《Over My Undead Body》 0. The Prologue Did you ever read a work of fiction and thought "Ah, how much I''d like for it to be real/possible" or "I wish that could happen to me"? I certainly did, especially when it came to reincarnation novels and manga, because I hated my boring life and I really liked fantasy stories with magic and monsters. Not that my life was a bad one. My parents were loving and caring, I wasn''t the top of my class, but I had passing grades, and I had a part-time job as tourist guide with flexible time-tables and a good pay (and the eventual, always appreciated, tips from the gentler tourists). There were only three problems: I was desperately single, I had no friends and I was stuck into the monotony that my life was steadily becoming. Like clockwork, my day started with me waking at 7:00 a.m., going to the university at 8:00 a.m., listening to lessons until 14:00, going back to home to eat a quick lunch and then going to work from 16:00 to 20:00, at which point I had my dinner followed by some studying and reviewing notes, for then passing the rest of the night on the computer and relaxing reading the new manga and novel releases until the strike of midnight, where I would gone to bed until the next morning. Wash, rinse and repeat from Monday to Friday and you get my usual week. Very exciting, right? I lived alone in a cheap, little apartment of three rooms near my university for convenience, owned by one of my relatives and given to me as present for my eighteenth birthday and my graduation from high school, a symbol for my adulthood and independence Everything was slowly descending into a blur, time had almost lost every meaning to me, if not only to differentiate my lessons and the new releases. The positive thing about this monotony was that it made easier to see details and variations of the world around you. Even little things, like when the neighbour forgot to water the flowers on her window, or the time when the postman was a few minutes late because he hurt his right hand and was having difficulties inserting the mail in the mailboxes. This kind of situations were very evident to me, even if I noticed them with a side glance, with borderline OCD levels. It was thanks to this perception of out-of-place situations that I saw it: a little girl, the daughter of one family in the neighbourhood, crossing the road behind a ball, completely oblivious of the truck incoming on her. You have to know that I always had a soft spot for children. When I lived in my home-town, I was the first choice as babysitter for all my acquaintances and relatives with children, because I could keep them assured that no harm could happen on their little ones on my watch, and I had a well developed paternal instinct. And so, it was with no surprise that I found myself dashing towards that girl, throwing away all my self-preservation, with only one goal in mind: to save her!This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I got to the girl and I tackled her out of the truck''s way, wrapping myself around her body and turning to shield her from the rough asphalt, thanking the heaven for wearing a long-sleeved jacket that morning. We made it to the other side of the road. The girl was unharmed, I less so. In my haste to grant more protection to the girl, I miscalculated my tackle''s trajectory, knocking the back of my head on the border of the pavement, a hard knock. Feeling my consciousness flowing away along with my blood, I gathered my strength to look the child in her scared, shocked face, and say: ... You alright?¡± ... Uh-huh.¡± She nodded frantically in my chest. I let loose a breath of relief at that, resting my head on the ground with a smile. The adrenaline being the only thing that kept me awake and lucid, despite the sharp pain and the blood loss. ... That''s... good... Next time... remember to... watch both sides... of the road, before... you... cross... it. Clear?¡± ... Yes.¡± Good... child...¡± I patted her head, while voices were gathering around us, getting more closer. Somebody screamed, and others shouted to call for an ambulance, while the mother of the girl took her from my arms to hug her (and keeping her from seeing my state), and I felt hands lifting my head and pressing something on the gash on it, trying to stop the blood. But it was useless... I knew it was useless, because I couldn''t feel my body anymore, just coldness, my vision kept to become darker and darker and the voices softer and softer, until it was nothing than darkness and silence. My last thought in that moment, before even my consciousness disappeared, was just: ''Heh, what a clich¨¦. Life really imitates fiction...'' In the complete darkness where I was submerged, a sound resonated strong and clear, and something appeared before my eyes.
Ding You''ve been resurrected
1. Waking Dead A strange panel was floating before my eyes, surrounded by darkness, and more strange was the message written on it, something about me being resurrected. ''What does it mean? Did I really die? And where I am now?'' While I was reflecting on the meaning of the message, a new one appeared.
You have 1 new message From: Admin
Open message? Y/N
I was confused by this, but in my actual condition, completely immobile into a sea of nothingness, with no knowledge of what to do or where I was, that message looked like my only hope to understand something. So, I mentally selected ¡°yes¡± and a new message appeared.
Message from: Admin
CC: Explanations
Hey there! I''m Admin G, and I''m sending you this message to explain what is happening to you because I believe you''ll be very confused by all of this! So, let me start by telling that there are good news and bad news! The first new is that you died while saving that girl. A nasty blow to the head that caused a concussion and a haemorrhage. But the girl is well and safe if a bit shocked, thanks to you! So, as you sacrificed your life for the sake of others, you''ve been prized with reincarnation in another world! That''s right. Your soul will be put into a new body and you''ll start a whole new life while keeping all your memories and knowledge from the past one. The new place is a world where magic and monsters exist, and the life is like the Middle Ages of your world. With what we saw in your memories, we thought it would be a good place for you to start anew. Or, at least, this was the plan... You see, there was a little problem during your soul''s processing. Something about another soul being processed at the exact same time as yours in the same office, and they ended with switching the destination. As I said before, yours was to be reincarnated as a completely new individual, with some special abilities as a reward for your heroic last act. Nothing too strong or unique, but enough to make you well above the average person in this world. The other soul was directed to the resurrection process, and not the complete one, the ¡°return-to-life-as-undead¡± one, and not even of the strong kind. We are very sorry about this, so we will give you some bonus to make it easier for you. You will be able to see them by opening the Status window (just say ¡°Status¡± aloud when you want to open it). We would like to do more, but your new condition will cancel the original gifts that we meant to give you, so we did the most we could and you''ll have to make do. In one minute, you will wake up. We hope you will enjoy your new life, and I personally wish you good luck. Admin G
I was totally baffled by that mountain of exposition. Whoever, or whatever, this Admin G was, they sure like to talk, or write to be more specific. And the content! Apparently, I was really dead and directed to reincarnation in a fantasy world, where I would have some cheat abilities to become a hero or somebody famous, but for a damned error, now I would live in this world as undead, probably at the service of some creepy Necromancer until somebody will kill me! ''But, wait... The bonuses mentioned in the message. Maybe one of them will grant me free will, so I can be my own man!'' There were other problems than that, but it was the more pressing one. One thing that I hated in life was people who bossed others around, like motherfucking bullies, and this was worse than that. As an undead slave, I would be incapable to do anything that my ¡°master¡± hadn''t ordered me to do, but with the ability to do what I want without restrictions, this situation won''t be so bad. Another thing was the kind of undead I would end. Admin G said that my resurrection was of a low-level type, and from my gaming experience, there were three kinds of weak undead if generated by the body of a normal human: skeletons, ghosts and zombies. Each of them had its good sides and bad sides, but the common link was their weakness when compared to vampires, mummies, liches and wraiths. ''Oh well. I''ll work with what I got.'' My thoughts were interrupted by a new panel opening.
