Chapter 4: First Bite
Chapter 4: First Bite
The young man lazily smoked his cigarette and idly played with his phone. He reclined against the marble tomb, sitting on the ground in a way that made his poor posture obvious. It was the slouching pose of someone who was very lazy and unproductive.
His partner ordered him to tend to the grave, but he chose to prioritize checking his online account to claim the daily bonus.
This habit was far from new; in fact, this guy was seriously addicted to gaming, to the point where he didn't even complete high school because he was more interested in playing.
"This game is too pay-to-win. I've already dropped 1000 Neo dollars on it, and I'm still getting thrashed by these whales," he grumbled in frustration. He watched as his character was three-shot killed by one of his opponents.
"DAMN PAY-TO-WIN! You bastards, relying on your parents' money to win this game!" He continued to trash-talk other players like an enraged child throwing a tantrum.
Unbeknownst to the young man, he wasn't the only one fixated on his cellphone screen. Behind him, the decaying corpse of a man gazed with curiosity at his device.
'Oh, the technology in this world is a bit more advanced than what I was used to for mobile gaming,' Reign noted as he peered at the thin cellphone the young man was holding.
He observed that the screen lacked a camera notch on the front, and the graphics of the game being played were in a stunning 2K resolution. It was the kind of graphics quality he had experienced with his console in the past.
'The battery of this phone must be quite the beast to handle these graphics,' he marveled at the smooth FPS (frames per second).
The young man was engrossed in an MMORPG game where magicians and martial artists battled using a variety of flashy skills.
Reign could only make out some icons on both the top and bottom of the screen of the phone.
'Oh, damn. I almost forgot I have to try out my bite skill,' he jolted back to his main purpose and grinned.
He smiled as he contemplated a satisfying way to fulfill his mission while alleviating his boredom. It was a genuine smile, but his zombie-like appearance gave it a chilling, horror-like quality.
"What are you playing?" A coarse voice echoed from behind the young man. The voice possessed a gruff and unpleasant quality.
"God's Zone," the young man replied, engrossed in his game.
It took him a moment to realize that the voice was unusually creepy to be his partner. Nevertheless, he didn't panic right away, considering the nature of their work.
He assumed it was another grave robber like himself.
"Hey, it's not good to snea..." The young man began to turn his head, but before he could finish his sentence.
*CRUNCH!
"Ahhhhhhh!" He shrieked in terror as his face was gradually crushed by a fucking zombie.
He attempted to fight back, but his strength waned as blood loss drained him.
In addition to the excruciating pain of his skull being crushed, he could only plead with his attacker to stop, clinging to the hope that he might be spared.
"Plea...se... I... don't... want to die," the young man pleaded in between sobs, his tears blending with the blood and brain matter inside the zombie's mouth.
"Sorry, I'm a zombie, I can't understand human words," Reign growled menacingly as he relished the sensation of gradually crunching on the man's skull.
Reign's bite skill not only increased his strength but also enlarged the size of his bite.
It temporarily stretched his mouth until it reached his ears. He could have killed the man more quickly by biting his neck, but he chose to savor the victim's reactions, deliberately prolonging the act of killing him.
"Ohhh, shit. This taste, this adrenaline. Hahaha, this is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Hahaha, give me more of this delicious brain matter."
His instincts took over, pushing his mind into a half-conscious state.
He liked the taste of human meat, and he couldn't control his urge to consume everything. Even the bones were not spared, except for certain parts he considered unimportant.
[Ding]
(Host level up 1)
(Attribute points +5)
(Skill points +1)
(System : Eating low-quality human meat increases some of host stats. )
[Ding]
[Ding]
After a few minutes, he finished consuming everything and felt a renewed surge of strength.
He added 5 points to his agility to increase it's rank by 1. Although it was challenging, he could now move somewhat better.
He took the young man's phone and checked it out.
'Good thing I still have his fingers,' Reign smiled in satisfaction. He noticed that the young man's bags also contained the phone charger.
'I just have to find a place to charge this.' he added.
After cleaning everything, he heard the sound of footsteps from outside the tomb.
"Hehehe. Another prey has come to me," Reign smiled as he hid by the door of the tomb.
The darkness provided him with a good hiding spot, reducing the risk of being spotted.