Taboo
Boom
A fall from the third floor surprisingly didn't break anything, but I can tell I can't run anymore.
"Are y-you okay?" Said a worried Sophie.
Hearing this, Richard flashed a bright smile.
"Of course I am!"
She looked up at him worriedly but still remained silent. Then whispered.
"Why are you doing this, you don't even know me."
Richard looked at her.
"If I saw a pretty women in danger, how am I supposed to ignore that!"
'He called me pretty' Sophie blushed.
This sweet moment was interrupted by a bang, then a few more, as it started raining zombies.
"Huh?! They didn't tell me about this in the forecast!"
"Pfft" Sophie laughed.
Richard set her down, and looked at the incapacitated zombies, as they fell, they broke their legs and were now crawling towards them, however this wouldn't last long as the ones that jumped out first cushened the other's fall.
So as fast as he can, he held his trusty metal rod and started popping as many zombies as he can. All it took was one hit for their skulls to crack open like an agg.
[You have Leveled Up (2) -> (3)]
[Status restored]
"My legs are back up again!"
He quickly added all his points to strength.
"Quick, Soph, follow me!"
He grabbed her hand and dashed away, just as the zombies began standing back up.
They didn't stop until they were on the edge of the collage campus. Seeing the free exit, they increased their speed, only to knock head first on an invisible barrier, that flashed a soft blue light.
"What the fuck..."
Rubbing his head from the slight electrical shock he received, he read the message that opened up on the barrier.
[Opening Condition: Defeat the Area Boss]
"Sigh~"
"This isn't going to be easy is it."
Tightening his grip on the iron rod, he looked back at the scattered zombies, as well as the horde that followed him in the far distance, now heading in a different direction.
"Soph, I want you to stay here, I'll deal with these riff raff"
Sophie looked up from the patch of grass she stood on, it seemed his back was broader than before..so reliable.
He promptly rushed in, every zombie was down after a single swing to the side of the head, if they had their arms outstretched, they were two strikes, one to break the arms and the other for the head.
With every bit of fatigue he accumulated, he pushed on, knowing it wasn't far until he leveled up and his fatigue would vanish. Of the three points he receives over level up, he adds one to stamina and 2 for strength.
After his level reached 4, his strength changed from E- to E after he distributed his points. Zombie after zombie.
Kill after kill.
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
_________________Luna POV
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
'98%'
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
'99%'
[You have defeated a Zombie (lv.1)]
[+10 XP]
'100%'
[You have Leveled Up (4) -> (5)]
[Status restored]
Haaa
Haaahaaaa
Gasping for breath, I slid down the room's wall, covered in a thick layer of blood. I reeked of blood and the smell was nauseating, but I grew used to it.
It took exactly 100 zombies to level up from 4 to 5. And it'll only go higher from there. I distributed all my points into Intelligence. But it I'm guessing it isn't enough for it to reach E rank just yet- huh.
"H-how..."
Even though I'm staring directly and unblinkingly at it, I still couldn't believe it. My intelligence...is E rank. Not E-, but E rank. What happened... I don't get it. The only thing unique about my intelligence is the dark mana attribute.
I'm sure it has something to do with it. It was still F+ before I started on this floor, and the only thing I did between now and then is kill zombies.
I looked again at my status, and looked at my intelligence, something that wasn't there before appeared. Next to it was (Dark).
Clicking on it, a prompt appeared.
[Dark Attribute: A mysterious attribute with many undiscovered traits and effects.
Current (known) Effects:
+100% Damage to Holy/Light Attribute
Intelligence +3 per level up.
Corruption ]
This, while it answered my question, it created many more. 'Undiscovered Effects' is disturbing, particularly the Corruption effect. Is it corrupting me? Or is it an ability I can use?
Well, they can stay unanswered for now, my goal is the same. To get stronger. Of the 5 floors this building is made of, I cleared 3, only the first and ground floor are left.
It's only been a few hours since the end, yet I have found no survivors in 3 floors. Which should be highly improbable. Either this place is just unlucky or something is fishy.
Well, whatever, let me just continue, after securing the building I can finally rest for a while.
________________Emergence
"This is funny and all but also disturbing. Does she not realise she's killing zombies AND people? She sees them as one and the same?"
With multiple interfaces open, along with a large one in the middle displaying Luna, Emergence sat on an elegant white throne and spoke to herself. Holding her chin, she added.
"This wouldn't do. I didn't think the Dark attribute would be this self destructive. I wonder how she'll turn out, hahaha~"
_________________Luna POV
I think I'm at...the boss room? I don't think I need to fight it, yeah, this is too dangerous, I'll just continue killing zombies.
5 minutes later...
The door is locked, I must kill this 'Area Boss' to get out of the building. Fine then. I hardened my grip on my katana. I was confident I could do this.
What might it be? Probably something zombie related, a lich perhaps? A higher leveled zombie? Whatever it is, I will not die here!
The ominous, red gate that took over the entire wall was the only thing separating me from the area boss.
Before I enter, I need to get this blood off my hands, it's making my grip weaker...wait blood? Doesn't the zombies blood disappear along with the body?
At that moment, her heart thumped and she had an ominous premonition, yet she quickly dismissed it.
Guess it doesn't huh.
Alright, I'm all ready. Opening the door, all it took was a simple touch for it to slowly and rather ominously start opening. A heavy squeak sounded as it did.
My hair instantly stood, I can feel it. I don't know how, but I can tell something dangerous is in there. I need to do this, it's the only way to get out.