Ding Resurrection complete! You''re awakening in 5... 4... 3...
''Looks like my time is up. Let''s see what is waiting for me, on the other side.'' The darkness was lacerated by a flash of light and all became white. The first thing I felt was heaviness. After who knows how much time passed floating in nothingness, the mind would need a bit to re-grow accustomed to the feel of possessing a solid body of flesh and bone. This notice excluded two of my options of what I would be, leaving as the winner... ''Zombie. I''m a rotten, walking sack of flesh and organs that shambles around... At least I won''t have to learn to move by floating, and I''ll be physically stronger than the other two.'' After a bit that I got used to the sensation of having a body again, I tried to stand up in a sitting position, to get a look at where I was. It was a little room, barely illuminated by some torches on the walls, and around me there were other bodies, all of them moving and twitching, trying to get up like me. Apparently, I wasn''t the only one to return from the Beyond, and a mass resurrection always spelt trouble. After all, why somebody would create so many zombies at once, if not to do something with them. While my "tomb-bothers and sisters" woke up, I stood up completely, wobbling a bit before I found equilibrium, and decided to learn more about myself. "Status!" The word exited strong and clear from my mouth, with a voice resembling mine from my original body, if a little more scratchier. I was expecting some strange grunt or moan with just a shadow of the word, like "Sthaaaatussssss" or "Mmmmmhathhusshh", not real speech! That was surprising. Oh, the window opened.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: N/A Race: Zombie (Revenant) Level: 1 Rank: E-
Sex: Male Age: 23 years Job: None
HP: 24/24 MP: 26/26 Status: 100%
Rank ups: None
STR: 15 INT: 13
DES: 13 WIS: 13
VIT: 12 CHA: 11
SKILLS
Darkvision You''re an undead, a creature of the night and darkness. You can see clearly in the dark. Lvl - Passive
Undead You are not alive. You don''t need to eat, drink and breath to live. You don''t need sleep anymore. Immunity to poisons, diseases and drugs. Immune to fatigue. Immune to mental influences. Critical Hits ineffective. Lvl - Passive
Minor weakness to sunlight As undead, the pure light of the sun damages you. Your abilities will suffer a malus of 15% until you''re under direct sunlight. Lvl - Passive
Slow Movement You are stiff as a tombstone. Your body is rigid and limits your movements. Speed reduced by 50%. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Fire Your flesh burns easily. You take 50% more damage from the Fire attribute. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Holy Your very existence is a heresy. You take 50% more damage from the Light attribute. Healing spells damage you. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Ice Your body is already stone-cold. You take 50% less damage from the Ice attribute. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Darkness The source of your life is dark energy. You take 50% less damage from the Dark attribute. Necrotic spells cure you. Lvl - Passive
Immunity to sunlight You can bask in the sun without a problem. Any malus you could have under the sunlight is cancelled. Lvl - Passive
Language Comprehension You can speak! You can read, understand and speak many languages. Lvl - Passive
Easy Growth (Hidden) You grow faster than weeds. Your growth is enhanced. Skill acquisition and development is easier. Stats are improved. You gain more EXP. Lvl - Passive
Identify Knowledge is a great weapon. You can see the Status of other creatures. You can appraise items. Improved version of Appraisal. Lvl 1 Active (no cost)
Infection Germs thrive in your mouth. Your bite attack has 15% probability to infect the target. Lvl 1 Active (no cost)
This body was a little older than my original one, and what was the deal with that ¡°zombie (Revenant)¡±? Was I so different from a normal one, that I was part of a different species? Sure, my skill list was a long one, but that''s it. Most of them were the standard description of undead from many sources, but the ones that weren''t, they were incredibly useful. There were many pieces of information about the perks and the flaws of being a zombie, but the more bothersome malus looked like they were cancelled. Was that part of the bonus mentioned by Admin G? I had the urge to control and compare how much difference there was between me and a normal zombie.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Luckily, I had the right means to just do it. I looked towards one of the other zombies, that was just standing still, and said: "Identify." Immediately a new screen popped before me.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: N/A Race: Zombie Level: 1 Rank: F
Sex: Male Age: 30 years Job: None
HP: 10/10 MP: 0/0 Status: 100%
Rank ups: None
STR: 13 INT: 4
DES: 7 WIS: 5
VIT: 10 CHA: 1
SKILLS
Darkvision You''re an undead, a creature of the night and darkness. You can see clearly in the dark. Lvl - Passive
Undead You are not alive. You don''t need to eat, drink and breath to live. You don''t need sleep anymore. Immunity to poisons, diseases and drugs. Immune to fatigue. Immune to mental influences. Critical Hits ineffective. Lvl - Passive
Minor weakness to sunlight As undead, the pure light of the sun damages you. Your abilities will suffer a malus of 15% until you''re under direct sunlight. Lvl - Passive
Slow Movement You are stiff as a tombstone. Your body is rigid and limits your movements. Speed reduced by 50%. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Fire Your flesh burns easily. You take 50% more damage from the Fire attribute. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Holy Your very existence is a heresy. You take 50% more damage from the Light attribute. Healing spells damage you. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Ice Your body is already stone-cold. You take 50% less damage from the Ice attribute. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Darkness The source of your life is dark energy. You take 50% less damage from the Dark attribute. Necrotic spells cure you. Lvl - Passive
Infection Germs thrive in your mouth. Your bite attack has 15% probability to infect the target. Lvl 1 Active (no cost)
