Chloe stared at the empty air where the glowing messages had vanished. That was just one brain, and she’d gotten all that? A full level-up, stat boosts across the board, and five whole points in magic. Five! That had to be a lot… probably. Either way, it sounded like a good thing.

  She clutched her face with both hands and let out a giddy laugh. She knew she was special. Of course she was.

  Dropping into a crouch over the corpse, she tapped its cracked skull with a finger. You had a lot going on up here, didn’t you? And now what was yours… is mine. All of it. Or, well, maybe most of it? Not totally sure but whatever. I feel incredible. This marks my glorious beginning. The rise of Queen Chloe, Brain Eater Supreme.

  She tapped her chin with a thoughtful hum. She had magic now, and a shiny new mana core thingy. Probably more stuff rattling around in her skull too. But how was she supposed to check? There had to be a way, some kind of list, maybe.

  Chloe squinted. Hard. Willing the System to cooperate.

  But for some reason, the System just wouldn't show anything. Chloe let out a long groan and clutched her head. Think, Chloe. Think! You just ate a whole wizard. Surely he knew how to—

  And then it came to her. A single word, echoing through her mind. Status!

  [Displaying Status]

  Name: Chloe

  Species: Awakened Zombie

  Level: 2

  Strength: 16

  Speed: 12

  Vitality: 13

  Magic: 20

  Resistance: 14

  Traits:

  1. Champion of Chaos (Legendary)

  2. Brain Eater (Basic)

  3. Darkvision (Basic)

  4. Undead (Basic)

  5. Mana Core (Uncommon)

  Chloe smiled to herself, basking in the glory of her superior brain munching intellect. She scanned the numbers, eyes wide with excitement. Strength sixteen, Speed twelve, Magic twenty? All of that looked decent enough.

  Then her gaze landed on her species: Awakened Zombie, which she just knew had to be different from the others. Chloe had smashed those higher-level zombies back when she was, what, level one? They probably hadn’t even known what hit them.

  She moved on to the traits, looking over them with a pleased hum. Most were straightforward. Brain Eater? Well, obviously. Darkvision? No surprise there. Mana Core? Okay, that one was still a bit of a mystery, but she'd figure it out eventually.

  One trait, though, made her pause. [Champion of Chaos (Legendary)].

  Legendary. That had to mean something good. Really good. But… what even was a Champion? And what exactly did Chaos mean in this case?

  Champion probably means someone strong. Or important. Maybe both? But wait… does this mean I’m not a queen? Am I just a champion? Is that lower? It sounds lower.

  There was a moment of hesitation, a tiny, offended twitch of the eye. Chloe still wasn’t sure if being a champion was better or worse than being a queen. But Champion of Chaos did have a nice ring to it.

  After some thinking, Chloe decided to allow it. Champion it was, for now. Maybe someday she’d earn a promotion. Queen of Chaos had a lovely sound to it.

  Still, she had no idea what this whole chaos thing was supposed to be. The thought nagged at her like an itch she couldn’t quite scratch. Maybe the System would have answers, something that made sense.

  [Champion of Chaos (Legendary)]

  You have been chosen as a contender in the Great Game. From this moment on, the eyes of the gods will follow your every step, in triumph or in ruin. This trait boosts stat growth, experience gain, and skill acquisition speed.

  Chloe stared at the glowing words, jaw hanging just a little. Champion of Chaos? Great Game? Gods watching her? She had no idea what any of that meant. Gods sounded important, maybe scary, but… what even were gods?

  And the Great Game? No clue.

  What she did know was that this trait had to be good. Boosting stats, more experience, faster skills, that all screamed stronger, and stronger was exactly what she wanted. If the gods or whoever wanted to make her a big deal, well, fine by her.

  Still, something gnawed at the back of Chloe's mind. Why her? Why now? Before this, she was nothing special, just another zombie waiting to get smashed. So what changed?

  The questions spun for a bit, but then her stomach gave a low, greedy growl that broke her thoughts clean in half. Chloe was feeling hungry, and that took top priority. Besides, she could totally figure out all of this champion of chaos stuff later.

