Amy could hear the cockatrice and Grey fighting as she headed to the stairwell, indicating an intense battle. Going down to the 5th floor, she was nervous and scared she might run into a zombie, but she saw nothing.
The whole place was empty, and not one corpse could be seen. Grey was right; there were no zombies left. Their deaths were most likely caused by Grey, whom she considered an anomaly. No normal person would adapt so quickly to something as crazy as an apocalypse, yet Grey was treating it like a game. It was weird, but people with adaptability were winners, and Amy chose to stand on the winning side. She was completely resolute in her decision to stand with Grey. He was the only way she could survive. But Grey was cold. Too cold. She saw the look in his eyes when she argued to stay. He tried to hide it, but nothing could get past her senses. She could tell: Grey had considered killing her. Was she mistaken? Maybe. But one thing was sure: she had sensed hostile intent in that moment. Her ability to understand people's intentions has been helpful in many situations. And this is why she agreed to leave when Grey pointed out that the cockatrice was more dangerous than the zombies. To Amy, both were scary and dying to either one would be horrifying. But she had chosen to leave anyway. Grey was hesitant to harm her, and she knew it was because her skill was useful to him so she decided to check her stats. She had ignored it, thinking she was seeing things, but it was something that could save her life. ================= Name: Amy Hayfield Race: Human Title: None Strength: 7 Agility: 8 Stamina: 5 Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 6 Energy: 100 Elements: None Ability: [Heal] ================= Amy checked the description. ================ [Heal: Restore the health of anyone you touch by 10%] [Cost: 10 energy points] ================= It was a special ability indeed. If she used all the energy points she had, she could restore a person to full health. This had caught Grey's attention; certainly, it would be useful for him. Amy saw that the limitation was her low energy points and knew she had to increase them to maximize the use of the skill. She mulled over how to make it happen, and then it hit her. What if this functioned like a video game where her progress depended on defeating monsters? Then Grey hadn't lost his mind, and they were both fools. This meant she'd have to fight to live. But how could she cope with her weak stats and an ability that restores health instead of taking? With an ability like this, her survival hinged on relying on others. And Grey, right now, was her only option. She just had to wait until he was done dealing with the cockatrice. Amy then heard a ding sound coming from the elevator a distance behind her. Turning backward, she saw the doors opening, and inside was a man, holding his hand in a finger gun pointed at her. Judging by the fiery glowing light that shone at the tip of his finger like a charging bullet, his intention was anything but friendly. Amy held her breath, terrified. And then there was the sound of a gunshot. * * * Grey eyed the cockatrice like it was prey, enjoying the challenge it posed. With a grin, he charged at the cockatrice at frightening speed, catching it off guard. The cockatrice hastily threw up its iron-scaled feathers to intercept the attack. But there was no attack. Grey leaped over the bird and landed behind it with a silent thud, then unleashed sword strikes on the cockatrice's open back using [Bane Sword]. A couple of strikes landed on the cockatrice's back, causing blood to spew. The cockatrice shrieked in pain and then turned quickly, blocking the attacks. But Grey was too fast, overwhelming it with his blade, each strike stronger than the last. This provoked the cockatrice, and it screeched, about to release its feather blade. But it didn't even get the chance, as Grey wrapped his fingers around the cockatrice and pinned it to the ground. The cockatrice tried to get out of its dilemma, but Grey gave it no chance, activating his lightning skill: [Overcharge]. Grey didn't stop at one. [Overcharge] [Overcharge] He kept spamming the skill, not giving the cockatrice any chance or space to fight back. [Overcharge] [Overcharge] ... After using [Overcharge] until the cockatrice was unmoving, Grey stopped. The cockatrice's entire body was fried by Grey's ability, and its roasted body smelled so similar to chicken that Grey's mouth began to water. But he shook his head at the absurd idea of feasting on such a terrifying-looking bird. ================== [You have killed cockatrice] [You