“What the hell do you think I’m doing?” The blonde man takes a step forward and attempts to smash the foremost zombie, a pudgy man, in the head.

*Swish*

The muddy riverbank and a loose rock cause him to slip. He overswings and hits the zombie’s shoulder. His tree branch snaps in half, splinters flying everywhere, as the undead growls in response. The girls hiding behind him lose their nerve and back away into deeper water.

Don’t do that. You can’t fight them effectively like that.

I step out further from the houses. The zombies are focused on the party and have their backs turned to me. Yin sees me and an expression of panic takes over.

“Run away!” She screams. “Leave us or they’ll come after you too!” It’s obvious that she has no idea how to hunt even the most basic undead. Right now, the only zombies around here are probably Fresh Undead. That’s the way the Calamity starts.

Since I am not a hunter anymore, I can’t see their levels, but most non-Hunters can take Fresh Undead on with some planning. In my last life, since I didn’t come this way, did these people die? Despite Yin’s warning, I stay where I am, thinking. Even at Lvl 0, after my last life, I’m not afraid of these things. One of the other girls, a short redhead can’t take it anymore. She turns and wades out into the river.

“Stop!” Another guy calls out. “Crassia don’t!” However, it is too late. The girl’s short legs kick against the current, but it is not long before panic takes over for she has met one of the few things as implacable as the undead.

“Help!” She screams as the river claims her. Swept away by the rushing water, it only takes seconds before her cries are too far to hear. Unfortunately, as I am now, I can’t save her. She can only hope that the gods are kind and do not decide to let her drown. Shaking my head, I see one of the boys from earlier pointing at me. The blonde guy has dropped his broken branch and retreated to the others into waist deep water. Any further and the shorter girls will be washed away.

They’re going to drown.

“Bro! Do something! Save us!” The dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks is desperate. Cold water has no doubt soaked all of his clothes and if it weren’t for that, he would be covered in sweat. “Distract them for us!” He stumbles on something in the river and goes under for a second. When he comes, up, the zombies have entered the water. Their rotting flesh causes a black stain to form in front of them as their essence is away by the current.

Fresh Undead are so weak.

If only they knew the first thing about fighting.

“Shut up, Sean!” Yin yells at her friend, tugging him back with her. She looks at me with sad eyes. “Just go! It’s too late!” The blonde man has his hands out as if to box with the undead. It could work, in theory. If you can avoid the bite of Fresh Undead, they won’t be able to infect you. A few freaks who liked boxing and learned some special skills even leveled bare-handed techniques. This guy, however is not a fighter. He’ll probably be bitten after one or two punches and then he’ll die. Afterwards, he’ll be reanimated as a new Fresh Undead.

“Oi! Don’t you have any shame!” He calls out to me. “We offered you food and you’re just going to watch us die?” I feel nothing at his words. After my last life, I’ve seen too much to care about his taunt. The girl named Yin stares daggers into Donovan’s back.

“Stop dragging him down with us!” She cries out. However, I’ve already taken a step towards the zombies. Reaching into my coat, I take out my butcher’s cleaver. Breathing deep, I remember the feeling of my first blade.

It’s been a long time.

Though I’m far more accustomed to a true sword by now, this will do. The cute girl tries one last time in vain to stop me as she sees me draw my weapon.

“No! Go back!”

“Help dude!” Her friends are not as shy as she is. The light of hope rekindles in their eyes though they do not really believe I can change their fate. I break into a run, scooping up a rock in my fist as I go. As the first zombie enters knee deep water and Donovan engages it in combat, I throw.

*Smack*

My missile catches the back of the Fresh Undead’s head right as the blonde boy’s punch hits its temple. No one can believe it when the fat corpse crumples, coagulated blood spilling into the water. However, the other five zombies are almost at the party. Donovan’s fist is shaking.

He’s not used to punching.

*Splash!*

Fresh Undead are stupid. They struggle to understand who is the greater danger. Strategy is not part of their limited skillset and though I just downed one of them, they only see the people they have been hunting. When my boots enter the water, the slowest one starts to turn towards me.

Too slow!

I draw my butcher’s knife across the back of its neck in a single practiced motion. Its spinal cord is severed and it drops instantly. The soft meat of a Fresh Undead is weaker than a normal human.

*Splash*

Another body hitting the water attracts the attention of the others. One zombie, a thin older man, turns back just in time for me to smash my cleaver into its collarbone. He shrieks as his vocal cords are torn out. Kicking the zombie back to die in the river, I dash to the next one.

This one has actually managed to face me. A woman, her face twisted in undeath reaches for me with black fingernails and scarred wrists. Ducking underneath her cold grasp, I slit her throat. All of these Fresh Undead were created from normal people who are not hunters. They can kill with a single bite. But to someone who has fought a hundred battles, they are nothing.

Four down.

The last two haven’t realized that I am behind them. But the girls have backed up into chest-deep water. Their clothes cling to their bodies as they try to stay upright. Any deeper and they’ll be swept away like their friend was.

“AHHH!” The blonde, Donovan, has been attacked. He grabs the puffy forearms coming towards him, trying to keep the zombie from reaching him. The rotting man surges forwards, knocking Donovan underwater. Splashes echo as the other two boys watch him fall, unsure of how to help.

I’ve gotten close.

*Splash*

My cleaver dispatches the fifth zombie summarily as Yin’s wide eyes watch.

“HELP HIM!” She cries at the drowning boy. I’m annoyed.

These idiots went too deep.

It’s hard to fight in such deep water. I’m not that tall, my arms only reach halfway out of the river. Striding past the other zombies, I approach the frothing melee. I can see Donovan’s face underwater. Air bubbles stream from his ice-cold lips as he tries to keep the zombie from biting him. Their arms tangle and unwind, a bizarre dance between living and dead.

*Splash*

Raising my blade up high, I jump out of the water to get more leverage. Then swing straight down onto the zombie’s neck like I’m chopping vegetables. A black cloud billows and a rotting head falls down as if to kiss Donovan in death. Reaching underwater, I grab the severed skull by the hair on the back of the scalp and throw it aside so the drowning boy doesn’t accidentally shove his hand inside its mouth or something.

“Oh my god he’s not coming up!” The other girl has pink hair with the dye fading. She points at Donovan as if we don’t all know he’s drowning. Now that the zombie has died, the rest of them finally come close. I plunge my arm down into the water, closing my eyes to avoid getting zombie blood inside.

*Muurmph*

Donovan is lifted up by the hair, kicking and spluttering. One of his wild punches catches me in the ribs and I grunt, letting go. He falls back into the river. This time, his friends decide not to be useless and go to help him up. Rubbing my rib, I immediately head back to shore. It’s probably too early for undead to spawn in the river.

Probably.

“You killed all of them.” Yin’s confused voice is a little awestruck, a little scared. If only she knew what I was really capable of. The girl really is beyond cute, beautiful might be a word with that long black hair. After the swim, her wet white t-shirt sticks to her pale skin under the jacket like a makeshift wedding gown. Hugging her hands to hard-to-ignore breasts, she shivers.

“Who…how did you do that?” Her question goes unanswered. Not one to waste time, I drag my feet to shore, swishing my cleaver in the water a few times to get the blood off. Once on the riverbank, I’m a little tired. But something familiar has appeared in the corner of my vision. I know what it is.

“Congratulations, you are now a Hunter!”

Damnit. I’m level one.