After shooting down a fighter jet with a rocket, the man couldn't help but imagine adding the feat to his growing resume. In the current apocalypse, where countless guilds vie for dominance, such accomplishments carry weight. Strength is a universal currency, and a reputation for power ensures opportunities everywhere.
Though he was surviving well with his current group, he knew guild membership would eventually become inevitable. For now, he observed from the sidelines, calculating his next move.
With the target locked, the man pulled the trigger decisively.
Boom!
The rocket roared out, the recoil jolting him even on his second attempt. He staggered but quickly regained balance, his eyes glued to the projectile's trajectory. A faint smile played on his lips as he envisioned the fighter jet erupting into a fireball against the night sky.
Yet Zach, piloting the jet, remained unfazed. With calm precision, he pressed a button to release a mounted cluster bomb.
Boom!
As the bomb launched, Zach's SSS-level "Infinite Ammunition" skill activated, instantly replenishing the payload. At a specific altitude, the shell of the parent bomb split open, revealing an array of sub-bombs. These small explosives, half the length of an arm, spread out in a dazzling arc, filling the air with deadly precision.
The man's smug expression faltered. His smirk turned to horror as he realized the true nature of the weapon. The sub-bombs, numbering in the hundreds, moved with calculated intent, dense and unforgiving like hail in a storm.
One by one, they detonated, obliterating the incoming rocket midair. The cascading explosions unleashed a chain reaction of fiery destruction, engulfing the sky in black smoke and blazing infernos.
"Run!" someone shouted below, scrambling for cover.
Chaos ensued as the bombs rained down relentlessly. Buildings within a thousand meters crumbled under the relentless assault, shrouded in smoke and fire. For Zach, watching from above, the devastation resembled a storm cloud descending to earth, with flames flickering like lightning in the gloom.
[Successful kill! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the SSS-level skill: "Complete Calmness"!]
Zach read the notification with interest. "Complete Calmness, huh? The ability to maintain absolute composure in any situation? Not bad. A skill like this could be the difference between life and death against a superior enemy."
The system notifications continued to flood his screen.
[Successful kill! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the SSS-level skill: "Automatic Tracking"!]
[Successful kill! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the SSS-level skill: "Endless Extraction"!]
"Endless Extraction?" Zach muttered, intrigued. As he activated the fighter jet's autopilot, he delved deeper into the skill's description.
Extract anything—attributes, skills, and more—from enemies, including corpses of zombies and monsters.
Zach's eyes widened in realization. "This isn't just SSS-level. This is practically god-tier!" He envisioned the limitless potential of stacking attributes and skills indefinitely. Even without additional abilities, he could ascend to godhood through sheer physical dominance.
The implications thrilled him. Every zombie or monster was now a treasure trove of resources, ripe for harvesting.
As his mind raced with possibilities, his fighter jet approached the caravan. But just as he prepared to rendezvous with Miria, his gaze caught something unusual—a massive red vortex swirling ominously in the clouds, like a bleeding wound in the sky.
"What's that?" Zach murmured, narrowing his eyes. The vortex pulsed with an eerie glow, exuding danger. Despite the foreboding atmosphere, curiosity tugged at him.
"A hidden mission?" he wondered. "Dangerous, sure, but high risks come with high rewards."
Trusting in his arsenal of SSS-level skills, Zach gritted his teeth and guided the fighter into the vortex. As the jet pierced the swirling red maelstrom, it disappeared entirely, leaving no trace.
On the other side, Zach found himself in a new world, an apocalyptic cityscape drenched in an ominous orange hue. Flames consumed buildings, smoke choked the skies, and the air was thick with dread.
"This is different," Zach thought, gripping the controls tightly. The landscape screamed danger, but it also hinted at immense rewards.
Before he could assess further, the system flooded him with unsettling notifications:
[Entered the dungeon: "The Underworld."]
[Mall access has been disabled.]
[World Trading Center is closed.]
[World chat has been deactivated.]
Each restriction narrowed his options, but the final message struck like a hammer:
[All skills have been disabled.]
Zach's heart sank. The very powers that made him invincible had been stripped away. For the first time in a long while, uncertainty gnawed at him.
On the other side, Miria gasped as the spiritual connection with Zach was severed. "Master?" she whispered, panic rising in her chest. "Where are you?"
In the heart of the new world, Zach tightened his grip on the controls and scanned the fiery horizon. "Looks like I'm starting from scratch. Let's see what this dungeon's got."