I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

My left hand slowly opened the chest sitting in the middle of the bone pile. Its hinges creaked softly, as if reluctant to reveal what lay inside. As the lid lifted, an aura of ancient magic wafted out familiar, yet fainter than what I had felt when receiving a gift from Simurgh’s legacy chamber.

Inside was only one item. Not a weapon, not armor, not a gemstone but a small glass vial containing a bluish-purple liquid that emitted a soft glow.

"A potion?"

I lifted the bottle and activated my appraisal skill.

[Potion of Prime Resonance – Grade A] A potion that grants a temporary power boost. Permanently increases all physical abilities by 5%. A rare potion distilled from soul energy found within ancient dungeons.The effect activates immediately upon consumption. Cannot be consumed more than once by the same user.

I raised an eyebrow slightly. "Similar... to the one from Simurgh," I murmured.

It wasn’t as powerful as the one I had obtained from the legacy chamber that one had given me a tremendous surge of power and opened the path to evolution. But this... this was still a real boost. Five percent might not sound like much to some, but for me an undead who had optimized her body to its limit even one percent could mean the difference between life and death.

Without further thought, I uncorked the bottle. The liquid inside quivered gently, as if aware that its end was near. I downed it in one gulp.

Instantly, warmth spread through my body. My veins or what remained of them throbbed. My bones felt denser, heavier yet balanced. My synthetic muscles, formed from magic and necrotic energy, pulsed faintly.

Power surged through me. Reflexes sharpened. Balance improved everything felt... clearer.

I clenched my fist, and a faint sound of compressed air echoed around it.

"This..." I gave a small smile. "Not bad."

Without wasting time, I turned to the stone door at the side of the room. The runes that had once been hidden now glowed faintly, indicating that the path to the next floor had opened.

Time to continue the journey.

Meanwhile – Sofia’s Base

The sky looked dark, even though the sun was still high above. Black smoke from grenade blasts and small fires clouded the skies. The stench of gunpowder choked the air, mixing with the screams of people fighting in narrow streets, building courtyards, and alleyways.

Sofia stood on the front lines. Her body was covered in light wounds, mostly from bullets that grazed her skin before her magical healing system reacted.

Blood trickled from her temple.

In her hand, she held a glowing spear radiating holy light, but her face looked tired not just from the physical battle, but from the moral burden gnawing at her constantly.

"I can’t kill them... I don’t want to," she whispered softly.

The rebel soldiers attacking her base weren’t strangers. They were once part of the military she had served with. Many of them she knew by name. Some had even served under her command. Now, they stood on the opposite side.

Sofia chose to wound, not kill. She would strike then heal. Even in war, she remained a shield, not a sword. But... that was a major problem.

"Sofia, they’re coming from the north side!" Rina shouted.

Sofia nodded and quickly moved in that direction. A group of lightly armed civilians the residents of the base who had chosen to stand with her were trying to hold off advancing rebels near the main gate. But they were untrained, and their weapons were makeshift at best.

Sofia leaped in front of them. With a single swing of her spear, she blocked the bullets fired at the civilians. Holy light exploded from her spear’s tip, blasting the enemies back.

But it wasn’t enough.

The number of rebels kept growing.

And they were no longer armed only with knives or clubs like in the early days. Now they had firearms rifles, grenades, even makeshift rocket launchers. Their supplies clearly came from the central military or at least a faction within it.

When a bullet pierced a wall and hit a young boy behind her, Sofia froze for a moment. The child cried... blood flowed from his arm.

She healed him. But as she turned around, three more civilians had already fallen to sniper fire. She couldn’t save them all. Not fast enough.

People began yelling and blaming one another. Tension rose. And that day, a turning point came.

A group of previously silent civilians finally took a stand. Those who hated the military who saw them as the root of the chaos chose to support Sofia and fight back with fury.

On the other hand, some civilians, seeing this chaos as proof of Sofia’s weakness, secretly defected and ran to join the rebels. They no longer believed in "kindness" and "mercy."

The base split into two worlds. Two truths. Two opposing sides.

And the battle that day was the bloodiest since the chaos began.

Late Afternoon – Mid-Battle

Sofia’s team was being pushed back. Several defensive positions had fallen. Food was running low. Ammunition nearly gone. Injuries mounting.

Sofia stayed at the rear, trying to organize defenses with what remained of her core team. In desperation, they devised a final strategy to evacuate the remaining civilians.

However... in her focus, she didn’t notice one thing.

Someone had slipped through.

A man in full military gear, face covered, and a curved dagger in hand, infiltrated from the eastern side of the base through rubble and the drainage tunnels.

He was part of the central military’s elite unit, sent specifically to end the conflict with a single strike.

As Sofia channeled healing magic into a near-dead teammate, she felt a chill at her back.

"Watch out, Sofia!" Yuna shouted— Altair tried to move as wellbut it was too late.

SLAAASSSHHH!!

Blood splattered into the air. Her spear flew from her hand. Her eyes widened.

Her body staggered. And screams erupted from her comrades.