have received shard stones:] [Strength: 2] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 5] [You have received an accessory: Iron Feather] [+2 Strength +2 Agility and +5 Defense when wearing] =================== "Whoa!" Grey gasped. He didn't think defeating the cockatrice would be this rewarding. He immediately brought out the accessory he had gotten and equipped it. This coat was a luminous blue, its surface adorned with small, reflective scales resembling the cockatrice's protective feathers. The collar was a ring of sleek, dark feathers that gave it a predatory elegance. Grey slipped into it, the coat's cool, soft texture and the fresh scent of new fabric enveloping him. ==================== [You have gotten a new ability: 'Quick Step'] [Quickstep: Double your agility for 5 seconds] [Cost: 50 energy points] [Cooldown: 2 seconds] =================== Grey's jaw dropped. Doubling his agility for five seconds was crazy. The fight would have ended in seconds if he had gotten the ability before fighting the cockatrice. But then Grey calmed down when he saw the cost. His energy was slightly over a hundred, so the cost of using [Quickstep] was too much. Either way, battling the cockatrice was lucrative. And it also showed he was way stronger than before, which made him realize he hadn't checked his stats in a while. "Stats," Grey called out. ================ Name: Grey White Race: Human Title: Necrotic Heir Strength: 22 [+2] Agility: 20 [+5] Stamina: 21 Vitality: 20 Intelligence: 13 Energy: 130 Element: [Lightning Manipulation - 20] ~ Skills: [Lightning Blade - 1] [Lightning Enhancement - 1] [Overcharge - 5] [Lightning Fist - 1] Ability: [Essence Plunderer - 0] [Berserk - 0] [Quickstep - 0] Equipment: [Bane Sword] =================== Grey was quite impressed with his growth. Ironfeather had visibly raised his stats, making his agility his highest stat. Intelligence was the lowest, and the zombies didn't drop intelligence shards, most likely because they weren't the most intelligent creatures. The cockatrice did drop one, though, and it was a 5-point shard stone, which made Grey relieved as he didn't want any of his attribute growth to get stunted, especially the one his strength relied on. Grey then noticed something in his stat window. The ability that came with the system and he hadn't used: [Essence Plunderer: Absorb ability from defeated foes]. After reading this, Grey turned towards the corpse of the cockatrice, a greedy look on his face. "I guess it's time to test it."Related Chapters
Apocalypse Unbound Ghostwalk
Grey placed his hand on the body of the cockatrice and wasted no time activating [Essence Plunderer]. Immediately, a notification popped into his vision. ============== [Ability detected: Blade Scattershot] [Unsuitable for host] ============== Grey felt disappointed, but it made sense, after all, he didn't have feathers he could shoot out blades like the cockatrice did. However, before Grey could retract his hand from the cockatrice, another notification popped up, widening his eyes in pleasant surprise. ============== [Searching for a more compatible ability for Host] [New Ability detected:] [Iron Carapace] [Iron Carapace: Solid iron scales interlock to form a durable carapace, enhancing your defensive capabilities and shielding you from harm] [Would you like to plunder it?] ============== "Yes," Grey said, and immediately he felt something flow into his arm that caused him to feel a slight jolt. Grey then checked his stats window. ======== Name: Grey
Apocalypse Unbound Hoarde of Sabertooth
Wendy could hear the steps of the Sabertooth quickly reaching her.Despite her dizziness, she forced herself to run, her heart thudding wildly as she felt cold chills on her back.The Sabertooth shoved and clawed its way through the zombies toward Wendy, a feral look on its face.Wendy was exhausted; she wasn't athletic and fast enough to outrun the beast. It was only a matter of time before the zombie caught up to her.But suddenly, she saw someone come out of the stairs holding what looked like a bat. Relief washed through her, and she yelled without reservation, "Help me!"The man saw her and his eyes widened as he noticed the Sabertooth dangerously close to her. He gripped his bat tightly, set it on fire using his element, and hurried towards her.In just a few steps, he had reached Wendy and raised his flaming bat, ready to swing. For a split second, Wendy was sure she was the target, but then he shouted urgently, "Duck!"Instantly, Wendy ducked, and the flaming bat struck the Sa
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
Apocalypse Unbound Blatant Refusal
