Yufei, Banjo and X were delivering their best to the zombies but the zombies were too many.
Yufei had thought it was the noise from her brother's battle that called them over but it was far from it as the battle had ended well over forty minutes ago but the zombies kept coming.
It was later they realized it was the mutant body that was calling for them, they needed it as a supplement for their growth, but the trio weren't gonna let them have that privilege.
Over the course of one month the current zombies everyone fought were 4%, most were strong enough to deal with them, but some unfortunate ones had met with the 5%.
The 4% weren't a hard job again as everyone were well above level 20, but the qualitative and quantitative change from a 4 to a 5% was high that they felt like it was realms apart.
Tang Zhan of course didn't know all these since they happened siring his more than one month gameplay period, he also didn't know the current population level, as well as his friends level, but they also didn't know the level he had accumulated over the period he was in-game.
Yufei was at level 28, X was at level 28 as well while Banjo was at level 29, but Tang Zhan, he was at level ...
...
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Name: Tang Zhan.
Race: Ancient youngling. i.
Bloodline: Immortal blind bloodline. i.
Power: Ancient Shadow. i.
Elemental Flame. i.
Energy: 16,804/16,804. i
Level: 40(Exp: 0/30,000).
HP: 270.
Strength: 50. i.
Agility: 44. i.
Endurance: 44. i.
unallocated points:0
skills;
Ancient Shadow phoenix flame. level 3. i
Blind sight. level 4. i.
Medium regeneration. level 1. i.
Shop. i.
Spin. i.
Inventory. i.
Weapon;
Fragmented scythe. i.]
Quest. i. ?.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Checking his status window, Tang Zhan was unaware of the cave condition and the absence of the dealer, he was just still stupefied by the change of some names that now had the addition of the word 'Ancient'.
"Wait a minute! Wasn't the shadow essence only meant to give me like 4,000 energy so why do I have times 4 of that? Hey dealer is there something wrong with your item description." Tang Zhan said, only now did he finally look around.
The cave was in shambles, even a ruin was far better than it. The walls looked like the had suffered from a meteor crash, they were broken apart and molten. The magma was still bright red and crawling around like it had all the time in the world.
Remnant of burnt wood, were scattered all around with ashes falling like the first snow on Christmas morning.
"The hell happened here? Hey dealer" Tang Zhan stood up from the rock bed he was on that was also broken and cracked.
He then walked towards where the door was previously meant to be but was now a open wall space with molten hinges on the side of one wall.
"Hey dealer, come out!" He had only spoken for the dealer to come out but he would have never imagined the dealer would actually come out... of his shadow.
He scampered back in shock, and was ready to draw his scythe or anything else useful against the opponent that suddenly showed up, but seeing the supposed opponent he stopped because what was in front of him was actually the dealer, albeit a shadow form of it.
He moved closer and on seeing no reaction, he put down his guard, and speculated the shadow humanoid well.
"Hey dealer."
"Yes, my lord." The shadow dealer said as it bowed it's head.
With eyes as wide as saucers, Tang Zhan laughed in bliss and confusion at the ongoing circle of events.
He then wanted to ask how it happened that the dealer became like this but like a muscle memory, something that he had been doing for a long time, he said out.
"Memory lapse."
The dealer, without as much as a word of defiance, dissolved back into shadow and rejoined with Tang Zhan's shadow.
Whereas in Tang Zhan's mind, everything the dealer did since it began his infusion process was being played in his mind like a video.
"What in the nine realms of hell happened to me?" This time around, Tang Zhan was back to being normal and not like someone who had lived through thousands of years.
"This can't be real? I couldn't possibly have become so strong all because of an energy infusion... No, no, no no no no, it wasn't just the infusion of energy that caused this, oh yes there was a new type of flame... It resembled mother's...and my shadow ate the white flame." Tang Zhan then looked around and walked out the cave room, deciding on putting the confusions down for now.
He walked around the neatly arranged shelves lined in rows and columns, their classifications written above on high headboards.
"Uhm... So, dealer..." The dealer then came out at the mention of its name, "... what then happens to all this products?"
"They are mine, and I am yours, my lord." Nonchalantly and monotonously, the dealer said without any mistake in speech or demeanor, actively proving it's ultimate loyalty to Tang Zhan.
"Hehe, hehehe, hehehehehe..." Tang Zhan looked around again, "... I need some quality sleep first I'll deal with this later"
He then left, but the smile on his face didn't for once waver, it stretched on like the crescent moon, a happy crescent moon.
He was able to leave the dealer's shop by just willing it, the shop recognizes him as the master of it's owner.
...
During their fight that has lasted for over fifty minutes, the trio might be stronger but still, they do not have unlimited resources. Resources like stamina, and that is exactly the zombies fort.
Yufei was barely able to swing in a perfect trajectory without wheezing. Banjo, although hasn't left his spot since the beginning of the battle, but his outstretched arms were so heavy they felt like they could fall off any moment.
X was the one that could be considered to still be hanging on, but even her attacks had lost all sense of perfection they usually gave off.
Yufei and X were holding the front while also thinking of ways to either close off the hole in the wall or to dispose of the mutant body.
They slashed and hacked but a short zombie had gotten past them, and it was headed straight for Banjo, who saw it immediately it entered his radius but couldn't do anything to stop it.
"Shit!" He exclaimed as his hands kept failing to rise back up, he saw Yufei running back to him but he only smiled back at her and X.
'with that distance Yufei can't make it.' x thought as she covered for Yufei's back.
The zombie, eager to get himself a reward for a job well done at being able to pass through enemy line, hurriedly threw himself and leaped at Banjo aiming straight for the next.
Yufei's eyes widened in fear but she strengthened her mind and heart and threw both of her sai hoping she could make it in time, whilst Banjo himself was bending his body as far back as possible so the zombie would fly over him.
In between this slowed down time, something else that escaped everyone's perception crept up, a fine thick black line of shadow in front of Banjo, and before anyone knew it, the line shot out upwards and a wall of shadow was erected before the zombie, who crashed headfirst into the jelly like texture shadow wall.
"I'm sorry guys, hope i wasn't too late for the party."
...