After looking to the status of three other zombies after the first one, I noticed that the major improvement was in the mental stats, with me having almost three times the average value, with a minor one in the physical ones, except the Dexterity that still had a nice value, probably from the cancelled "Slow Movement" skill that otherwise would hinder me. The reason for that was without a doubt the "Easy Growth" skill, one of the most cheat ability to have, as it will make me get a big profit in EXP even from low-level encounters. I found natural the "Hidden" part of that skill. If somebody ever discovered that I had such an OP skill, they could either kill me before I become too strong or try to find a way to obtain for themselves. The skill itself talks about skill acquisition being a thing, so in the world, there must be a method or people that could do it. "Language Comprehension" was simple to understand, and it explained how I could talk normally, despite not having working lungs and with a deteriorated throat. And it looked like in this world all of the undead were weak to the sunlight, in some measure. But my immunity spared me from that inconvenience, something that sounds it will be really helpful in the future. These three skills were surely the responsible ones for me being a variant zombie with a superior ranking because nobody that saw me could take me for a normal one. Even my posture was telling it, as my slouching was less evident than the others around me and my movements were smoother. And I had even access to a Mana reserve, so at some point, I could learn to cast spells. But the best part was the ¡°Rank Up¡± section! That means that there was an evolution process for monsters, like in some of my favourite novels from the other life! ''All is well and good. But I didn''t see nothing like a "Free Will" skill in there. So, if I was resurrected by a Necromancer, I''ll have no choice than obey! I must run while I can still think with my head!'' If somebody got the control of my body and had access to all of my skill set, they would obtain a terrifying weapon, and I couldn''t let that happen. Looking around the whole chamber, I noticed that there was just one exit, behind a stone door. My Strength stat wasn''t high enough to move it, and it was useless to try to ask help from my roommates, as they just stood there unmoving. The only thing that I could do was sitting somewhere and wait. Then, occurred to me that I still haven''t an idea of how I looked in this new body! You''d think that should be one of the first things to do, instead, I''d almost forgot about it. Maybe because I subconsciously noticed that there weren''t many reflecting surfaces in this place, so it would be a futile attempt? But with nothing else to do, my thoughts trailed in that direction and I decided to give me a look-over. In lack of mirrors I could only watch my body: well, except for the predictably pale, rotten skin, I was almost sane. No missing fingers and toes, and just a few bits of flesh missing from the left arm; the right arm was worse to wear, with many gashes and some parts where the bone was showing, but they were easily covered by the ash-grey torn tunic that I was wearing. My decency was protected by a simple pair of brown pants, with the right leg half-ripped. I wouldn''t win any beauty contest anytime soon, but I was still the best-dressed person in the room. ''There really is a first time for everything!'' By feeling my face with the hands, I discovered the lack of my right ear and the eye socket on that side was empty. Moving on the front, I noticed the whole lack of a nose, and that nothing was covering my teeth! Whatever thing killed me, at least I knew from where it had come from and how wild it was, judging by the number of wounds. ''It had to be some kind of animal, to remove part of my face and leaving that kind of wounds.'' Then, the door of the chamber started to open, sliding laterally. I prepared myself to sprint out of the exit at the first chance, before my supposed master started to barking commands. Imagine my surprise when, instead of a pale, strange old guy dressed in dark robes, from the door entered a little gargoyle with a scroll and a quill in one of its claws and a full-on businessman air around it. It looked like a small humanoid, with a reptilian face. Its head was adorned by long horns, not dissimilar from a goat''s, and its mouth had long fangs that stuck out from the lower lips. A pair of membranous wings were folded on its back and a long tail dragged on the floor. All of his body was made of grey stone, even the little, shifting eyes and the wings. The rocky being gave a look around the room and then it spoke with a low, gravely voice, totally unfit for its size. ¡°Alright, let''s get to the point quickly. I don''t have all the night and neither do you! A-hem, welcome back from the afterlife. You all have been resurrected to be part of the ¡°Crypt of the Dragon Lord¡± dungeon complex, with assignments in the low-level area. My name is Spire and I will be your supervisor for the first few days until you all will be settled. If you would follow me, I will proceed to explain your tasks while we go to your new workplace.¡± The horde of bodies started to slowly move towards Spire, that was writing something on his scroll while mumbling, emitting moans and grunts typical of their race, but I was standing still, without problems. I didn''t feel any strange compulsion to do what the gargoyle said. I moved to follow the group in a long, decorated hallway on my own initiative, and I could stop and change directions how much I liked. Meanwhile, Spire started to talk again. ¡°The ¡°Crypt of the Dragon Lord¡± is a multi-level dungeon complex, owned by Lord Vajraxyperion, the Dungeon Boss and a very powerful Undead. It''s the necromantic energy released by his body that brought you lot and others back to life. For this reason, you should have kept your free will, whatever that will mean to a zombie...¡± ''So, that''s why I''m free to do whatever I want. I''m some kind of spontaneous Undead! Well, that''s really a pleasure to hear.'' Wanting to confirm again my freedom, I activate ¡°Identify¡± on Spire, and his Status screen appeared.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Spire Race: Gargoyle (Stone) Level: 7 Rank: D+
Sex: Male Age: 116 years Job: XXXX Job: XXXX
HP: XX/XX MP: XX/XX Status: 100%
Rank ups: 1
STR: XX INT: XX Animated Statue
DES: XX WIS: XX
VIT: XX CHA: XX
SKILLS
Darkvision You''re born to be a sentry. You can see clearly in the dark. Lvl - Passive
Stone Body You are made of stone. Your natural armour makes difficult for you to suffer damage. Lvl 3 Passive
Fly Your wings aren''t just for decoration. You can fly for long periods of time. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Acid Your body is susceptible to corrosive substances. You take 50% more damage from the Acid attribute. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Ice Your body is already stone-cold. You take 50% less damage from the Ice attribute. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Fire Your body doesn''t burn easily. You take 50% less damage from the Fire attribute. Lvl - Passive
Automatic MP Recovery Refill your magic. Your inner MP reserve will recharge of 10% + ulterior 5%/skill level every minute. The time will decrease by 10%/ skill level. Lvl 2 Passive
Claws You never had a manicure. You can attack your enemy with your claws. Lvl 2 Passive
Appraisal You need to know what you have before you. You can see the Status of creature and items. Lvl 5 Active (no cost)
Mimicry (Statue) You can become similar to something else. You can pass as a simple statue to na?ve passers-by. Lvl 7 Active (1 MP/minute)
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
XXXX XXXX Lvl X XXX
Not bad. His level was higher than mine, but I couldn''t see much else of his status but some simple skills, probably the racial ones and some related to them. The things that I couldn''t see were probably hidden, like my ¡°Easy Growth¡±, or the level of Identify wasn''t high enough to discover them. The fact that he was ranked up already once indicated that he was much stronger than he looked, and more than me at the moment. Anyway, that confirmed that I was my own Undead and I could do whatever I wanted! But, as a precaution, I''d pretend to be a normal zombie, just in case they didn''t like the idea of something like me thinking with his own head.
