Apocalypse Unbound

Encounters

Grey was on his knees, panting heavily, while Apollo stood, his face reflecting a mix of emotions.

Grey had only managed to land a single strike during their fight, and for Apollo, that was a big deal.

It scared him how strong Grey would be when he reached his level, but at the same time, he was also excited by it.

He didn't have a system like Grey.

His soul had been damaged as a human, so when he entered the monkey, only a fraction of his power came with him.

He understood that his recovery would take time, and was confident he would return to full strength but would his recovery rate be higher than Grey's growth rate? He didn't know. 

'Should I just kill him now?' Apollo thought but shook his head.

If he did, it would be out of fear, which was cowardly, and that would also mean he was going back on his word. So Apollo decided to let it go and buried his worry.

"That was good training, though. I bet you regret it right now," Apollo said.

"No. In fact, I should be thanking you," Grey grinned.

The proficiency of some of his skills had increased, and he managed to unlock two more lightning-based skills, so he felt no regret. And more importantly, he received the biggest reward.

Grey raised his hand, releasing cold mist, as he re-read the notification he had gotten when he fought with Apollo.

==========

[You have been exposed to the element: Ice]

[Player is compatible]

[Element Saving]

[Successful]

[Congratulations on activating Element: Ice]

[You have unlocked a new skill: Cold Immunity]

==========

Seeing Grey could not use Ice made Apollo frown.

He had not only helped Grey improve his ability but had also given him a new element.

He didn't fully understand the system but suspected Grey's role as the [Necrotic Heir] gave him an unfair advantage.

Grey's stomach grumbled, and he spotted a vending machine. He decided it was best to stockpile.

With his enhanced strength, he broke the vending machine pretty easily, putting everything he could inside. He also found a couple of packs of bottled water and dumped them all in his inventory, leaving one for him to drink.

Grey watched as Apollo casually ate one of the chocolate bars. He had thought Apollo would resent him for using him to get stronger, but Apollo seemed fine with it. It was his fault for letting Grey provoke him.

"So, what are you doing next? Ready to fight the big boss?" Apollo asked.

"Not yet," Grey replied, feasting on a chocolate bar.

He realized he was a battle maniac and wanted to fight the monster on top of the building, but he knew he had to be cautious.

Sure, battling with Apollo was fun, but if the monkey had wanted him dead, he would be dead.

"I'll go back to hunting, clearing the small fries before facing the boss. Like a video game."

Grey said and then headed down the stairs to the next floor.

***

Two floors below Grey, two men were fighting multiple zombies, and from the way they fought, one could tell they were system users with abilities.

Nathaniel's arm was covered with rock like a gauntlet, which he used to batter the zombies, and he was assisted by Rush, who stood on one of the desks, shooting ice spikes at the zombies approaching him and covering Nathaniel's back.

Together, they worked seamlessly and successfully cleared the floor riddled with zombies.

They rescued four people and Nathen went to check on the survivors.

"Thank you, for saving us."

"It's no problem," Nathan replied.

One of the girls began to cry, and Nathan held her, comforting her.

Rush, watching this, shook his head. The two were close friends, and Rush knew what kind of person Nathan was.

Nathan had always been kind and virtuous even before the apocalypse., never hesitating to help others. It was a good thing, but Rush felt Nathan's willingness to help might be excessive.

He had told him he wanted to save as many as possible, as they needed to band together to survive this crisis. He was a true hero. 

But the world now would fall into lawlessness, and without order, there would be chaos, and people would see no reason to listen to him, despite him being their savior.

Nathan was strong, yes, but he lacked the needed cruelty.

Rush doubted that Nathan, with his good nature, would be able to kill anyone. And it would eventually come to that.

Rush was praying Nathan would be ready.

They kept saving people who were afraid to swing their bats against zombies.

The first guy they saved refused to face the zombies even after the system mechanics were explained, yet Nathan let him tag along.

Their group had increased once again, and if they all refused to fight, Rush was scared Nathan would accept it. They couldn't keep helping people who refused to put themselves in danger but were willing to let others be in such a situation.

Rush left the group as Nathan began to explain what he knew about the system and went to smoke a cigarette to cool his head. But then he heard footsteps in the distance.

Going to check, he spotted a man dressed in a unique coat featuring a feathered collar and a blue-colored monkey on his shoulder walking towards him in the hallway.

Their eyes met, and Rush couldn't help but gulp.

He felt an eerie aura coming from the man and couldn't tell if he was looking at a human, so he raised his hand to summon ice spikes, ready to shoot if the mysterious figure was a threat.

But then, in a blink, the mysterious figure was right in front of him, and before he could do anything, a cold blade rested on his neck.

Rush's eyes widened in surprise, his heart thudding rapidly, as he wondered how the mysterious figure moved so fast.

"Apollo, it seems we've found someone with an element similar to yours," the mysterious figure said to his pet, who hooted in response, looking repulsed by the statement.

Its lifelike expression filling Rush with terror.