Chapter 53: Chapter53-Hide and Seek

The classroom was dimly lit, with the weak light of the afternoon sun filtering through dirty, rusty windows, casting long, creepy shadows around the room. Desks were turned over, chalks scattered everywhere, and a tense silence filled the air, broken only by the distant thud of deliberate footsteps. I huddled under a wooden bench at the back of the classroom, my heart pounding in my chest. Why? So, it all began... After I finished off the zombies and decided to leave, everything went wrong when... Out of nowhere, another Abomination emerged from a room at the end of the corridor, attracted by the sound of my blasts. I immediately ran without hesitating because when I used my appraisal skill on him, I saw that my chance of winning was only 8%. But since my dash skill was on cooldown, I couldn't get very far. So, I sought refuge in another classroom on the fourth floor, and right now, I'm hiding behind a bench. The bench was too old, its wood rough and splintered, and it barely provided enough cover. My knees ached from being pressed against the hard floor, but I didn't dare shift position. Every few moments, I would peek out from behind the bench, my eyes darting towards the windows. The glass was streaked with grime, making it hard to see clearly outside. Occasionally, a shadow would pass by, causing me to duck back down, my breath catching in my throat. Yeah, that shadow belongs to the jerk who has been constantly wandering around this floor. For the past 10 minutes, he's been trying to find me. I'm certain he already suspects I'm nearby. But what's confusing is that he hasn't bothered to open or check any classrooms on this floor. He has just been roaming around the corridor, much like the previous one I encountered. Nevertheless, the thought of being seen by that creature sent a shiver down my spine. Being human, it was natural for me to feel fear. However, in this situation, I wasn't just experiencing simple fear but a profound sense of helplessness combined with overwhelming fear. So, whenever it approached, I made sure to control my breathing carefully to avoid being detected easily. I also kept shifting my eyes between the door and the windows to watch for any sign of it. The Abomination's presence felt heavy in the air, like an evil force that drained the life out of everything including me. And then suddenly, I stopped breathing and making any sound. I literally held my breath without considering the discomfort or potential danger of doing so. As I observed the creature pause its steps outside the classroom door, I realized I couldn't afford to make any mistakes, and stopping my breath seemed like a wise decision, at least for the moment. I could hear its ragged, wet breathing, which made my skin crawl. Time seemed to drag on forever as I lay there, every second feeling like an hour. I knew I had to stay hidden, as silent and still as possible. The Abomination was relentless, and if it found me, there would be no escape. All I could do was wait, hoping it would move on and give me a chance to slip away unnoticed. It remained motionless like a statue, fixedly staring at the classroom window, specifically at my hiding place. My decision to hold my breath was becoming increasingly problematic because with each passing second, my discomfort grew. At this rate, I feared I might involuntarily exhale loudly, giving away my position and getting caught instantly. I started thinking and praying desperately. 'Shit, please, go away, get lost, don't see me, don't see me.' 'God, please help me, just this once. Please!' Please... And it seemed like God heard my prayers because... After few seconds, the monster glanced away from my hiding spot, turned its back, and started walking away. The footsteps began to fade as it moved further down the corridor. I let out a shaky breath, feeling a moment of hope. "Phew..." Once again, I was saved by God. However, I remained still and waited until the sound of footsteps completely faded away. I had learned from my past experiences not to lower my guard immediately. After a minute, I finally moved from my position behind the bench, wincing as my stiff joints protested. Slowly, I crawled towards the classroom door, making sure not to make any noise. My heart pounded as I reached for the door handle, turning it as slowly as possible, praying it wouldn't creak. I opened the door just enough to pop my head out and scanned both directions of the corridor. Hmm, it's finally gone. The Abomination was nowhere to be seen. I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the corridor, moving as quietly as I could. The corridor was eerily silent, the only sound being the distant hum of the air. I advanced with cautious, deliberate steps, heading toward the elevator at the far end of the hallway. But this time, I didn't plan on taking the elevator. Instead, I eyed the staircase beside it. Elevators were too risky; even a little noise might attract the Abomination's attention. The staircase seemed like a much better option to me. I carefully approached the staircase, listening intently for any sounds. All clear... Hearing nothing, I began to descend slowly, taking each step with utmost care to avoid making any noise. After a minute, I reached the fifth floor. I was about to step into the corridor when I caught a glimpse of an Abomination. Shit... Then, I quickly pulled my head back and remained standing by the stairs. My heart skipped a beat. "What the heck is it doing here?" I muttered under my breath. At the very least, I expected it to be here. I thought it would be on the upper floor... Urrgg... But what if this guy is the previous