11 Obtaining Question Mark

The zombie staggered after receiving Barry's attack to its back. It gnashed its blood-stained teeth, tainted with both its own blood and the blood of the person it had consumed earlier. 

Despite their lack of intelligence, instead of retreating upon realizing the fight was not in its favor, the zombie charged towards Barry with its unsteady body. Its fists clenched tightly at its sides, emitting thin black smoke from its nostrils with each heavy breath.

Barry approached, a dagger gripped in his hand. Glancing at his Magic Power stats, he discovered that he only had 13 Magic Power remaining. 

He didn't quite understand how attributes worked. Did using skills over time consume more points? Or did the point usage depend on the strength of the skill used? Barry still couldn't grasp it. However, he had only used his Gravity Manipulation a little bit and in a short amount of time.

This was possible because his control over the power was surprisingly good. Thus, he could adjust how strong the gravity around his body should be manipulated instantly.

Now, they stood face to face. The zombie, as always, attacked blindly, fueled by rage. 

This allowed Barry to easily see through its attacks. He dodged to the side to avoid a right-hand punch, then dodged again to evade a left-hand punch. Manipulating gravity, he kicked the ground to propel his body upward, avoiding yet another swipe from the zombie.

Then, he manipulated gravity multiple times to pull his body back to the ground with immense power. With that strength, he drove his dagger into the zombie's right shoulder. 

The dagger went in deep, combined with the gravitational pull, allowing Barry to create a large wound. The zombie's shoulder started to split open until its chest.

"GRRAAAAHHH!!!" the zombie let out a scream full of pain.

Barry manipulated gravity to make his body lighter and then kicked the zombie's body away. He landed on the ground with a wide grin on his face, now covered in blood and a foul smell.

Barry charged again, landing attacks one after another, slowly dismembering the zombie. However, the zombie didn't have a chance to land its attack on Barry's body. 

The fight went on for another few minutes, and then the zombie collapsed to the ground. His right hands were severed at the base, and its front arms were cut off. Meanwhile, its head was torn to shreds.

The zombie lost two-thirds of its head before finally dying on the ground, its brain matter scattered beside its head.

Barry dropped to the ground with a relieved expression and a bloody grin. A series of texts appeared in his vision.

[ You have killed Level 11 Big zombie! ]

[ Obtained: 230 exp, Recovery (normal grade passive skill), 1 Shard of ??? ]

Barry felt his vision starting to blur, but he was sure he could stay conscious. He just needed some rest. So, he dragged his body to a nearby tree and leaned against it. 

He obtained a skill called Recovery. From its description, the skill would allow him to recover 1 Magic Power and 1 Life every second after resting or not engaging in any combat.

Barry felt delighted to get this skill. However, there was one thing that puzzled him. He obtained something else that didn't have a description. Even its name was just a question mark.

'What is this thing?'

Strangely, Barry didn't see anything. He didn't see the shards in his hand like when he obtained that dagger.

'Maybe I'll find the answer later.'

Barry decided to ignore it for now. But surely, whatever that item was, it might be something very important. 

He walked back towards the corridor. Barry thought that he wouldn't judge them too harshly for their actions. However, he wouldn't consider his relationship with Elaine and Ryan the same as before. 

If they were willing to leave him to die without hesitation, then he wouldn't need to hesitate to do the same if the situation demanded it, right?

But the sight Barry saw furrowed his brow. He saw Ryan throwing Elaine, whom he had carried on his back earlier, in front of a giant cat with torn and bloody skin. 

The cat had characteristics similar to a zombie. Its skin was covered in blood and torn flesh. Its mouth was torn beside by unnaturally large fangs, and one of its eyes hung out of its eye socket.

Barry had seen this cat in the school cafeteria. It was a cat that students or stand owners often fed. 

Now, that cat had turned into a terrifying monster. The cat's body was almost as big as the Big Zombie Barry had fought earlier. And now, the giant cat approached Elaine with drool mixed with blood.

The sight Barry saw made him understand what had just happened. Ryan, feeling scared, left Elaine as bait for the cat so that he could escape.

"Shit!"

Barry cursed. He dashed towards the giant cat and tried to use his Stealth.

It works!

Barry cheered inwardly knowing that the giant cat hadn't realized even though he was already behind it. 

Barry grabbed Elaine and used his Gravity Manipulation. The gravity around them and Elaine became lighter. Barry kicked the floor forward, carrying Elaine in his arms.

The giant cat emitted a disturbing scream, originating from its already damaged throat, and then dashed to catch up with them. 

Barry, who had manipulated his gravity, leaped onto the wall to avoid the cat's claws. The claws struck the wall.

Barry kicked the wall again and rebounded to the opposite wall. Then, he kicked the window frame and door frame to advance forward, distancing himself from the giant cat. 

Barry moved swiftly with his skills, utilizing his Gravity Manipulation until he could catch up with Ryan.

Ryan turned and his eyes widened. 'How could he be here?!'

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