Looking at the dense number of zombies pushing against each other, Leon felt a growing headache.

They numbered up to fifty, and he wasn’t sure he could force his way through without being scratched at all.

’In that case...’

Taking a deep breath to calm his agitated heart, he decided to use his ability.

With the dense population of zombies present, the shadows in the lobby were numerous. Also, the gloomy atmosphere made the place slightly dark, providing him with the elements he needed.

Although he had no initial knowledge about it, he felt the instinctive guidance on how to use it.

Closing his eyes, he felt a sense different from the original five senses, spread from him and cover the whole space. There, he felt the shadows of the zombies, the dark corners, and the shadows of the inanimate objects in the lobby.

’Shadow Spears.’

Shouting that name in his mind, his eyes snapped open to see a scene that would be forever etched into his memories.

From the ground, black spears rose sharply, piercing into the bodies of the zombies and skewering every single one of them. Some zombies were even killed in the process, having their heads pierced.

The zombies roared silently, not out of pain, but discomfort. The shadow spears had impaled several parts of their bodies, rendering them unable to stand properly.

Leon’s face paled like his blood had been completely drained, feeling a massive drain of energy from him.

Behind him, Thyra’s voice was clear and urgent.

"Quick, deactivate the ability!"

Her voice snapped him back to focus and he immediately did as she had said. Instantly, he felt the drain stop just as the remaining zombies collapsed to the ground, crawling around.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Panting and feeling exhausted, Leon’s body trembled faintly. Using the ability had definitely drained his mana. To confirm this, he brought up his status window.

[Name - Leonel Wayne]

[Class - None]

[Level - 6]

[Race - Human]

[AGL - 34(+15)]

[STR - 36]

[STA - 41]

[Mana - (45/100)]

[Stat points - 19]

[Traits - [Eyes of Discernment] ]

[Abilities - [Darkness/Shadow Manipulation] [Extraction] ]

[Observation: A gremlin with mana luck]

His stats had changed significantly over an hour ago, becoming three times that of a normal human.

Now, even the strongest man on Earth and the fastest man on Earth before the recognition of the Star Stream would not be able to overpower him.

Glancing at his mana stats which had clearly dropped, Leon smiled bitterly. This confirmed his thoughts that abilities drain mana for their usage.

’Alright.’

Having recovered slightly, He straightened and looked at the zombies crawling up the stairs towards him. After sensing his life force, they immediately began to move towards him and take a bite.

Leon shivered at the sight.

"You’d definitely need more power as you venture outside. If you want to survive, you need to use these resources well."

Thyra advised him, her voice pleasing to the ears.

Leon’s face twitched involuntarily, but he still nodded.

Although it felt suffocating to kill those whom he knew or even recognized as fellow students just an hour ago, he knew he had to do it. Else he’d become one of them, walking around only to be killed by another human later.

’Or maybe I can evolve into a Zombie King... Alright, banish that thought.’

There was no way his family would see him as a zombie and be happy.

Filled with grim determination, he gripped the red spear tightly, then began striking the incapacitated zombies carefully.

[You have slain a Level 3 Normal Zombie!]

[You have slain a Level 4 Normal...]

[You have slain a Level 2 Normal...]

[You have slain...]

The messages continued to flash in his eyes as he ensured he killed every single zombie present in the lobby.

Once he was done, he let out a breath he had been unconsciously holding. The smell of blood rushed into his lungs, but he barely reacted.

’This... is the world now.’

His eyes held the conflicting emotions of a young man struggling to adapt.

Still standing behind him, Thyra shook her head.

"This is what you’ll face from now on. Your world can never be the same any longer."

Leon nodded, agreeing with her. "You seem to know a lot. I have questions for you, but that’ll be for later when I find a safe hideout."

Thyra merely giggled, her body swaying seductively. Fortunately or unfortunately for Leon, he wasn’t looking back, else he might have had a nosebleed.

The rain had stopped completely, and the gloomy weather was already brightening with the eventual return of the sun.

Curious and cautious, Leon stepped out of the dormitory.

Everywhere was a mess. Corpses of students and zombies were scattered on the ground, with some zombies chomping on flesh as they ate to their fill.

The chaos was still ongoing, though. A young man with scholarly looks was cornered by four zombies. His clothes were wet and his face was colored in despair.

Suddenly, he saw a flash of red, and the zombies were instantly beheaded, falling to the ground lifeless.

The young man’s eyes widened, instantly raising his head to look at his savior.

Leon merely glanced at him and said. "Follow me."

Seeing how easily Leon had killed the zombies, he immediately followed him, feeling like he had found an angel of protection.

The two of them raided the perimeter, with Leon killing more low-level zombies and saving more people.

By the time the surroundings of the male dormitory was relatively cleared, he had saved up to ten people and had leveled up to Level 8.

"Why are you saving them? They’ll only drag you down. Don’t you know?"

Thyra asked with a small frown, thinking he was playing hero. Surprisingly, none of the survivors seemed to notice her, proving that she was truly a ghost that only he could see.

Leon kept his gaze forward as he replied her with a whisper.

"I know that. But I also can’t turn a blind eye to them. If it’s something I can handle, I’ll simply lend a hand."

Thyra sighed and didn’t say anything. Even though the planet had received the recognition of the Star Stream, it had only been an hour. There was no way he would become so nonchalant about human lives, even if he wasn’t the social type before.

Leon turned to the ten students, both male and female, and addressed them loudly.

"Stay close to me and don’t wander off. If you do, I won’t go out of my way to save you again."

Holding the red spear in his hand and having his cloth splattered with zombie blood, he really looked threatening.

However, this look made him look more reassuring to them, and they obediently followed him.