Afterward, Jeremy found that the stealth mask he wore could be toggled between visible and invisible at will, which proved to be incredibly handy.
Jeremy switched the mask to its concealed mode, deciding to keep this piece of equipment a secret for now.
Thinking he might later use the stealth mask to craft an identity that would allow him to operate in the shadows.
Packing two long swords, Jeremy then left his room.
A recent glance at the level leaderboard revealed his rank had unexpectedly fallen out of the top 100.
The new leader was someone named Howard, the former second place, who had shockingly reached level 15.
In just a few hours, he had managed to climb seven levels. The speed is so fast that it makes one's scalp tingle.
Furthermore, everyone in the top 10 had reached level 14.
Jeremy understood this to mean that the major players were beginning to show their strength.
With time pressing, he knew he couldn't afford a moment of relaxation.
While descending the stairs, he passed by a room and faintly heard Bonnie speaking inside.
She said timidly, "Mhm, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."
Jeremy's gaze shifted, realizing Bonnie must be in touch with her family. It seemed she was one of the lucky ones, her family was still alive. Many people had seen their loved ones turn into monsters at the onset of the apocalypse.
Jeremy himself was an orphan with no family ties, while Emma, whose parents were divorced, had lived solely with her mother until her passing from cancer.
Ritchie, on the other hand, came from affluent parents who were still alive. Though he had always had a rocky relationship with them, purportedly because they suspected Ritchie wasn't their biological child.
Jeremy shook his head.
Thinking their suspicions might not be entirely unfounded.
As he passed the stadium, he saw Ritchie still crawling on the track, panting like a dog on its last legs yet showing no sign of stopping.
Ritchie didn't notice Jeremy, who decided to let him endure a bit longer.
Crossing the sports field, Jeremy made his way to the outside of the academic building, where he could see the gap he had blasted open with liquid explosives.
Inside, most of the classrooms were engulfed in darkness, with only a sparse few emitting a faint glow—significantly fewer than a couple of days ago. He figured the people inside had either died or managed to escape.
Looking around, Jeremy noticed about a dozen monsters roaming the plaza outside the academic building, where corpses had littered the ground at noon. Now only patches of bloodstains remained, with several monsters bending down to lick the blood off the ground.
Not far from Jeremy, a muscular, two-headed dog twitched its nose a few times.
When it turned and saw Jeremy, intense greed and excitement flashed in the eyes of both heads, as if they had spotted a delectable feast.
[Double-Headed Hound (Lord)]
[Level]: lv12
[Attack]: 1459-1472
[Defense]: 289
[Skills]: Fireball, Water Jet, Pounce, Bite...
[Tip]: The weakness is in the head; decapitating it guarantees a 100% chance to obtain 2 Tier-3 energy crystals.
...
Jeremy gripped his twin swords, his eyes narrowing slightly.
It seemed his luck was good today, encountering a lord-level monster right from the start.
A region would only have one lord at a time, and only upon its death could a new lord emerge in that area.
Jeremy had just slain a fusion zombie that morning, and by evening, a new lord had already arisen, indicating just how rapidly these monsters were evolving.
At that moment, the double-headed hound suddenly sprang into action.
"Roar! Roar!" Both of its heads let out a roar, with red and blue lights gathering in its mouth.
Following this, a fireball and a water jet were launched simultaneously at Jeremy.
As the monsters continued to evolve, they gained supernatural abilities, utilizing various skills for attacks. With each increase in level and tier, they became even more formidable.
Faced with the incoming fireball and water jet, Jeremy remained calm, lightly stepping on the ground.
He leaped up, dodging the double-headed hound's attack with ease, like a floating leaf.
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
The two skills hit the ground; the fireball exploded with a loud bang, shattering several stone slabs.
The water jet pierced through the ground, leaving behind a two-finger-wide black hole.
Just as Jeremy landed, the double-headed hound pounced towards him.
Its muscular body leaped forward, both of its heads opening their jaws wide, aiming a bite at Jeremy.
At that moment, a dark red glow suddenly appeared on Jeremy's twin swords, as if they were coated with dried blood.
