Apocalypse Unbound

Axe and Thunder

The pain from the shock stopped, and Grey fell to his knees, breathing heavily. He looked down at the stat window in front of him, reading the notification that had appeared when he was being electrocuted.

Feeling somewhat eased, he rose to his feet and then heard a zombie growl from behind. Reacting on instinct, he swung the fire axe, and the blade glowed with blue energy, slicing through the zombie's neck like a hot knife through butter.

Grey's eyes widened in shock as he watched the zombie's head fall to the ground.

He felt a strange energy coursing through him, tingling in his veins. Grey realized that stepping on the live wire had prompted the system to awaken the lightning element. So he could use lightning now?

Grey wondered if he would gain fire abilities if he put his hand inside a fire, but he shook his head, noticing how absurd his thoughts were. But was it really absurd?

Everything that had unfolded defied logic, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that. Whatever the case, Grey knew he had to get stronger as he planned.

Summoning the stats window, Grey noticed he had an innate ability: [Essence Devourer].

According to the system description, allowed him to absorb the abilities of defeated foes.

Grey couldn't help but envision the possibilities of acquiring numerous abilities and using them all to fight a massive horde of zombies, like some sort of epic boss character.

The thought gave him goosebumps, but a nagging question remained in his mind.

When the system said "those you defeat," did it refer to zombies, humans, or both?

“Killing humans, huh?”

In an apocalypse, it was unavoidable, but Grey wouldn't actively seek out humans to kill. If it was zombies, then it meant he would be facing undead with unique powers.

The thought of fighting zombies with telekinesis or fire power gave him chills, his heart thudding with a mix of anticipation and fear.

Then he suddenly heard the sound of growls coming from upstairs. It seemed the zombies had finally broken the door and were coming down.

Gripping his axe, Grey readied himself for a fight. The zombies descended cautiously, and Grey approached the first one.

With a swift motion, he severed the zombie's head effortlessly with a slice fueled by lightning. Grey gasped, feeling a surge of excitement.

His power was real, and the system could make him stronger. He felt a strange energy coursing through his body and figured it was his mana. He also felt he could manipulate it however he wanted into various attacks.

Another zombie descended, and Grey shot a lightning bolt out of his palm, blasting its head. Grey grinned, feeling like a wizard. He climbed up the stairs and, one by one, dealt with the zombies.

Only one remained. He stabbed towards the zombie with his axe, and a bolt of lightning shot out, piercing the zombie and leaving a gaping hole in its chest.

Grey was now on the sixth floor of the building and excited about the fact that his attacks were becoming more potent. His proficiency had increased by five, and though it was a small increment, Grey could see the difference. This made him wonder how powerful he would be when his proficiency reached higher levels.

Grey knew that to perform more powerful moves, he needed a substantial energy reserve.

However, a hungry growl came from the impaled zombie he had stabbed in the chest earlier. Even with a gaping hole in its chest, it hungered for his flesh.

Grey realized that decapitation was the only sure way to dispatch these undead creatures and shot an electricity blast toward the zombie's head.

But nothing happened, and Grey felt dizziness hit him, forcing him to stagger. He managed to grip the stair railing, narrowly avoiding a fall.

Gasping for breath, he wondered what had just happened, but then the persistent zombie rushed him, about to bite his throat, but Grey kicked the zombie, sending it backward, and finished it off with a decisive blow of his axe, taking off its head.

"What the hell happened?"

His body had weakened all of a sudden, and with a quick check of the system, he saw his energy had depleted.

He had been so lost in the satisfying feeling that came with one-shotting the zombies, he hadn’t paid attention to his draining energy. If it had been multiple zombies he was fighting, such dizziness could have been fatal.

Grey figured he'd have to be more careful and made a mental note to pay attention to his mana consumption.

His thoughts turned to boosting his mana. Recalling the system's video game-like mechanics, he theorized that adding points to his intelligence should increase it. However, he had only gotten one intelligence shard, which was from the zombie he just killed.

The zombies rarely dropped intelligence shards, and he deduced it was because they weren't very smart. But they did have tenacity, and that had almost killed him.

Grey then absorbed the intelligence shard, his intelligence rising from 100 to 110. One point in intelligence added ten to his energy, which confirmed his theory that each point in intelligence significantly contributed to his energy.

Knowing he had to be more careful, Grey wasted no time using all the shards he had gotten from the zombies he had killed.

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Name: Grey Adamas

Race: Human

Title: Necrotic Heir

Strength: 15

Agility: 13

Stamina: 15

Vitality: 12

Intelligence: 11

Energy: 110

Element: [Lightning - 6]

Ability: [Essence Plunderer]

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Grey felt the transformation immediately. His body had grown lighter, and his muscles felt firmer and a bit bulkier. He tested his newfound strength with a powerful, sharp punch, and exhilaration coursed through him.

"Great, with this I should be able to disperse a zombie easily," Grey muttered, a joyous grin on his face.

As he pressed on, ascending the building's stairs, he heard the unmistakable sound of something fast approaching. Tightening his grip on his axe, Grey prepared for danger. However, as the creature drew nearer, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The zombies, with their warped bodies and broken limbs, struggled to maintain balance while climbing down the stairs. Tumbling as they fell.

Grey used this chance to dispatch them, their lack of motor skills working in his favor.

Reaching the seventh floor, he found the door broken, most likely done by the zombies.

Grey walked in, not knowing how to feel. This was the place he had been working in just a couple of minutes ago, and now he was here to kill his co-workers, who had turned into zombies.

Three zombies lurched toward Grey. Two were male, but the third was a female Grey recognized. She was the lady Jace had a crush on, but now her appearance was a stark contrast to her former beauty.

Grey hit the first male zombie with a powerful kick, sending it flying, its chest caved in. Then, with raw power, he decapitated the second zombie and finished the third with a casual swing of the axe, decapitating it.

Grey’s eyes were cold as he watched the female's head roll to the ground.

He approached the male zombie he had kicked earlier. Its shattered chest left it immobilized. The zombie struggled to move, and Grey found it hard to believe this was once a human.

"A human wouldn't survive this," Grey muttered to himself.

Despite its broken body, it still looked at him with hunger in its eyes. Grey raised his axe and mercilessly ended its suffering with a well-aimed strike.

From the zombie he had killed, he had gotten a vitality shard and an intelligence shard, but before he could attempt to use them, he heard a noise.

A soft shuffle, dragging its feet on broken glass.

Grey turned toward it, his expression turning somber. He looked closely, searching for any trace of the friend he once knew in the mindless, flesh-craving creature he was seeing, but he found nothing.

Jace was gone, and he had to accept it. Grey then raised his axe and declared in a cold, emotionless tone.

"Don't worry, Jace, I'll make it quick."