Page 107

Her awakened ability remained unchanged from her previous lives, yet her current stats showed remarkable improvement. Before the apocalypse, she was merely an office worker, incapable of single-handedly killing a zombie in her early encounters with the undead.

Now, despite her body’s protests and the agony of newly strained muscles, she managed to execute strenuous attacks with surprising efficiency. While her reflexes weren’t as sharp as they once were, her reliance on past experiences compensated for this drawback.

Though not quite like a muscle memory, it was still almost the same but the only downside was that her reaction time wasn’t as quick as in her prime.

But that was understandable, she already felt that she was making progress here.

"What’s on your mind?" Duke’s voice reverberated in her right ear, it was warm and alluring that Kisha felt her back tremble a little and since her back was resting on Duke’s chest, he also felt that little reaction from her which elicited a soft chuckle from him. He wanted to tease her even more.

As Kisha slowly turned her head, she realized there was one person in the room she hadn’t checked yet. Meeting Duke’s mischievous gaze, she found herself locked in a silent exchange. Duke, undeterred, maintained his steady gaze, mirroring her own.

"Host, are you absolutely certain about this?" 008’s sarcastic tone resonated in Kisha’s mind.

"I believe it might be wise to spare yourself some heartache." 008 didn’t miss the opportunity to remind Kisha of the last time they checked Duke’s status window, a memory that still rankled deep within her.

Duke appeared to be adored by the world and he was just like a killing machine of his own.

Kisha ground her teeth in frustration as she recalled the infuriating moment in Duke’s office when she had checked his status window.

Despite the irritation, she forced herself to calm down.

Uncovering Duke’s abilities was crucial; in her previous life, he had displayed numerous abilities, many of which remained obscured from her knowledge.

[Do you like to check Duke Winter’s status window?]

[YES] OR [NO]

[YES]

[Duke Winters]

Level 0

Strength: 30

Stamina: 30

Defense: 30

Agility: 25

Mental Capacity: 35

Charm: 40

Leadership: 45

Title: None

Skills: None

Talent: Multi-faceted

Gift: Tyrant

Ability: Elemental (Lightning, Fire, Ice)

Kisha’s lips tightened in frustration, and 008’s amusement only aggravated her further. She could practically hear its mocking thoughts: Host, you’ve gained those extra 10 points, but he still outmatches you.

"Host, don’t slander me. That’s not what I’m thinking though!" 008 protested defensively, as if stung by Kisha’s assumption.

"At least try to mask your laughter if you want to be believable.

" Kisha’s brows knitted because she really felt that it was unfair that this guy was so strong even before he awakened and when he did, he still had all the high-class attack-type abilities which were widely coveted and revered types of abilities.

She sighed inwardly, wishing for just a fraction of his innate strength.

While her ability doesn’t even look or sound that flashy, so everyone always assumes that she’s just a sidekick with a weak ability because everyone’s been hearing about telekinesis and such even before the world turned out like this, so they are already somehow immune to what her ability could do and they already formed a misconception about it without actually knowing the full extent of what she actually could do.

Duke watches Kisha as her expression turns every second, her brow’s every crease to how her lips purse in frustration, and how her eyes reflect envy as she stares at him.

He was amused, to say the least, it’s as if she was looking at something about him that was making her so jealous but she couldn’t do anything about it and could only try to pacify her own self.

"Is there something on your mind?" Duke’s raised eyebrow conveyed a sense of curiosity and empathy as he continued to regard her. Kisha met his gaze for a moment before shifting her attention to the others in the room, silently contemplating her response.

"As I mentioned before, crystal cores aid in the advancement, or leveling up, of superhumans who have awakened their abilities, as well as mutated animals and other entities affected by the virus.

" Kisha produced several crystal cores from her inventory.

"I assume you all collected some crystal cores during your escape? "

Sparrow returned from distributing the healing potions outside and handed one to Vulture, who was still nursing his broken ribs.