"Who are you?" Rush asked cautiously."Me, I'm..." Grey didn't get the chance to finish as a looming figure surged forward with lightning speed, delivering a devastating punch that thundered into his side. The impact sent him skidding across the ground, gravel, and debris swirling in his wake."Nathan?" Rush exclaimed, seeing Nathan's arm already covered in rocks, his ability [Earth Gaunlet] activated.He then turned towards the stranger to see the damage done. Yet, his jaw slackened when he witnessed the stranger casually dusting off his coat, completely unharmed.The mysterious figure certainly wasn't normal, remaining unscathed by Nathan's blow. Even the monkey perched on his shoulder seemed untouched. Then, as if that wasn't shocking enough, something strange happened. Without warning, Nathan's earth gauntlet began to fracture, small shards tinkling to the ground like raindrops.In the split second Nathan had attacked, Grey had managed to counter with lightning speed using [Over
Apocalypse Unbound Tense Confrontation
Apollo shook his head, realizing the girls were not even in Grey's thoughts.Wendy noticed his realistic gesture out of the corner of her eye and did a double-take to check what she saw."What a cute monkey," Wendy said, trying to touch Apollo's head. "Grey, I didn't know you had a pet.""Hands off, bitch," Apollo said, but what Wendy heard was an aggressive grunt followed by her hand getting slapped down, much to Wendy's annoyance, followed by a chuckle from Amy."Pius... back so soon? What happened?" Nathan asked seemingly surprised.Pius had separated from the group to search for his son in grade school.He had been speaking to his son on a phone call, but the connection suddenly got disconnected, and then there were zombies.He adapted quickly taking down a couple of zombies with Nathan and Rush.Looking down at the glass walls Pius saw zombies alongside different types of horrific monsters wrecking the city.This made him extremely worried for his son's safety, and he decided to f
Apocalypse Unbound Grit and Fire
"I’ll make sure to go easy."Grey watched them. Though he was smiling, he was pissed. They wanted to beat him into submission, which was quite comedic, as it would have made more sense if they were stronger than him. But they weren’t, even as a group, and Grey found that insulting.Granted, their lack of strength was mostly why they wanted him to stay, but still, there were better ways to convince a guy. Other than that, Grey didn’t care about them, nor did he have any reason to. He wasn’t an overly moral person, all about risking his life to do good. He had no attachment to them or anyone else, for that matter—not Amy nor Wendy. The only one he remotely cared about was Jace, and he was also gone. So, Grey was done caring about others.Grey thought being in a group would only frustrate him, especially when there was no structure and a couple of unwilling members."One last chance, Grey," Nathan warned. "It’s not too late to rethink your choice."Grey chuckled. That’s exactly what he s
Apocalypse Unbound A Mutant Birth
With a defeated sigh, Nathan raised both hands in surrender. "Enough, we lost. Do as you please." He realized that Grey had gone easy on them and that trying to be forceful wouldn't do them any good. He needed everyone to be in good form to deal with any threat they encountered and couldn't risk injuries. Besides if Grey wanted to kill himself it was none of their business. Grey frowned, ticked off by Nathan's surrender, but nodded understandably. He was enjoying the exchange, yet Nathan had to go ahead and end it. Grey had wanted the brawl to last longer, to fight until he lost all his energy, but it seemed it was too much to ask. Not everyone was a battle junkie like him, and he shouldn't expect others to be the same. No one in their right mind should be like Grey, who seemed to enjoy the thrill of it all. He was an anomaly, who seemed to be born for this, whereas these guys were just ordinary workers trying to survive. Some had chosen to adapt, others were unwill
Apocalypse Unbound Duskfang
Grey leaned against the elevator wall, silent and unmoving. He had mentioned that he killed Jace to Wendy because he wanted to keep her as far away from him as possible.Jace’s death had hurt because he was too close to him. To avoid that pain again, he couldn't allow anyone to get close and end up with the same fate.“So, ignoring how cringe you were earlier, I’ve got a question,” Apollo said, making Grey frown.“Are you seriously going to face the horde all by yourself?”Grey let out a heavy sigh and responded, “Yeah. That’s the plan.”“Are you suicidal?” Apollo asked with a serious expression on his face. “'Cause that's the vibe you're giving.”“I don’t intend to die. I promised Jace I’d survive, so that’s what I’m going to do.”“Well, I don’t know who this Jace is, but let’s hope your promise to
