ã€ŠThe Tragic Tale of a Zombie Survivalistã€‹


 Rookie Apocalypse Survivor

    It happened. The zombie apocalypse. It¡¯s not the Walking Dead zombie stuff where if you die at all, you come back. No, this was a special zombie outbreak.

    The announcer voice that declared the end of the world was a good clue.

    He, for the voice sounded masculine, sounded like he was the spokesperson for the Olympics or Ninja Warrior.

    Really happy.

    Every night he would speak out and rank the ¡®Players¡¯ that killed the most or did specific things. For some reason, I got a package on Day 0. I believe everyone got one since the device inside the package would connect with the announcer¡¯s outbursts. If he talked about a specific person, their actions would be displayed on the screen. The device resembled a smart phone, but had no buttons.

    My guess is that this device is solely for watching, although I could be wrong. I overstock on food and usually stay inside instead of walking around. My job was perfect since I don¡¯t have to actually go anywhere. I just use my computer and headset to answer phone calls and help the person on the other end out.

    I realized I have a lot of patience.

    I didn¡¯t have any good weapons on hand so I was reluctant to go outside. I must have spent 3 days in my house while waiting. I never learned how to portion my food and so ate through it.

    What? I eat when I get nervous.

    Finally, I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. It¡¯s not that I was hungry, it was that I was bored. I had always wanted such an event to happen. Zombies, being summoned to another world, stuck in a video game¡­

    How could I not try it out? Kill zombies, survive, and look cool while doing it. These were the main things the MC of a zombie story would have.

    Me? Nope. I¡¯m a fatty. Well, not really¡­No, I am. It¡¯s just that¡­There¡¯s no excuse.

    I tried to slowly circle around my neighborhood only to find limited zombies. They were the slow walking kind, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. I had grabbed some kitchen knives and readied myself for a fight. I stepped out of my hiding spot to see another zombie walk over too. This one looked strange as it had a strange green ooze coming out of it.

    A zombie Variant already? Dammit! Time to go back home. I know when I can¡¯t win.

    That¡¯s when I kicked the can. At my feet, that is. I didn¡¯t even notice it at first.

    Oops, the zombies noticed me, and what the shit?! The green goo zombie is fast! Luckily, I was almost already home. As I ducked inside, the green goo zombie sliced at me, ripping my clothes.

    I lock the door, surprised to see that the zombie steps back and walks off. Really? I guess he¡¯s lazy, too. I check my shirt that¡¯s in tatters and

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    Oh no¡­I am bleeding¡­Am I¡­going to turn? That would explain why the green goo zombie gave up. Is the green goo zombie something hell bent on turning others? I would believe it.

    I took the time to call my brother who was still living with my mom to tell them I love them. Unfortunately, there was no answer. I slump down onto the floor as my cat begins to walk over to me, rubbing her tail in my face.

    Right, I should leave so I don¡¯t attack her. Oh who am I kidding? If it¡¯s not me, then there will be someone else. People would hunt her to eat and zombies eat any living thing that walks near them.

    I pour all the dry food into her bowl and begin to open up some cans of wet food for her.

    Hehe, such an ironic name as Scratch. How fitting that her owner would die of one.

    The device in my pocket began to buzz so I pulled it out. It was almost time for the daily review, huh. Oh you have got to be kidding me. I showed up on it. Apparently I won the most pathetic Player of the day award. What does that get me, someone who is probably going to die before getting laid? I put the device down on the ground next to me as I give Scratch more attention.

    I begin to nod off as I pet Scratch as much as I can, knowing full well that this will be the last day of my life. Why not just kill myself? Because I¡¯m a chicken. Why not just cut off the part that got scratched? That doesn¡¯t work, as it showed up on YouTube before the website crashed.

    The guy had a little scratch on his finger so he immediately cut it off. He still turned several hours later. Sad, right? And mine happened on my shoulder. Not much I can just cut off easily.

    How about going out in a blaze of glory? I don¡¯t have any weapons or tools to do such a thing. I don¡¯t even have gas since I own an electric scooter. Stop making fun of me! It¡¯s cheap. But useless, now. Although I downloaded a way to build several things to help generate power, I don¡¯t have the materials or knowhow to fix them.

    My claim to fame as the Most Pathetic Player¡­How lame¡­

    I stop petting Scratch, who fell asleep in my lap, as I, too, began to fall into unconsciousness, blacking out from the pain of my cells dying and organs failing, unaware of the device¡¯s beeping. Right before I fall asleep, never to awaken, I grab ahold of the device as the screen changes. That will be the last thing I remember while I died.

