Chapter 3: The Wrong Choice

Gasping for breath, Jiang Yi finally let out a sigh of relief as he saw the dead zombie wedged into the wooden door, effectively plugging the hole.

Zombies possessed no intelligence; those outside had no way of knowing how to pull the corpse out to clear the gap. They simply continued to mindlessly batter against other parts of the door.

Just as Jiang Yi began to relax, a white light suddenly emerged from the dead zombie. It coalesced into a sphere of light and shot toward the exhausted Jiang Yi like a bolt!

Startled, Jiang Yi wanted to dodge, but he lacked the strength. He could only watch helplessly as the light sphere flew into his chest and vanished. "Huh? I don't feel anything?" Touching his chest with lingering fear, Jiang Yi sat up, bewildered.

Clearly, this was his first time encountering such a phenomenon. Since the apocalypse began, Jiang Yi had killed zombies before, but he had never experienced this. The sudden change was undoubtedly related to the ability he had acquired.

He summoned the light screen onto the wall once more. This time, the data displayed had changed significantly: "Level: 1 (0/2), Physique: 1, Spirit: 1, Strength: 1, Speed: 1, Defense: 1... Note: Every time a warrior levels up, their body is restored to the optimal state for that level, and they gain five free attribute points!"

Jiang Yi frowned. He clearly remembered that when he had materialized his weapon, all five of his attributes had been drained, leaving him with a pathetic 1 point each. What did one attribute point mean? It was akin to reducing a healthy adult to the state of a newborn infant. If he hadn't managed to kill that zombie and level up to 1, restoring his physical and mental strength to their maximum, he feared he wouldn't have had the energy to kill even a single zombie.

Furthermore, looking at the note, it seemed he had five free attribute points to allocate. Fully aware of his precarious situation, Jiang Yi impatiently clicked the screen to try and add the points. Instead of changing his stats, the screen flipped to show a long list of options: "Please select your future specialization path... Note: Once this choice is fixed, it cannot be altered. Warriors, please choose with caution."

A long list of options made Jiang Yi dizzy, but he gritted his teeth and examined them one by one.

"Infinite Combat Leveling System specialization attributes are as follows:

Balanced Warrior: Stability is mediocrity; a path of excessive balance is destined to leave you lost among the masses.

Physique-focused Warrior: Undying and indestructible; the physique-focused warrior has the strongest recovery rate! But supreme recovery comes at the cost of the formidable combat power a warrior should possess.

Spirit-focused Warrior: Powerful mental strength grants you abundant energy and precision. However, a weak body and poor melee capabilities are your fatal flaws.

Strength-focused Warrior: Even with immense strength, you are but a brute. Without superior speed and constitution, you will be toyed with by your enemies.

Speed-focused Warrior: Unparalleled speed can indeed help you survive longer than others, but ensure you are never struck by the enemy, for if you are, death is certain.

Defense-focused Warrior: Excellent; with defense like a mountain, you can live longer than anyone else. But being as slow as a tortoise means you will only ever be a punching bag!

Customized Warrior: Determining the best plan based on your own strengths is the ultimate path. Refuse mediocrity, reject the ordinary, and forge your own style..."

***

Jiang Yi suddenly understood. Just as he had guessed, his ability had formed a system for him!

"An 'Infinite Combat System'? As expected, my ability isn't that simple." Jiang Yi felt a hint of secret delight. In this chaotic apocalypse, the strength of one's ability determined whether one would stand among the powerful or be extinguished among the masses.

There was no time for sentimentality. After a quick analysis of the growth paths, Jiang Yi had a rough understanding. These were clearly the trajectories and biases that would define his future growth.

Having played countless games, Jiang Yi quickly made his choice. He certainly couldn't choose the Balanced path; such an allocation would never allow him to stand out.

The remaining specializations were all too extreme and didn't fit the outcome he desired. Finally, Jiang Yi set his sights on the last option: Customized Warrior.

He didn't need to guess to know this would allow him to select the attributes he needed to strengthen. After firmly clicking it, what appeared on the screen stunned him. He had assumed that after selecting this, he would be able to freely add points to individual attributes, but clearly, he still underestimated his ability.

On the screen, the five major attributes appeared again, but each one was followed by a value of 20%! Looking at the increasingly dilapidated wooden door, Jiang Yi dared not linger. He instinctively dragged the percentage values with his finger, and sure enough, as one value increased, the others decreased, with the total always remaining at 100%.