Proficiency reached. Skill Identify is now Level 2
What? Out of the blue like this? Was it because I tried to appraise an individual stronger than me? Well, that''s convenient. If I continued to use that skill in this way, I''d reach the maximum level in short time, and then nobody''s secrets would be hidden from my sight! In the meantime, Spire was still going on our tour of the dungeon''s low-level zone. He hasn''t noticed that I wasn''t listening to his explanation, but having to do with zombies, it looked like he was just following a routine and probably for him was just a waste of breath and time. ¡°... And so, you''ll be placed to roam in the Graveyard area out of here. Don'' t go out of your area and don''t disturb the other workers, especially the ones with some real, functioning brains...¡± Well, that wasn''t really nice to say, even if it was true. Sure, zombies were treated like simple cannon fodder to wear out the enemies and an easy resource to come by in many games and that was usually the tactic when someone employed them, but to insult them so directly and continuously! ''Never thought that I''d find racists even between the monsters!'' I would express my feelings at that moment, but doing that would destroy my plan to stay hidden, so I kept my mouth closed and just kept on walking along the others to the exit. But I would remember that moment in the future. I would show to that arrogant stone-face the true potential of a zombie when I''d get the occasion. Then, we would see who doesn''t have a brain. So, grudgingly following our supervisor, surrounded by the poor guys who didn''t even realize that they had been offended, we finally reached the exit. Spire''s monologue ended with some declaration of loyalty towards Lord Vajraxyperion, just in time for us to reach a big archway at the end of the hallway. I didn''t know how long we were walking, as I couldn''t feel fatigue and the decorations were completely identical for all the length of the road. I''d like to give a better look around, but that would give out my act of a regular zombie. I''d keep the sightseeing for when I''d be alone. ¡°... And so, here we are to your destination! You''re free to roam as much as you desire, just be sure to go inside either one of the crypts or a cave when the dawn arrives, less you all want to be easy picking for the adventurers. We''ll see each other in five nights, to check how many of you survived the trial-period. Have a good first night of job.¡± And with that, he disappeared! He surely used a teleportation magic, amazing! I wondered if I would be able to learn it too because it was something really convenient to have. ''Ugh! Finally, he left us alone. Now I can stop faking.'' I was starting to feel really stiff, adopting and maintaining the slouched pose of a normal zombie for so long. Straightening my back and rolling my shoulders to remove any crick, I walked in front of the others and finally took a good look at my new world! A vast, creepy cemetery as far as the eye could see. The ground was covered in sickly, pale-coloured weeds and it was full of tombstones of many shapes and sizes. The landscape was interrupted only by some hills and numerous sepulchres, and many bodies moving slowly or just standing there. That was the Graveyard, the First Floor of the Crypt of the Dragon Lord dungeon, and the place where I would live for the foreseeable future. ¡°All right! Let''s see what this place has to offer!¡± 2. Dead Fight I was bored! There was literally nothing to do in this place, except for walking or watching the other monsters moving around. It was still the middle of the night, only a couple of hours have passed after the gargoyle left me and the other zombies on our own. He told us to do what we wanted, but what there was to do in the middle of a graveyard? At first, I decided to explore. Not having to keep the facade of a normal zombie anymore, it was easy for me to leave the group behind and go away fast. I didn''t know what I hoped to find in this place, but I was disappointed by not finding anything. ''Nothing, nothing and even more nothing! Just a bunch of Undead shambling and some critters, but no more than that.'' I looked around for hours, and there was nothing! Even in the few crypts, the ones not in ruin, I entered there were only empty graves. Annoyed by the boredom, I decided to sit on a tombstone and to learn more about my new condition. I opened my Status and used the ¡°Identify¡± skill on some details that I didn''t understand. The first thing that I wanted to know better was my race, and with the skill''s level up, now I could.
Zombie: Undead-type monster. A corpse that regained some semblance of life, usually because of magical means. The zombies are brought into existence by re-inserting the soul of the departed into a body, without repairing the connection between the two. By doing this, the soul will act only as the energy source for the corpse that will move and act by instinct alone, with no trace of intellect. Differently by skeletons, zombies still have their flesh and muscles, so they are physically stronger.
All right, that wasn''t different from the general description of a zombie. There was a particular focus on the soul being detached from the body, and how it gave the energy to move, and sentience to a living being, apparently. ''Interesting. I''ll have to keep that in mind.'' It looked like an important detail, so it was better to not forget it. Then, I passed to the Revenant part of my race.
