A/N: Sorry for the delay, I was busy with private circumstances, I'll try to post more chapters in 3 or 4 days. Additionally, I'll update the past chapters to clean some stuff, and start to write a world-building/lore to enhance and make the visuals of the story experience.
If you have questions, let me know in the comments below. Anyway, have fun reading!
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The zombies caused by nuclear war were not stereotypical slow-moving corpses that were easy to kill with guns, nor were they blind and mindless. Instead, they were enhanced, swift monsters with unlimited stamina, mutated into various grotesque forms designed to tear victims apart, leaving nothing behind—not even bones.
During the nuclear conflict, initial signs of their presence were unnoticed, and the zombies themselves weren't immediately contaminated, allowing Europe to fall rapidly as it became the epicenter of devastating bombings. By the time other countries realized the threat, it was too late to contain it. Within less than ten years of relentless fighting, society had crumbled entirely. Now, the surviving humans hid everywhere but the city, gathering strength and devising plans to reclaim their shattered land.
Growl!* Growl!* Roar!*
The guttural growls of approaching zombies reverberated through the dense forest, creating a terrifying, continuous noise that sent chills down their spines.
Lucasth, Lauren, and Emily had stayed behind, knowing they couldn't outrun these ferocious monsters. They decided it was better to stand their ground, as fleeing would only attract more zombies and increase their chances of being overwhelmed.
While the zombies didn't form a typical horde, their sounds attracted additional attention, complicating their situation further.
Their eyes followed the source of the noise and saw countless ravenous, sluggish figures emerging from the shadows—dull, rotting faces twisted with ferocious hunger, eyes glowing with primal instinct, ready to devour any flesh in their path.
Lucasth swiftly hijacked his hatchet, raising it high before swinging downward with precision, striking the zombie in front of him on the head and smashing its skull, causing it to stagger. He then kicked the corpse toward the approaching horde, freeing his hatchet, and aiming to break their formation. Without hesitation, he threw multiple knives at the zombies' heads, ensuring they wouldn't rise again, all in a matter of seconds.
Seizing the moment, Lauren charged into the middle of the swarm, swinging his knives at the zombies' skulls or aiming for their lower limbs to incapacitate them. He moved swiftly, avoiding their grasp as they tried to claw or tackle him.
"Hey Lucasth, I thought only humans were summoned from Earth! Why are these creatures here?" Lauren asked, kicking a zombie into the cluster and thrusting a combat knife into the back of another zombie's head.
"Do you think I know?" Lucasth shot back harshly, swinging his hatchet twice, killing five zombies in front of him—the first one's head flying apart with the blow.
"We read the same thing!—that she's calling us warriors from a far galaxy!" Lauren added sharply, blocking a zombie's swipe and then kicking it away.
He then raised his left arm, blocking a lunging zombie with his exoskeleton-enhanced arm before tossing it aside. Grabbing its leg, he smashed it into the ground, killing it in the process.
"And I think we humans are less than them on one billion counts," Lucasth muttered grimly.
Lauren narrowly dodged a zombie's tackle and thrust his weapon at another approaching threat's neck before stomping on the tackling one's head to finish it off.
"Great, another problem added to the plate," he murmured sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Emily was trembling behind her SMG, firing wildly at the zombies, her hands shaking in terror and causing some shots to miss. Most of her shots found their targets, but her panic was evident.
Lucasth noticed her struggle and moved closer, trying to calm her. "Emily, relax and take a deep breath. Focus on conserving your ammo—we don't yet know where we're now," he advised gently.
"Try aiming for their legs—leave the killing to us," he added, swatting at the approaching zombies.
Hearing his words, her fear lessened somewhat. She took a deep breath, steadied her aim, and improved her chances of hitting the zombies' legs, disrupting their advance.
ARGHHHAROAH!*
Suddenly, a thunderous, agonized roar erupted from the distance, sending a wave of dread through the group. Recognizing the terrifying sound of a monstrous creature, their hair stood on end.
The approaching zombies immediately took notice of the roar, their rage intensifying as they surged forward in a frenzied swarm. The number of zombies was staggering—hundreds flooding from all directions, their bodies squeezing through the forest undergrowth.
"Herald!" Lucasth grimly shouted, instinctively shielding Emily with his exoskeleton arm and wielding his hatchet to fend off the oncoming tide.
"It's not enough without an extra threat, right? Add a Herald to the mix!" Lauren exclaimed sarcastically, dodging zombies rapidly closing in on him.
He couldn't use his knives efficiently now, overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies. He stomped down on the fallen undead, trying to hold his ground.
The Herald was a grotesque zombie with a pulsating, glowing throat and lungs. It had the terrifying ability to call other zombies to its location, causing a deadly swarm. These mutated zombies were the first of their kind documented after the infection spread, and they proved far more lethal than ordinary undead.
After Lucasth kills his 100th zombie, an announcement from the status system echoes in his mind.