  Her gaze drifted to the two untouched corpses nearby. And really, what better meal than brains? They were tasty, they were useful, and they came in such convenient little skull packages. Honestly, it would be rude not to eat them.

  Chloe crouched beside the first body, the man in chainmail, and gently tilted his head to the side. Without delay, she cracked his skull open; it took a few tries, but eventually came that satisfying pop. Then she started eating the man's brains. Just a nibble. Then a bit more. Soon, there was nothing left.

  [Brain Consumed: Steve Greenhorn (Human Warrior Level 6)]

  [Experience Awarded]

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  [New Skill Acquired: Swordsmanship I]

  Chloe wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and gave the corpse an appreciative pat. Not as tasty as the wizard’s brain, but hey, not every meal could be gourmet.

  Then the world flickered again, and suddenly she wasn’t Chloe anymore, she was Steve. His sweaty hands clutched a sword, swinging it in clumsy arcs.

  An old guy with a wooden sword kept yelling “stance” and “balance” while Steve tripped over his own boots. After seeing that on repeat, Chloe was pretty sure Steve just sucked with a sword.

  The vision snapped away as fast as it came, dumping Chloe back into the present. More words slid into her head, neat and smug. So that was swordsmanship, huh? A skill for swinging sharp sticks really hard. Useful, maybe.

  Still, something itched at the back of her mind. That had been way less than what she got from the first guy.

  She leaned back and folded her arms, thinking it through. This one had been level six, but the wizard? He’d been level nine, at least. So maybe higher level brains gave better rewards? Or maybe Steve just didn’t know as much.

  Her eyes narrowed at the empty air in front of her. It was probably best to check directly with the System.

  [Brain Eater (Basic)]

  A basic zombie trait. Grants experience and a chance to gain skills or traits by consuming the brains of mortals or monsters. Success depends on various factors, including but not limited to the target’s intelligence relative to the user. Consuming the brains of other undead provides no benefits.

  Ahhh, so not all brains are equal. Big brains, big rewards. Weak brains, a lot less so. Got it. I should definitely stick to strong looking humans or monsters. Bet their brains taste better, too.

  Chloe turned to the last corpse, a woman this time, another warrior judging by the battered armor. No sword, though. Aww. Looks like her stuff was looted too.

  Regardless, Chloe pried the skull open with a few delicious cracks, finishing with a little pop that made her giggle. Then she dug in, humming as she feasted.

  [Brain Consumed: Lea Hartman (Human Warrior Level 6)]

  [Experience Awarded]

  [You have leveled up! 2 >> 3]

  [Strength +2, Speed +2, Vitality +3, Magic +3, Resistance +1]

  [Skill Upgraded: Swordsmanship I >> Swordsmanship II]

  This time, the vision dumped her into a fight, with the girl named Lea going up against Steve. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance. He got defeated so fast Chloe almost laughed. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised.

  When the vision fizzled out, Chloe licked the last bit of brain from her lips, stood, and brushed the dust off her clothes with a smug little flick. Her belly was full, and she felt amazing. Naturally, this meant it was time to hunt down more brains.

  Except, after exploring the entire floor, Chloe didn't find anything worthwhile. No fresh humans, no footsteps, nothing. Silence stretched on, and Chloe’s grin slipped into a pout. Things were too quiet. Way too quiet.

  Chloe wondered if finding nothing meant she’d have to leave the floor. A ripple of unease crept down her spine.

  She had never left her floor before. Not once. She hadn’t even tried. What if she couldn’t? What if she exploded? What if there were super strong adventurers just waiting to kill her?

  The thought twisted in her head for a while, and she let it. Dread had its moment. But eventually, she gave herself a mental smack and straightened up. No way to know without trying. She had this. Probably.

  Still… caution clung to her. If there was something nasty waiting on the next floor, she’d better be ready to tear its face off.

  That reminded her about those mana related skills she got earlier. Right, right! Mana Core. That sounded important. I should figure out what that does before I accidentally do something I might regret. Wait… is a mana core edible?