Revenant: a particular kind of Undead who kept their mind when they rise. They are considered a superior subspecies. Only the strongest Undead races are blessed by this occurrence and are considered extremely dangerous, as usually, the strong grudges that they bore from life are the cause for this phenomenon to happen.
Ah. So, I was a super-zombie of some kind. It was obvious that I was like that because of the gifts received from Admin G. That probably explained the difference in Ranks between me and the other guy that I inspected before. I''d like to know more about that, but strangely I couldn''t get any information about it. Maybe my skill''s level was too low to analyze that part, either that or there wasn''t anything else to know. ''Well, that was informative. Now, I hope to find something to do here or I''ll go crazy.'' Maybe I''d find something more if I went towards the centre of the area, instead of wander here in the outskirts. I stayed here because I thought that the deeper you went, the more dangerous it would become, with stronger creatures and traps. As a monster myself, it should be sure for me to go there, but I preferred not to risk it, least I''d attire the wrath of somebody who could break my spine like nothing. I''d like to live more than one night, thank you very much. So, I''d stroll around here for another while, hoping to find someone with a lick of intelligence to strike some kind of conversation. "Gasp!" A sound from behind me caught my attention! That was a voice, and that meant somebody was here. I turned around to greet a fellow talker, and I stopped immediately. Before me stood a human, dressed in armour and pointing a big sword in my direction while trembling like a leaf in the wind. "A-a-a-a z-zom-zombie!!!" He was a young male, I''d guess still a teenager, judging from the fuzz that covered his face and the slightly scrawny body, a metallic plate protecting his chest. His head was covered by a bowl-like helmet, a bit too large for him, and a heavy sack was placed on his shoulders. But the most curious part was his expression, a mix of excitement and fear while he was standing there, eyes fixed on me. ''From the looks alone, he seems a rookie. Let''s see...'' The "Identify" skill was activated once again and I gave a good look at my new friend here.
STATUS WINDOW
SKILLS
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He was so weak! Just barely better than a normal zombie, and not even by so much! I was caught by a certain discomfort from this view, seeing as the guy clearly wanted to fight me. That wasn''t good. Forget about not having a weapon, I wasn''t ready to fight somebody else, nevertheless a human being! I knew that one day this would happen, but it was too early! I knew it was the only choice for me, a monster, in such situations, but my mind couldn''t conceive the idea to kill somebody. I would try to flee. I''d just move around for a bit, trying to find an opening and then I would run as fast as I could. The heavy pack on his back would slow him down, giving to me the chance to go out of his sight and hide. ''It''ll be fine. I have just to tire him for a bit and then I''ll escape.'' "T-this i-is my o-occasion to l-level up, f-finally!" So, he didn''t see me as a danger, but only as a bunch of experience? That hurt, and I was trying to keep some level of morality. I''d slip a couple of punches during the battle if only to teach him to not underestimate an enemy, whatever they were. I stood there, waiting for him and putting up again the act of a simple zombie. Fortunately, he didn''t notice my difference before, or his reaction would be different. He raised the two-handed sword over his head and rushed forward to strike me, yelling like a madman. It was so pathetic that I internally cringed, only a mindless thing would be hit by that. ''Seriously, how much of a rookie is he? Such things never work...'' I would never allow me to be killed by such an amateur, another reason to get the hell out of here. When he was close enough, I side-stepped out of his way and I watched him keep running until he tripped on a tomb, crashing on the ground. ''That will leave a mark for sure.'' While the young Fighter was trying to raise himself up, without taking off the heavy load on his body, I slowly tried to go away. My attempt brought me only a few steps away, as the guy finally connected his brain and got in fighting position again. "F-fucking monster! I''ll show y-you what I''m made of!" Apparently, the fall made him realize that the sack was an obstacle to his movements, so it was left on the ground, and my dodge made him angry. Still, it wasn''t a reason to insult! He advanced again, this time his run was more controlled and he started swinging his blade as he got closer to me. The problem was that all of his strikes were too telegraphed, I could easily avoid them by stepping behind or to the side. I wondered how did he survive so long without a party, and with how wide were the swings and the weight of his weapon, how much longer until he tired himself out? ''Come on! I don''t even want to fight. Let me go on my way.'' This dance went for a while I was starting to worry about the rookie who was still going for me. Soon I''d be forced to attack if I really wanted to escape, but now it would be more from the situation than the fight itself. Suddenly, I hit my back against something hard and big. A glance showed me that it was a wall. Given how the landscape was almost identical I never noticed for how much I was backing up and he took advantage of my blind spot to push me towards one of the ruins and blocking my escape routes. ''So he isn''t a complete idiot.'' Panting hard, the young Fighter showed a smug smile sure that victory was in his grasp. After recovering his breath, the boy pointed his blade at me, a new cockiness in his words: "Ahah! Y-you''ve fallen in my trap, a-abomination! W-with nowhere t-to f-f-flee, you''ll fall to m-my might!" With those words, he charged, but there was something different in his movements: his stance was more stable, the arm was moving with calculated strength and his grip on the weapon was firm. That was nothing like the previous attempts. There was precision, speed and power in that hit! The assault was too sudden, and I had nowhere to run. I could only stand there, as the deadly weapon made its way into my chest. The sensation of the piece of iron that pierced my flesh was terrible. I could feel its coldness inside of me, its foreign presence intruding my lung. That strike had an unexpected strength behind it, especially coming from such a feeble guy like this one. I subconsciously knew that I wouldn''t die from this, but the impression was still hard on me and seeing the hitten part, the damage would be awful.
