The current scene unfolding before them left everyone speechless. A man, accompanied by two giant bugs, effortlessly fought off tens of zombies swarming them at once. However, describing it as a "fight" didn't quite capture what they were watching. It was more of a one-sided massacre.
The longer they watched, the more surreal the scene became, and their emotions struggled to keep pace. It wasn't just the fact that there were only three figures fighting; it was also the sheer number of corpses littering the ground. Headless bodies, some dismembered, while others remained perfectly intact as the zombies died without suffering any physical trauma.
A few unprepared students weren't ready for the gore they witnessed. The zombies still resembled humans who were once humans not so long ago. The state of their corpses and the intense smell of blood overpowered the food they were so desperately trying to hold in.
Yet, the surprises didn't end there. The biggest shock came from the new companion following Noah. There was no chance anyone would forget the bug that instilled so much fear into them not so long ago. Although Ailetta was surprised, it was Mark who felt the greatest shock upon seeing the bug that Noah tamed. He gripped the handle of his sword, which barely gained much action. The bug that Noah tamed was the first opponent that made him feel completely inferior.
Did that mean Noah was better than him? The thought gnawed at him relentlessly, he couldn't bring himself to accept that. Just like now, Noah was able to go off on his own and level up as much as he wanted when he instead was held back, unable to progress beyond level three.
'I said time and time again that we should focus on leveling up, but no one listened! If someone like him could reach this level, then just imagine how strong I could've become if they listened to me.'
Driven by frustration, Mark stopped watching from afar and impulsively charged into the fray without consulting his group. With plenty of zombies still in the vicinity, the two groups wouldn't hinder each other's progress. His group reluctantly followed suit, despite their reservations about the overwhelming number of zombies.
However, what they failed to notice was the irregular behavior of certain zombies, which would suddenly sprint towards Noah. After Arachne and Grim both agreed to share the meals of the stronger zombies, they swiftly intercepted any special zombie that approached him.
It was when Mark's group approached from the other side that they encountered their first unique zombie.
"Mark! Don't go off alone, we don't know what these things are capable of!" Jasmine's shout fell on deaf ears. Mark was determined to prove to them that he had made the right decision to fight before. What better way to do that than to face a seemingly powerful enemy, and two of them at that?
Before everyone's eyes, Mark's body radiated a small incandescent bluish glow. Suddenly, he became much faster and more agile than before, his speed even surpassing that of the running zombies. However, many were still unaware that he had obtained an achievement known as 'Hero's Aura.' The skill had a multitude of functions, ranging from support to attack.
With his mana, Mark could temporarily boost any single stat by up to fifty percent, the extent depending on how much mana he expended. Alternatively, he could infuse his aura into a weapon, enhancing its durability, sharpness, or range by enveloping it in a blue layer that extended its reach.
This conviction was also the reason he thought he was clearly better than Noah, whom he now viewed as nothing more than a common villain. After all, the world had bestowed upon him the title of hero, and he had even gained the acknowledgment of god! How could he not be considered superior?
Approaching the first zombie, Mark amateurishly thrust forward with his claymore, aiming for the zombie's head.
Pah*
His sword pierced through the zombie's cheek, easily reaching its brain. Because he was trying to prove a point, he also expended more of his mana to coat his sword in his aura to increase its sharpness. He was able to quickly and cleanly retrieve the sword from the zombie's head to perform a horizontal swing to the next zombie. The sword slid through the zombie's neck with seemingly no resistance before it collapsed.
The quick succession of taking down the two new zombies stunned his group members, who looked towards him in awe. But Mark wasn't content with their stares; his head snapped in Noah's direction, hoping that he had witnessed how he easily slew the advanced zombies, all on his own, without the aid of people 'or' creatures.
Yet Noah wasn't paying attention to their group at all; Mark almost doubted that Noah knew they were even here, which caused his anger to flare. With a frustrated sigh, Mark's fervent eyes soon turned back to his group now that they had caught up.
"We've already wasted time; kill as many as you can, stay in groups if you have to, but let's all level up before we leave!"
...….
Mark's group finally confronted the zombie horde as a whole. Meanwhile, Noah and his insect companions were nearly ready to retreat. Having already fought for what seemed like half an hour, they were running low on steam. Noah had no intention of fighting until he was completely drained, especially with other potential threats like the vulture from earlier possibly lurking.
"Grim, Arachne, we're leaving! Arachne, take me with you," Noah yelled while hacking down another encroaching zombie. The zombies seemed endless; even if he and his creatures killed a hundred each, the horde would still appear never-ending. Noah didn't want to risk getting caught out; they were slowly being overrun and surrounded as they tried to kite the zombies away.
Both Grim and Arachne responded swiftly. Noah wasn't worried about either of them being in danger. They both had ways to escape crowds, and the zombies rarely focused on them unless they no longer had Noah in sight.
Whoosh!
He soared through the air, clinging to Arachne's mid-section as they darted away from the horde. The rough, uneven surface of Arachne's mid-section dug into Noah's skin, sending shivers of discomfort down his spine, however the thrill of "flying" through the air trumped whatever discomfort he was experiencing. They quickly escaped the horde but didn't go too far. There was something Noah was constantly looking for, something he feared would never appear.
After motioning for Arachne to stop where he had dropped his bag, which was only about 50 yards away from the zombies, he waited for the last bit of runners that were able to keep up. This time, he chose to sit it out, letting Grim and Arachne finish them all while he wiped off the blood and brain matter from his weapons with the grass.