Ding*
[Level up: 1 to 2]
He dismisses the notification, fully aware that the situation will continue to deteriorate rapidly.
"Lauren! You silenced the bastard!" he shouts, smashing the skulls of nearby zombies with relentless fury. His hatchet is red and slick with blood as he swings it in sweeping arcs. Despite the bite marks and scratches accumulating on his exoskeleton arms, shielding Emily from the encroaching horde.
The sheer number of zombies is overwhelming. Eliminating the current threat will reduce their numbers temporarily and buy them some breathing room.
Lauren, hearing Lucasth's command while still darting around the chaos, hesitates, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "How about you two!"
"We don't have a choice!" Lucasth responds loudly, voice grim. Swinging his bloodied hatchet again, a trail of zombie corpses piling at his feet. His muscles strain with each blow, sweat mixing with blood.
"Either we tire out or we die trying!"
Lauren pauses for a moment, weighing their options while continuing to dispatch nearby zombies with swift, precise strikes. After a tense moment, he hesitantly agrees.
"Okay, I'll make it quick!"
He concentrates, calling upon how to use his unique ability, Proton Acceleration. And then tingling zap courses through his body as he feels a surge of electricity. Outside, he begins to glow faintly, lightning crackling and cycling around him in arcs.
Moving fluidly, he harnesses these sensations, then releases a powerful electric surge. His body reacts faster, enabling him to move with exceptional speed. He dodges through the horde, heading toward the source of the loud roaring to confront the herald and halt the growing horde.
Meanwhile, Lucasth and Emily focus on the zombies directly ahead. They quickly eliminate the nearest threats, hacking and shooting at the approaching pile of corpses.
Emily silently aims her gun at the zombies, crippling their legs with precise shots. Her eyes catch movement on the right— a towering, muscular bear with tiger stripes charging at Lucasth at a frantic pace.
Her eyes widen in alarm. "Big brother! A bear!"
Lucasth, engrossed in the front lines, is caught off guard by Emily's warning. He only notices the massive beast—larger than a compact car—when it pounces suddenly, claws extended.
Feeling the beast's weight and the force of its attack as if struck by a moving vehicle, he braces his feet against the ground, trying to hold his ground. The bear drags him forward, his boots digging into the dirt as its immense power pulls him.
"Agrhhhhhhh!" he roars, muscles straining.
They push against each other, neither yielding completely. Lucasth fights to hold his ground, pushing with all his strength, but the bear's overwhelming force begins to dominate. Suddenly, Emily screams in terror, her voice trembling.
"Kyaaa!... stay away, stay away, stay AWAY!"
"Emily!"
Lucasth, distracted, feels the bear's teeth latch onto his left shoulder. The pain is excruciating—his bone cracks under the pressure as blood spills freely.
"Aurgh!"
Enraged by the pain, Lucasth unconsciously activates his Berserk skill. The pain dulls, replaced by a frenetic surge of rage. He lowers his right arm, rapidly punching the bear's chest with broken ribs visible through its torn skin.
The bear's hold weakens. Seizing the opportunity, Lucasth pushes the beast away, pulls out his pistol, and quickly fires at the zombies closing in on Emily.
Bang!* Bang!* Bang!* Bang!* Bang!* Bang!*
"Emily, hurry!" he shouts, providing her with a brief window of relief
A little bit calmer now, Emily manages to load a fresh magazine into her gun and begins firing at the remaining zombies.
But the bear, wounded and enraged, stands again. It charges forward, knocking Lucasth facedown before sinking its larger jaws into his back, tearing flesh with savage sounds.
"Urgh!" Lucasth grunts, feeling the overwhelming pain.
"Big brother!"
Lucasth, refusing to give up, haphazardly aims his pistol at the bear's forehead, trembling but determined.
Bang!* Bang!*
The shot echoes through the chaos, and the beast collapses abruptly, dead.
Ding*
[Level up: 2 to 3]
He immediately feels the weight of the carcass on him, signaling the creature's death. Exhausted and breathing heavily, Lucasth lies still as Emily rushes beside him.
"Big brother, are you okay?" she asks softly, concern evident on her face as she reaches out to help him.
He grips her hand, pulling himself free of the dead beast.
"Urgh!...ah... hah... hha... I don't think so—aurgh! God, that hurts," he gasps, pain evident in his voice.
"How are the zombies?" he asked, as she supported herself to walk toward a nearby tree and lie down to rest.
"The crawling ones were left behind."
When they reached the tree, she carefully lowered him to sit, ensuring he was comfortable and avoiding contact with his back injury.
"That's good; that should be manageable. It looks like he killed the herald," he murmured thoughtfully.
She nodded in relief, her face showing a mix of exhaustion and determination. "Stay put for now. I'll finish dealing with the zombies and... I'm sorry for being a burden." Her voice was sorrowful.
"It's okay, that was unpredictable. Let's use this chance to prevent something like this from happening again," he said reassuringly.