As he watched the bald man on the brink of death, Clark no longer hesitated. "Boom!" The window ledge cracked as Clark shattered the cement and steel-reinforced wall, revealing the steel inside.
In the terrified eyes of the onlookers, Clark descended from above with an almost imperceptible speed, landing on the hotel's ground floor. A thunderous roar echoed through the area.
Clark wielded his blade with one hand, his gaze fixed on The Licker not far away, his fighting spirit rising. The Licker let out a sharp screech and threw away the half of the black bear's arm it held.
Accelerating, accelerating—The Licker trampled the cars along the road flat, charging furiously toward Clark.
Clark let out a cruel smile, his steps quickening. "Clang!" The blade emitted a buzzing sound as the tip pointed straight at The Licker's forehead.
"Power surge!" Clark's voice was low, and golden spiritual energy surged into his body, instantly boosting his strength. His blood surged, and his heart pounded like an engine running at full throttle.
"Come on! Let me see if I can slice you to death with a single strike, you beast!"
Clark's entire body crackled as the full force concentrated in his right hand. With a powerful swing of his blade, a strong wind swept forth. The strength he exerted went beyond the limits of the human body. Although it was the most basic of sword techniques, at this moment, it appeared incredibly formidable.
Roar! The Licker also instantly swung its sharp claws, creating a strong contrast in size between the two in the eyes of the onlookers.
"Crack." The giant claw shattered. The residual force of the sharp blade created a bloodline extending from The Licker's head. Clark continued his steady stride forward.
0.5 seconds later, The Licker's giant claw stopped in an instant as it touched Clark's forehead, and flesh separated. The massive body split slowly in two.
Clark silently walked through the split corpse of The Licker. One second later, a heavy thud echoed.
"Ding, detected player's kill of Level 1 mutant: The Licker."
Waves of white light flowed out from The Licker's body and entered Clark.
"Ding, upgrade conditions met. Congratulations, player! Current player level: 1!"
"Ding, advancement conditions met. Congratulations, Awakener! Current Awakened level: 1st Tier!"
Two consecutive bursts of power emerged from the void, vanishing into Clark's body in an instant. It felt warm and comfortable, providing an addictive sensation that washed away his fatigue.
"Ding, player level increased. Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Willpower +1!"
"Ding, Awakened tier increased. Strength +2, Agility +2, Constitution +2, Willpower +2!"
A double increase in strength! Greedily, Clark took a deep breath, feeling the increasingly powerful energy within him.
The black bear transformed man who had collapsed on the ground had returned to his human form. His Awakened ability was Bear Transformation, but it didn't last long. After suffering severe injuries and approaching death, he could no longer maintain the bear form. He covered his severed arm, his eyes filled with shock as if he had seen a monster.
Clark's performance in killing The Licker might have been impressive to others, but it paled in comparison to the impact it had on the transformed man. He had fought against The Licker and initially seemed evenly matched. However, later on, he failed to land a successful strike and revealed a weakness, resulting in a severe counterattack from The Licker.
He was well aware that even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't last more than a few seconds against The Licker—it was just too powerful.
"How... did you do that?" The transformed man's throat moved as he looked at Clark, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Just a straightforward slash," Clark casually replied. With his current strength, slashing The Licker to death with a single blow was entirely normal. Clark smiled slightly but didn't pay much attention to the transformed man's emotions.
"How are you feeling? Can you still move?" Clark looked at the man's body, the massive wound through his chest slowly healing. Only his missing left arm had stopped bleeding but had yet to regenerate.
This rate of recovery was quite impressive. Clark thought to himself. It seemed that the transformed man was stronger than he initially thought. Awakened individuals had enhanced physical attributes, and while their regenerative abilities were decent, recovering this quickly from such a wound was beyond the norm. An ordinary person would have long been dead.
"Still can move," the transformed man nodded, struggling to get up from the ground.
"Hello, I'm Arnold!" The transformed man extended his right hand. His voice was coarse, and his crooked smile wasn't very attractive, but it was sincere.
"Clark."
"Clark, my brother, thank you for saving me," Arnold's face was full of gratitude, and it seemed genuine. If Clark hadn't intervened, he would likely have suffered the same fate as his brother.
"I really don't know what to say..."
"Let's discuss it later; the zombies are coming over here." Clark interrupted Arnold, glancing at the hospital's main entrance where a considerable number of zombies were gathering.
"Alright!" Arnold didn't say much, leaving his words of gratitude unspoken. He quickly picked up a piece of his brother's remains and cradled it in his arms, his eyes reddening.
"Condolences," Clark voiced sympathetically, recognizing the sorrow in Arnold's emotions.
Sprint all the way. Both of them are awakened beings, with speeds far surpassing ordinary people. In just a few seconds, they rushed into the hotel lobby.
The crowd buzzed with excitement. The survivors, numbering around a dozen, who had escaped into the hotel earlier, surrounded Clark and Arnold, offering words of comfort and support. However, when they saw the lifeless body in Arnold's arms, their expressions turned somber.
It seemed like this group of people knew each other well. Several elderly individuals took the body from Arnold's hands and placed it gently on a red cloth, their actions filled with silent reverence.
Clark remained silent, only taking the initiative to seal the hotel doors shut with a resounding thud. With Herculean strength, he single-handedly barricaded the entrance with a heavy car. The onlookers watched in awe, their fear different from the terror they had felt facing the undead—this was an instinctual fear of ordinary people when confronted by someone immensely powerful.
Arnold appeared to be the leader of the group. He noticed the unease among his companions and immediately introduced Clark.
"This is Clark, my savior, as you all witnessed earlier. It's thanks to Clark that I'm still alive," Arnold declared, bowing deeply.
The survivors were filled with gratitude and echoed Arnold's gesture, bowing respectfully to Clark. Among them, a younger-looking girl with teary eyes and a baseball cap on her head, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, appeared to be around 17 years old. She exuded youthful vitality in her sporty attire, and her sweet appearance hinted at her potential beauty.
"Clark, you saved my brother's life. Marlene will never forget this kindness," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Clark smiled calmly. Marlene reminded him of Lynn, full of youthful vigor, though Lynn was a bit more mature.
Marlene wiped away a tear and turned to Arnold. "Brother, your hand..."
"I'm fine, Marlene, no need to cry. " Arnold grinned, forcing a smile to comfort the young girl in front of him.
Seeing the two of them together, Clark's expression turned somewhat peculiar. Marlene referred to Arnold as her brother, just like everyone else did, but Clark hadn't expected that they were actually siblings. One was burly and rugged, while the other was petite and adorable. They shared the same parents, yet the difference in their appearances and demeanors was striking.
Sensing Clark's curious gaze, Arnold suddenly grabbed Marlene's hand and walked up to him.
"Clark, my brother, this is my little sister!" Arnold proclaimed with pride.