I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

One hour.

Only one hour after her body collapsed onto the soft bone sand, Sylvia’s eyelids opened again. Her breathing, which had been deep and steady, returned to the nearly imperceptible undead rhythm only a faint exhalation more like a night breeze than the breath of a living creature. The zombie regeneration within her body worked far faster than any ordinary living being required. The mental lactic acid that had accumulated over four days and four nights was already beginning to fade, replaced by the usual mana hunger and sharp clarity of mind. Every muscle fiber that had once torn now felt whole, every cracked bone had fused perfectly, as if her body itself was laughing at human limitations.

She slowly lifted her head. Beside her, Stacia was still sleeping deeply, her head resting on the empty shoulder Sylvia had left behind. Her middle sister’s breathing sounded heavy but calm, chest rising and falling in a stable rhythm. Her messy hair clung to her forehead from dried sweat. In front of them, Alicia still knelt with her magic staff across her lap, eyes half-closed from fighting sleep, yet her body remained tense and ready. The light of her Vigilant Shield domain still flickered softly around the sanctuary, forming a transparent dome that separated them from the threatening outside world.

Sylvia sat upright without a sound. A small abyss chain appeared at her fingertip and gently touched Alicia’s shoulder like a whisper.

Alicia jerked awake at once, her hand reflexively moving to the staff before her eyes focused and recognized her sister’s face. "Sylvia...? You’re awake?" Her voice was hoarse, full of the exhaustion she had been hiding all this time.

"One hour is enough," Sylvia answered with a voice that was still rough but far more stable than before. She wiped her face, brushing away the remaining bone dust stuck to her cheeks and hair. "An undead body doesn’t need to sleep that long. My regeneration has already restored most of my reserves. You’re the one who needs to rest now."

Alicia opened her mouth to refuse, but Sylvia already raised a hand. "No bargaining. You’ve been standing guard since we collapsed. Your Vigilant Shield domain is still active. I’ll take over. Sleep, Sis. I promise I won’t let anything come near."

After a few seconds of locked gazes, Alicia finally nodded wearily. She transferred control of the protective dome to Sylvia with a light touch on the staff, then lay down beside Stacia. In less than a minute, Alicia’s breathing slowed; her body surrendered to the exhaustion she had forced herself to endure. Her usually firm face now looked soft and peaceful, as if for the first time in four days she had allowed herself to truly rest.

Sylvia sat quietly for a while, making sure both her sisters were truly asleep. The transparent light dome remained stable around them, now fully controlled by her mana. Beyond the giant ribcage boundary, the gray fog still drifted, and occasionally the silhouettes of Colossi could be seen shifting restlessly in the distance, yet not one dared approach. This sanctuary, inside the chest cavity of an eternal skeleton that even the Titans hesitated to touch, felt like the last fortress in a sea of death.

The silence inside this sanctuary felt strange after four days filled with roars and explosions. Only the sound of wind passing through the gaps in the bones, carrying the familiar scent of ancient dust to her nose.

Sylvia stood up. Her body still ached, but it was far better. Her tattered clothes had been roughly patched by Alicia with golden light threads, yet the fabric remained dirty and reeked of miasma. She looked around the chest cavity of the eternal skeleton. Soft white bone sand covered the floor like a natural carpet, the two-hundred-meter-high rib arches formed a natural roof, and the air was clean and warm, an odd blessing from the residual mana of a creature that had died thousands of years ago.

Bored.

Simply sitting still on guard made her restless. After four days of nonstop fighting, staying still for too long felt stifling. A body that had grown used to moving, cutting, and destroying now demanded something more than mere waiting.

She carefully stepped out of the protective dome, ensuring the Vigilant Shield remained active to protect her two sisters. Then she walked farther away toward a more secluded area inside the skeletal cavity, about two hundred meters from where they rested. There, between two ribs that curved close together, was a natural hollow sufficiently hidden from outside view. The place was like a secret alcove, protected by thick bone arches and deep shadows.

Sylvia stood in the middle of that hollow. She lifted her right foot and stamped it into the ground with controlled strength.