However, Vulture was taken aback, as they had planned to surprise Kisha with the crystal cores they had collected.

He had forgotten that Kisha could sense the spiritual fluctuations within the crystal cores, and she felt them emanating from the belt bag held by Mrs.

Winters.

Recalling that she had the crystal cores, Mrs. Winters removed the belt bag from her waist and placed it on the bed in front of Kisha, as if presenting a treasure. Unintentionally, Kisha found herself smiling at Mrs. Winters, her eyes tracking her every movement.

"Are we going to eat it now?" Duke asked, his expression contorting with uncertainty and disgust as he imagined the prospect.

The others, hearing the information for the first time, were shocked. Even Mrs. Winters couldn’t fathom the idea of consuming something dug out from the decaying bodies of zombies. "We’re going to eat this?" she choked up, the words thick with disbelief.

"Not us, but Vulture and Sparrow," Kisha corrected, then continued, "We have just awakened our abilities, so we need to consolidate our foundation before advancing to the next level.

Rushing the process could weaken our foundation, leaving us like paper tigers—imposing in appearance but lacking in firepower. "

After her explanation, everyone, including Duke, let out a sigh of relief, relieved that they wouldn’t have to eat the crystal core then and there.

Meanwhile, Sparrow and Vulture, who had dreaded this day, suddenly regretted gathering the crystal cores, as they hadn’t anticipated being the first to consume them.

Kisha couldn’t help but chuckle at their expressions of repulsion. Taking four of the six crystal cores she had taken out from her inventory, she handed them to Bell, who accepted them eagerly. The creature silently perched on Kisha’s lap, happily munching away on the cores.

As Bell finished consuming the final crystal core, its entire body began to glow with a radiant rainbow light for five seconds before it dissipated. After the intense brightness subsided, they observed Bell happily fluttering its wings, emitting an excited buzzing sound.

Although they couldn’t discern the exact nature of the change in Bell, they could sense a palpable difference in its aura. Only Kisha, utilizing her ’Eye of Truth’ gift, could perceive the precise alterations taking place within Bell and the increase of its strength.

[Scarlet Queen Bee: Bell (Mythic Grade)]

Level 1 (EXP. 0/300)

Strength: 35 (+5)

Stamina: 27 (+5)

Defense: 21 (+5)

Agility: 50 (+5)

Mental Capacity: 34 (+5)

Charm: 25 (+5)

Leadership: 39 (+5)

Skills: Stinger strike, Modify

Kisha was taken aback by the significant boost Bell received from its level-up, resulting in a substantial increase of five points.

"A whopping five points!" This leap was nothing short of remarkable, akin to the gains one might achieve through weeks of intense training to enhance overall strength and speed.

With each level-up, not only does it raise the ceiling of an individual’s potential strength, but it also grants free level-up points. To encourage and uplift Vulture and Sparrow, Kisha suggested, "Bell, why don’t you demonstrate your newfound strength to Vulture and Sparrow?

Let them witness firsthand the wonders of leveling up." Her tone carried a hint of playful teasing, which Duke noticed with raised eyebrows, amused by her good mood.

Upon hearing Kisha’s command, Bell immediately darted around the room at lightning speed, its form blurring to the naked eye. All that remained audible was a rapid "buzz" as it zipped past them, leaving observers amazed at its newfound agility.

Sparrow and Vulture’s eyes widened in astonishment as they observed the difference in Bell’s speed. Previously, even at its fastest, they could still see its afterimage. Now, however, there was no trace left behind—only the faint buzzing of its wings, indicating its movement.

Vulture didn’t hesitate and asked, "How many should I eat?" Sparrow’s head whipped around, astonished at Vulture’s sudden change of heart upon witnessing Bell’s remarkable improvement post-level up.

He couldn’t blame Vulture; even he felt tempted.

Sparrow turned to Kisha, wordlessly awaiting her response.

"Only 10 each," Kisha replied with a deadpan expression, though inwardly she was stifling laughter.