I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Three days had passed since the incident in the narrow alley that claimed the lives of the five hired thugs. In that short span of time, rumors of the "Black-Fire Mage from the Capital" spread like a deadly plague to every corner of Black Steel City.

A gripping fear mixed with fanatical respect now enveloped every citizen. Not a single resident, no matter how rough or strong they were, dared raise their voice while within a five-hundred-meter radius of the City Lord’s Residence. The alley where the five thugs had been erased was even regarded as sacred ground; no one dared pass through it, as though residual cold from hell still lingered there, ready to swallow anyone who lacked proper manners.

For Sylvia, these three days had been a reasonably peaceful little vacation. Lu Feng, the City Lord, truly kept his promise. The young man mobilized every best resource his city possessed to serve Sylvia. From fresh fruits grown in the extremely rare magical greenhouse gardens, to the cleanest silk cloths for her bedding. Lu Feng even forbade anyone from disturbing Sylvia unless the girl herself summoned them.

At present, Sylvia was sitting in the City Lord’s private library. The room was not particularly large, filled with creaking wooden shelves and piles of old parchment scrolls and books bound in monster leather. The afternoon sunlight filtered in through cracked stained-glass windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

Upon the teak wood table before her lay several worn maps and the daily journals of border scholars. During these three days, besides relaxing, Sylvia used her time to read and absorb all basic information regarding the Tianhua Kingdom. Her cognitive ability as an immortal being allowed her to read thousands of pages of text in only a matter of hours.

"Interesting... yet at the same time extremely pitiful," Sylvia murmured softly while closing a thick book titled ’The History of Tianhua’s Mana Awakening’.

Sol, who was lazily lying atop a pile of maps at the end of the table, meowed softly in a questioning tone. Meanwhile Noir, curled up in the corner of the room, merely opened one glowing red eye before going back to sleep.

Based on the literature she had studied, Sylvia finally understood comprehensively how the scale of military and magical power on this continent operated.

In the Tianhua Kingdom, mages were classified into a very rigid hierarchical system, starting from Rank 1 to Rank 10. Rank 1 to Rank 3 mages were considered the worker class or lowly soldiers such as Lu Feng, who stood at Rank 2 advancing toward Rank 3. Rank 4 to 6 mages were military commanders or mid-tier nobility. Rank 7 and 8 were the elders of the magic academies in the capital, old monsters who held the political reins of the kingdom.

And at the peak, Rank 9 was an existence regarded as a living legend. Currently, the only person known to have reached Rank 9 was the Emperor of the Tianhua Kingdom himself, a man who was said to be capable of leveling a small mountain with a single ultimate magic attack. As for Rank 10, that was merely a theory, a utopian myth that had never been achieved by any human since the apocalypse occurred.

Reading this scale of power, Sylvia at first felt the system was not too different from the concepts of cultivation ranks or magic tiers she knew. Yet when she dissected more deeply just how large the output of power from each rank actually was, Sylvia nearly burst into loud laughter.

The scale of power in this place was far too weak. So extremely weak that it felt unreal.

Sylvia twirled a quill pen between her slender fingers, her eyes gazing through the walls of the room. "Their Emperor who stands at Rank 9... his maximum destructive power is only equivalent to destroying a small hill? And even that supposedly requires ten minutes of chanting and consumes half the remaining lifespan of his own soul?"

Sylvia’s lips curved into a contemptuous smile. The difference in power standards between the Tianhua Kingdom and her place of origin, Nocture, was truly like comparing a muddy puddle to an endless ocean.

"Perhaps this is because this continent has never experienced the presence of gods," Sylvia thought, analyzing the situation rationally.

In the world where Nocture existed, gods, ancient demon races, primordial dragons, and cosmic entities were considered "normal" if they appeared in the pages of history or large-scale wars. The power standards in Nocture were forged from bloody battles against beings capable of splitting oceans or destroying an entire continent with a mere wave of the hand. Because the enemies they faced were god-level existences, the human race and other creatures in Nocture’s world were forced to continuously evolve beyond the bounds of common sense.

Whereas here? The greatest enemies of humanity were merely packs of living dead resulting from virus mutation and wild animals exposed to leaking mana radiation. Without the existence of god-level existential threats pressing upon civilization, the maximum potential of the human race in the Tianhua Kingdom suffered severe stagnation. The ceiling of their power was sealed tightly shut.

