Adam soon conquered the rest of the suburb. The days of peace brought with them many problems. Many survivors began experimenting with their classes and trying to unlock new ones. The shelter also prepared as best it could for the unknown changes that the seventh day would bring.
Despite all the internal problems and the growing conflict between the survivors and the infected, things seemed to be going well, however, Adam couldn't help but think about what had happened in the square and that that man might be alive somewhere.
Nor could he help but feel nervous at the thought of finding other shelters and groups of survivors outside. The Manaria prison, the president, the army, all of them gave him the impression that he would have to go to war. He had had no problem killing zombies, but he didn't know what would happen when he had to kill other humans. How would the other survivors in the haven react in that case? Would it be a good idea to surrender to another shelter instead of fighting?
He didn't want to consider the latter, he didn't plan to surrender his haven to anyone, so he just hoped he could come to an agreement.
At that moment he was looking at the sky from the rooftop of the superblock in block 4. He knew that the changes announced by the System should be coming at any moment. He closed his eyes and tried to think about what might happen. When he opened them, moments later, he found himself in a dark place. Here we go again, he thought.
A few minutes earlier, Eric, the mage Adam was worried about, was standing on the roof of a building in downtown Vinte. From there he could see a pack of zombie Robbers roaming the streets and devouring Stalkers and anything living in their path. The dog-like zombies were curious creatures to him, so he had decided to kill them all. However, that would be a task for another day, for at that moment Eric was also looking at the stars, but his thoughts were contrary to Adam's. The assassin had enjoyed these last few days like never before, so he couldn't wait for the new changes the System would implement.
He was still getting used to the changes his body had undergone. After fleeing the square, he had underestimated the number of Stalkers that would pursue him. He had ended up wounded in the arm by one of them, so he thought his fun would come to an end. It was the only time he had ever felt so frustrated in his entire life. Luckily, the System continued to smile on him, as the wound had only turned him into an infected. He found the concept of devouring humans fascinating, so he went hunting. The result was a new body and unparalleled power.
Now standing on the roof, he averted his gaze in the direction where Manaria must have been. A smile formed on his now deformed face. He expected to find a lot of fun in that place. Then he averted his gaze to the square where it had all begun for him. There should still be that monstrosity he had created, someday he would pay it a visit.
Suddenly, Eric blinked and found himself in a dark world. He knew at once what was happening and a smile escaped him.
Luna was at that moment in the place where it had relocated its shelter. The zombie had decided to look for the highest place in sight. This had turned out to be a mountain in what looked like the middle of nowhere. The abundant vegetation caught its attention, as it was the first time it had seen anything like it. Also, a series of curious caves that seemed to go endlessly into the darkness were near.
Luna did not like the idea of putting the Haven in such a narrow place, so it ended up in a shack nearby. At first the zombie feared it would not be able to do it in such a place, but to its surprise, the System allowed it to do so. The old ranger hut was near a lookout overlooking the nearby Human city. If The Breeder sharpened its eyes, it could make out the old position of the haven, but it was so far away that the zombie could not be sure.
Arnold was standing next to Luna, his life had become utterly miserable. The Breeder had dragged him wounded to a mountain in the middle of nowhere, right next to what was known as the Hyacinth Cave. He was so tired that all he wanted was to go to sleep, but he, Luna and Shadow, who must be hiding somewhere, were waiting for the System changes to begin. Arnold was somewhat curious as to what would happen, for the Breeder seemed to understand more about what was coming than Adam and his own group.
The change came abruptly, in the blink of an eye. Luna, Arnold and Shadow found themselves in a dark place.
In the dark rooms of a hospital, a man dressed in a doctor's gown and with exhausted eyes looked up.
"Are they coming again?"
A peculiar man had entered the room, dressed in full body plate armor and holding a long sword and shield in one hand.
"Yes, my lord," said the man as he knelt on the floor, "We will not fall to the enemy, but I understand that food has become scarce.
The doctor nodded and the man simply continued to kneel, waiting. Finally, the doctor decided to answer.
"I hope the changes in the system are in our favor, otherwise it's all over. I can no longer keep Kimien alive without sufficient resources."
The knight looked up and fixed his gaze on his king, a skinny, malnourished-looking man, sleeping soundly, only alive thanks to the doctor's attentions.
"We will fight to the end."
The doctor lost his patience and opened his mouth to shout at that idiot that it was the end, but found himself in the same dark world he remembered from the first day. The surprise made him lose his balance and fall into a seemingly bottomless abyss. It took him a moment to realize that he was on solid ground despite the situation.
Over the next two weeks, the world was emptied of all humans, zombies, monstrosities and the animals still present. All of them had already had a chance to level up and evolve, so now it was the turn of others. The world was coated with phosphorescent green energy. From space, the planet became a green ball that glowed intermittently like a lighthouse on a cloudy day.
Plants, trees, fungi, bacteria, viruses and all other creatures still on the planet began to absorb this energy and fight for it. From the human point of view it would be a slow and emotionless struggle, but for these organisms it was a competition to the death.
Two weeks was the time it took for the green energy to be completely absorbed and, in its wake, a new world was created. Cities were overrun in most parts of the world as they gave way to the aggressive growth of hundreds of trees and plants. Nature regained all the ground ceded to man, and this time it did not intend to bend to man's wishes.
What had once been Vinte became a jungle, where thousands of trees grew and clung to the concrete of thousands of houses and buildings, which, in spite of everything, still unnaturally withstood the incredible weights to which they were being subjected. This was because living things were not the only ones to undergo major changes, as all materials became much more resistant.
In the midst of this chaos, there were places that plants and trees found it impossible to invade. All the shelters founded during the first week resisted the intrusion and absorbed a great deal of energy for themselves.
But this was not the end of the change. When the green energy was consumed and everything was calm again, all the animals that had hitherto disappeared appeared in the world at the same time. Adams had noticed this in the first few days, for he noticed that, although zombie corpses were piled up like a mountain, there were no flies present anywhere.
The reason for this was that the System transported most of the animals to a separate world, full of natural treasures that they could devour and use to evolve quickly. Now it was time for them to return.
Then came the birth of legends. Mythical beings, tales and traditions passed down from generation to generation came to life in a strange new world. Curious, they began to look for a place to settle and satisfy that pressing need that the System had implanted in their minds. To consume and evolve.
Some of these creatures were considered benevolent and beautiful, but many of them were true horrors, names that were mentioned with fear in some parts of the world. Some of these beings, which in the legends were unique, were now not alone, for thousands of copies in their likeness appeared and were distributed throughout the territories in which they were formerly known.
One of these beings, a skinny and malnourished man, almost three meters tall, wore a llanero hat and a macabre smile, full of twisted and rotten teeth. His eyes were dead and his soul contained only bitterness and hatred towards others. This twisted being picked up an old gray sack from the ground and looked up at a place that caught his attention.
It had appeared on the remains of a road, now covered with roots, and in front of it stood a sign built of wood that read "Welcome to Vinte".
The creature began its long walk at a slow pace. He hoped to soon find some prey to amuse himself with and bones to add to his by now non-existent collection. From its dry lips, it emitted a long, but halting whistle that would make the people who knew of its legend shiver.
A day later, when humanity returned from that desolate, dark world where the two weeks became a blink of an eye, they found that the security and stability they desired or thought they had achieved had become, once again, a very distant dream.