Jiang Yi understood immediately. After cursing under his breath, he drew on his countless experiences with game stat allocation to quickly set his envisioned future path. He didn't need to guess; he knew his future class would undoubtedly be a Warrior!

Firstly, the weapon he had materialized was a blade, not a staff, dagger, or axe. Only a Warrior fit a blade.

Secondly, he wasn't sure if it was just an illusion, but Jiang Yi always felt that the ability he had gained was deeply connected to his obsession with games.

The class he was most proficient in—or rather, the one he loved above all—was the Warrior! Jiang Yi had always utilized unconventional, niche ways of allocating stats for the Warrior class.

Even after making his choices, Jiang Yi felt a bit dazed. This was real life, not a game. Was his past experience truly applicable?

He had to remember that this choice was unique and could not be changed! The sound of zombies pounding on the door continued incessantly, and the corpse wedged in the frame was being dragged backward bit by bit. If not for its neck being caught on the wooden boards, it would have been pulled out by now, revealing the gaping hole once more!

Clutching the strange black blade tightly, Jiang Yi gritted his teeth and pressed "Confirm." The screen changed: "Speed 40%, Defense 20%, Strength 15%, Spirit 15%, Physique 10%."

This was Jiang Yi's final choice—a stat allocation method that would seem bizarre to any gamer!

As a warrior, he had sacrificed raw strength and constitution to focus on speed and defense. Specifically, the 40% allocation to speed would make anyone feel his choice was exceptionally extreme.

***

"Level: 1 (0/2), Speed: 3, Defense: 2, Strength: 1.75, Spirit: 1.75, Physique: 1.5..." The sudden change made Jiang Yi feel as if his body were floating. Although he felt his body hadn't fully recovered to its peak—still possessing the weakness of someone just recovering from a major illness—at the very least, he was no longer as fragile as he had been after first materializing the weapon.

Since he had made his choice, Jiang Yi would not regret or second-guess it. Before the door was breached, he stood up to examine the strange black blade that had cost him all his attributes and soul to manifest!

He hadn't had time to think before, but as his body gradually recovered, he finally had a moment to look closely at the blade. As his eyes fell upon it, a light screen appeared on the sword itself, displaying its information:

"Skull-Severing Blade: A left-handed blade! A soul weapon materialized by extracting all physical strength and life force. It is unique, indestructible, and cannot be lost... Note: Its form is a black Tang-style sword, with a hilt designed for left-handed use. The Skull-Severing Blade is a growth-type materialized weapon, but only souls reaped by it will be counted toward experience. Explore further functions on your own."

Holding the blade in his left hand and lightly stroking it with his right, a sense of innate intimacy washed over him. Jiang Yi muttered to himself, "The Skull-Severing Blade?" He swung it lightly; despite never having used a sword before, he felt as if the blade were an extension of his own arm, moving exactly as he willed!

"From now on, I'll be counting on you!" Each of the eight words was spoken with absolute determination. As if in response, the blade trembled slightly. Under Jiang Yi's shocked gaze, the meter-long leather strap attached to the hilt began to move on its own, wrapping itself coil by coil around his left wrist!

"What is happening?" Jiang Yi stared blankly at the black strap wound around his arm. Could the Skull-Severing Blade actually be sentient?

"ROAR!" Unfortunately, there was no time for Jiang Yi to waste. The dead zombie was finally torn away by those outside, the immense force even ripping the corpse's neck open to reveal white bone!

Next, the zombies scrambled to squeeze through the small hole, eager to devour the delicious flesh before them! Jiang Yi gripped his blade, watching as another head thrust through. He blinked and suddenly couldn't help but laugh. Such a perfect opportunity to level up—it would be a disservice to his once-8-point spirit if he didn't seize it!

To kill the enemy in one blow, Jiang Yi raised the blade high with both hands and slashed viciously at the neck stretching through the opening!

"THWACK!" Unlike before, when he could only break the skin and flesh, this time, with his strength more than doubled, Jiang Yi's slash splashed black blood everywhere. The blade vibrated in his hand, but it sliced through the zombie's neck bone!

Although it didn't cut it off entirely, the zombie, its spine severely damaged, only had time for one roar before its rotting head hung limply.

Having fought zombies many times over the past few days, this was the easiest kill Jiang Yi had ever made. Looking at the blood sliding off the Skull-Severing Blade, Jiang Yi couldn't quite believe it—was this really his own doing?

It wasn't until a ball of white light shot into his chest that Jiang Yi snapped out of his trance. This time, there was no surge of power; clearly, he hadn't leveled up again.