A magician

Not being able to use the bell meant that I could not figure out if the parasites could be triggered into hurting our minds and possibly turning us into zombies too. 

A piece of clue, which if true, would make everything about the sudden arrival of those men make sense and which scares me, due to how dangerous of a weapon the bell might be against my kind, especially since it could turn us into zombies. 

A weapon of control!

'But… Those men didn't even seem to know anything about zombification… They're using a weapon that they don't even know would backfire on them and destroy all of us including them!' I thought with a sudden sense of realization. 

Fear overwhelmed my heart as the thought of having been born in an era of a soon-to-erupt zombie apocalypse clouded me!

However, I quickly snapped out of my anxious thoughts, as I had no time to waste on daydreaming and worrying about the worst, as I already had a bunch of troubles on my plate. 

First and foremost, unlike the fear of a zombie apocalypse, instead what I should be fearing was reinforcement. Soon, if there were others besides the men that I and my followers had killed, they would surely come after our lives!

'That, or we remain trapped in this underground town forever…'

I finally focused my attention on reality. I knew I could not waste more time, now that I was burdened with the responsibility to prepare for the next plans. No longer did I need to dwell in the fear of something uncertain, as there were sure to come some troublesome events that would send me trembling. 

But I didn't let myself tremble…

While contemplating, I suddenly felt something amiss about the lighting. The visibility of my surroundings was more dim than usual. I felt something was wrong. 

My eyes, which had adapted to the darkness, could easily discern the difference in how illuminated an area was supposed to be. 

'Right now, it should be between morning and noon.' I thought as my eyes noticed the difference in the illumination of my surroundings. 

'I'm certain. The lighting is definitely not the same. It's less white... Bright… Maybe rainy weather perhaps?' I could only speculate.

'Why do I even care about the lighting all of a sudden? I'm not sure… I guess it's just because it makes me feel uncomfortable or might be because I'm still not in the right mental state after I have killed someone… Sigh… I should get some sleep first, probably. Yeah, planning for reinforcement should be done later. A forced psychological game never ends well…'

I sighed. As I did so, I decided to look up anyway, as curiosity took the better of me. 'I just need not to think much.' I figured, but even though I was saying this to myself, I knew that I would eventually end up staring at the sky while continuously concocting paranoid thoughts for the preparation of the worst.

I looked up even though I was aware that I wouldn't be able to see if the clouds were dark, unless they really blocked a lot of the sunlight, enough for me to not be blinded by the light.

When I looked up, I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. I was shocked to see a figure similar to those dark-robed people that I had met before. The unknown was levitating, descending towards us and at a distance close enough for me to see how he was dressed.

'A magician!' My mind reacted immediately when I saw that dark robe that I was all too familiar with.

One thing I knew so far about those robed figures is that there was a high chance that they were opponents worth fearing. Although I had only witnessed one of them using magic, that alone was enough to understand just how strong and dangerous they might be when one of them came my way. 

After all, magic seemed to be quite the powerful element for someone like the current me to face against. 

Unless they're like that weak guy who specialized in controlling the bell alone, having magic makes one a formidable opponent. That guy that I had killed, for example, was certain that it was just some basic magic he used, yet it was already powerful enough to make me feel cornered. 

If that man was smart enough, that basic magic of his would have been enough for him to toy around with me like a predator would do to its prey.

'This is why magic scares me… The way it can be so powerful if one knows how to utilize it creatively. Ugh! If I make it out of this place! If I get the opportunity to learn magic! Ahhh!'

I was so jealous, and hateful as I looked at the descending figure. In a world where magic exists, and where I've been born as a slave, I wished I had a natural ability to use magic like those certain dragons from myths. Instead, I was stuck with the weird, beastly hunger that kept me hungry twenty-four-seven.

'It does make me half immortal, though… It is a good ability per se. It's just that it's not a very convenient one to have as someone who is being held captive with little to no source of food and freedom… I needed to be born rich if I wanted to maximize the potential of this ability! It's really a good ability I guess, but only long-term, since I can also still learn magic in the future, which would make me even more powerful… but, I don't know if I can survive long enough for a long-term benefit…'

I wanted to sigh at the thought that I possibly possessed an S-tier ability, albeit a late bloomer. However, I refrained from sighing, understanding that it would only diminish my mental health and stability further. 

At a time like this where I was forced to do everything to survive and fight for freedom, I could not afford my brain to be stressed. I needed to remain calm-headed to maintain creativity and navigate the challenges ahead actively. 

Creativity brings out great strategies and different outcomes, and for creativity to bloom, one couldn't allow oneself to be too pressured, too shortsighted, and focused on one specific thing alone.

"Run!"