 Beginner Zombie Killer

    I wake up later, not aware of how much time has passed. Scratch? She moved to her favorite spot above the fridge. Okay, so she¡¯s good. But what about me? I notice I was grasping onto the special device in my hands. The color had changed to a gross gray with skulls and bones on it. There were now new buttons and information on the screen.

    Strange. Is it because I almost died? And why do I feel itchy? I walk to the bathroom¡­and fainted.

    I woke up again a moment later and slowly stood up to look at the reflection of the zombie before me and almost fainted again. Me. The zombie was me. I had become a ZOMBIE?!

    My flesh had turned pale and gross, with little flakes here and there. That explains the itchy. But if I died, how can I feel? How can I be in control? A little more subdued after calming down, I began to look through the device I am going to call the monitor.

    The monitor held basic info like a radar and a menu. Looking through the menu, I saw different tabs for status, skills, and news. It seems I could still see the broadcast, but I could see past ones as well. Lucky.

    There was no inventory, so no magically storing things away. But I noticed most of my bars in status were empty. Hunger was empty, thirst was empty, fatigue was empty¡­or maybe that meant there was no problem? Maybe having a full hunger bar was bad? Hmm¡­

    There was a bar for infection level, and it was completely full. I also had a red bar, a blue bar, and a green bar. I don¡¯t know exactly what they were for, but I guessed it was like a video game. Health, mana, and stamina. But the numbers in my green bar were exchanged with a ¡Þ symbol.

    I guess being dead helps a little. I am glad I am still in control, so Scratch didn¡¯t die. I used the radar, and noticed there were some red circles around my house. Are they zombies?

    Yep. Maybe now I won¡¯t have anything to worry about with zombies. I look outside through the window to see the green goo zombie. Why does he seem familiar? Oh well. I look at my device and notice I have a skill.

    ¡°Tragedy¡±

    How ominous. I guess it fits, since my situation was tragic. But now I am an intelligent zombie! Woohoo! Although, I have to be careful. My body is still slow, it feels like my body will snap and break if I¡¯m not careful.

    But I¡¯m a zombie. So I do some extraneous exercises that I know I couldn¡¯t have done before.

    Oops, broke something.

    POP

    Aww, that¡¯s better. It seems that the status tab also had an alternate page that shows my body structure. A bone in my spine is highlighted in red. That must be what broke. Nothing I can do about it now.

    I  go outside and approach the green goo zombie silently, but he still turns around when I draw near.

    ¡°Hello, nice to meet you. I am Wallace, a Hero turned zombie.¡±

    What? He speaks? Wallace? That is definitely ringing some bells.

    ¡°Maybe you saw me two days ago on the screen?¡±

    A Player that won an award? That¡¯s right! He killed a zombie that had a bounty!

    Whenever a zombie kills more than 10 people, they gain a bounty. The more brains a zombie eats, the stronger they become. This way, knowing a bounty zombie is around tends to get people moving.

    It seems he noticed my realization.

    ¡°Yep. Haha, I guess while fighting that guy, I got scratched, too. When I awoke yesterday, I noticed I had become a special zombie. A Variant, if you will. My skill I started with allowed me to control the zombies I made. I was surprised to see you on screen last night.¡±

    I nodded a little absentmindedly, not really paying attention to Wallace. I looked around at the other zombies and noticed some people I had passed before all this shit hit the fan. He turned them? I didn¡¯t realize he was so close. I didn¡¯t recognize anyone on the screen and figured it was from all over the world.

    Noticing me staring at the zombies, Wallace decided to explain a few things.

    ¡°They don¡¯t have intelligence like you or me, but they do have tactics thanks to my skill. The reason I happened to be so close is that the screen only displays the region you are currently in. As zombies, we have access to the living broadcast, and our own zombie broadcast. Bounties exist for humans as well.¡±

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    Hmm¡­I don¡¯t like the way he is looking at me. He wants something.

    ¡°Look, why not come along with me? I¡¯m sure with whatever skill you might have, we could do great things!¡±

    I may have got a little angry at his bad guy taking over the world speech.

    ¡°Why? Why kill people?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­they would become my subordinates. What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re a zombie, now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I was just a human last night. The day of you waking back up and you gathered 6 zombies? That means you killed 6 people!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get angry at me, I¡¯m just trying to survive.¡±

    ¡°What about them? You didn¡¯t have to kill them!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, man. Nothing I can do about the past.¡±

    His eyes were filled with anger as the other zombies began to surround me. I took the time to read about my skill, but all it said was ¡®Tragedy is an obstacle hard to overcome.¡¯

    I have absolutely no idea what that means.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s a shame. You died the most pathetic death so far, going out and getting turned in an instant. But yet you survived, only to die by my hands today.¡±

    Realization dawns on me.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess you can even call it¡­tragic.¡±

    I reach behind my back and pull out my big kitchen knife and stab towards the zombie to the left of Wallace. He ducks out of fear as I begin chopping the zombies. Not held back by my lack of developed muscles, I could literally hear the sinews in my body snapping as I swing and swing again. Wallace fled, but I could easily see him on the radar.

