This was the first time that he had seen the system prompt appear in front of him while being in his younger self. He had always thought of these visions as similar to dreams. In the first place, he couldn't have travelled back to his childhood, so this had to be a dream.
'Wait, I never tried to check the system before because I thought this was a dream, but does that mean it isn't? This has really confused me.' Zain wondered, but he didn't have much time before the first zombie pounced at him.
Zain jumped to the side, avoiding its range. Then with all his strength, taking a swing from above, he tried to chop the zombie's arms off. As the cut went down, it easily went through the skin but suddenly stopped when it hit the bone.
'Crap, this body is small, and the sword feels heavy. I can't cut through.'
In most situations, one would try to pull out the sword by lifting it, but knowing that his strength was weak and he needed to act fast, he instead held onto the sword's handle and dragged it across, elongating the cut.
And although the zombie was alive and kicking and still going after him, he felt he stood some chance against it. That's when he heard the sound of another from his side. And now, in total, there seemed to be five zombies.
'I'm not strong enough to slice off their limbs, so I won't be strong enough to cut off their heads either. So the first thing I need to do is slow them down.'
The zombies Zain was facing were not slow ones, but he still could out manoeuvre them, as they seemed to be slightly slower at turning. Whenever they got close, they would almost leap at him trying to grab him and take a bite.
It wasn't like being in a fight, where they would try to punch or kick you. Rather, these were similar to hungry bloodthirsty monsters. When another one got close, Zain moved to the side, then moving behind them, he bent slightly and slashed at the back of their foot.
'If I strike the Achilles heel, it should make it harder for them to move. I just need to buy time.'
Using the zombie's slowed body as an advantage, Zain could run around them all in circles repeating this process. He would wait for them to try to grab him and dodge quickly to get behind one of them.
The zombies were so stupid that they would crash into each other, and while this was happening, Zain would attempt to attack the back of their foot or slash the tendons in their legs.
Not all slashes were perfect, and the Zombies wouldn't fall to the ground after just one attack. However, after repeating this for a while, nearly all of them eventually were crawling on the floor.
'I'm out of breath, sweating and tired. This all feels real as well. I am definitely not dreaming, then where am I?'
Now that the zombies were crawling on the floor, it was easier for him to finish them. First, he pulled one of them away from the other by pulling its leg and then, lifting the sword, he stabbed it right through their skull, putting all his body weight behind it.
It still wasn't an easy task, and the gruesome act for the first time had made him queasy. However, he had somewhat gotten used to this because it was something he had done a few times before, not to mention he had done a lot worse.
After killing the first one, Zain had to take a break. He was dealing with the shock of what he was doing.
'I have to do this. If I don't, then they will just kill me. And look at them. They aren't human. They are monsters.'
Zain continued to stab them through the head one by one, with the thought of them being monsters but something crossed his mind. Maybe in here, he was a human, but out there, he was just like them?
Perhaps, this was what they thought when they saw him as well, that he was a monster. While thinking of this before killing the last one, Zain waited for his stamina, energy and breath to calm down.
'Since no more Zombies are coming out, I'm guessing this last one is the end. However, I should try to figure out this place before killing it.
Clutching his sword tightly, Zain looked down at the tunnels, which were completely pitch black, unlike the room they were in currently, so there was nothing he could see.
He was tempted to go down one of them, but there was an immense fear in his mind. Everything was like a game with the system, and to be honest, what he was experiencing right now was more game-like than anything.
This was the fighting area, and more so than likely, if he were to leave it, it would mean death, or it was just impossible to leave until he completed the task. In the end, he didn't want to risk anything, so he changed his mind and decided to head back to the zombie.
'There's another thought in my head that after I kill you, I'm going to be in for more trouble.' Zain wondered as he pushed the sword down, and the system notifications rang in his head.
[Congratulations! Quest complete]
[You have unlocked Passive Skill: Sword Mastery Level 1]
[You can level up the passive sword mastery skill with more experience one gets with the sword]
[Sword mastery Level 1]
[1/100]
Instantly, Zain felt a strange feeling on the back of his head. It felt like someone had hit him, but after a few seconds, it disappeared as if nothing had happened.
'What was that pain…but since I got the sword mastery, does that mean I can use the sword skills better now?'
Zain thought as he swung the sword. When he did, the sword felt more natural to swing, and the movement was slightly less awkward and easier. Honestly, he didn't know how to distinguish this either, but his sword fight capabilities were far from perfect.
'I can…level this up as well from repeated use.
[You have completed Round 1]
[Would you like to proceed to round 2?]
*****
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