Chapter 23: Human?
The zombie's head exploded as Fin channeled mana through his blade. Green fluid splattered across the broken concrete, and he quickly stepped back to avoid the spray. He learned the hard way that whatever infected these creatures was best avoided.
"That's fifteen today," he muttered, wiping his dagger on a cleaner part of his torn suit. What had once been expensive fabric was now a collection of rips and stains, barely resembling the outfit Juna had bought him.
Hunting the zombies was becoming easier. Three days inside this dungeon had taught him their patterns—how they moved, how they attacked, and most importantly, how they died.
The vines wrapped around their bodies were the key. Cut those, and the creatures dropped like puppets with severed strings.
But still no sign of Mara or any other Guild members. Just corpses of hunters he didn't recognize, torn apart and half-eaten. The thought that Mara might already be dead kept surfacing, but he pushed it down.
He approached a large building that rose above the others, its facade less damaged than the rest. He glanced behind to ensure no zombies followed, then focused mana into his legs—a technique he'd been practicing since that desperate leap across the bridge.
The energy flowed like liquid fire through his muscles, and he crouched slightly before launching himself upward. The jump carried him easily to the roof, where he landed softly, controlling his descent with precision he hadn't possessed days ago.
"Getting better," he said, allowing himself a small smile. His control was improving. Not just in his jumps, but in how he channeled mana throughout his body.
From this vantage point, he scanned the ruined city. The buildings stretched for miles in every direction, but he wasn't exploring blindly anymore. Since yesterday, he'd been following a sensation—a pull of mana coming from the northeast section of the city. It was faint but distinct, like hearing a whisper in a noisy room.
"That way," he said, pointing toward the tallest structure in the distance—a massive tower reaching toward the gray sky. The pull was strongest there.
He also noticed something concerning: the zombies were more numerous in that direction. Every block he advanced, their numbers increased.