Apocalypse Unbound

Blade and the Beast

Elsewhere, in a luxurious hotel, a fierce battle was unfolding. A group of men, armed with bats, steel pipes, and knives, fought against a horde of relentless zombies.

Each man displayed remarkable strength, but one among them stood out. With uncanny speed, he darted through the swarm of zombies, swiftly unsheathing his katana.

The heads of the zombies fell to the ground, one after another, followed by their bodies.

This remarkable swordsman was Draco, the second-in-command of one of the city's most notorious gangs.

With the zombies dispatched, a charismatic man in a white suit emerged from the shadows.

The men in the room quickly cleared a path and bowed respectfully, even Draco, the agile swordsman, paying his respects. He was a burly figure with a thick beard, the boss of the Red Flame Gang, known as Bunta.

He casually took out a cigarette and lit it up without a lighter. Taking a puff.

"Report?" Bunta inquired, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Creatures are mostly zombies, sir. I did spot a mutant bird roaming in the distance, sir," one of the men reported.

"Good," Bunta nodded. "Keep an eye out for any other unusual monsters and search for survivors."

"Yes, sir," the men replied in unison, setting off to fulfill their duties.

Earlier, Bunta and his men were suddenly attacked by zombies while in the hostel but they awakened the system, and using tutorial weapons they fought, others using weapons they were familiar with, others holding their ground to fend off zombies.

As they killed the zombies, they began to feel stronger, some awakening special abilities.

Bunta had awakened the ability to manipulate fire however he wanted and was strong enough to lift a car, while his assistant had awakened with unnatural speed, swift as the wind.

Quickly realizing that the world was spiraling into chaos, Bunta’s goal was to seize power as early as possible. It was only a matter of time before the authorities lost control, if they hadn’t already.

To achieve this, he needed more power, and he learned that unique monsters dropped special cores when killed, and these cores, when absorbed, would grant one special powers.

Bunta got his flame ability from defeating a Flame Turtle. This is why his men were scouring the city in search of unique monsters.

Bunta also intended to recruit any survivors he found under his banner, becoming their new leader. However, if anyone resisted his authority, he had no qualms about crushing them.

*

Meanwhile, Grey, back at the office, made an intriguing discovery. He observed one of the zombies he had slain earlier as he watched its body slowly withering away, until it eventually disintegrated into ashes.

Looking downwards, Grey didn't see any corpse of the zombie he had killed, which proved the phenomenon was consistent. The zombies turn into ashes when they die; this is far from natural.

Grey was starting to doubt that the virus that started this might not be of human origin, especially since it seemed linked to his getting the system.

Were humans truly capable of creating something like this? Perhaps it was made by an extraterrestrial source or a divine being?

Grey could only speculate.

His immediate goal was to slay as many zombies as he could and level up, which would in turn increase his chances of survival.

Reaching the 8th floor, Grey placed his ear on the door, listening to know if there were zombies behind it.

Silence greeted him, raising questions about whether the doors were soundproof or if the zombies were simply further away.

He gripped his axe, turned the doorknob, and pushed it open, and what he encountered was a nauseating stench of decay, along with a horrific sight.

A gruesome scene unfolded before him: mutilated zombie bodies, heads ripped from their torsos, limbs torn asunder, and skulls caved in.

Grey was taken aback by the sheer brutality of the scene. He wondered if this carnage was the work of a monster or a human, although the latter seemed unlikely.

Grey's curiosity led him further into the room, where he heard a sudden growl. It emanated from one of the offices at the far end of the floor.

It sounded inhuman, sparking Grey's curiosity and trepidation.

He cautiously approached the source, his axe at the ready. As he entered the room, the sight that met his eyes left him stunned.

Huddled in the corner was a colossal, muscular creature, its veins throbbing like pulsating arteries. It was an unsettling sight, and Grey couldn't help but wonder what it could be.

Tti-ring

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[ Juggernaut Zombie - Tier 1 ]

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The system informed .

"Juggernaut Zombie?!"

Grey was taken aback by the system info that came right in time as if reading his mind, but was more shocked by the fact that there was a ranking beside the zombie name.

What this meant was that there would most likely be zombie of higher rank, and this further confirmed his suspicion that there will be zombies with abilities.

Grey looked at the Juggernaut Zombie closely, gauging it.

It was a monstrous specimen, larger and more powerful than the others he had encountered.

Grey gulped, his muscles growing tense, doubting he might be able to defeat it with his current strength.

The zombie hadn't noticed him yet, so Grey thought to leave and come back later when he was more confident with his strength.

But then, the system notification hit Grey with a jeering slap in the back that left his jaw hanging.

Tti-ring.

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[You have been given a new quest: defeat Juggernaut Zombie]

[Reward: Free weapon, shard stones]

[Time Duration: 30 min]

[Failure: System Disabled]

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"The hell!"