I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 52 – Evolution of the Soldiers

The night sky remained pitch black, shrouded in thick clouds that reflected the faint light of the full moon. Amid the ruins of the previous battlefield, Sylvia stood atop a pile of stones and melted corpses. The air was thick with the scent of iron, ash, and something... not entirely of this world.

Around her, the ten elite zombies knelt in silence.

Suddenly, a surge of dark energy burst from their bodies—wild, oppressive, like dragons awakening from an ancient slumber. The ground cracked beneath them, and the air hummed under the pressure of power rising.

One by one, their bodies began to transform.

Crack!

Graaahhkkk!

The sounds of stretching bones, swelling muscles, and reshaping flesh echoed through the quiet night. A dark mist, tinged with violet, wrapped around them—marking the transition from mindless corpses to entities of form and purpose.

Sylvia activated [Appraisal], her blood-red eyes gleaming as they pierced through the aura of evolution.

[Elite Zombie Evolution]

1 Tyrant – A towering figure with perfectly proportioned muscles and steel-like skin that shimmered faintly silver. His aura pulsed with strategy and awareness. Not a mere beast—he was a general.

2 Tanks – Even larger, with their backs shaped like organic shields. Their slow steps shook the earth. No ordinary weapon could halt them.

3 Hunters – Lean and agile, their forms blurred at the edges of vision and sharp long claw. Capable of brief invisibility and extreme speed, they moved like shadows in the dark.

2 Witches – Worn dresses clung to their eerie feminine forms. Their hollow eyes radiated whispers. A single scream could distort minds, and illusionary fog surrounded them like a veil.

1 Licker – Skinless, twitching. Its long tongue dangled and vibrated as it silently clung to walls like a gecko, ready to pounce.

And then, the last two...

Fire Zombie – Wreathed in black fire that scorched not air, but existence. Their breath spewed exploding fireballs.

Water Zombie – Half-liquid, their bodies flowed like sentient streams. They summoned whirlpools and conjured thick fog to shield their allies.

"Hmm... That Tyrant is a special type like me," Sylvia mused, raising an eyebrow. "But he’s not the main leader. More like... my general. That works. No need to relay orders to everyone. Just speak to him, and he’ll handle the rest."

Tyrant’s superiority was clear. He raised his head, bowed on one knee, then stood tall—awaiting command.

Sylvia turned her gaze to the battlefield once more. The orc corpses... had melted? Her eyes narrowed.

"...What is this?" she muttered.

The bodies had liquefied, leaving only weapons, armor, and... crystals. The orcs’ remaining life force had crystallized into pure energy. Sylvia stepped forward and gave a mental command to Tyrant.

"Gather everything. Weapons, armor, crystals. Have the others help too."

Tyrant gave a silent nod and began coordinating the team. In just 30 minutes, Sylvia stood before a large pile of weapons: massive axes, serrated swords, longbows with black arrows, crimson crystal-tipped staffs, and bone-like maces.

Tyrant approached and handed her a large sack that clinked and crackled with each movement.

Inside—red and blue crystals.

"Red and blue crystals?" Sylvia frowned."The red ones are from Rank 3 orcs. The blue... Rank 4," Tyrant explained through telepathy, his voice deep and calm.

Sylvia gave a slight nod and picked up a red crystal, popping it into her mouth.

Crunch!

It tasted sweet—like roasted cherries—but... empty. No energy surge.

She then tried a blue one. As it shattered in her mouth—

Crunch!DING!! Level UP: 37DING!! Level UP: 38

"Wow... Incredible... Two levels in one go?"

With glowing eyes, she devoured another.

Crunch!DING!! Level UP: 40

"This is amazing! But why didn’t the red one work?" she pondered, then smiled faintly and began distributing the crystals to her troops.

To the nine other zombies, she gave six red crystals each.To Tyrant—eight.

They consumed them without hesitation.

Their auras instantly surged. Sylvia activated [Appraisal] once again.

Rank 3 Zombies (previously level 1) → now level 12

Tyrant (from level 1) → now level 10

"The stronger the race... the slower the level growth," she thought, observing their stats. "But their attributes are denser, their quality far superior."

She sat on a pile of stones and finally let out a long sigh.

"It’s already morning. I should go ba—""AHHHH—DAMN IT! I forgot my house collapsed!!"

Sylvia stared at the ruins that once were her Apartement, visibly annoyed.

"Whatever... Guess I’ll just find a new one. Something better."

She ordered Tyrant to finish clearing the battlefield—even though most orcs had melted and some of her own zombies were reduced to ashes. The Fire Zombie diligently incinerated the leftovers.

Then, Sylvia leapt onto the roof of an intact house a few blocks away. The villa was still standing—large, with a wide balcony and a mossy courtyard.

"This place... will do."

She called Tyrant via telepathy.

"Bring all the weapons and armor here."

Tyrant, along with the Tank and Water Zombie, dragged the loot using a makeshift cart—like a grim caravan marching through the ruins. Sylvia watched from the balcony, nodding in satisfaction.

As the night deepened, stars peeked through the scattered clouds.

Sylvia lay on a bed she found inside the villa, eyes gazing at the cracked yet sturdy ceiling.

"So much more I can do now...My army isn’t just mindless corpses anymore...They’re true soldiers."

She closed her eyes. But being undead, she couldn’t sleep.

"Damn it, I miss sleeping," Sylvia growled—though to human ears, it would sound like a deep groan.

"What should I even do with those weapons and armor? None of us can use them properly...Ah, right. There’s Sofia. Maybe her base can forge gear for us."

Without another thought, Sylvia used Void Steps.

But since Void Steps functioned more like high-speed dashing rather than instant teleportation, she couldn’t just appear in place instantly.

The next moment—

BRAKKK!!

Sylvia crashed into Sofia, who had just woken up—wearing only an oversized T-shirt. The impact knocked them both to the floor.

Sylvia landed right on top of her.

Sofia’s cheeks flushed deep red.

Sylvia, as usual, wore her signature deadpan face... but inside, her nonexistent heart was pounding hard.

"Even if my heart’s dead... damn."