Using extraction for the first time

" Are these monsters sensitive to sound?" Wondered Ashen.

After observing these hundreds of creatures for a few more minutes he concluded that as long as he didn't make a loud noise, it was safe. He took his first steps while using the objects on the street as barrier s to hide behind.

After walking for around an hour he finally left the densely populated area. The zombies' numbers decreased a lot and from the hundreds of zombies that filled the streets, he will occasionally see a few of them here and there.

" Now that I'm away from those zombies, I need to find some food. " Ashen thought " After all I was starving to death an hour ago the chihuahua that I ate was somehow not enough.

In addition after observing these zombies and based on their actions and their movements and reaction speed, I can easily conclude that they are not strong and fast. Even if some of them chase me, I can escape easily. Or maybe even better, kill them "

With that realization in mind, he began to wander, searching for a supermarket or something similar. It took him only ten minutes to locate his intended destination. as even though many big buildings collapsed, small buildings built on good foundations succeeded in withstanding the earthquake

It was a little supermarket in a small allley away from the main street and its crowds. The only problem was, the door was locked.

"So, how am I going to get inside? Should I try to break the door with a kick, or should I go for a quieter approach? There might be zombies inside after all," Ashen muttered.

After some contemplation, he decided to break in, As it would draw any potential zombies inside toward the noise. This way, he wouldn't risk being attacked unexpectedly while occupied inside.

After deciding, He took off his backpack and put it next to the door so it wouldn't get damaged and

- BOOM -

With a powerful back kick, he shattered the door wide open, causing dust to billow and temporarily obscure his vision. As the dust settled and his view cleared, he cautiously took his first step inside. But before he could fully observe his surroundings, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.

" As expected " He muttered

Ashen swiftly assumed a fighting stance as he prepared for the source of the sound. It didn't take long for two zombies, formerly men, to emerge before him. Ashen was about to begin to analyze their movements but was surprised to find that they were notably weak.

"What's happening Why are they so weak? Is it normal or these two are an anomaly ? " Ashen wondered.

But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the attacking zombies. Ashen didn't need to exert much effort to dispatch them, as they moved slowly and lacked agility. The first one dropped to its knees after being hit with a low kick . And then Ashen swiftly ended its life by piercing its head with his dagger. As the second one came within range, he hurled his dagger at its head, following up with a powerful kick that severed the head from the rest of the body.

" Well that was quite easy it would be perfect if the other zombies were the same as those " Ashen thought

Ashen was about to inspect the interior of the supermarket when he was once again interrupted, this time by the system. A white light enveloped his body, and within the radiance, he experienced a warm, relaxing sensation. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, leaving Ashen in significantly improved condition.

His once-pale countenance now radiated with vitality. His emaciated, skeletal form had been replaced by a muscular physique, with clear and well-defined muscles. Every sinew in his body seemed well-developed.

The wounds from his battle with the dog had completely healed, leaving no trace. Even the scar that had marked his face had vanished, revealing his handsome features once more.

Ashen was left astounded by the remarkable transformation he had undergone. He felt the power that he once had running through his veins and muscles back again. He knew that the system would cause many changes but he didn't expect it to be this fast.

Realizing that the system must have something to do with this. He was about to ask about the reason for this transformation, but he received many notifications.

Surprisingly, he wasn't annoyed by it as if he was expecting it. He had discovered that he could give specific orders to the system, and in this case, it had sent the notifications after he finished the previous fight.

[ You killed a zombie level 0 ! You gained 50 exp ! + 1 strength ]

[You reached level 1 ! You gained 2 free points ]

[You killed a zombie level 0 ! You gained 45 exp ! +1 stamina ]

"Open status window "

________

Ashen Evilian

level : 1

exp : 45/200

Race : Human

title : none

class : none

subclass : none

__________

Stats :

Strength : 20

Agility : 22

Dexterity : 30

Health : 36

Mana : 36

Stamina : 21

Free points : 2

_________

Active skills : none

Passive skills : none

Unique talent :

Extraction [ rank : X ]

Unique talents stored : 0/5

_____________

System note :

- You leveled up for the first time. When you level up you will be back to your peak condition.