Latest Chapter
- Apocalypse Unbound
Man and Beast
The new skill he had gotten will be enough.The two stared at each other—man and beast—as if gauging each other's strengths. [Duskfang] was even more cautious as the human released a deathly aura that warned him to flee. [Duskfang] then used its clone ability to create another version of itself to tag Team Grey.The clone looked exactly like the original, and Grey didn’t doubt it had the same power-up. With a deep exhale, he charged at the beast, who began to shoot [Abyssal Orbs]. Grey dodged and parried with his sword, [Banesword], as he drew close, but they were just too much. The release rate had vastly increased, and Grey was still overwhelmed. The energy balls battered his body, tearing into it, but Grey kept moving forward. His bloodline had boosted his vitality to such an insane level that his wounds were starting to heal almost immediately. This advantage gave him the ability to push through the assault, but the closer he got, the more the barrage poked at
- Apocalypse Unbound
Venom
Grey looked down and saw [Duskfang] clamping onto his throat.Strangely, it didn't hurt as much as it should have.But if he let [Duskfang] keep at it, he might truly die.Instinctively, he thrust his fingers upward and sank them into [Duskfang]'s flesh.[Duskfang] winced as it felt Grey's fingers pierce its skin.It was confused as to how the human beneath him was still breathing, and sunk its teeth deeper into Grey's neck holding it tighter.But then it felt something wrong with the blood that graced its tongue.The red liquid, which had been invigorating before, wasn't anymore.Something had changed.Grey's blood was doing the opposite—it was poisoning it. [Duskfang] could also feel a sharp pain in the area where Grey's fingers had pierced.It had thought the wound was harmless and ignored it, but now it felt as if it was on fire.Realizing it was in danger, [Duskfang] hurriedly let go of Grey and leaped away, keeping its distance.It glanced at the finger marks Grey had made on i
- Apocalypse Unbound
The Necrotic Heir
Grey emitted a growl as he felt his energy boost fill his body. His body grew hot as his muscle mass increased. He glanced at his stats and saw they had all been doubled.[Berserk ~ 0: Double all stats for one minute][Side Effect: Drained Stamina and Temporary halt in recovery][Effects get better once proficiency increases] Though handy in tight situations, [Berserk] wasn’t advisable to use because of its drawbacks.There was a timer attached to it, meaning he would be in great danger if he didn’t finish off [Duskfang] before one minute ended.Grey sighed, convincing himself that he had no choice. Besides, how would he increase his proficiency if he abandoned the skill?“One minute,” Grey exhaled as he readied himself. “Make it count.”[Duskfang], who seemed relaxed, suddenly became alert, sensing that the air around Grey had changed. The human had gotten stronger.Though it didn’t understand how, it knew there was only one conclusion to this fight: the human's death. [Duskfang]
- Apocalypse Unbound
Last Option
Grey glanced at the new threat, and his expression turned serious. His heartbeat raced so fast that he thought it might explode.Something stirred within him—he didn’t know what it was, but it filled him with adrenaline.The monsters he had faced before, though challenging, were boring with predictable attacks.The only advantage they had: their numbers.But this... this beast was the real deal.If he could compare it to anything, it would be the same chill he felt when he first faced the [Juggernaut zombie].But there was a difference now: Unlike before, he was less hesitant and much stronger.From the brief confrontation, it was obvious that the sabretooth's agility was higher than his, meaning he would be at a massive disadvantage in close combat.This made him think he would fare better with his sword.He glanced at it and saw it lodged in the skull of a dead sabretooth.He knew he had to get it before the sabretooth made a move. But would he be fast enough to retrieve it before [
- Apocalypse Unbound
Duskfang
