Morning broke with a sickly golden light, leaking through the cracked roof of the ruined church.
Elias stretched lazily on the altar, muscles rolling under his skin like a cat waking from a long, dangerous nap. His silver hair stuck up in messy spikes, crimson eyes half-lidded, heavy with the weight of hunger and heat.
Not hunger for flesh.
Not yet.
A different hunger curled low inside him... for the soft, breathing woman curled up nearby, wrapped in torn blankets.
Fuck.
She smelled so good it was almost a sin.
System Notification:
> > [Hunger Status: 34%]
[Warning: Prolonged hunger may trigger Berserk Mode.]
[Recommendation: Feed on zombie cores or human flesh.]
[Corruption: 2%]
Elias sat up with a grunt, wiping his face.
"No fucking way am I turning into a mindless beast," he muttered.
He looked down at his body again. Every muscle gleamed with strength. His hands looked human... big, calloused, powerful, but he could feel something deeper humming under the skin.
Like there was a monster curled under the surface, waiting for permission to break free.
Waiting for an excuse. But he wasn't going to give it any. Not the permission. Not an excuse.
He had spent time studying the system and trying to understand it.
All he had to do was increase his stats but it increases his corruption level.
The corruption level is how much he has "accepted" the darker instincts inside him, like his bloodlust, sexual urges, and violence.
The system tempts him over time to embrace it.
Elias's stats grow when he absorbs cores violently, gives into lust excessively and kills without reason.
Once his Mortality Sync reaches 100%, he has a human mindset. When it reaches 0%, he becomes like a Mindless zombie. He's starting to turn darker inside, even without realizing it. It's exactly what the system wants. For him to become the real Vark Draven, a Warlord.
He still had more to understand, but he would... as time went on. But first, he has to reduce his corruption level or find a way to keep it from increasing, which the system doesn't want to tell him.
Ivy stirred.
She sat up, hair a mess, her robe slipping dangerously off one shoulder. Her blue eyes blinked at him, full of wariness... and something else.
Urge?
"You okay, Sister?" Elias drawled, smirking when her cheeks flamed.
"Don't call me that," she snapped, hugging the robe tighter around herself.
He laughed low in his throat. "Sure, Sister."
Ivy threw him a murderous glare but grabbed her crowbar and stood up.
"We should move. Supplies are low. This place isn't safe."
Elias stood too, towering over her, cracking his neck with a loud pop. It's not like he needed to eat or sleep. But, he felt the need to. Just so he could retain his humanity, also, he doesn't want to see himself as a monster.
"Lead the way," he said, voice dripping mockery.
"I'll keep the bad guys off you, nun."
Ivy muttered something about assholes and stalked toward the door.
Elias didn't wish to go barefoot, so he took the boots off the dead zombie's legs.
Ivy glared at him, wearing a 'what the fuck' look on her face.
"You're stealing from the dead?"
"It's not like they could use it anymore. Let's go, sweetheart," Elias followed, hands tucked casually in his pockets, but his senses were really sharp.
The city outside was worse than he remembered.
Dead streets.
Burned cars.
Bodies sprawled across cracked concrete, some missing limbs, others still twitching. They were killed by Ivy the other day.
Elias sniffed the air. His new senses picked up everything, the stink of rot, the metallic stench of blood, the sweet wetness of fresh death.
System Notification:
> > [Detected: Low-tier Zombies nearby.]
[Estimated Battle Difficulty: Minimal.]
"Stay close," Ivy whispered, her voice tight.
"Wasn't planning on ditching you," Elias said. He wasn't lying. Something inside him liked the idea of protecting her.
Maybe it was the last scrap of his humanity he wanted to protect.
Or it could be something darker.
They moved fast, weaving through abandoned cars and broken shops.
Elias's stolen boots crunched glass, but he didn't care about the noise.
He needed to test this new power.
They turned a corner... and ran straight into a pack of zombies.
Four of them.
Rotting flesh hanging in strips from their faces. Eyes glowing faintly. Drooling, snarling.
Low-tier scum.
Ivy gasped, swinging her crowbar up defensively.
Elias stepped in front of her, his blood thrumming in his ears.
"Stay behind me," he said, voice dark.
One of the zombies lunged.
Elias caught its head midair with one hand and crushed it like a melon.
System Notification:
> > [Zombie Core Absorbed.]
[Gained: +2 Strength | +1 Agility]
[Corruption: +0.2%]
[Total Corruption: 2.2%]
He laughed, low and savage.
"Come on, you ugly fucks," he growled.
His body moved almost on instinct, faster, sharper, stronger than any human.
Of course, he wasn't one.
A kick sent another zombie flying backwards, smashing into a rusted car with a wet crunch.
Elias lunged at the third one, grabbing its arms and ripping them off in one brutal pull.
Blood splattered his bare chest, but he barely noticed.
The last zombie tried to flee.
Elias was on it in a blink, slamming it face-first into the pavement until the skull caved in.
System Notification:
> > [Zombie Core Absorbed.]
[Gained: +1 Strength | +1 Vitality]
Breathing heavily, Elias turned back toward Ivy.
She stood frozen, eyes wide, chest heaving.
"You're not human," she whispered.
"Surprised?" Elias grinned, teeth flashing sharp.
"But you're not... like them either," Ivy said, voice trembling.
"Depends on the day," Elias said, wiping blood off his hands.
"And how fucking pissed off I am."
She stared at him a moment longer, something shifting in her gaze.
Less fear.
More confusion.
Elias felt his cock stir again, hot and heavy against his jeans.
Fuck. Not now.
"We need to keep moving," he said gruffly. "More will smell this mess soon."
Ivy nodded stiffly and fell into step beside him.
As they walked, Elias couldn't help but feel the corruption in his body slowly stirring.
It was growing.
He clenched his fists, breathing through it.
Focus.
Stay human.
Don't lose yourself.
But some dark, hidden part of him didn't want that for him. Yeah... He could feel that annoying feeling.
It had been bugging him, wondering about that dark feeling he had been experiencing since he entered this body.
Was it the system? Or the real owner of the body?
He wondered.
The system wanted him to be more of a monster.
A monster that'll bring ruins to the world.
He dismissed the dark thoughts from his head and sighed heavily before focusing on moving forward.
[END OF CHAPTER FOUR]