one that I encountered after coming here? That's also possible. I sighed... Huhh, so confusing. I again peered cautiously around the corner, trying the catch a glimpse of its but seeing the monster looking in my direction. Shock washed over me, and I quickly took a step back. Did it see me? I waited for a few seconds, but when I saw it wasn't coming closer, I realized it might not have seen me. If it had, it would have already come this way by now. I took a deep breath and thought carefully. Everywhere I had been so far, I hadn't seen any zombies on floors where the Abominations were roaming, except for the third floor. Was this just another coincidence or something more? It didn't feel like a coincidence to me. Could it be that these zombies fear the Abomination or are somehow connected to it? Initially, I might have believed the zombies were afraid of the Abomination, but considering their large numbers, that theory seems unlikely. I mean, a single low-level monster will typically be scared of any higher-ranking monster unless it's in a large group with its kind. With over 200 zombies around, it's more likely they are familiar with the Abomination. But what if it's about territory control? Maybe each Abomination claims a section of the school corridors while the zombies wander aimlessly across the school grounds and other areas. Initially, the Abomination might not have seen the zombies as a threat. As for the zombies... I made a mistake... Now that I think about it, zombies don't have intelligence, so why would they fear any creature, especially an Abomination? These two scenarios seem plausible. Well, this gives me an opportunity to strategize based on these possibilities. Anyway, for now... I should go somewhere else instead of wasting time here. So, I decided to explore another floor... Just as I was about to retreat further, I heard footsteps coming from behind the staircase. Panic surged through me. Who was coming now? An Abomination or a zombie? I didn't know, but I understood one thing: if someone or something was coming, I couldn't just stand here. I had to hide immediately. But where? That room... I frantically looked around for a hiding spot, my eyes landing on a room just a few meters away. With no choice left, I darted towards it slowly, keeping an eye on the Abomination, who was currently looking at another large glass door at the end of the opposite corridor. I didn't know what room I was entering, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was surviving. I reached the door and slipped inside, closing it as silently as possible behind me. I leaned against the door, breathing heavily but trying to keep quiet. The room was lit by the afternoon sun. It was messy, with documents, files, and papers scattered everywhere. Ignoring the clutter, I noticed a large cabinet. I crouched behind it, peeking out through a crack in the door. The footsteps grew louder, echoing through the staircase and into the corridor. But after a few seconds, nothing significant happened; it was just another ordinary zombie that appeared and wandered forward. Here I was, crouching... It's pathetic, but it's safer than taking the risk of standing there. For the past hour, all I've been doing is playing hide and seek with that hell of a monster. I glanced at my watch... Name: Michael Frostburne Total Rules Broken: 1 Current Rules Broken: 0 Time: 12:00 PM Date: April 15 Year: 2130 Rank: Iron-Rank Hunter Huhh, only an hour has passed. I thought it would be longer. Forget about it... And then, I checked my character profile and was greeted by several new system messages. (Ding, Congratulations Host! Your Dash skill has been upgraded to Level 3!) (1000 Monster essences deducted from the host's Character profile.) (Ding, Congratulations Host! The time limit for your Dash skill (Level 3) has been successfully increased to 6 seconds.) (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Monster Core (Lesser) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Healing portion (Bronze) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Monster Essence of Zombie has been added to your Character Profile!) (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Monster Core (Lesser) has been added to your inventory!) (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Healing portion (Bronze) has been added to your inventory (Ding, Congratulations, Host, Monster Essence of Zombie has been added to your Character Profile!) ... My hard-earned essences... I felt heartbroken seeing my 1000 monster essences deducted. I didn't want to upgrade it. I didn't. That shitty gorilla. If only its rank was the same as mine, I would have fought it already. I sighed sadly. I worked so hard to earn those essences, hunting for hours and days. It all went to waste. Then, I glanced at my character screen. Name: Michael Frostburne Race: Human Current rank: Iron. Progression to Gold rank: 4.8% (120/2500 essences). ... Now, I have to hunt those essences all over again. My plan to reach the gold rank by the end of April has failed... I'm defeated. I knew... Upgrading the dash skill was beneficial, but at what cost? My rank? That was completely unacceptable to me. I believed rank is more crucial than a skill. Because, in the long run, your skill might diminish, but your rank will always stay with you. Considering that my dash skill always increased my rank by 1, if I had chosen to upgrade my rank instead of the skill, I could have had the speed of a platinum ranker while remaining in the gold rank. This would have been advantageous, even if only for 4 seconds. But now it's not achievable... It will take a long time. Then, suddenly...