Moreover, the methods they used to advance were also extremely backward and primitive.

The book Sylvia read explained that in order to rise in rank, Tianhua mages had to hunt mutated monsters or high-variant zombies, extract the core crystals from the brains or hearts of those monsters, and then forcibly absorb their energy.

"What kind of barbaric method is this," Sylvia sighed, shaking her head.

Directly absorbing a monster core was an act of slow suicide. Monster cores contained residual brutal animal consciousness, the hatred of the living dead, and extremely chaotic mana radiation. Absorbing them into a human magic circuit was the same as drinking dirty sewer water to quench thirst. No wonder the mages of the Tianhua Kingdom on average possessed short lifespans, explosive temperaments, and very frequently suffered magical deviations that ended in madness or physical defects.

In Nocture, the sciences of magic and alchemy had advanced extremely far under the guidance of geniuses such as her elder sisters, Stacia and Alicia. They had long abandoned the ancient method of using monster crystals. Mages in Nocture were taught to meditate, align their souls with the world’s leyline networks, and absorb pure mana directly from the universe. This method filtered out every form of energy impurity, producing a clean, clear mana flow with no side effects. As a result, Nocture mages possessed nearly eternal lifespans and extremely clear minds.

Sylvia leaned her back against the hard wooden chair and folded her arms across her chest. She began comparing the strength of the people around her against the ridiculous standards of the Tianhua Kingdom.

She recalled Aurellia, a cheerful red-haired girl who was the greatest fire mage in Nocture, and who was also the lover of one of her trusted Generals, Celes. Within the core circle of Nocture’s high officials, Aurellia always sulked and whined because she felt she was the "weakest." In Nocture, Aurellia’s power classification only stood at Rank 4.

"How amusing," Sylvia chuckled softly, her laughter echoing through the silent library. "If Aurellia, who constantly complains about being the weakest mage in our group, were brought to this continent... her pure fire power capable of burning the vacuum of space itself would immediately place her far beyond Rank 10. That crybaby girl could destroy the Tianhua capital and burn their Emperor to ash with a single breath."

That thought led Sylvia to an unavoidable conclusion regarding herself. If even Aurellia, who stood at Rank 4 of Nocture, already surpassed the highest peak of this continent... then where did her own position stand?

Sylvia, the Queen of Death, holder of absolute authority over the elements of darkness and souls. If her full power were released, the scale of the Tianhua Kingdom did not even possess numbers sufficient to measure it. In the eyes of the people of this continent, Sylvia was not a High-Rank Mage. She was the embodiment of a creator god and a destroyer god who had descended to earth.

"No challenge. No threat," Sylvia said in boredom. "This continent is far too fragile for me to play with. Yet... their civilization and political intrigues in the capital might still serve as a small amusement before I return to the ship."

After obtaining all the general knowledge she needed regarding this world, Sylvia decided that her time in Black Steel City was sufficient. This small, foul-smelling border city no longer had anything more to offer her. It was time she continued her journey toward a larger city, or perhaps directly toward the royal capital.

Sylvia rose from her chair. Her evening gown flowed softly without a sound. As if understanding their master’s heart, Sol immediately leapt from the table and perched once more upon Sylvia’s right shoulder, rubbing its head affectionately. Noir rose from the corner of the room, stretched its legs for a moment, then walked to Sylvia’s shadow side.

With slow yet graceful steps, Sylvia walked out of the library and descended the stone stairs toward the main hall of the City Lord’s Residence.

There, Lu Feng was discussing seriously with several of his troop commanders regarding repairs to the western wall. Yet the moment he saw the hem of Sylvia’s gown appear from behind the stairs, the young man immediately stopped his conversation. He bowed respectfully until forming a ninety-degree angle, followed by all his troop commanders who immediately knelt upon the stone floor.

"Your Excellency! Do you require anything? The servants have prepared hot tea in the dining hall..."

"No need, City Lord Lu Feng," Sylvia cut in gently. She stepped into the center of the room; her charming yet dominating aura made everyone in the hall hold their breath. "I came down here to take my leave. These three days have been a sufficiently calming stopover. However, I must continue my journey."

