The fight had been short.
But dangerous.
Any mistake would have ended it immediately.
After a few seconds, the system notification appeared.
[You have killed a Hunter-Type Zombie][EXP +40]
Lin Ye glanced at the message briefly, then closed it.
His focus shifted to the body.
A faint glow began to form above the corpse.
Brighter than anything he had seen so far.
"Good drop."
He stepped forward and picked up the first item.
A crystal.
Dark, smooth, faintly pulsing with energy.
[Basic Agility Crystal][Effect: Permanently increases Agility by +1]
Lin Ye used it without hesitation.
The crystal dissolved instantly.
A sharp sensation spread through his legs.
It was not painful, but intense.
His muscles felt lighter.
His balance improved.
Even his breathing adjusted slightly to match the change.
He flexed his leg once.
Faster.
More responsive.
His movement speed had increased noticeably.
Then he picked up the second item.
A small book.
Dark cover.
Cold to the touch.
The moment he held it, information flowed into his mind.
[Skill Book: Accelerated Strike][Effect: Consume 5 Stamina to increase attack speed for one strike][Cooldown: 5 seconds]
A simple skill.
But highly effective.
Lin Ye chose to learn it.
The book dissolved into light and entered his body.
A brief pressure formed in his mind, then faded.
The skill settled naturally.
He understood how to use it immediately.
Not complicated.
Just precise timing.
The system notification appeared again.
[Level Up]
A stronger wave of energy surged through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened further.
Even the environment seemed clearer.
Lin Ye opened his status.
[Name: Lin Ye][Level: 2]
[EXP: 0 / 200]
Strength: 13Agility: 14Vitality: 11Spirit: 14Endurance: 11
He studied the numbers briefly.
The increase was solid.
But the requirement had doubled.
That meant progress would slow significantly moving forward.
Which also meant that early advantages mattered even more.
Lin Ye closed the interface.
He looked around the second floor again.
The corpses.
The scattered books.
The quiet.
"This place won't stay safe."
More creatures would come.
Stronger ones.
The evolution had already begun.
He walked forward slowly, deeper into the library.
Each step remained careful.
His perception skill remained active.
Subtle changes in the environment reached him more clearly now.
A faint shift of air.
A distant sound.
Even the slight echo of movement from another floor.
Then he stopped.
There was something else.
Very faint.
Breathing.
Not like a zombie.
Irregular.
Uneven.
Human.
Lin Ye turned slightly.
His gaze moved toward a section behind the shelves.
Hidden.
Out of direct sight.
Someone was there.
Watching.
Not moving.
Holding their breath.
Lin Ye did not speak immediately.
He observed for a few seconds.
Then he said calmly,
"If you stay like that, you'll die when something finds you."
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Then a slight movement.
A girl slowly stepped out from behind the shelf.
She looked pale.
Terrified.
But alive.
She held a broken chair leg in her hand, gripping it tightly.
Her eyes were fixed on Lin Ye.
Cautious.
Uncertain.
"You… you killed that thing?"
Her voice trembled.
Lin Ye looked at her briefly.
"Yes."
She swallowed.
Her gaze shifted toward the corpse of the hunter-type.
Fear flashed across her face.
Then confusion.
Then something else.
Hope.
"What… what is happening?"
Lin Ye did not answer directly.
Instead, he asked,
"Have you killed anything yet?"
The girl shook her head.
"No… I just hid…"
Lin Ye nodded slightly.
As expected.
Then he said,
"Then you have no way to survive yet."
The girl froze.
Her grip tightened around the broken wood.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Ye looked at her calmly.
"If you don't kill one, you won't awaken."
"And if you don't awaken, you're just food."
The words were simple.
But heavy.
The girl's face turned pale.
She understood.
Even if she didn't want to.
Lin Ye turned away slightly.
"This is only the beginning," he said.
"Things will get worse."
He did not try to comfort her.
There was no point.
Understanding reality was the only thing that mattered now.
He stepped forward again, moving deeper into the library.
Behind him, the girl hesitated.
Then she followed.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Keeping her distance.
Lin Ye did not stop her.
But he did not slow down either.
Whether she survived or not…
Would depend entirely on her own choices.
And this world…
Did not wait for anyone.