Grey leaned against the elevator wall, silent and unmoving. He had mentioned that he killed Jace to Wendy because he wanted to keep her as far away from him as possible.Jace’s death had hurt because he was too close to him. To avoid that pain again, he couldn't allow anyone to get close and end up with the same fate.“So, ignoring how cringe you were earlier, I’ve got a question,” Apollo said, making Grey frown.“Are you seriously going to face the horde all by yourself?”Grey let out a heavy sigh and responded, “Yeah. That’s the plan.”“Are you suicidal?” Apollo asked with a serious expression on his face. “'Cause that's the vibe you're giving.”“I don’t intend to die. I promised Jace I’d survive, so that’s what I’m going to do.”“Well, I don’t know who this Jace is, but let’s hope your promise to
- Apocalypse Unbound
A Mutant Birth
With a defeated sigh, Nathan raised both hands in surrender. "Enough, we lost. Do as you please." He realized that Grey had gone easy on them and that trying to be forceful wouldn't do them any good. He needed everyone to be in good form to deal with any threat they encountered and couldn't risk injuries. Besides if Grey wanted to kill himself it was none of their business. Grey frowned, ticked off by Nathan's surrender, but nodded understandably. He was enjoying the exchange, yet Nathan had to go ahead and end it. Grey had wanted the brawl to last longer, to fight until he lost all his energy, but it seemed it was too much to ask. Not everyone was a battle junkie like him, and he shouldn't expect others to be the same. No one in their right mind should be like Grey, who seemed to enjoy the thrill of it all. He was an anomaly, who seemed to be born for this, whereas these guys were just ordinary workers trying to survive. Some had chosen to adapt, others were unwill
- Apocalypse Unbound
Grit and Fire
"I’ll make sure to go easy."Grey watched them. Though he was smiling, he was pissed. They wanted to beat him into submission, which was quite comedic, as it would have made more sense if they were stronger than him. But they weren’t, even as a group, and Grey found that insulting.Granted, their lack of strength was mostly why they wanted him to stay, but still, there were better ways to convince a guy. Other than that, Grey didn’t care about them, nor did he have any reason to. He wasn’t an overly moral person, all about risking his life to do good. He had no attachment to them or anyone else, for that matter—not Amy nor Wendy. The only one he remotely cared about was Jace, and he was also gone. So, Grey was done caring about others.Grey thought being in a group would only frustrate him, especially when there was no structure and a couple of unwilling members."One last chance, Grey," Nathan warned. "It’s not too late to rethink your choice."Grey chuckled. That’s exactly what he s
- Apocalypse Unbound
Tense Confrontation
Apollo shook his head, realizing the girls were not even in Grey's thoughts.Wendy noticed his realistic gesture out of the corner of her eye and did a double-take to check what she saw."What a cute monkey," Wendy said, trying to touch Apollo's head. "Grey, I didn't know you had a pet.""Hands off, bitch," Apollo said, but what Wendy heard was an aggressive grunt followed by her hand getting slapped down, much to Wendy's annoyance, followed by a chuckle from Amy."Pius... back so soon? What happened?" Nathan asked seemingly surprised.Pius had separated from the group to search for his son in grade school.He had been speaking to his son on a phone call, but the connection suddenly got disconnected, and then there were zombies.He adapted quickly taking down a couple of zombies with Nathan and Rush.Looking down at the glass walls Pius saw zombies alongside different types of horrific monsters wrecking the city.This made him extremely worried for his son's safety, and he decided to f
- Apocalypse Unbound
Blatant Refusal
"Who are you?" Rush asked cautiously."Me, I'm..." Grey didn't get the chance to finish as a looming figure surged forward with lightning speed, delivering a devastating punch that thundered into his side. The impact sent him skidding across the ground, gravel, and debris swirling in his wake."Nathan?" Rush exclaimed, seeing Nathan's arm already covered in rocks, his ability [Earth Gaunlet] activated.He then turned towards the stranger to see the damage done. Yet, his jaw slackened when he witnessed the stranger casually dusting off his coat, completely unharmed.The mysterious figure certainly wasn't normal, remaining unscathed by Nathan's blow. Even the monkey perched on his shoulder seemed untouched. Then, as if that wasn't shocking enough, something strange happened. Without warning, Nathan's earth gauntlet began to fracture, small shards tinkling to the ground like raindrops.In the split second Nathan had attacked, Grey had managed to counter with lightning speed using [Over