Shock!
There was only one word to describe the mood of everyone present at that moment—shock.
It was overwhelming.
Only after witnessing the sheer destructive power of that terrifying mountain of flesh could they begin to grasp the magnitude of what had just occurred. The scene before them now held a deeper meaning, and for the first time, they fully understood just how incredible this man's strength was.
Novak paid no attention to their stunned silence, his focus locked on the massive corpse in front of him. The Cosmic Will echoed in his mind, making it clear: the monstrous mutant known as Roshan was dead.
[You have slain the elite evolutionary virus entity 'Roshan'! Experience gained: 200*10=2000 points! Your Experience Points have maxed out. You have leveled up! Current level: Level 3. You have earned 2 free attribute points!]
Level up!
As expected, even without appraisal skills, Novak had accurately judged the difficulty of the battle. Roshan's strength and level far exceeded what he had faced before—it was definitely above level five!
Mutants grew at an astonishing rate, especially ones like Roshan, who devoured countless lives to accelerate its evolution. Judging by the devastation, it had likely consumed thousands of people within the factory. No wonder its power was so terrifying, even though the apocalypse had only just begun.
If Novak hadn't lived through the previous end of the world and honed his combat skills, defeating this monster would have been far more difficult.
But the risk was worth the reward.
While Novak hadn't yet gathered the loot only evolutionaries could see, he soon noticed something glowing faintly nearby—a piece of parchment.
Jackpot!
Along with the parchment, there were other valuable items.
It seemed Novak's rebirth had improved his luck dramatically. Crafting blueprints were rare, yet they appeared one after another for him. The power of the Zombie Claw in this fight had exceeded his expectations, proving the blueprints for it were already worth their weight in gold.
And now, another blueprint had dropped. He had no idea what it would create, but it didn't matter right now—there was something even more important to deal with.
Dark blood began to flow as Novak clenched his fist once more.
His claws pierced into Roshan's skull as if slicing through paper. Ignoring the greasy blood and viscera, Novak thrust his hand inside, trembling for a moment as the warm fluid coated his skin.
Within the mutant's head, the tiniest viral entities seemed to react, almost as if they were cheering for their king.
The remaining zombie viruses, still active despite Roshan's death, were powerless against Novak. They were mere pathogens, the weakest form without a host, and utterly within his control.
In an instant, the evolved zombie virus from Roshan was absorbed, its power converted into evolution points that flowed into Novak's body at a staggering rate.
The genetic pleasure was so intense that Novak closed his eyes, savoring the feeling.
To the others, however, the sight was far more unsettling.
Novak stood before Roshan's lifeless body, his hand buried deep in its skull. Black and red tendrils—thin, worm-like hyphae—extended from Roshan's head, wrapping themselves around Novak's arm, almost as if the monster were submitting to him, its once-mighty form reduced to nothing.
It was as though a king was gently caressing a loyal, defeated general—if that battered, nearly liquefied brain could still be called a head.
Yet at that moment, the aura emanating from Novak surpassed even that of the monstrous Roshan.
Facing Roshan, all Tad, Ruri, and the guards had felt was raw fear—fear of its size and destructive power.
But standing before Novak, there was something far more mysterious and deeply unnerving.
Fear of the unknown.
And the oldest, most powerful fear humanity possessed was fear of the unknown.
Daphne, Nicole, and Ruri, however, looked on with something different in their eyes—admiration, even awe.
In the old world, a strong man had his own type of allure—strength represented power, money, and influence. But in this new, savage world governed by the law of the jungle, raw power had a more primal appeal. Its attraction was pure, terrifying, and undeniable.
[You have absorbed a mutated zombie virus, evolution points +2.5!]
[You have acquired a virus strain with phagocytic enhancements. The evolution points required to activate the Virus King's talent 'Virus Enhanced – Blacklight Virus' have been reduced!]
What?
The first notification was expected. A mutated zombie virus was far stronger than the standard strain, naturally providing more evolution points. But the second message took Novak by surprise.
Previously, when Novak had absorbed a flu virus, it had reduced the evolution points required for the virus's airborne transmission. However, he hadn't strengthened that strain much at the time.
Now, this Roshan-like phagocytic zombie virus had somehow reduced the evolution points needed to enhance the Blacklight virus!
Novak's mind raced with new possibilities. Could hunting more creatures like Roshan further accelerate his virus evolution?
A smile formed on his lips as excitement flickered in his eyes.
Suppressing the anticipation, Novak knew he was on the verge of a major breakthrough in the evolution and awakening of his Blacklight virus. But this wasn't the time to activate it.
He withdrew his hand, shaking off the dark blood and brain matter. Then he turned his attention to the spoils scattered before him—each a surprise brought by this monstrous mountain of flesh and the enhanced drop rate.
What a reward!