Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 10B1 - Magical Creatures

Now that the Infected had been defeated, the group made a run for it. The snarls and groans of Infected rang through their ears, but the they ignored them. At last, with a Cleric by their side, there was no need to fear getting infected.

But that didn’t mean they were ready to fight multiple groups of dozens of Infected in a row. David felt ready, but the others didn’t. They ran away from the commotion, only to rush into more Infected near another stairwell on the other side of the shopping center.

David caught Jack muttering under his breath, frustration etched across his face. “Why are there so many all of a sudden?”

He didn’t respond, though he had a guess. You guys didn’t expect to be the only survivors seeking refuge in the shopping center, did you?

The shopping center was a good hiding spot, but only until the Infected charged inside. Staying inside would only grow more dangerous.

“We need to leave the shopping center,” Sebastian said, his expression souring as one of the common Infected turned in their direction.

David barely had time to turn before more Infected spilled out of the stairwell, blocking their escape route. It was almost like Infected started spawning in the stairwells. After a few minutes of running around, David noticed that the first and second floor were flooded with Infected. There were easily more than one hundred Infected on every floor.

“The escalators!” Jack hissed, pointing ahead.

Snarls echoed from the direction Jack had indicated, but there was no other choice. David sprinted alongside the group, his heart hammering in his chest. As they approached the escalator, the sight of dozens of Infected occupying the stairs made Jack pale.

He turned to the others and gestured to them to hurry up. David and Sebastian were the next to arrive. David stepped forward, ready to block the escalator and take on the Infected, so did Sebastian.

Flora, on the other hand, rushed to the escalator and ran up to the second floor while Jack pulled Sebastian and David’s arms. David clicked his tongue inwardly but followed the others to the third floor.

David scanned the third floor, his stomach sinking at the sight of collapsed walls and rubble where shops once stood. Bad turned to worse as his eyes landed on the fourth and final floor. It was utterly destroyed.

“Rest…please…” Flora breathed heavily. From the way she swayed and gasped for air, Flora looked ready to collapse. Then, one of her legs gave out beneath her, but Jack was already on the move. He jumped forward and helped her without hesitation.

Is magic that exhausting? Using Skill Runes is exhausting, but not like that. You’re supposed to get used to the strain once you use them repetitively.

That was how it worked for David.

“Let’s stay here for a few minutes, then. The fourth floor, or what’s left of it, will probably fall apart the moment we go up,” David muttered, his eyes flicking to the stairwells and the other escalators. The Infected had yet to reach the third floor, but that was only a matter of time. They had to prepare for the worst case.

He considered that as he headed to a nearby furniture store with collapsed walls, unraveling the beauty of nature. David stared at the cloudless, blue sky through the broken walls. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the world had never changed.

Moments like this remind you that life can feel normal again… as long as you’re strong enough to stay in full control.

David forced a smile and peered at the others.

“Wake me up when the Infected reach the third floor.” He crashed on the couch and closed his eyes, giving in to his instincts.

A moment later, the world around him turned dark. All he heard was some comments.

“Did he really just fall asleep?” Flora whispered.

“It…looks like that…” Sebastian responded.

Jack snorted, “Crazy bastard.”

***

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It felt like he’d barely closed his eyes when hushed voices reached his ears.

“W-what are these…things?” Flora’s voice quivered.

David opened his eyes and jumped up with one hand, holding onto the heavy baseball bat.

He might not have slept long, but he felt much better. His body was still in pain from moving around, but his natural recovery hadn’t disappointed him. Unfortunately, Holy Sea was still far from full, but it should be enough to use his Skill Runes a few times.

Resting seems to accelerate the natural recovery rate of holy power. That’s…good to know.

“They look like humanoid reptilians, but look how small they are!” Jack’s voice trembled, betraying his fear despite his attempt to mask it.

“I don’t like this,” Sebastian muttered.

David joined them at the edge of a broken wall, peering down at the street where roars and bellows echoed, drawing their full attention.

At first, David thought the commotion was caused by humans, but the conversation around him told a different story. He leaned forward, squinting as he scanned the chaos below.

It was hard to make out the creatures from this angle, but a few details stood out. They were humanoid, just as Jack had said, though not towering like Sebastian. David’s eyes lingered on their weapons—crude but oddly long. Some of the swords looked longer than the creatures themselves.

Either they weren’t wearing clothes, or their jagged, scale-covered bodies made it impossible to tell. Their muscular frames gleamed in the light, and long, sinewy tails lashed behind them.

“They look like crocodiles walking on two legs,” David said.

The creatures—the group decided to call them “Crocs” for now—charged into a pack of Infected on the street below. Among their enemies were stronger variants, but the Crocs didn’t hesitate. They leapt forward with startling speed, closing the distance in moments and slicing through the Infected like paper.

No effort. No struggle. Nothing.

David’s stomach churned as he realized there were at least a dozen Crocs, maybe more. They decimated the Infected in minutes, leaving piles of bodies in their wake before turning their attention toward the shopping center’s entrance.

They’re aggressive, almost seeking danger. But what the hell are they? David wondered. Mutated animals? Or something connected to the system and the Pantheon?

He glanced at the others. Their stiff postures and wide-eyed stares mirrored his own unease.

The Crocs stormed into the shopping center, leaving behind the remnants of their slaughter. The screams that followed weren’t from the Infected—they didn’t scream, and they certainly didn’t feel pain. These were human cries of terror.

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“Fuck,” Jack muttered, while Flora began trembling like a leaf in a storm.

“We have to run!” she cried.

Sebastian clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t panic,” he hissed. “You’ll expose us.”

Flora’s eyes welled with tears, but she nodded, forcing herself to stay quiet.

“How do we run?” Jack asked, biting his lip. “If we take the escalators or stairwells, we’ll run into either the Infected or those things. We might be able to handle the Infected, but any commotion will draw the Crocs to us.”

Sebastian muttered under his breath, “Kobolds.”

David blinked. “What?”

“They look like life-like versions of Kobolds from Dungeons and Dragons,” Sebastian said.

“Kobolds, Crocs, whatever.” David shook his head, clearing the questions forming in his mind. “They’re fast and strong. We have three options: barricade ourselves here, hide and pray they don’t find us, or—”

“Or what?” Jack snapped.

“Or we fight our way to the emergency staircase. It’s outside the building, but it connects to every floors. If we’re fast, we might get there before they find us.”

Jack looked ready to argue but closed his mouth, nodding instead.

“The emergency staircase it is.”

He dashed to the side of a shop, scanning a map that displayed all escape routes. “I’ve got it,” he said, relaying the plan to the others. Without waiting, he sprinted toward the third-floor hall.

David followed, his heart pounding as he ignored the chaos erupting on the lower floors. Adrenaline coursed through him, mingling with a strange excitement. Creatures like these felt like something out of a fantasy novel.

Facing them should be thrilling… just not right now.

As they rushed past a stairwell, a blood-curdling scream froze them in their tracks.

David turned, spotting a man at the bottom of the stairwell. The stranger’s hand stretched out in desperation, his face twisted in terror.

“Help m—”

A blue flash cut through the air, silencing the man mid-sentence.

David barely caught sight of the blade—a spear with a glowing, blue edge—before it pierced through the man’s skull with surgical precision.

Fuck this shit.