You suffered a moderate wound. HP -5
''That''s it?!'' I watched the notification signalling the HP loss suffered, and I was surprised to find out that it was less than one-fourth of my total life. Even the poor Paul was expecting something more, judging from the face he made when he saw me still moving. "H-h-how it''s p-possible?! Until now I k-killed every c-creature w-with one hit of m-my Strike skill. Y-you can''t possibly be still standing!" His voice shook me out of my daze, and I took note of how little pain I was feeling! It was there, but it wasn''t on the level one would expect by a sword thrust in their body. It felt more subsided than that, more like I just bumped my toe against something hard, but that''s it. I realized then that it was because of my Undead condition: my nerves were unresponsive and my organs weren''t working. The only thing that moved me was my soul, and I could feel some things because my connection was stronger than usual. My reaction was only a reflex, a residue from my old life. I was a human no more, and suffering this kind of wound with no grave consequences made me finally understand that fact! All thanks to this rookie adventurer. I was a monster, time to act like one. "A-ahah! Of c-course! You''re the f-first humanoid m-monster that I f-fight. I must''ve held back my strength! A simple z-zombie can''t be s-so sturdy..." My hands clasped his wrists, blocking his arms in place, still holding the sword embedded in my chest and tightened them into an iron grip, impeding him to escape. "W-what?!" This world operated on a "kill or be killed" policy, and if I wanted to survive, I had to adapt to it. I couldn''t permit to give out mercy to my enemies, I had to cast aside part of my humanity and embrace my new nature. ''Nothing personal, kid. That''s just how the world spin...'' He struggled, trying to escape from my hold. My strength wasn''t much higher compared to his, but it was enough to keep him in place. Sure it wasn''t easy as his every attempt gave a strong pull to the sword, shifting it uncomfortably inside my right lung. It was annoying, but it wasn''t enough to make me lose my grip. I dug my thumbs into his wrists and pressed hard. I felt his hold on the weapon loosening, that was the moment to act. "L-let me go, you b-bastard!" ''As you wish.'' I immediately let go of his arms and threw a punch with my right hand. The strike hit him square in the face, the force behind it enough to make him step back a couple of steps.
You inflicted a small wound. Damage -1 HP
Proficiency reached. Skill Hand to Hand Combat acquired. Skill Hand to Hand Combat is now Level 1
Neat. I just acquired a new skill by doing a simple action, and it was really useful one. You''d never know when you''d have to fight with your bare fists. I grabbed the hilt jutting out of my body and began to dislodge it. If I didn''t do it, it could become an annoyance later on. Besides, the poor adventurer was disarmed and shocked so much, that he wouldn''t be much trouble. "N-no! T-this can''t be h-happening! Yo-you''re not a n-normal z-zombie! I m-must alert t-the Guild!" With those words, the guy turned and ran. He decided that I was too dangerous for him to fight, that was an important lesson to learn early on. Unfortunately, I couldn''t let him go. If he got to this Guild and reported about me, there would be trouble for me. I''d be hunted down by many other, and experienced, adventurers. That was something I couldn''t allow to happen. I yanked the sword out of me. The movement was too brash and enlarged my wound, but the pain was so faint that I could just ignore it. Now armed, I gave chase. That guy couldn''t leave this cemetery alive, and by means of his own sword, I''d make sure of that. In his hurry to get away from me, the Fighter forgot that I was faster than the classic zombie and that his armour was slowing him down. Even with that headstart, I was soon behind him, sword clasped in my hand and readying a diagonal full swing once I got close enough. The pursuit brought us back to where we met just moments ago, with the rookie''s big bag still laying on the ground. Was he trying to retrieve his gear? It was a stupid move to do in these circumstances. ''... Unless there''s something important or useful to him in there!'' I sprinted ahead, pushing my legs to the limit and I swung the blade. The length of the weapon compensated my reach and the point traced a long gash on his unprotected back.
You inflicted a moderate wound. Damage -5 HP
Proficiency reached. Skill Sword Proficiency acquired. Skill Sword Proficiency is now Level 1
"Gaaaahhh!" The hit was enough to stop him and make him fall down. I quickly regained my equilibrium and walked to stand over him. The wound was shallow but was bleeding quite a bit and it crossed all of his back, causing him to suffer. He was grovelling on the ground, shaking so much and crying. Big and loud sobs came from him, and when he turned his head to face me, I saw the round, fat tears flowing from his eyes. The whole view was quite pathetic I felt a bad taste in my mouth. "P-pleeasee! Don''t k-kill meee! I''m... I''m not rea... hic... dy to dii-ieeehh!" I looked at him with pity. I knew that it was a one-sided battle, with me being the advantaged party because of cheat abilities, but life was unfair like that and I had to do what was necessary to survive. I thought I already accepted this, but at the moment of truth, I couldn''t simply do it! Sure it was hard on my mind, and his pleading was making it even harder. This was the final decision: on one side, there was my whole humanity. On the other, my survival. The result and my fate depended on this single choice. "... I''m sorry." Surprise was his last emotion, as I plunged the sword into his heart and the life left his body. The least that I could do for him was to grant him a fast death, and so I have done, but the look in his eyes would never leave me.
