Leon stepped into the field house with a calm look, followed by Selene, then Reymond, and the twenty eight remaining students.

Immediately, the two students who had opened the gates shut them close.

Leon looked around, seeing up to fifty students huddled together in the basketball court. Most of them were soaked from the rain, and had fear written all over their faces.

Surviving the breakout of zombies was no simple ordeal that anyone could brave through.

"Looks like someone took care of the zombies here too."

Reymond said, staring at the zombie corpses on the ground. There was also a mutated dog’s corpse nearby, its head cleanly severed.

It was impossible for some people in the building not to turn into zombies when the mana influx hit the world.

Most of the zombie corpses had sport wears on them, proving that they had been training when it all happened.

"Director Sam?"

Someone asked in surprise, turning everyone’s attention to a middle-aged man who was calmly seated on one of the audience seats. Beside him, a large axe rested, exuding a dangerous aura.

The man turned his gaze to them, then smiled wearily.

"More students survived. Thank goodness."

He was the Sports Director of the university, and had immediately moved to take down the zombies in the gymnasium. Through this, he had leveled up and even got a good weapon for himself.

Unfortunately, his fight with a mutated dog that had sneaked in when he was opening the gates for some students earlier, had completely drained him.

This was why he had hesitated to let the students open the door for Leon and the others.

After hearing his explanation, Leon’s displeasure reduced. While the man discussed with Reymond about the situation on the outside, Leon departed from the group, finding a small room for himself.

After clearing out the space, he dropped his bag and immediately pulled out his phone.

Suppressing his anxiety, he dialed a phone number. The call didn’t connect. There was no internet network.

"Damnit!"

He raised his hand, tempted to smash the phone to the ground. However, he held back and looked at the phone again.

Seeing the blank network signal, his heart dropped.

Leon came from a wealthy family. His father was a popular politician, and even though he later abandoned Leon, and his mother, he still left them with some fortune.

Leon’s mother also adopted a little girl slightly younger than Leon since she had always wanted a female child.

However, she refused to remarry so she adopted Clara instead.

They were living harmoniously until Leon reached his final year in highschool and his mother died in a car accident.

Devastated, the only family member he could cling on to was Clara, his little sister. After finishing his exams, he immediately got to work as a ghostwriter so that the girl’s education wouldn’t be halted.

After two years, he succeeded in making enough money to fund her education and take him into college.

Now in his third year, he had made enough money to even enroll Clara into the same Clifford University that he was.

Unfortunately, the apocalypse had struck, and all his plans were ruined. However, there was still something worth fighting for—Clara’s life.

Using that as a determination, he suppressed his fear of zombies and other creatures, pushing himself to survive.

However, now that he had finally cooled down and couldn’t contact Clara, his imagination ran wild.

’What if she’s dead? What if she’s been killed by a zombie? What if she has turned into a zombie herself?’

He pulled at his own hair like a madman, gritting his teeth furiously.

Thyra stood and watched with a frown. She had seen him try calling the person ’Little Heart.’

Was it his girlfriend? Or was it a family member? She didn’t know, so she decided to ask.

"Who are you trying to reach?"

Leon froze, realizing that she was still there. Without turning, he replied in a weak voice.

"My sister... I can’t reach her."

"Oh, I see." Thyra nodded calmly, "You’re worried about her, right? How old is she?"

Her question was unexpected, and Leon turned to her with a frown. However, seeing her serious expression, he answered.

"She’s 19."

Instantly, Thyra’s expression eased. "Ah, in that case, you shouldn’t be too worried. People who are at the peak of their youth have the least chances of becoming a zombie."

As if her words were a flame lit in the darkness, Leon shot at her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Is that true?!"

His expression was like that of a person who had been despairing and suddenly saw a flicker of hope.

It was... pitiful.

Thyra didn’t push him off, simply nodding with a smile. She then explained to him.

"When the Star Stream infuses mana into a world, most of the zombies are from children or aged people. Then, there are those with poor health and have weak immune systems. Although there will be aged people and children who would survive, they can’t be compared to the number of people who are turned."

Leon listened obediently, feeling like her words were divine. His heart continued to ease as she spoke.

"As for you youths, you have strong immune system and can adapt better. As for why there are many zombies on the campus, I guess it’s because some turned and began to bite others, spreading the corrupted mana to the others."

Leon sucked in a sharp breath, finally having a solid explanation and a reason to believe Clara was still alive.

To reassure him further, Thyra continued. "Don’t worry, I believe she’s also smart not to get bitten or scratched. After all, you’re smart. She should be smarter than you."

These words brought a smile to Leon’s face, and he said with pride.

"Yes. Clara is smarter than I am."

Thyra also smiled. It seemed he really cherished the little girl so much.

Suddenly, a mischievous glint passed through her eyes and she grabbed Leon, pulling him close.

The boy was startled, suddenly pressed against her soft and tender flesh.

With the worry out of his mind, he was now conscious of his position, and realized he was being hugged by the Shadow Demon.

"Eek! Let me go!"

However, his struggle was to no avail. He only made himself more sensitive by squirming in her embrace.

The sensation of her body, the maddening scent she carried...

’D-damn it...’

"Aww~ Don’t be mean. I just helped you a little, didn’t I? Let Big Sister hug you for a while. It’s been so long that I touched anyone, you know~"

Hearing her words, Leon paused and stopped struggling. He now remembered that she was a ghost and could only touch him because he was using the ability he created.

Surely, she must have craved the warmth of another person for a long time, right? After all, Clara would always hug him whenever she was tired.

Sensing his struggle cease, Thyra smiled and closed her eyes. He really felt warm.

After almost a minute, she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Ah~? Looks like something is poking me~"