Recalling the initial stages of their intense farming session, Arachne was far behind them in kills when relying only using her venom to take out each individual zombie. Growing increasingly agitated by her teammates' superior performance, she kept one eye on both Grim and Noah at all times, observing how they effortlessly outperformed her at every turn. It was only when she realized their simple strategy 'attack the head and move on' that Arachne felt her horizons expand exponentially.
Instead of leaping onto a zombie, Arachne crawled to one and stabbed at its face with her pointed leg. Her leg went cleanly through its mouth, piercing through the other side, and she was about to move on when she noticed the zombie continued to move! She couldn't shake the feeling of being tricked by Noah and Grim. Ignoring her initial instinct to move on, she relentlessly stabbed at the zombie's face until it stopped moving. Since then, she had been gradually learning where to attack the zombies to easily subdue them. Now Noah could proudly declare that she had become a better zombie farmer.
As a group of four runners approached, the bug duo swiftly dispatched them. Grim didn't rely on using his wings this time around; his wings consumed his stamina more, however, the "handicap" didn't show too much impact on his speed. In a short distance exchange, Grim's powerful front legs were enough to quickly close the distance. The same could be said for Arachne, who abandoned her usual leaping approach in favor of a direct charge towards the zombies.
As Noah anticipated, the chest he was waiting for finally materialized once the aggro enemies who were deemed to be threats, were neutralized. Looking up into the sky, he wondered if he could catch sight of the person watching them. How whoever it was decided when the chest would drop, he would never know, but his appreciation for that being was undoubtedly growing.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't touch it! What if you ruined my lucky streak?" Noah hurriedly interrupted Grim, who was curiously analyzing the chest. Despite not knowing where the chest had suddenly appeared from, Grim couldn't resist the allure of such a shining object. Even when Noah intercepted him, Grim remained rooted to his position, showing no signs of retreating as he watched his master with an overly intense gaze. He waited and he waited, his curiosity that was engaged towards the chest then proceeded to go to his master that didn't do anything yet.
'?????' The questioning tone rang in Noah's mind, distracting him from his ritual. He quickly spun his head around just to be startled. Grim's face was now inches from his own, those large, unblinking beady eyes stared into his. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Noah gently pushed Grim's face away and directed his gaze towards Arachne.
"You, you see her?" Noah asked, both of them observing Arachne as she carefully wrapped her meals in her webs.
"Be more like that glutton and let me enjoy myself," Noah muttered before returning to his superstitious rite of opening the chest.
Once again, Noah was fortunate enough to come across a gold chest, though he began to doubt whether luck truly played a role in it. If it was like he thought before, then the chest depended on the number and quality of beings killed. When he considered the overall number of zombies he and his creatures killed, it would be even more unreasonable if he didn't obtain a gold quality chest or higher.
As he opened the chest, Noah's eyes strained from the reflection of light bouncing off the huge collection of gold within. However, he soon noticed the glow of two different-colored lights emanating from within, igniting a spark of excitement in his heart. He hoped to acquire another valuable skill, not realizing that his standard for loot was becoming too picky.
His four pupils roamed every corner within the chest, quickly spotting all its contents. While the quality of the loot satisfied him, he couldn't help but feel disappointed by the lack of quantity.
"How come I killed so many, and yet this is all that's in here? Where's the rest? Don't tell me there's a limit to how much a chest can hold?" The thought left him crushed. If he had known that, then he wouldn't have farmed so many zombies all at once. As he tried to process the situation, he examined the rest of the chest contents. Among them were three glowing orbs, two of them were red, while the last was yellow, half a size bigger than the others.
[+2 strength]
[+2 strength]
[+5 stamina]
After absorbing the orbs, Noah was easily able to perceive the large changes in his body. Though his physique remained the same, he could feel a newfound power coursing through him. Instinctively, he clenched his fist, flexing his muscles, noticing the increased energy pulsating within him. If he had been disappointed with the quantity of loot before, he now began to grasp the logic behind it all. His thoughts completely shifted, especially when he retrieved the last item.
"What is this?" He pulled out a full suit of armor, though it didn't resemble the typical armor found in his setting. Instead, It was something that was used even today. What he held in his hands resembled the kind of gear that police would wear in riots, minus the helmet and boots.
The suit of armor featured thin guards made of a silver metal alloy, positioned around the knees, forearms, shins, chest, and back area. While it didn't seem as sturdy as the original counterpart, it certainly didn't restrict his movements. However, Noah noticed a distinct difference in the dark gray portion that wasn't made of metal; it felt elastic yet firm. Despite his increased strength, he doubted he could tear it apart.
Noah's excitement to try on the newly acquired item was dampened by the realization that he would need to remove his blood-soaked clothing first, a task made more tedious by the fresh blood now covering him once again.
"Man, I can't wait to try this on… I wonder what kind of stats it'll give! Maybe that's why there's less in here. Instead of getting multiple items of lesser value, the value increased, but that means fewer items as well… I need to remember to test this out more when I get the chance." While he pondered the rules of the chest, he busied himself with gathering the pile of gold. However, his task was interrupted when Arachne appeared beside him, dragging along four bodies completely wrapped in her new black webs.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Noah inquired, setting aside his concerns about the webs for the moment as he noticed the questioning gaze Arachne directed towards the chest. 'I thought she wasn't interested in these things,' Noah pondered while awaiting her response. He watched her observe the chest curiously, deep in thought. Suddenly, she pointed towards the chest and then towards Grim, prompting Noah's curiosity further.
'Did you not want the other one?' The question caused Noah's mind to go blank. 'The other one? When did I have another one and what does Grim have to do with it-!' Suddenly, realization struck as Arachne's cryptic words snapped him back to attention.
"Nooo, we forgot the other chest! The loot! The gold! Hurry up, hurry up before someone else takes it!"