You inflicted a fatal wound. Critical Hit confirmed. Damage -16 HP Experience required obtained. You are now a Level 2 Zombie. All Stats +1
I stared blankly at the new corpse for a while, letting the fact that I''d just killed a person to sink in. The notice of my level up went ignored for the moment, as I was trying to cope and placate my overdrive of feelings. ''It was necessary... I could avoid to kill him... He would alert others of my existence. I would become a target!... I could just make him faint... But I chose the more permanent solution...'' All those thoughts swirled in my brain until I glanced at my reflection in the blade. For the first time since I woke up, I saw my new face: it was not-existant! Completely vanished! Only a skull with nothing covering it for the major part. The only part with some skin still on it, was on the left, surrounding my single eye, and it was grey from the decaying. The other eye was just a little white light inside an empty socket. Combined with the whiteness of the bone, I looked like a faded panda with asymmetrical face-marks. That couldn''t be the face of a man! Only a monster could have such a visage, and thas was mine! A dry, humourless laugh escaped from my lipless mouth. No, I didn''t go crazy, I was just amused by my forgetfulness! I was a zombie! No way to go around that fact. I had to stop brooding about it and just accept it as it was. ¡°Ahahah! Yeah... Now I''m ready for this world!¡± I would completely embrace my new nature, without forgetting who I was but never letting it to stop me. I watched the body of Paul, the young, unlucky Fighter who helped me to realize all of this and to accept it, and I took his armour. ''He won''t need it anymore. It would be a waste to let it here to rust.'' I put the chest plate over my tunic, fastening in place with its belts and placed the helmet on my head. On my back resided the sheathed two-handed sword that I used to kill him. Looting the corpses of your enemies was one of the first rules, and I could do with better equipment. ''Not excellent, but for starters will do nicely.'' Next, it was the big sack with all the rest of his gear. There were torches, a bedroll, a couple of changes of clothes, meters of rope, a maintenance kit for armours and weapons, some dry rations and other sundries. Most of all were discarded as not needed or straight-up useless. I only kept the maintenance kit, the rations, five meters of rope and a book that I found on the bottom of the bag. It was a leather-covered little thing, with some kind of official seal on the front. But the most important part was the title, that I found on the first page: ¡°¡°The Official Guide for Adventurers¡±, huh? Now, this is an interesting find! I was craving some reading!¡± Now I just needed someplace peaceful to read it. I began to walk, leaving behind a body, some objects and a part of me. The Sun started his ascent at that moment, almost as to symbolize my rebirth. I should choose a new name for me, it would be appropriate... 3. Not Brain Dead ''Yes, this place will be fine.'' After my first fight in this world, I found shelter from the daylight inside the rest of what I thought was a temple of some kind, judging by the symbols engraved on the walls. It wasn''t that the sunlight affected me the same way as the other Undead, but I still found uncomfortable to stand in it. Probably, I was only relieved from the debuff to my Status, and not from the opposition that my kind harboured to it. Also, there was a bigger chance to meet adventurers during the day, so it wasn''t a bad idea to stay hidden somewhere, waiting for the Sun (or whatever that flaming celestial body in the sky was called here) to set and recovering from the wounds received the night before. I was surprised to discover that a zombie was able to heal! Or, to be more precise, that my HP would slowly recover on their own, as the gash in my chest was still open. I''d have to find something to fix that, it would be quite the problem if I''d become a walking mess of holes and stitches. Surely enough, healing magic was a no-go, as it could only cause more damage to me. Some kind of necromantic spell should exist for such situations, otherwise, how did the necromancers repair their servants? Anyway, I put those thoughts aside and focused on the most important thing: the ¡°Guide for Adventurers¡±! Such a lucky find! With this book, I could understand more about this world and learn how to survive. So, sitting down in the shadows, I started to read the first page:
Official Guide for Adventurers
Chapter One: Adventuring
1. What''s an Adventurer? Welcome, brave one, to the world of the Adventurers: intrepid explorers who travel to the four corners of the globe to unveil mysteries, solve problems and defeat the Evil that plagues our homes. In this book, you''ll find the guidelines to be one of these glorious people and leave your mark in history...
''Booooring! Let''s skip to more interesting parts.'' I flipped the page and went to the next subchapter, finding a brief explanation about Adventuring Guilds, that would be expanded in the next chapter. Skipping ahead of that, I found the next talking about the dangers of adventuring: traps, ambushes, monsters, criminals, etcetera. The list was going for a few more things, and it would be explained in another chapter. The first chapter was all basic knowledge I''ve already known by my previous life''s pastimes. The second chapter was about Guilds, so I passed that entirely. I wasn''t really interested in joining a Guild, and anyway, I would have to face some slight difficulties if I''d ever wish to join one The next chapter was about an adventurer''s possible Jobs. That was something that interested me: knowing your enemy is half of the battle, as they say, and by understanding how they fought I could prepare my countermeasures. It wasn''t necessary to deepen on the subject at the moment, so I just gave a quick read on their basic abilities and uses, keeping in mind to dedicate more time to these pages in future. There were also charts about the available career paths, how convenient! Then, a special note near the end caught my eye:
¡­ There have been records about the presence of monsters with Jobs in specific circumstances. This seems to happen in monsters with humanoid bodies and/or extremely high Intelligence and Wisdom scores. It''s a mystery how these creatures are able to have access to the Job System, as it should be only available to the Blessed Races. Researchers are trying to find the answer to this enigma for decades, as it could cause problems if...
''Now that''s good news!'' Monsters were able to get Jobs, same as the adventurers. That would give a nice advantage in a fight, combining the natural abilities of a creature with the ones learned by training. Shame that there weren''t more details about that topic. I''d have to discover more about it the hard way. But that was for later, I had to read another chapter before the end of the day. It was the one that could contain precious information on this world, so it was better to study it attentively. And there it was! Second-to-last chapter, after the "Environments" and the "Dungeons" ones, the "Monsters and Races"! ''Excellent! This will help me.''
Chapter Seven: Monsters and Races
1. The creatures in this world On all the surface of Ragna, there are many creatures who inhabit it. These are divided into three categories: the Blessed Races, the monster and the animals. The Blessed Races are beings favoured by the Gods and that carry their blessings since their creation, which the name originated from. They have a great culture and civilization, forming flourishing settlements with functional governments. They are composed by the humans, the elves and the dwarves. Each Race has its strong points and its flaws, so to balance each other out. The monsters are all the creatures who lack the Gods'' Blessing. Most of them are simple beasts, that will attack any being who enters their territory or catch their eye. Some of them are of a more peaceful disposition and will only react to who bothers them. Some monsters have an humanoid-like appearance and behaviour, able to develop a primitive form of civilization. But there exist also creatures with higher intelligence and power than the Blessed Races. Those being are extremely dangerous to anger and must be approached with caution. Fortunately, the ones who can really constitute a threat are very rare and tend to isolate themselves. Still, even the most expert adventurers must pay attention to these monsters.