Hearing those words, Lu Feng’s face turned pale, yet there was also a flash of relief he could not hide in the depths of his eyes. As City Lord, having an absolute existence like Sylvia within his city indeed guaranteed security from external attacks, but the mental pressure felt by him and the entire population was also extraordinary. Every second they lived in fear that if they made a small mistake, this city could vanish from the world map.

Yet the gratitude in Lu Feng’s heart was far greater than his fear.

"Your... Your Excellency is leaving now?" Lu Feng stammered softly, slowly raising his face. "In... in which direction will Your Excellency continue the journey? If you permit, we will prepare our finest horse-drawn carriage and..."

"I do not need a horse-drawn carriage," Sylvia refused casually. "And my initial destination is to take a look at the peripheral cities," she added to conceal her identity.

Sylvia regarded the thin youth before her. Although weak and his knowledge of magic extremely pitiful, Lu Feng possessed a good heart and a genuine sense of responsibility toward his people. That was a rare quality in this apocalyptic world.

As the Queen of the greatest kingdom in her dimension, Sylvia never accepted service without giving an equivalent reward.

"You have served me well, Lu Feng," Sylvia said. She slowly raised her right hand. From the tip of her index finger, a speck of silvery-blue light began to gather. The light spun, solidified, and crystallized in only a matter of seconds, forming a small crystal stone pendant that radiated an extremely pure and cool magical aura.

It was not a monster core crystal. It was pure mana crystal condensed by Sylvia from the energy of the universe, a process that for Tianhua mages was equivalent to creating a miracle.

Sylvia lightly flicked her fingers. The blue crystal floated through the air and landed precisely in the palm of Lu Feng’s hand.

"That is a small farewell gift from me," Sylvia said as Lu Feng stared at the crystal with bulging eyes and a trembling body from sensing a purity of mana he had never felt in his entire life. "Do not try to absorb it like a fool. Simply hang it around your neck when you meditate. The pure energy from that stone will cleanse the mutation toxins from your body, repair your defective magic circuits, and if you are clever enough, you may be able to reach Rank 4 in less than a year."

Tears immediately streamed from Lu Feng’s temples. This gift was not merely a valuable object; it was the key to changing his fate and the fate of the entire Black Steel City. By reaching Rank 4, he would possess the power of a military noble, sufficient to expand this city and save thousands of lives from starvation and zombie attacks.

Lu Feng immediately prostrated himself on the stone floor, sobbing. "Thank you... Thank you, Your Excellency Goddess! This lowly servant will remember your kindness until the end of my life! Black Steel City will always be your home!"

The commanders who saw their City Lord weeping in happiness also prostrated even more deeply, shouting praises that made Sylvia’s ears itch slightly.

"Stop that drama; it bores me," Sylvia said while lightly waving her hand, then turned around. "Just make sure you do not die stupidly eaten by zombies after receiving my gift."

Without waiting for any further reply, Sylvia’s body slowly floated several inches above the floor. She glided out of the City Lord’s Residence hall, heading toward the main gate of Black Steel City.

As Sylvia crossed the city streets, the residents who were going about their activities immediately stopped. They moved aside to the edges of the road, knelt, and bowed their heads in solemn silence. There were no cheers, only absolute respect as though sending off the departure of a great god who had blessed their filthy land.

The gigantic steel gate opened slowly, emitting a long creaking sound that broke the silence at the city boundary.

Sylvia stepped out, her feet once again touching the dusty ground beyond the defensive fortress. Before her stretched the wild lands filled with the remnants of old civilization ruins, dark mutated forests, and dangers lurking in every corner. Thousands of kilometers beyond the horizon lay the capital of the Tianhua Kingdom the center of human arrogance on this continent.

"Well then, Sol, Noir..." Sylvia smiled faintly, the evening wind gently blowing her black hair. She narrowed her eyes, gazing straight toward the heart of the continent. "Let us see how arrogant the ’rulers’ of the great cities become when they witness our arrival."

Accompanied by the soft purring of the golden cat on her shoulder and the shadowless steps of the black cat at her side, the Queen of Death began her journey toward the heart of a civilization that did not yet realize the greatest storm in its history had just begun to move.