After rummaging through the room for a while, Astrea finally found a pen and some paper.
Now that he had awakened an SSS-Rank Talent, his Plunderer's Hand granted him endless possibilities.
And the first thing to consider?
Class selection.
In the apocalypse, classes were divided into three main categories:
Warrior Mage Necromancer
After the seven-day beginner protection period, the city safe zones would open.
Once survivors reached Level 10, they could take on a class advancement quest and officially choose a class.
With each level-up, survivors gained five free attribute points.
How they built their character depended entirely on personal stat allocation, gear, and skills.
For example:
A Warrior could go the tank route, investing everything into Constitution for max durability. A Berserker-style Warrior would dump all points into Strength for raw power. Rogue and Archer builds typically focused on Strength and Agility in a balanced mix. Mages and Necromancers prioritized Spirit, though some opted for a bit of Agility or Constitution for survivability.
Of course, there were always outliers—like someone choosing Warrior but dumping all points into Spirit just to spam skills at zombies.
Sure, it was possible.
But considering Warrior-class skills scaled primarily off Strength and Agility, this kind of build might work early on…
Until they realized their attacks felt like weak scratches.
At that point, they'd understand true despair.
In four words?
"Full of spirit!"
These people were usually the first to die horribly in the apocalypse.
The three main classes made up the vast majority of survivors.
But there was a small fraction—only 1 in 1,000—who walked a different path:
Hidden Classes.
Beyond talent, this was the real dividing line between elites and ordinary survivors.
1 in 1,000 might sound rare, but it actually wasn't.
For instance, the chance of awakening a C-Rank Talent was also 1 in 1,000.
If someone couldn't even meet that threshold, they could forget about competing at a higher level.
Of course, not all hidden classes were equal.
Only the top-tier ones were worth pursuing.
And Astrea's target?
Necromancer.
A single wave of his hand, and an army of the dead would rise to fight for him.
In his previous life, this was the hidden Mage-summoner class he had chosen.
With the Mage's Heart talent, Astrea had once triggered the Necromancer's hidden class questline in his previous life.
He knew every requirement, quest step, and reward by heart.
Choosing this path would be effortless for him.
However, there was a problem.
A Necromancer's summoned creatures scaled only with their master's base stats.
Which meant…
None of his high-tier talents would enhance them.
If he went down this route, he would never be able to fully unleash the potential of Plunderer's Hand.
And even if he did pick Necromancer, he'd still need to steal the Mage's Heart talent from someone else to maximize his power.
Instead, he started listing off other top-tier hidden classes he was familiar with:
Drake Knight Shadow Assassin Titan Monk Onmyoji Witch Doctor Corpse Herder
One by one, Astrea wrote down more than a dozen legendary classes.
These were the classes of past champions—people who had once dominated the battlefield:
The Warlord, the Firelord, the Daoist God…
Each of them had been renowned figures, legends in their own right.
But none of them were invincible.
No one had ever held the "God" rank for more than a year.
"It's one thing to conquer a world… but keeping it? That's even harder."
No one could stay at the top forever.
Even those who prepared for every threat—who remained vigilant and strategic—eventually fell.
Why?
Because newcomers would always rise—ambitious, hungry, and fearless.
The moment someone ascended to godhood, they became the target of the entire world.
Their talents, gear, and abilities would be analyzed under a microscope, with countless people studying their weaknesses.
Astrea changed his approach.
Instead of focusing purely on hidden classes, he decided to list out every A-Rank or higher talent he knew of.
After all, these were talents he would eventually steal anyway.
Thorns, Blood Titan, Fortress Defense...
These defensive talents weren't bad, but they were too rare.
And honestly?
Standing there and tanking hits didn't fit Astrea's playstyle.
Instead, he focused on debuffs and offense:
Slow, Bleed, Silence, Paralyze, Weaken, Disarm, Cripple... Split Arrows, Guaranteed Criticals, True Damage...
After finishing the list of top-tier talents, Astrea finally locked in his class advancement choice.
"Archery!"
One well-placed shot—
Even if it didn't instantly kill, it would stack debuffs in a flash.
What could be more satisfying than that?
Astrea thought back to an old acquaintance—
A brief alliance formed inside Star City Museum.
Back then, Astrea had awakened as a Necromancer, while his temporary ally had chosen the hidden Archer class—God of Calamity.
God of Calamity was a unique hidden class—
A one-of-a-kind existence.
Compared to Necromancer, it was on an entirely different level.
Before their class advancements, the two had worked side by side.
But the moment their advancements were complete?
Greed took over.
The "ally" turned against him, betrayed him for loot, and struck first.
That battle ended in a brutal victory for Astrea.
But not without consequences.
The enemy's final arrow, fired with their dying breath, had pierced his shoulder—leaving behind a permanent scar.
Before the God of Calamity could even rise to power, he was already dead, his body left to rot in the museum's darkest corners.
"God of Calamity… You're the one."
After a long moment of deliberation, Astrea finally circled a single name on his list.
His target was set.
Nightfall
The zombies roamed the stairwell, shuffling back and forth.
Tonight, they weren't his enemies—
They were his guards.
At first, the distant echoes of battle could still be heard.
But soon…
Silence.
For the first time in years, Astrea slept soundly.
No burdens weighing him down.
No enemies hunting him.
No uncertainty about the future.
Just pure, unshackled freedom—
And it felt damn good.
Whoosh!
From the shadows of the stairwell—
Through the narrow gap in the fire escape door—
A single arrow was loosed.
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced straight through the zombie's throat, continuing its trajectory until it shredded through its brain!
The undead creature let out not a single sound before it collapsed to its knees—
Blood and brain matter splattering across the ground.
Even in death, the zombie never knew where the silent arrow had come from.
[Ding! You have successfully slain Zombie Lv2. EXP +20, Gold +2.]
[Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 4. Free Attribute Points +5.]
[Ding! Talent—Plunderer's Hand: Remaining uses today: 1.]
Astrea had been clearing out the public area on the first floor when his level ticked up to 4.
By now, most of the zombies had leveled up as well.
A night had passed, and now—
Most of them had reached Level 2.
Unlike the mindless, shuffling husks from before, these zombies were noticeably more aware.
The moment the first-floor horde sensed one of their own had fallen, they immediately converged on the corpse.
Astrea drew back his bowstring, charging up a shot.
The instant he revealed himself, every zombie in the area snapped their heads toward him.
A narrow hallway stood between them—
A perfect killing zone.
The five zombies staggered forward, lining up one after another in a single-file row.
Astrea's bow hummed with energy as a phantom arrow of purple-red light materialized—
Then, in a flash—
Whoosh!
He let it fly.
Judgment Arrow!
A single, unassuming shot—
Yet deadly beyond belief.
Like a skewer through meat, the piercing projectile impaled all five zombies in a row!
Though each successive hit reduced the arrow's power by 15%, his Double Strike talent ensured—
The first four zombies were instantly killed.
The fifth zombie staggered, barely clinging to unlife—
Until Astrea casually fired another shot, dropping it on the spot.
"Seems like this skill works fine for four enemies… five is pushing it."