Sofia stared at the ceiling of her cold, dimly lit room at the base. A soft pillow, warm blanket, even the scent of lavender from the diffuser couldn't bring her to sleep.
That gaze... that look... haunted her.
The eyes of the Zombie Witch.
Not the eyes of a monster, not mindless rage But eyes filled with sorrow, despair and betrayal.
Sofia bit her lip, clutching her clothes tightly. She remembered every movement of the Zombie Witch—how she dodged the first shot, how her body was covered in wounds, how she eventually rampaged and tore through soldiers as if they were her lifelong enemies.
But Sofia knew... it wasn't because the Zombie Witch was bloodthirsty.
It was because of an invisible wound. A wound planted by humans.
She shut her eyes, wishing the image would vanish.
Sofia stood at the command room's table, her eyes red and puffy. She hadn't slept all night. Her hair was slightly messy and her tired face.
Captain Darius watched her, but said nothing.
Meanwhile, far away...
My body was cold. Weak. But still intact. Still alive.
I blinked. I looked at the sky above me—not the city sky, but a peaceful forest, leaves swaying gently, the wind whispering strange sounds.
My hand moved, pressing into the ground. I slowly got up, feeling the pulse still flowing in my body. Then the system's voice echoed in my mind, like a soft but clear whisper:
Name: Sylvia Hortensia
Race: Medium Zombie (Rank 1)
~ Infectious Bite (1/20)
~ Razor Toxic Claw (1/40)
~ Phantom Dash (10/20)
~ Med-Regeneration (10/20) (62 HP/sec)
I froze. Some of my skills had changed... evolved?
Infectious Bite. My bite now carried an active infection. Every enemy bitten would weaken, and if they died from the effect, it could spread to others.
Razor Toxic Claw. My claws were now laced with deadly poison—neurotoxin, hemotoxin, even corrosion. I could feel the changes in my nails and finger muscles, Sharper, Deadlier.
Void Steps. A new skill. I didn't know how I got it, but... I remembered. At that moment. When my HP was down to ten, I stepped... into darkness. As if the world vanished, and I crossed into something untouchable.
Void Steps allowed me to move through shadows. As if I became one with the void. But it required certain conditions. Critical HP, or extreme focus.
And one more new passive skill...
Killing Stroke. Every time I killed, my speed increased. +10 AGI per enemy. Up to 10 stacks. I'd move faster. Become unstoppable.
But there was something else...
Max Level Reached. Evolution Required. Three Choices Available:
Noctira – Special zombie evolution. All stats x2. AGI x4. All skills (except new or newly evolved skills) gain +5 levels. Adds special poison effect to all attacks.
Med-Rank Ghoul – Brutal physical-type evolution. STR and VIT increase drastically.
Low-Rank Vampire – Hybrid-type evolution. Increases MP and adds basic healing skill.
My body suddenly shook violently.
Heat exploded from within. My cells burned and restructured. Muscles, skin, bones everything was renewed.
I screamed. Not from pain, but from the sheer intensity. The world spun. My vision blurred.
I didn't know how much time had passed.
When I woke up, my body felt different. Lighter, but stronger i touched my cheek still cold, but softer and my hair and skin were smoother.
The system appeared again:
Name: Sylvia Hortensia
Race: Noctira (Evolved Zombie – Rank 2)
Element: Death (1% chance to auto-kill enemy)
~ Infectious Bite (6/20)
~ Razor Toxic Claw (1/40)
~ Phantom Dash (15/20)
~ Med-Regeneration (15/20) (72 HP/sec)
~ Toxic Affinity (new) – All attacks contain combined poisons: nerve, blood, and corrosive types.
~ Reincarnated – Increases system understanding and body adaptation.
~ First Evolution – Boosts stat growth after each evolution.
~ Second Evolution – Further boosts stat growth.
~ Blessing from Goddess of Life and Death – Persephone – Grants the death element. Allows absorption of energy from the dead to heal self.