NOVEL NEXT Chapter 03: The First Encounter
As the notification for the start of the trial dungeon sounded in Lynn's mind, a deathly stillness seemed to settle over the room. The very air felt heavy and oppressive as if the space itself was holding its breath in dreadful anticipation.
Then, before Lynn's eyes, the corpse that had been lying lifeless only moments before began to stir. Its limbs jerked and convulsed, fingers twitching as if controlled by unseen strings. The head lolled forward, cloudy eyes rolling back into focus with an unnatural hunger burning in their depths.
Lynn stumbled back in horror as the corpse slowly clambered to its feet, broken limbs bending at unnatural angles. The last traces of humanity had vanished from its face, leaving behind only the twisted, voracious drive of a zombie - an undead hungering for living flesh.
"What is this? What's happening?" Lynn exclaimed, taking a step back from the undead creature.
But the zombie paid no attention to his words, its attention fixed solely on the living flesh in front of it. Lynn's heart raced as he realized that he was in grave danger.
With a quick movement, Lynn moved to the other side of the room, putting distance between himself and the zombie.
Adrenaline flooded Lynn's veins as the zombie turned towards him, arms outstretched and mouth gaping open in a ragged moan. He had to find a weapon, something to defend himself before the monster could attack.
Frantically scanning the room, Lynn spotted his salvation - a fire axe lying on the floor just a few feet from where the zombie had risen. There was also a backpack that could contain useful supplies.
As the creature staggered closer, Lynn steeled his nerves. In a burst of desperation, he sprinted for the axe, scooping it up along with the bag just as the zombie lunged for him.
Whirling around, Lynn scrambled back until he felt safely distant from the monster's snapping jaws. It pursued him with lumbering steps, as Lynn's mind raced through all he knew about zombies from books and films. He had read about them in books and seen them in movies, but he had never imagined he would face one in real life.
"Zombies are slow, but also relentless," he muttered to himself. "One bite and I'll turn into one of them. I have to destroy its brain to stop it for good."
Lynn doesn't know if this undead creature in front of him is the same as those zombies portrayed in books and films. If his bite contained a deadly infection that could turn him into one of them. Even a small wound could be enough to seal his fate. He had to avoid injury at all costs.
Lynn's muscles tensed as he gripped the fire axe tightly. He knew that the undead creature was coming for him, so he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. With a hoarse shriek, the zombie charged towards him, its eyes fixed on its prey.
Acting on pure instinct, Lynn swung his axe in a wide arc, striking the zombie across the chest. It stumbled back with an unearthly howl, dark blood gushing from the wound.
Lynn didn't waste a moment. He swung again, hitting the zombie's knee and causing it to fall to the ground.
With lightning-fast reflexes, he pounced on the creature, pinning it down with his knees.
He raised the axe high above his head with both hands, then brought it down sharply towards the zombie's head. The blade smashed through bone and brain matter with a sickening crunch.
The creature spasmed violently for a moment before falling still.
[Ding!]
Lynn remained frozen in place, panting heavily as adrenaline coursed through his veins, his heart still pounding in his chest.
As Lynn caught his breath, he realized that he had survived his first encounter with the undead. He felt a mixture of relief and horror as he looked down at the lifeless body of the zombie.
He clambered unsteadily to his feet and surveyed the carnage around him. The room was a mess, with dark blood splattered across the walls and floor.
As Lynn stood there, still in shock from his first encounter with the undead, he suddenly remembered the sound he had heard when the zombie had stopped moving.
Lynn quickly checked the notification on his panel and read the message that appeared on the screen
[Player F0001 triggers the mission: First Encounter]
[Unlock the section [Missions]]
Lynn noticed that one of the sections that was grayed out and inactive, the one next to the sections titled [Personal Information] and [Information Reminder], is now active.
Lynn's mind moved slightly, and he clicked on the newly unlocked section called [Missions].
[Survive]
[Main Mission: Survive for five days, 0/5]
[First Encounter]
[Side Mission: Kill one zombie, 1/1] (redeem the reward)
Seeing the option to redeem the reward for completing the side mission, Lynn clicked on it without hesitation.
Immediately, he felt a sudden influx of information flooding his mind, as if large amounts of data were being directly transferred into his brain. After a few moments, the flood receded, leaving behind a new skill: [Evaluation]
Lynn gripped his head, wheezing. The abrupt dump of information had left him momentarily disoriented. As his mind adjusted to the new skill, he realized he could now somehow gather some information about objects around him.
Just as Lynn recovered from the impact of obtaining his new skill, another notification ding sounded. He quickly checked his panel.
He saw that a new mission had been updated in the spot where the [First Encounter] side mission had been.
[Zombie Hunt]
[Side Mission: Kill 15 zombies, 1/15]
Lynn took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Killing 15 zombies? Just facing the one had nearly overwhelmed him.
As the reality of his situation sunk in, pessimism began to take hold. If the first step of this mission demanded he kill over a dozen zombies, how many more of the undead lurked within the depths of this nightmarish hospital?
With his current abilities, Lynn knew taking on more than one zombie at a time would mean certain death. He needed to find a way to become stronger, and fast.