And then the text proceeded to talk about the animals; just a couple of sentences on how they were originally peaceful monsters that were domesticated centuries ago until they lost all their dangerous features and could be used for produces. At the end of the last paragraph, I found another special note:
After the Treaty of Junica in the year 754, the Beastmen and the HalfBreeds are not considered part of the monster races anymore, granting them minimum civil rights, for the kindness of the human Queen, Junica the Fifth. So, it''s forbidden to kill them without justification, and punishable by law.
''So, even in this place, there is some kind of racism towards the more monster-like beings, huh?'' Obviously, in the sub-chapter dedicate only to them, I found that almost all the monsters were described as some kind of plague, that it was to be destroyed on sight, with only a few exceptions. There were also beneficial monsters and neutral ones, those were to be left alone unless there was the necessity. Unfortunately, if I wanted to read more about the many kinds of monsters, I had to get my hands on the "Monsters''s Encyclopedia"''s volumes, as stated by the book I was reading. A not-so-simple feat, as they were stored in the Guilds'' archives. ''I''ll have to rely only on Identify for information, then.'' Not that it was a bad thing, I would level up the skill quickly by using it often, but usually, it was better to have the data on your enemy BEFORE you meet them, not at the moment! Sighing with annoyance, I put away the Guide in my sack, and just laid there, reflecting on what happened in the last hours and what to do next. I was a zombie in a dungeon, I was sentient and I was strong. But what there was for me to do? I never had great goals in my life, I was a simple guy, living a normal and boring life. Even if I had a dream, that was meaningless now. In every story that I read with this kind of plot, the main character either always had something happening to them that made them want something or they already had some kind of plan. But in every story, they had a whole world to explore, while I was stuck here! I could exit from the dungeon, but then I would be targetted by everybody, especially with the face I had. Disguises could work only so far, and surely the amount that I would have to use will be very suspicious to see. If I wanted to go out, I had to evolve, hoping to become a more "human-like" Undead, and to do that I had to survive and grow stronger! ''Alright! For the time being, I will focus myself on my growth. Once I''ll have reached that point, I''m going to find a new objective!'' I only had to wait until the evening, where I would be able to move out without discomfort from the light, then I could hunt down some lone adventurer to get more experience and level up. In the meanwhile, I could exercise myself, learning how to fight better with the sword and practising some fighting moves while wearing armour. "Ehi! Let''s look in that ruin! It looks promising." "You told the same thing for that old crypt down the road, and we only found spiders and rats." "Oh, come on! This looks like a temple, and it''s bigger. There must be something in there!" "... Alright. I''ll trust your "instinct" one more time. But after this, no more dilly-dallying. We have a quest to finish and I don''t want to stay in this creepy place any longer!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Yay!" Two voices, the first female and the second male. They were coming closer to the building I chose as a temporary shelter and they clearly wanted to enter to explore it. From their tone, and the enthusiasm of the girl, they seemed to be rookies. Two youngsters that wanted to see the world and have adventures. How unfortunate that their dream brought them to this place because if they entered here, they would found me, and I''d have to attack them, to kill. I stood up, donned my helmet and grabbed my sword, ready to fight. I moved from my resting spot to stand behind a column near the doorway. ''Looks like I''ll have to do an early shift.'' The sound of footsteps was closer and closer, I stood in wait, unmoving like only a dead could be. The door opened, a feminine figure entered, followed by a boy with a large backpack. As both of them went inside, I slowly moved behind them, my weapon hanging low, a strategy formed in my mind. ''Nothing personal, kids. It''s just the way it is.'' Lifting the blade over my head, I struck the first blow, starting this encounter.
You inflicted a moderate wound. HP -5
The boy''s scream echoing in the chamber as the sword cut his calves, the girl spinning on herself to see what was happening, only to find me jumping onto her, to strike again. No mercy allowed!
STATUS WINDOW
Name: N/A Race: Zombie (Revenant) Level: 2 Rank: E-
Sex: Male Age: 23 years Job: None
HP: 26/26 MP: 28/28 Status: 100%
Rank ups: None
STR: 16 INT: 14
DES: 14 WIS: 14
VIT: 13 CHA: 12
SKILLS
Darkvision You''re an undead, a creature of the night and darkness. You can see clearly in the dark. Lvl - Passive
Undead You are not alive. You don''t need to eat, drink and breath to live. You don''t need sleep anymore. Immunity to poisons, diseases and drugs. Immune to fatigue. Immune to mental influences. Critical Hits ineffective. Lvl - Passive
Minor weakness to sunlight As undead, the pure light of the sun damages you. Your abilities will suffer a malus of 15% until you''re under direct sunlight. Lvl - Passive
Slow Movement You are stiff as a tombstone. Your body is rigid and limits your movements. Speed reduced by 50%. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Fire Your flesh burns easily. You take 50% more damage from the Fire attribute. Lvl - Passive
Weakness to Holy Your very existence is a heresy. You take 50% more damage from the Light attribute. Healing spells damage you. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Ice Your body is already stone-cold. You take 50% less damage from the Ice attribute. Lvl - Passive
Resistance to Darkness The source of your life is dark energy. You take 50% less damage from the Dark attribute. Necrotic spells cure you. Lvl - Passive
Immunity to sunlight You can bask in the sun without a problem. Any malus you could have under the sunlight is cancelled. Lvl - Passive
Hand to Hand Combat Fists of fury! You can do more damage while fighting unarmed. Lvl 1 Passive
Sword Proficiency Cut them up. You can use melee weapons of the Sword category. Lvl 1 Passive
Language Comprehension You can speak! You can read, understand and speak many languages. Lvl - Passive
Easy Growth (Hidden) You grow faster than weeds. Your growth is enhanced. Skill acquisition and development is easier. Stats are improved. You gain more EXP. Lvl - Passive
Identify Knowledge is a great weapon. You can see the Status of other creatures. You can appraise items. Improved version of Appraisal. Lvl 2 Active (no cost)
Infection Germs thrive in your mouth. Your bite attack has 15% probability to infect the target. Lvl 1 Active (no cost)