Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Outside the Mall and the Unexpected AttackMorning came without sunlight.

    The sky remained gray, clouded with dust and the remnants of fires—who knows where they had started.

    But for some reason... I was bored.

    I had spent two days hiding in this mall.

    And now, this place felt... too quiet. Too clean of zombies—thanks to my rather diligent hunting.

    I opened my status screen, hoping something had changed.

    [STATUS]

    Name: Sylvia Hortensia

    Race: Medium Zombie (Rank 1) Sёarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Level: 2/20

    Stats

    HP: 2400/2400

    MP: 0/0

    STR: 340

    VIT: 2400

    INT: 20

    AGI: 28

    LUK: ERROR

    Active Skills

    ~ Bite (6/10)

    ~ Sharp Nails (1/20)

    ~ Dash (1/10)

    Passive Skills

    ~ Regeneration (8/10) (8 HP/sec)

    Titles

    ~ Reincarnated

    ~ First Evolution

    "Still far from enough..." I muttered, standing up and stretching.

    A few joints cracked, but that was normal now.

    I decided to leave the mall.

    It wasn''t easy. Most emergency exits were jammed, and the only way out was to leap over a half-collapsed railing on the second floor. But thanks to my new body, I managed it with relative grace—even if my landing still made a rather clumsy thud.

    The outside world... was silent.

    Collapsed buildings, cracked streets, abandoned cars. But one thing was certain there were more zombies out here.

    Unfortunately, most of them were still Rank 0.

    But... better that than doing nothing. So I started hunting again.

    All day I darted from block to block, using Dash to strike quickly, slashing with Sharp Nails, dodging with my enhanced agility. My movements grew smoother, my body more responsive.

    Level up: 2 → 5

    And then... just as dusk fell and I was heading back to the mall—I encountered something unexpected.

    Humans.

    Ten of them. All armed. Wearing makeshift uniforms. But from how they moved, I could tell—they were trained fighters.

    I froze.

    Held my breath—even though I didn''t need to breathe.

    Don''t move. Don''t look threatening.

    I didn''t want to hurt them.

    But one of them shouted, "ZOMBIE! FIRE!!"

    "Eh—wait! I—" I whispered in my mind

    Too late.

    The first bullet tore through my shoulder. It didn''t hurt. But it was annoying.

    "I''m already dead, you idiots..." I thought to myself.

    I didn''t want to fight.

    But they gave me no choice.

    I activated Dash, zipped sideways, spun around, and struck with Sharp Nails. They were skilled—two managed to dodge. The rest... weren''t so lucky.

    The battle was quick.

    Blood, bullets, and screams filled the dying daylight.

    But in the end, I won.

    I stood among the rubble, my body covered in blood that wasn''t mine.

    They... were all down. Some still breathing, groaning

    in pain.I hadn''t killed them all.

    I wasn''t a monster. I just... defended myself.

    Level up: 5 → 6Skill Sharp Nails → Lv 2 Skill Regeneration → Lv 9 (11 HP/sec) Skill Dash → Lv 4

    I returned to my hideout.This time, with heavier steps.

    Like a ritual, I checked my status again after battle.

    [STATUS]

    Name: Sylvia Hortensia

    Race: Medium Zombie (Rank 1)

    Level: 6/20

    Stats

    HP: 3200/3200

    MP: 0/0

    STR: 420

    VIT: 3200

    INT: 20

    AGI: 44

    LUK: ERROR

    Active Skills

    ~ Bite (6/10)

    ~ Sharp Nails (2/20)

    ~ Dash (4/10)

    Passive Skill

    ~ Regeneration (9/10) (9 HP/sec)

    Titles

    ~ Reincarnated

    ~ First Evolution

    I stared at the numbers.

    Stronger. But... further away from being human.

    And strangely... I started to wonder:If I keep going like this, can I still call myself "Sylvia"?