The longer I waited the more paranoid my thoughts became, as soon as I realised this, I simply stopped thinking and forced my legs inside.
Contrary to when I entered, the door slammed shut behind me, and I can fuckin tell it's looked, and guess what I need to do to get back out?
Kill that.
As I thought so, my eyes stared at the creature Infront of me. It resembled a zombie, but it's grey skin was full of blisters, it had tiny red eyes that stared back at me, and its most prominent feature was its iron lower jaw.
I looked at the name above it.
[Steel-Jawed Ghoul- (5)]
Steel not iron huh, I better stay away from that, at least we're the same level.
It didn't wait and started dashing for me, I gotta watch out for that jaw, or it will bite through me easily.
Using shadow step, I dodged to the side a good couple of meters, it didn't stand to rest and simply changed trajectory. It doesn't have a weapon, so a spear would be best.
Taking out a spear from my inventory, I resolicated a basic stance I saw in a manga once. I aimed for the head, and once it was close enough, striked.
The iron tip of the spear headed straight for it's head, it seemed to smirk at me as it opened it's jaw and– but through the iron spear. Instantly it's durability hit zero and the spear disappeared from my hand.
Now it was but a meter away, I was still flustered from what happened and didn't yet recover my footing. Shit. It jumped at me head first like a phirana does out of the water.
Just as it was close enough I could practically taste it's foul stench, I managed to use shadow step once more, and it bit nothing more than my mirage. I frowned looking at it....and smiled.
Is this...all it can do?
My stance relaxed as it neared once more, this time my trusty katana in my palm. Once it was close enough, I performed the only combo I came up with.
Shadow Step + Power Strike
My figure flashed, appeared behind the ghoul, I had already delivered the strike. True to my thoughts, a cold line violet in color reminiscent of my blade flashed past the ghouls arm, easily cutting through it, and it dropped on the ground producing a wet slap.
*KREEEEE*
I missed the head huh, I should practice this combo more. With my intelligence at E, that attack would've been enough to disintegrate the upper third of a zombie, yet the goul only lost an arm along with it's shoulder.
That's the difference between a level 1 and a level 5 huh, or I guess Ghouls are just that much physically superior.
The Ghoul screeched, much to my annoyance, so unlike zombies, it feels pain huh. My smile turned into a smirk.
Maddened, it charged at me again, this time with much more vigor. I giggled softly.
"Pathetic"
With its shoulder gone, its balance was fragile, a fact I exploited to the fullest. Although it might be physically stronger than me, that fact won't remain so with one simple addition.
A Critical!
Which is exactly what happened. An amateurish spinning side kick to the Ghouls bleeding shoulder sent it tumbling to the floor, its steel jaw face giving it a gentle kiss.
Before it got the chance to get back up, I used power strike with my katana, and struck downwards, impaling its chest to the stone floor below.
I then used it a third time, cutting off its other arm along with part of the stone floor by mistake.
It screeched in pain, and my smirk grew more and more. What was this feeling. I- I don't know...but.
I want more of it.
With it now incapacitated, I got a knife out of my inventory.
Unbeknownst to her, her eyes were now an intense red colour, and there seemed to be a few more white streaks along her hair.
It vehemently began writhing around in place.
"What is it? Are you in pain?" My voice was high pitched, and seemed... excited.
I squated infront of it and held the side of its face with my pale hands. Using the knife, I cut a streak along it's face, and giggled as it's writhing intensified.
"What?~ Do you want it to stop?~" I didn't know why I said those things, I couldn't control myself, it was like something deep inside me was finally set free. Like an artist infront of a blank canvas or a sculptor infront of a marble.
Slowly I extended my tongue, and licked the blood off of the knife. Ah~ This feeling. My face flushed and I held my cheeks.
It wasn't the taste that excited me, rather...this taboo feeling of what I'm doing, it simply felt spectacular.
"More..." I mumbled.
"I wanna hear MORE~" I laughed out loud, with the knife in my grip, and my face blushing and gasping for air, I pointed the knife to it's eye.
It seemed to know what was going to happen as it wiggles it's body desperately.
I giggled at it's reaction. Shortly thereafter, the feeling of something popping traveled along the knife and into my arm. Along with the screeching, my knife has pierced it's eye.
What am I doing–hahahaha~.
My body feels hot, I feel...strange down there.
My other hand slithered downward, making it's way down my pants and into my crotch. I started touching myself as I urged the blade deeper into it's skull. Ah~
Ahn~
This feeling! I can see the blood dripping along it's face, and it only made me wetter~
Ah, ah. I was getting close. I need something more to end this.
I started furiously pumping the knife in and out of it's eye, the blood that splattered onto my face only got me closer to my goal.
With both my hands working overtime, it finally happened, the floodgates opened and my pants were now soaked. Then clarity hit me, I realised what I had just done.
I sat there blankly, contemplating silently.
The Ghoul disappeared, and a message popped up.
[You have defeated a Steel-Jawed Ghoul (lv.5)]
[+100 XP]
This message helped take my mind off if what just happened. 100 XP, so this equals killing 10 Zombies. I was again pulled away from my thoughts by the following prompts.
[In accordance with your actions, you have been awarded +10 Taboo]
[Congratulations on being the first to unlock the hidden stat Taboo]
[As a result, you will be the leader of the Demonic Faction.
Note that this reward will be delayed as {The Factions} update has not yet been implemented.]
"Huh?!"