- 29 days 22 hours and 38 minutes are left for the next disaster.

_________

"So, every time I level up, I get a full healing service as a bonus? Nice! But what should I do with the free points?" Ashen pondered.

After a brief moment of thinking, he opted to save the points for potential emergencies.

"Now, let's begin exploring this place."

With that determination, he took his backpack and ventured deeper into the supermarket, ready to discover it.

Inside, the bright lights made everything look crisp and clean. There were rows of shelves with lots of different stuff in colorful packages. You could hear the cold fridges keeping things cold, and there was a smell of yummy bread from the bakery. The supermarket was a treasure trove of goods. All of Ashen's fears about food were erased after seeing the Large quantities of food.

Despite the absence of hunger, Ashen still felt a desire to eat. However, as he was about to take his first bite, a crucial thought struck him.

"My talent! I should try it on these zombies and see what happens."

Ashen first ate the piece of fresh bread in his hand, satisfying his desire to eat. Then, he approached the corpses of the zombies, but an overpowering foul odor emanated from them, making him reconsider.

"So, what should I do now? Don't tell me I should eat them too?" Ashen wondered.

He raised his hand and thought of absorbing the cropse, but nothing happened. After some contemplation, he decided to approach one of the bodies, placed his hand on it, and uttered,

"Extract."

As if a mysterious mechanism had been triggered, dark energy materialized around the corpse he touched and the other one. It appeared to flow into his body. After a few seconds, the energy dissipated, and a notification appeared in front of him.

[ You extracted the two level 0 zombies. You gained 0.2 strength. ]

"So, this is how it works? I guess I'll need to defeat a considerable number of monsters to accumulate attributes."

Following this, Ashen spent the next 20 minutes eating and filling his bags with various long-lasting food items from the supermarket.

While exploring, he stumbled upon a section stocked with clothes.

"Good, this is what I needed. Now I can change out of these lousy clothes."

Ashen decided to change into sweatpants, a hoodie, and sneakers, even taking two additional sets just in case.

After double-checking everything, he was about to leave the supermarket when an unexpected urge struck.

"Really, now?" he complained. "Well, it could have been worse."

Ashen headed to the restroom to heed the call of nature. After finishing, he was ready to leave when he heard some noise emanating from one of the stalls.

Swiftly, he retrieved his daggers from his pockets and cautiously approached the stall. With a kick, he flung the door open, poised to strike, but what he found inside left him stunned – two kids a twin of a boy and a girl were huddled there.

"What the hell is this?" Ashen muttered, initially prepared to question the children about their presence. However, the moment the boy spotted his daggers, he burst into tears, uttering words choked with sobs that Ashen couldn't comprehend. Witnessing her little brother's distress, the girl positioned himself protectively in front of her.

"Damn, I forgot how quickly kids can start crying," Ashen sighed inwardly.

To comfort them, Ashen swiftly returned his daggers to his pockets and spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster, "There's no need to cry, little guy. Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you. Please, stop crying."

Perhaps due to his handsome face or a sense of safety, the boy stopped crying.

Ashen smiled gently and asked, "What are your names?"

"I'm Ethan," the boy replied.

"I'm Emma," said the girl.

"Okay, Ethan and Emma, how old are you?"

"We are ten," the siblings replied in unison.

"Good. And what were you two doing here? Were you with one of your parents?" Ashen inquired with concern. Little kids were one of the few things he couldn't hate even after all the things that happened to him.

Upon hearing his question, the two kids exchanged glances, and then Emma stepped forward, speaking with a steady voice.

"We were on a trip with our parents, but we lost them in the supermarket, and the bus left without us. We didn't know what to do, and the store was closed. One of the workers in the supermarket found us and was about to call our parents when the earth started to shake. We somehow passed out for a few seconds. When we woke up, the two men looked really scary, so we ran away and hid in the restroom until you found us."

Ashen was taken aback by the girl's composure in the face of such events, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he offered, "Do you want to come with me? I can find a safe place for you two to stay."

The siblings looked at each other again, and Emma replied, "Yes, we'd be thankful."

"Good. Now, follow me and do as I say. My name is Ashen by the way," he introduced himself.

The children nodded, and together, they exited the restroom.