Five minutes passed, and then Nathan finally stepped forward.

  Nathan: "Ahem… So, you said you’d help us level up?"

  I double-checked their EXP, just to be sure I wasn’t mistaken.

  I nodded. "Yeah, right. Did you kill any zombies outside?"

  Nathan shook his head. "I didn’t kill any."

  I turned to the others. "Anyone?"

  Even though I already knew the answer.

  They looked at each other for a moment, then four of them spoke at once.

  "I did."

  I gnced back at Nathan. He looked genuinely shocked.

  Like his face was saying, “Wait… I’m the only one?”

  Let’s not press the old guy too much.

  I cleared my throat. "Okay. When you kill a zombie, a white light comes out of its body. That light will pass through your forehead—that’s EXP. It flows into you."

  "You need EXP to level up. Ten EXP gets you to level one."

  I checked the time—2 p.m. Still early.

  "Come with me. Let’s go outside and kill some zombies."

  I looked at the time.

  2 PM. Still early.

  "Come with me. Let’s go outside and kill some zombies."

  I quickly checked my EXP.

  Just two more zombies and I’ll level up.

  I handed each of them an axe from my backpack—one for each of the five following behind me.

  Then I stepped outside, leading the group.

  As we walked, I had a thought.

  'Now’s the time to show them what I can do… and what’ll happen if they try anything funny.

  That’s what I learned from reading apocalypse stories. Maybe I’m wrong—but it always ends up like that.'

  Suddenly, a zombie charged at full speed.

  Level 3.

  I reacted fast. I deflected both of its hands upward, then aimed for its right shoulder—just above the armpit.

  My left axe struck, almost cutting through.

  Not deep enough.

  I swung the dull side of the right axe like a hammer—

  Smming it down on the left axe.

  The bde sank in deeper—

  Severing the zombie’s entire right arm.

  I aimed at its right leg next. I swung the axe, and the bde hit bone, cutting halfway through its leg.

  Then, I kicked the back of the axe to complete the cut.

  “Pang!”

  A dull sound echoed, and an intense jolt of pain shot through my shin. My whole body flinched, and for a moment, I almost lost my bance. The pain was sharp, like a hot poker pressing against my bone.

  'F**, that hurt like hell.'

  I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to curse louder. My shin throbbed, but thankfully, there was no swelling or bleeding. I had cut the leg off completely, but I could feel the bruise forming deep inside.

  'I’m not doing that again.'

  I tried to keep my composure, but inside, I was seething with discomfort. There were people watching, though, so I forced myself to act cool. I had to pretend I didn’t hear that dull pang, pretend I wasn’t affected by the pain.

  I kicked the zombie, and it fell to its left side with a loud thud. Just as it hit the ground, two more zombies rushed in.

  F**, I can’t move.*

  I gnced down at my right shin without lowering my head. It looked like it was touching the ground, but I was faking it—just trying to act like I wasn’t in pain.

  I couldn’t risk looking weak in front of them.

  So, I decided to throw the axe.

  “Swish!!”

  The axe flew through the air, and I heard gasps from the people behind me. It nded squarely in the head of the zombie two meters away, instantly killing it.

  I felt a rush of satisfaction as the zombie crumpled to the ground.

  I didn’t stop there. I pulled out another axe and killed the second one in the same way.

  When I looked at the others, I saw the mix of surprise and awe in their eyes. I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of myself, even if my shin was screaming in pain.

  I leveled up and immediately decided to put all my points into strength.

  I gnced at the fallen zombie beside me. Walking over as naturally as I could, I used [Item Creation], and another axe appeared in my hand.

  I aimed for the left arm of the zombie, stepping on its back to stabilize myself. I thought for sure I’d crush its ribs with a solid strike, but the zombie’s body was tougher than I expected. If I didn’t jump on it, I knew the ribs wouldn’t break.

  I gnced over at the others.

  "Who wants to kill it?" I asked, trying to mask the strain in my voice.