A surge of ferocious killing intent erupted from him!
"Cataclysm Blades!"
Feeling the sudden surge of power from Jeremy, the double-headed hound's eyes widened in shock.
But before it could react, the stone slabs under Jeremy's feet burst apart.
His figure flashed like a ghost, the long swords in his hands instantly slashing across the neck of the double-headed hound.
The crossing dark red sword lights vanished in the night in a flash.
While still in mid-air, the double-headed hound's heads were severed from its body.
[You have slain a Level 12 Double-Headed Hound (Lord), earning 6577 experience points!]
As the kill notification appeared, Jeremy sheathed his swords. Behind him, the heads of the double-headed hound hit the ground, blood gushing forth.
A level 12 lord was slain by Jeremy in a single strike!
The surrounding monsters, originally intending to join the fray, halted in their tracks upon witnessing this scene.
Their gazes towards Jeremy were filled with fear. Are these humans still being treated as food by them?
Jeremy retrieved the 2 Tier-3 energy crystals from the double-headed hound's heads. He stood up, and turned his gaze towards the surrounding monsters, his eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty light.
In this moment, the roles of prey and hunter began to reverse!
...
Moonlight City, Central Tower.
Mayor's Office.
In the antique office, the light was bright.
Behind the desk, a middle-aged man with graying temples hung up the phone.
"Your daughter is safe now. You can rest easy,. Mayor Benjamin of Moonlight City said, putting down the phone and addressing the dignified middle-aged woman beside him.
Mayor Benjamin's wife, Eina, let out a sigh of relief upon hearing his words, but then she glared at him and said, "How can I be at ease when there are monsters outside? I told you yesterday to bring our daughter back, but you wouldn't listen. Now she's out there alone. What if she encounters danger? Do you have to wait until something happens to your daughter to be happy?"
Benjamin lit a cigarette, replying with a sense of helplessness, "I've already said that now is the time for a shortage of manpower. Everyone in the city is calling for help. Does that mean our daughter is more important than anyone else's?"
Eina slammed the table, angrily retorting, "I don't care about other people's daughters. That's not my business! Benjamin, let me tell you, Bonnie is our only precious daughter. If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you in this lifetime!"
Benjamin was somewhat angered by Eina's unreasonable attitude. But seeing the tears in her eyes, he swallowed back his words.
Rubbing his temples, he said wearily, "I'll call Howard later and ask if he could stop by Moonlight Middle School. If not, we'll have to ask Bonnie to wait another couple of days."
Howard, a federal major general leading a division of fifteen thousand infantrymen, was not far from Moonlight City. He had already received orders and was on his way.
Eina originally wanted to urge further, but seeing the white hairs at Benjamin's temples and his weary expression, she ultimately sighed.
She knew her husband was having a tough time. The sudden apocalypse had caught everyone off guard. As the mayor of Moonlight City, Benjamin naturally faced immense pressure.
Eina wasn't unreasonable. If it wasn't for her worry about their daughter, she wouldn't have troubled Benjamin at this time.
She poured a glass of water for Benjamin, comforting him, "No one anticipated this disaster. Given Moonlight's current situation, we can only leave it to fate. You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."
"Forget it. Make it coffee." Benjamin shook his head, not saying much more.
Since he holds the position of mayor, he must be responsible for the entire city. Whether it is natural or man-made disasters, he has no reason to evade responsibility.
He picked up the phone again, calling Major General Howard.
"Do you need something?" The call was quickly answered, a man's voice coming through.
The two were old acquaintances, and Benjamin cut straight to the point, "I have a personal favor to ask of you."
Howard paused for a moment, then laughed heartily, "After knowing each other for so many years, I never thought you, an old stubborn, would actually have a moment when you need my help. Tell me, as long as it doesn't violate my principles, I can agree."
Benjamin spoke gravely, "My daughter is trapped at Moonlight Middle School. You're about to lead your troops into Moonlight City. I was wondering if you could possibly bring her back with you?"
Howard thought for a moment, then laughed, "We'll be passing by the Moonlight Middle School anyway. We should get there by tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll make sure to bring her back safe and sound."