Vell looked at his hands, still marked with blood from the fight earlier that day. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.
He wondered if those men had survived the falling towers, or if they had become like the twisted creature they had seen outside the store.
A yellow window suddenly appeared in front of him.
[New Skill Unlocked: Enhanced Strength Level 1]
[Description: Your physical strength is 10% greater than normal humans]
[Gained from: Combat Experience]
He stared at the notification in surprise. He flexed his hands, not feeling any different. Was the system giving him abilities now? Or was it just recognizing something that was already there?
Outside, something howled, closer than before.
He moved back to the window and peered out. The streets were dark but he could see fires burning in various places.
Shadows moved through the darkness, some human-shaped, others... not.
"Two weeks," he whispered to himself. "We just need to survive for two weeks."
Another yellow window appeared.
[Player Vell has entered the Tutorial ranking system]
[Current Rank: 10,547]
He frowned.
Over ten thousand players already? And where was he in that ranking? Near the bottom, most likely. He wondered what the top-ranked players were doing right now, and how far ahead they already were.
'This seems unfair for some reason. There are people who are more knowledgeable due to those cartoons.'
He settled in for a long night, watching the darkness outside and listening to Maya's steady breathing.
Later that night, Vell's eyes snapped open.
Something made a noise in the hallway outside their apartment. He sat up slowly, listening. There it was again—a wet, dragging sound followed by a thump.
Maya was still asleep on the couch, her face peaceful. He decided not to wake her. Whatever was out there, he would handle it himself.
He moved silently to the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the drawer. The blade was sharp but could it handle whatever was out there?
The noise came again, closer this time. Something was definitely in the hallway, moving toward their door.
He crept toward the entrance, careful to avoid the squeaky floorboard near the coffee table. He positioned himself beside the door, knife ready.
The barricade they had made would hold for a while, but he needed to know what was out there. He leaned forward and peered through the peephole.
The hallway was dark, but he could make out a shape. It looked like a person at first—someone hunched over and struggling to walk. But as it moved under the emergency light, Vell saw that it was not human anymore.
Its skin had turned a sickly gray color with patches of black. Its movements were wrong—jerky and uncoordinated. One of its arms hung at an impossible angle, clearly broken but still moving. The creature's mouth hung open, revealing teeth that had sharpened into points.
His grip tightened on the knife. This thing was like the one they had seen earlier, but somehow worse.
More wrong.
The creature stopped outside their door. It raised its head and sniffed the air, like it could smell them inside.
Then it slammed against the door.
The barricade shuddered but held. The creature hit it again, harder this time.
"What's happening?" Maya's frightened voice came from behind him.
"Stay back," he whispered. "Something's trying to get in."
The door shook as the creature rammed into it again. This time, he heard a crack as part of the wood splintered.
[Warning: Infected approaching]
A yellow window appeared in front of him, confirming what he already knew. The creature outside was dangerous.
"We need to get out of here," he said to Maya. "Grab the backpack."
Another crash against the door. The bookcase they had used as a barricade slid a few inches across the floor.
Maya scrambled to gather their supplies. "Where will we go?"
"Fire escape. Through the bedroom window."
The door splintered as a gray, clawed hand punched through the wood. The hand was missing two fingers, but it still managed to tear at the hole, making it bigger.
Vell made a decision. He needed to slow this thing down.
"Go to the bedroom," he told Maya. "I'll be right behind you."
She hesitated, but nodded and ran.
Vell moved to the side of the door, knife raised. As the creature tore away more wood, he prepared himself.
The thing finally broke through, pushing aside what remained of their barricade with shocking strength. It stumbled into the apartment, its milky yellow eyes scanning the room.
Before it could spot Maya, Vell attacked.
He drove the knife deep into the creature's neck, expecting it to fall.
It didn't.
Instead, it turned toward him with frightening speed. One moment he was pulling the knife free, the next he was flying across the room, struck by a blow he barely saw coming.
He crashed into the coffee table, shattering it. Pain exploded in his back and head as he tumbled to the floor.
The creature growled and lurched toward him, moving faster than something so broken should be able to. Its claws reached for him as he scrambled backward.
"Vell!" Maya screamed from the bedroom doorway.
The creature's head snapped toward her voice. It changed direction, now moving toward Maya.
Despite the pain, Vell pushed himself up.
He still had the knife, slick with black blood. He couldn't let that thing get to Maya.
He lunged forward and grabbed the creature from behind. It was like holding onto a furnace—its skin burned hot against his arms. But he didn't let go. He pulled it backward, away from Maya.
"Run!" he shouted to her. "Go to the fire escape now!"
The creature thrashed in his grip, its strength incredible. Vell struggled to hold on as it twisted and clawed at him.
[Skill Activated: Enhanced Strength Level 1]
He felt a sudden surge of power in his muscles. Not much, but enough to maintain his grip a bit longer. He drove the knife into the creature's back again and again, but it barely seemed to notice.
Finally, the creature twisted free and spun around. Its face was inches from his—jaws open wide, teeth gleaming.
He brought the knife up in one desperate motion, driving it up through the bottom of the creature's jaw and into its head.
The creature went rigid. Then it collapsed, pulling the knife from his grip as it fell.
He staggered backward, breathing hard. Black blood covered his hands and arms. His whole body ached from being thrown.
[Experienced Gained: 75]
[Current Level: 1 (125/200)]
[New Skill Unlocked: Infected Knowledge Level 1]
[Description: Basic understanding of infected weaknesses]
"Vell!" Maya was at his side now, pulling at his arm. "We need to go. There might be more."
He nodded, letting her lead him to the bedroom. The fire escape was just outside the window.
"What was that thing?" she asked as they climbed out onto the metal platform.
"I don't know," he said, looking back at the apartment. "But I think I know how to kill them now."
As they descended the fire escape, more yellow windows appeared before them.
[Quest Completed: Survive First Combat]
[Experience Gained: 100]
[Current Level: 2 (25/300)]
[Rank Updated: 9,876]
He looked at Maya, who was reading her own notifications. She seemed both frightened and fascinated by them.
"We're moving up in the rankings," he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
"Is that good?" she asked.
He remembered the promise of the Null System for the highest-ranked player.
"It might be," he replied. "But staying alive is what matters right now."
They reached the bottom of the fire escape and looked out at the dark streets. Somewhere in the distance, more howls echoed through the night.
The tutorial had only just begun.