There was a moment of silence at the table, then Reymond spoke.

"Naturally, we have to go together. The only thing is that we need to choose what we’re going for first."

Leon raised a hand, calmly interrupting him.

"I will be heading out alone."

Everyone turned to look at him in shock.

Director Sam frowned. "Boy, I heard that you’re strong, but you shouldn’t be arrogant. At this point of the day, the zombies and mutated beasts must have grown significantly stronger."

Leon nodded, agreeing with him. "I’m aware of this. But I still insist on going alone. No objections."

His tone was firm, leaving the other four feeling helpless.

"You’re too arrogant, but fine. You’ll be heading to the student dormitories to get clothes for everyone."

Selene said with a cold expression, clearly delegating him with the hardest task. After all, the dormitories were bound to be full of zombies.

Gwen, the unfamiliar girl, turned to her childhood friend in shock.

"No way you’re serious, Selene! That’s a suicide mission!"

The silver-haired girl’s expression remained unruffled.

"What? Since he believes he’s better than us combined, he should take on the hardest task. Right, Leon?"

Leon turned to her, his expression unchanged.

"In that case, I will be leaving now."

He stood up at once, then walked away.

"W-wait!"

Gwen tried to stop him but it was useless. He didn’t stop. The large metal gates were opened easily, then slammed shut behind him.

"Could he be trying to ditch us?" Reymond asked in a low voice, confused.

Selene shrugged indifferently. "Then I wish him good luck surviving."

She immediately returned their attention to the main discussion, ignoring Leon entirely.

Only Gwen remained silent with a concerned expression.

......

Leon stepped out of the field house, looking around cautiously.

The atmosphere had changed. Not dramatically, but subtly. It was like the air had turned heavier than usual.

"You didn’t just agree to do that because you were arrogant, right?"

Thyra asked as she stood beside him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

He held his spear, eyes narrowed as he stared into the distance.

"I realized that fighting stronger enemies allows me to level up faster. Also, if I don’t have a solo kill, I’ll only be sharing the rewards with them."

Thyra’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow. You deduced that already? You’re really a genius."

Leon shook his head with a frail smile.

"It’s nothing that great. Anyone could deduce that if they think about it. Also, I want to level up quickly so I don’t lag behind these zombies and mutated beasts."

Thyra nodded. "That’s the right mindset. Awwwn~ Big Sister is so proud of you~"

She attempted to hug him, but Leon immediately dodged, not wanting to be embarrassed again.

Even till now, it still felt suffocating being with the seductive woman.

His sanity was being corroded, though the pace had slowed considerably.

"Alright. Enough dilly-dallying."

He broke into a sprint, heading back to the male dormitory. Selene was right, as everyone needed a change of clothes, including him.

As he moved at a speed several times faster than a human, he glanced back to see Thyra trailing right behind him.

She wasn’t even running. It felt like she was gliding.

’Shadow things, I guess.’

Dismissing the thought, he focused on his journey to the hostel.

Suddenly, a blur caught his sight and he turned, twisting his upper body and slashing his spear at his left.

Clang!

His spear blocked a pair of terrifying claws, skidding backwards from the force.

"A cat?"

A large black cat the size of a Siberian tiger stood some distance away, its body lowered as it growled at him.

Leon stared at it cautiously, then twirled his spear. The two sized each other up, preparing for a second confrontation.

’The cat is fast and strong. Definitely in a higher level than I am.’

His black eyes shone with excitement. He didn’t feel a shred of fear, as he was confident that he could subdue the mutated cat alone.

Suddenly, the cat tensed and lunged at him.

Instinctively, Leon moved, throwing his spear in a straight stab.

The mutated cat’s lunge was interrupted, and its shoulder was grazed.

Blood splattered on the ground, proving that it had weak defense, and hadn’t passed the level 25.

Without letting it rest, Leon dashed at the cat, swinging his spear right at it neck.

The beast growled, raising a claw to block his blade while it attacked him with the other claw.

Unfazed, Leon leaned back, letting the mutated cat’s paw fly over his face. Planting a feet firmly on the ground, his other leg snapped up.

A sharp kick connected to the mutated cat’s underbelly, lifting it off the ground.

Its eyes bulged in pain as it suffered internal injuries. Still, it turned in the air, legs spread apart to land firmly.

Before it even landed, Leon appeared by its side, his spear already at its neck.

The mutated cat could only watch in terror as the spear went through its neck, killing it instantly.

The heavy corpse collapsed to the ground with a thud, and Leon yanked his weapon from its flesh.

[You have slain a Level 19 Mutated Night Cat! +12 Mana points gained!]

[You have leveled up to Level...]

[You have leveled up to Level...]

[You have leveled up to Level...]

[You have leveled up to Level...]

[You have leveled up to Level 14! +9 Stat points gained!]

The kill had been quite easy, and he leveled up several times since the enemy was obviously in a higher level than him.

Leon kicked the corpse once, then continued on his journey. He could see zombies walking about in the distance.

Some had been attracted by the sound of battle, so Leon decided to leave before they got close.

He continued to make his way to the male dormitary, choosing to avoid unnecessary fights with low-level zombies.

When he finally arrived at the entrance, he was hit with the smell of rotting flesh and blood, making him paused.

He stared at the carnage he had caused yesterday, then shook his head and headed upstairs.

His expression remained unchanged, showing no empathy or conflicted emotions to the dead zombies.