The moment the convenience store door clicked shut behind him, Renji felt the knot in his chest loosen. The air outside was still heavy with decay and dust, but at least he wasn't surrounded by screaming strangers and clawing hands. For the first time since he'd stepped outside his home, he could breathe—though he didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Zombies still wandered aimlessly in the streets, their movements slow and unfocused. He kept to the edges of buildings, slipping behind parked cars, skirting past alleys. His hands tightened on the straps of his half-filled backpack, the faint rustle of packaged food loud in his own ears.
They didn't turn toward him. Not even once.
That truth settled deeper into his mind with every step. He didn't need to hide from them—only from the other predators that roamed now. His eyes scanned for the real threats.
Mutated creatures.
The first was a dog—at least, it had been a dog once. Now its fur was patchy, blackened in places, and its frame had doubled in size. It padded slowly across the street ahead of him, each step accompanied by the faint scrape of claws against concrete. Renji pressed himself flat against the side of a dented sedan, holding his breath as the beast's head turned in his direction. A few seconds passed like hours before it finally moved on.
He waited. Counted to ten. Then he moved.
The same thing happened twice more. A twisted housecat, larger than any lynx, prowled along a fence. Later, something that looked like a rat the size of a toddler scurried into an open garage. Both times, he froze, heart hammering, and only moved again when the threat passed.
When the street ahead cleared, he set his sights on the path back home. He was already rehearsing the route in his mind when the feeling returned.
That pull.
It had started yesterday—subtle, almost like an itch deep inside his chest—but now it was stronger. It was… a call. A wordless urge that tugged him toward something nearby.
And then he saw it.
A lone zombie stood in the middle of the road, swaying faintly. Its clothes hung in tatters, and its skin was tinged with the same faint gray hue he'd seen in all of them. But something in him knew—this was the source of the pull.
Before he even thought about why, his steps carried him closer. The zombie didn't react. No hunger, no sudden lunge. Just that slow, aimless sway.
The instinct grew sharper. It wasn't enough to look. He had to reach.
He extended a hand, almost without realizing it. The moment his fingers brushed the air between them, something unseen snapped into place.
It wasn't physical. It was deeper—like invisible chains wrapping between them, linking his will to its existence.
The pull vanished.
In its place was a strange, settling weight in his chest. And the zombie… stopped swaying. Its head tilted slightly, as if awaiting command.
Renji stood frozen, the world around him fading into silence.
Something had changed between them.
Renji didn't move for several seconds after the connection formed.
Then… it happened.
No light, no sound. No pain or rush of heat. Just the sudden, absolute certainty that there was more in his mind than there had been a moment ago—knowledge as familiar as if he'd carried it since birth.
He knew its name.
[Skill Acquired: Necrochain]Primary Features:– Link with a zombie, binding it to your will.– Immune to aggression from zombies of a lower tier.– Linked zombies follow simple commands, limited by their intelligence.– Higher-tier zombies can also be linked, but require greater energy.– Number of active links is limited.
And there was more.
The information wasn't just about the skill—it was old, older than anything he'd ever heard. Forgotten truths. Words and concepts that carried the weight of centuries.
Mana. The unseen tide that now blanketed the world. It touched every living thing, changed them, broke them, or awakened them. Every individual had a specific type of elemental mana, unique to them, but all tied to a greater, ancient list of elements.
He didn't know the full list. But he knew his place in it.
One of the primary elements.
Death.
His elemental mana was Nether, the black current of endings and silence. And with it came a path—an intricate progression of cultivation steps that could strengthen his body, sharpen his mind, and deepen the reach of Necrochain itself.
The path wound forward in ways he didn't yet understand, but its direction was clear: mastery of the dead.
The vision in his mind faded, leaving only the empty street and the unmoving figure before him. The linked zombie stood still, head slightly bowed, like a guard awaiting orders.
Renji tested the thought. Come.
It shambled forward immediately, halting when he willed it to stop. The connection wasn't words—it was intent. Crude, but direct.
So that was why they hadn't attacked him. Zombies saw him as higher in their… hierarchy. They obeyed out of instinctive recognition. But without a link, they weren't his to command—only to influence.
With a link, though, they stayed by his side until released.
He sent another command—turn left—and the creature obeyed without hesitation. A faint, grim satisfaction settled in his chest.
Then a sound tore through the air.
A deep, guttural roar, distant but powerful enough to rattle his bones. It rolled down the empty street like thunder, silencing the aimless moans of the undead.
Renji's eyes snapped toward the sound's direction.
Whatever had made that noise was coming.
The roar came again, sharper this time, splintering the stillness.
Renji moved to the side of the street, slipping between two parked cars. His linked zombie followed without a sound, head lolling slightly as it trudged along.
Then he saw it.
It padded into view at the far end of the block—a cat. Or at least, it had been one once. Now, it was the size of a small dog, its muscles corded under patchy fur, eyes glowing faintly with a predatory amber light. Its tail lashed slowly, and each step was silent, too deliberate.
Renji's pulse quickened. Mutated. And that meant dangerous.
He pressed himself against the side of a car, willing himself to be still, to be unseen. If it passed by, he could slip away.
The cat's head turned.
Those glowing eyes locked on him, unblinking.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then its body lowered, shoulders rolling forward, tail curling like a whip.
Damn.
It sprang.
Renji's instincts roared to life. "Attack it!" The order shot down the Necrochain link, and his zombie lurched forward, arms outstretched. The mutant cat slammed into its mid-leap, knocking both to the pavement in a tangle of limbs.
Snarls and wet tearing sounds filled the air.
Renji didn't stay to watch—he was already scanning for more help. His eyes flicked over the street, catching sight of other shambling shapes. Go! His will lashed out, raw and unlinked, and three nearby zombies shifted toward the sound of the fight.
The mutant cat moved like a shadow with claws. It tore the first zombie's throat out in a single swipe, then raked its claws across the linked one's chest. Bone snapped. The zombie gurgled once before the cat bit deep into its skull, collapsing it to the ground in a twitching heap.
Renji's stomach tightened. The link snapped instantly, leaving a cold emptiness in his mind.
The other zombies reached the creature, clawing and grabbing, but it ripped through them with brutal efficiency, as if they were little more than paper in its way.
He didn't wait to see if any of them would survive.
Renji turned and ran.
The pounding of his own footsteps filled his ears—until a new sound cut through them.
A low, vibrating growl.
He glanced back just as the mutant cat shook free of the last zombie and fixed on him again.
Its muscles bunched.
It was coming for him.