BOOM.

Bone sand scattered. A small crater about three meters in diameter and one and a half meters deep formed in front of her. The bottom of the crater was relatively flat, its walls slightly sloping perfect for holding water. White dust flew for a moment before settling again.

From her system storage, she took out several drums of clean water she usually carried for long journeys. Clear water poured into the crater, filling it nearly three-quarters full. The sound of flowing water rang clearly in the silence, as if bringing a little life into this bone tomb. Then she raised her palm. A small black Death Flame appeared at her fingertip, and she dipped it into the water.

The black flame did not burn the water. Instead, it heated it quickly and evenly. Steam began to rise gently, carrying a warm, soothing aroma. In a short time, the small crater transformed into a simple hot spring. The water temperature felt just right warm enough to soothe the muscles, not boiling enough to hurt. Sylvia tested it with her fingertip, then nodded in satisfaction.

She stared at the steaming water for a moment. Then, without hesitation, she removed the remains of her tattered clothes. The fabric, already torn and stained with dust and dried blood, fell onto the bone sand with a soft sound. Her perfect, wound-free pale body, the result of forced regeneration over four days, was exposed to the warm air inside the eternal skeleton. Her always-cold skin now felt a little more alive under the warmth of the steam.

She stepped into the pool.

The hot water immediately enveloped her body up to her shoulders. Sylvia exhaled a long breath, closed her eyes, and let the warmth seep into every muscle that had been forced to work without rest. The sensation was extraordinary. Every tense muscle fiber slowly relaxed, every stiff joint began to loosen. Small abyss chains appeared around the crater, forming a thin barrier so nothing could approach without her knowledge. The chains pulsed gently, ready to react at any moment.

From her storage space, she took out several pieces of cooked bacon savory, fatty smoked meat and a cup of warm herbal tea she usually brewed herself. An odd combination, indeed. Salty, fatty bacon paired with light, slightly bitter tea. But Sylvia didn’t care. She didn’t particularly like wine, beer, or coffee. Tea and smoked meat were enough to soothe a tongue that for four days had only tasted bone dust and miasma blood.

She bit into the bacon slowly, chewing while enjoying the steam rising to her face. The savory, wood-smoked flavor spread across her tongue, a perfect contrast to the warmth of the water embracing her body. She sipped the warm tea slowly, feeling the heat flow down her throat, carrying a herbal aroma that calmed the mind. Around her, the giant rib arches stood like pillars of an ancient temple. The faint light of pure mana in the air made the water’s surface shimmer softly, as if tiny stars were dancing on the pool.

For the first time in ninety-six hours, Sylvia allowed herself to be truly still.

Her thoughts drifted to the four days they had just endured. Fourteen levels. Eighty-seven Colossi. A body that kept breaking and kept being pieced back together. A soul that had nearly cracked. Every roar, every explosion, every drop of spilled blood still felt fresh in her memory. She remembered how Stacia had nearly collapsed from processing data, how Alicia forced her domain to remain standing even when her mana was almost gone, and how she herself had laughed in the middle of the chaos as if death were a joke.

And now, under the shelter of a skeleton that even the Titans feared to approach, she could sit naked in hot water while eating bacon and drinking tea. Perfect irony.

A thin smile appeared on her lips.

"Mother Persephone... you really are insane," she murmured softly into the empty air. "But I’m not any less crazy. Four days without stopping, and I’m still here. Still able to bathe in the middle of a bone tomb. Still able to enjoy tea."

She sank deeper into the water, letting the heat cover her up to her chin. Steam rose around her face, briefly blurring her vision. The bacon disappeared piece by piece. The tea in her cup grew less and less. In the distance, beyond the skeleton’s boundary, the rumble of Colossi could still be heard faintly, like war drums waiting for their turn. But here, inside this eternal bone sanctuary, time seemed to stop.

Sylvia closed her eyes again, letting the warmth seep deeper. For a moment, she was no longer the undead hungry for levels, no longer the blade prepared by Persephone. She was simply a tired girl, enjoying a brief pause in the middle of a storm that had not yet ended.