Chapter 25: Race to Level 10 II

“Are you serious? But, why only twenty-four hours?” Teo asked, eyes widening.

Gloria shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“Then, what happens after that?”

A smile of mysterious nature stretched on her lips. “Scary things,” Her husky voice sent shivers down his spine.

Teo gulped loudly, goosebumps appearing on his skin, “Wha- what scary things?”

“You will forever be trapped in this place. Even after reaching level ten, you couldn’t leave. And after your death, the body will turn into a zombie, and the soul will become a wraith.”

“That’s terrifying.” Teo gasped, his stomach clenching. His knees became weaker when imagining the horrible fate waiting for anyone unlucky enough to get trapped here.

Fear brought desperation. Teo got up, having already lost the mood to rest. The beginner weapon that had taken the shape of a wooden sword was held firmly in his right hand. The minions flinched as they reacted to his will, then settled into a formation behind him.

“What the—” Gloria almost jumped out of her skin when more than seven zombies flanked her. Wide eyes stared cautiously at the rotten corpses as her index finger settled on the trigger. “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?” She asked, throwing a wary look at Teo’s back.

“We can’t waste any more time.” Teo’s voice took on a decisive tone. “Let’s go hunt and level up.”

“Huh?” It took a few seconds for Gloria to realize Teo’s intention. Then, she burst into a fit of laughs. The way Teo reacted to the time limit imposed by the dungeon was just too hilarious to her.

“What’s so funny?” An annoyed glance was thrown at the hysteric gunner.

“Haha!! Ah… ah… my god.” She was clutching to her sides while a line of tear streaked down on her puffed red cheeks. “Give- give me a moment. Oh my god! Haha!!”

Teo pulled a long face as he watched Gloria’s rolling form dully. Slim eyebrows twitched in annoyance, forehead sporting a few throbbing veins.

Several minutes later, Gloria was reduced to a panting mess, lying haphazardly on the ground. Her laughter had ceased, but Teo still could hear a giggle or two leaking from her mouth.

“You done?” He asked, the corner of his lips twitching.

“Haaaa, yes.” Gloria wiped a few strands of tears from the corner of her eyes.

Teo snorted, “what’s so funny? How about sharing with me?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Don’t mind me. Let’s go to hunt- pfft hahaha!!” She couldn’t even finish her sentence, bursting into giggles midway.

“Oh, come on!!” Teo hissed.

XXX

“I’ve found our next target,” Gloria announced. Her face was red from laughing non-stop, and her clothes appeared crumpled due to rollings on the stone floor. “Let’s go hunt another level two.”

Teo raised an eyebrow. “Which one?” He asked, leaning over Gloria’s shoulders to stare at her map. Unlike one’s attributes, it was possible to see the maps of others if they allowed it.

“Here.” The sniper girl pointed at a cluster of red dots on the other side of the yellow marker representing them on the map. “This one is pretty isolated from others. If we are quick about it, then we might finish it off before other level twos are alerted,” She said, tapping on the map with her index finger.

Teo furrowed his brows as he scanned the map. Around the spot Gloria pointed out, there were three more clusters. However, as she said, those zombies were far from their target. If they ambushed correctly, it was possible to finish everything before other zombies were alerted.

Her idea... seems… possible? Teo mulled over her proposed plan as his gaze shifted to the gathered minions. Nine level one zombies and one level two formed a neat line behind him. They would be enough to deal with the target they had in mind.

The plan was set to motion, and soon, Teo and Gloria found themselves squatting in a corner as they stalked a cluster of zombies.

“I found the level two,” Teo announced.

“Where?” Gloria inquired.

“Look at the one in the middle of the circle.”

“Where… found it. Alright, give me a moment.”

Gloria settled down on one knee. The rifle held in her hands was supported by her shoulder as running parameters on the gun’s status woke up the LED screen. But she paid little attention to it; her eyes were fully focused on the level two zombie. It had to go first.

[Charge Shot] is ready for use.

-30 mana

Is that her skill?

Teo raised an eyebrow as he wondered at the orange glow cloaking her index finger. He hadn’t seen her use this ability before. Perhaps, a need for it hadn’t arrived until now.

Then, she pressed the trigger.

The rifle came to life with orange lines filling everywhere on its body. Their glow brightened the tunnel. A muffled grunt brought Teo’s attention back to Gloria, who was seen struggling. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, trailing a line on her cheeks. Rapid breaths indicated the execution of some strenuous activity.

In the next moment, his attention shifted to a series of ‘thud’ sounds as several zombies tumbled over in a straight line.

You killed level-1 zombie x4

+40 EXP

+20 Tutorial coins

You killed level-2 zombie x1

+40 EXP

+20 Tutorial coins.

Wow. That’s all he could think of. He already knew Gloria was more powerful than him, and this display of power just proved that again. He couldn’t do that even if he used all the skills in his arsenal.

“How is it?” Gloria’s voice pulled him out of his thought lane, bringing his attention to a smug-looking face.

Teo gave her a thumbs up with a nod.

Death of the level-two put the remaining zombies in a frenzy. They stumbled around like headless chickens, crashing against each other and tumbling to the ground.

“What are you waiting for, an invitation?”

Spurred by Gloria’s words, Teo, who was busy admiring her handiwork, willed his minions to initiate. Nine level-ones dragged their feet over, and soon a horrendous festival of blood and gore unfolded under the dim light of a soul lamp.

Experience points and tutorial coins poured in droves as zombies on both sides fell. The ones on his side had a level-two controlling them, which gave them an edge over the uncontrolled eleven level ones. Gloria’s timely assistance also contributed to the rapid dwindling of their numbers.

The fight was over in just a few minutes, leaving both [Player]-aspirants to calculate their spoils.

“So close!” Teo clicked his tongue as he mumbled under his breath. He only needed to kill one more zombie to reach level seven.

“I’m far from being done, though.” Gloria frowned, her voice sounding repressed.

“How much do you need?” Teo asked, curious.

“A little less than four hundred thousand,” Gloria answered nonchalantly.

“Wha-?” Teo couldn’t believe his ears. He thought he had misheard the number, so he asked again, “how much again?”

“You heard it correctly. It’s a little less than four hundred thousand.” Gloria snickered. She could tell what was on his mind; it was practically written on his face.

“Fo- four hundred thousand? How many zeroes are there? Ten.. hundreds…” Teo began calculating with his fingers.

Gloria shifted on her legs, hiding a soft giggle behind her palm. “Five zeroes,” She informed, then added, “well, technically, there are three zeroes in the number I need.”

“…” Teo was struck speechless.