  [Mana Core (Uncommon)]

  A foundational trait that allows the user to channel magic. The mana core is a deep part of the soul, acting as the source of one’s magical energy. The stronger the core, the more potent and stable the user’s spells become. Skilled magic users can draw on their core to circulate mana throughout their body, empowering spells, senses, and physique.

  Chloe placed a hand over her stomach. Was the Mana Core inside there? Or maybe in the chest? The head? Where was a soul even stored, anyway?

  More importantly, how did someone even use a mana core? She had some fuzzy ideas about magic after snacking on that wizard’s brain, sure, but that didn’t mean she actually got it. Not even close.

  Chloe scrunched up her face, cheeks puffing, fists balled tight. This magic thing was supposed to make her awesome, not give her a headache!

  Maybe if she just thought really, really hard? Come on, mana core do something flashy.

  To her complete surprise, something actually did happen. Power exploded outward from her chest, a blinding rush that surged through her limbs. Her eyes flew wide as her toes lifted off the ground.

  A bloom of brilliant light burst from her chest, flaring brighter and brighter until her feet lifted completely from the stone floor. Magical energy crackled around her, wild and unstable, to the point it felt… a little worrisome.

  But the energy only surged harder. Her body trembled as raw magic pulsed through her veins. She tried to smother it with sheer will, gritting her teeth, but the core pushed back, flaring hotter in protest. Sparks danced from her fingertips.

  She mentally yelled at it. Stop! Stop it right now! Bad Mana Core! Bad!

  Thankfully, the burning light began to dim. Her body stopped shaking, and the wild magic ebbed away. Slowly, her feet touched the floor again with a soft tap.

  [New Skill Acquired: Mana Control I]

  Chloe let out a breathless huff, relieved to be back on solid ground, somehow. She tapped a finger against her temple, pretending to scroll through an imaginary list. Now that her mana core was behaving, it felt like the perfect time to try out a spell.

  For now, Rock Shot would have to be the spell. Chloe was certain it was the only one in her arsenal, which made things simple, if a little disappointing. Still, she knew this particular spell intimately, perhaps better than she would’ve liked. It was, after all, the very one that had blasted her to death last time. That kind of experience left an impression.

  She extended a hand toward the wall and focused. “Rock Shot!”

  Nothing happened. Chloe cleared her throat and tried again, louder this time. “Roooock Shot!”

  Still nothing.“…Rock… kaboom?”

  Nothing. Not even a sparkle. She stared at her hands, completely baffled. What was she doing wrong? Did she need to wiggle her fingers? Chant something weird?

  Wait, the wizard had a staff, didn’t he? Maybe that's what I'm missing?

  For a moment, she considered just stealing the staff from the dead wizard. Yet, she soon remembered the annoying fact that the staff had already been swiped by that mysterious hooded figure.

  Chloe scowled. The idea that she couldn’t use magic just because she didn’t have some crusty old stick was infuriating. She had perfectly good hands, didn’t she? And she could control her mana core now, too. That should be enough.

  With an exaggerated flourish, she planted her feet and thrust one hand forward, fingers splayed. She’d try again, but this time, she’d focus harder than ever.

  She reached inward, deep into the strange well at the center of her core, the buzzing pressure that now thrummed with power. She called up the image of a stone flying through the air, fast and brutal, just like the wizard had done when he tried to blow her skull open.

  There was a long, frustrating moment, where Chloe almost gave up. Her arms ached, her jaw was clenched, and her fingers twitched aimlessly. This is stupid. Maybe I do need a magic stick.

  But even as doubt crept in, something inside her pulsed soft at first, then stronger. Power shimmered beneath her fingertips, begging to be unleashed. Oh? I can feel it. Right there. Come on, come on, do the thing!

  She focused everything into her palm, and then it happened. A rock burst from her hand, slicing through the air and slamming into the far wall with a deafening crack. The stone split on impact, chunks of rock exploding outward as a shockwave rippled through the cavern.

  The sheer force of the blast shoved Chloe back a full step, the shock of it buzzing through her limbs. Just like that, she had cast her very first spell. The rush, the noise, the kick of power, it was all absolutely glorious. She could hardly believe it had actually worked.

  [Skill Upgraded: Rock Shot I >> Rock Shot II]