Awakening Of A God In The Apocalypse

11: Nightfall at the Academy pt 1

It was already past 7 p.m. when Ace and Nicola arrived at the Academy. As he expected, the place was swarmed with zombies. They checked the vicinity first, looking for an ideal route to use if things went south.

“Ace, that gate has fewer zombies,” Nicola pointed at the small gate at the back of the Academy. “Think we can use it?” she tilted her head to the side, her finger poking on her cheek.

Sighing, Acee nodded his head. “We have no better option than this,” he replied, removing his seatbelt. “Listen, Nicola. Stay here and watch over our car, okay? Meanwhile, I’ll go inside to get Ava.”

He was worried she might follow him again. “It’s not safe for you to roam around at this hour. As you can see, only a few lights are working. I won’t be able to find you if we’re separated. You need to guard the car, too. Do you think you can do that?”

“So, I’ll kill the zombies who come near the car?” Nicola asked, her brows furrowed in concentration. “Okay! I will do that. But you have to be quick,” she agreed, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Ace smiled, ruffling Nicola’s head. “Yes. Just deal with the ones who come close to the car,” he added. “I won’t take long. Don’t leave the car no matter what,” he continued before grabbing his phone. “I’ll have to call Ava first.”

Nicola watched Ace as he dialed his sister’s number. A few rings later, Ava still hadn’t picked up. Ace kept trying until he could no longer reach her.

“Her battery’s probably just dead, right? There’s no way she’d turn off her phone in times like this,” he muttered, talking to himself.

“Maybe she’s asleep,” Nicola commented, swaying her legs on her seat. “She sounded tired when you talked to her,” the girl added.

Ace scrunched his nose. Ava would probably do that in the middle of chaos. “I hope not. This isn’t time to be sleeping,” he hissed. “I’ll be going now. Stay right here, okay?”

“Okay~!” Nicola waved her hands and watched Ace sneak in. “Did he say I should pick him up when he’s not back in thirty minutes?” she wondered, leaning her back on her seat.

On the other hand, Ace successfully entered the Academy premises. With the phone in his hand, he tried calling Ava’s number again. “I didn’t even know where the dorms were,” he whispered.

Groans and grumbles could be heard as Ace roamed around, holding a small flashlight. In every turn he made, he was anticipating meeting a zombie. “Science Lab…” Ace read the name of the building labeled on the hallway. “This isn’t the dorms,” he sighed.

He turned around to walk away when he suddenly stepped into something, causing a sharp, crunching sound, followed by a metallic clatter as a pile of objects scattered on the floor.

“Shit!” Ace cursed under his breath when he heard footsteps coming his way. “Oh, no. They pick up sound so fast,” he muttered and increased his pace.

There were no cracks on the ground when he checked earlier, so Ace assumed that the zombies on the premises used to be students and professors in the academy who were bitten and infected by the zombies who crawled out of the huge cracks.

“I don’t have time for this,” Ace said as he made a turn, walking into an empty science lab. He surveyed the room, looking for a window he could use. Ace had to check the other buildings to find the dorms. “This would have been easier if she told me where’s the dorm,” he shook his head in frustration.

Ace had yet to find the window he was looking for when he caught a whiff of a rotten smell coming from the zombies. “They’re already here,” he hissed, hiding under the table.

“Do I have to take on them to leave this building? I can’t waste the bullet in the gun from Dad. I don’t think the ax would be enough to kill all of them either. I need something else… Something that explodes and would sweep them all at once,” he murmured, thinking hard of a weapon that he could use.

“How about a bomb?”

“Yes, a bomb is the best. I just have to adjust its power so it wouldn’t cause excessive damage in the area—ah? HAH?!” Ace jolted when he realized someone else was hiding with him under the table. “W-Who are you?!” He crawled out backward, pointing his flashlight to the person behind him.

“Ahem! Lower your voice. You’re calling for death,” an old man in a white coat said. He fixed his monocle and tie. “Are you the one sent by the government to rescue me?” he asked.

“No? I came to get my sister,” Ace replied. He stood up and focused his mind, conjuring a bomb. He never tried it before but his new skill should allow him to do it.

[Ace! Error! Conjuring skill locked]

[Unlocking Conjuring skill]

[250 mana stone will be used for unlocking Conjuring skill. Do you want to proceed?]

“What? 250 mana stones? That’s almost all I have,” Ace groaned, rubbing his temple. “Go ahead. It’s not like I have another choice.”

[Ace! Conjuring skill unlocked!]

Ace heaved a sigh of relief. “I need bombs,” he mumbled, swinging his arms and cracking his neck and knuckles. “Hey, old man. Are you going to wait here for the rescue? If you want, I can help you get out of this place but on one condition.”

“Will you be able to ensure my safety?” the old man asked, giving Ace a skeptical look. “I guess it’s better to trust a brat who talks to himself before those things come after me,” he muttered to himself when Ace didn’t reply. “So, what’s your condition?”

[Ace! Three low-powered bombs conjured!]

[6 mana stone used for conjuring 3 low-powered bombs]

[Your total mana stone is 9]

Ace took out the bombs from his storage and turned to the old man. “It’s nothing much. Tell me where the girls’ dorm and I’ll help you get out of here alive,” he negotiated with a confident smile.

The old man’s expression turned dark. “You little… How can you think of peeking at the girls in this situation, pervert?!”