    Time to hunt.

    I don¡¯t know how his skill works, but he instantly left after I attacked his zombies. He may be faster than a normal zombie, but he isn¡¯t all that strong. He may have seen my knives in hand when he chased after me before, knowing I wasn¡¯t much of a threat. All he had to do was scratch me and I would be his slave.

    But I figured out my skill. When facing tragedy, I should gain an increase in abilities. Hell, even my body seems to be regenerating. I look at the monitor and notice the red color is gone from my body status.

    I finally found him as he was trying to flee into a human encampment. He must be trying to gain more followers. I couldn¡¯t let him do as he wishes any longer. I rushed forward as fast as I could, knowing full well my legs were breaking. But I caught up to him just as he began to swing at a child.

    Where were the adults? Where were the guns?

    I stabbed through Wallace¡¯s neck, as he began to sprout profanities at me.

    ¡°Hush, there¡¯s a child present.¡±

    I quickly finish Wallace off with a knife to the head.

    Luckily, the blood didn¡¯t get on her. I took Wallace¡¯s body as I began to hear the sounds of many footsteps. This must be the outskirts of the camp and the girl must have thought this area was safe. With this, the people will be more alert.

    I nonchalantly wave at the girl upon a reflex, but the girl waved back, too. What a strong kid.

    ¡°Good luck! Be safe!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Zombie!¡±

    Hehehe, how adorable.

    I look back at my device and notice a new skill had appeared.

 Noobie Bandit Killer

    It looks like I managed to take Wallace¡¯s skill, which was named Puppeteer. I looked at the footage of Wallace fighting the bounty zombie, and noticed he sacrificed some of his men to do it. No small wonder. He was a coward.

    I decided to harvest the leftover zombie carcasses and try to study them. I won¡¯t have to worry about another zombie breakout since¡­you know¡­I''m...

    Anyways, I walked inside with jars filled with organs, brains, and blood and set them off to the side inside my locked cabinet. Scratch knows how to open them, after all. Don¡¯t want her to be turned.

    I began to work out a plan to gather the things to generate a source of electricity and go over it for the rest of the day. It was already time for the broadcast before I finished.

    The little girl I saved was awarded the Luckiest Player Award, but it showed a zombie killing another zombie. Me killing Wallace. Now they have to believe her.

    On the zombie broadcast, which happened right after the other, showed three different zombies, one of which was me.

    I¡¯ve shown up three times in two days. If these humans had brains, they would have realized I was the guy who appeared yesterday and killed Wallace today. I wonder how they¡¯re taking it.

    But on the zombie broadcast, I was awarded the title of Heroic Zombie. I didn¡¯t get another skill, but I did have new stuff under status. Apparently, I now had a slow regeneration. I could see that my body was repairing itself to my almost original appearance.

    This was good. The other two zombies were actually regular zombies that were awarded a bounty. Does this mean I could get in on the bounties? Make some new titles or gain a new skill. That would be cool.

    Thanks to the zombification, I no longer need to drink, sleep, or go to the shitter. I checked the bars and noticed the previously empty bars were changed. Fatigue was still empty, as was thirst, but hunger had almost filled up to half! I was right. A full bar is a bad bar! Well, except for stamina bars, health bars, alcoholic bars, and other such bars¡­

    I tried eating some of the food I had, but none of it tasted good. Surely my mac and cheese will still taste good¡­

    YES! I still love cheese! HAHA! And it even reduces my hunger! Time to steal some noodles and¡­wait¡­I can just add that to my grocery list.

    I spent a couple more moments going over my plan. One can never be too careful during the zombie apocalypse, after all. I got on my scooter and carried the extra battery with me. They were both fully charged already, so I could travel for about 4 hours.

    I first decided to head to the nearest grocery store. Not much of a distance, but the place was full of zombies. Good thing I was the way I am. I walked through the aisles with leisure as I gathered what I needed. I needed water for my mac and cheese as well as a heat source. After grabbing a couple things, I went back home to drop them off.

    I then headed for a construction store and got some materials to help me with making the power generator. Had to make a couple trips and even switched my battery out when I was done. I also grabbed all the cat food I could for Scratch.

    I may have also stolen the latest video games and electronics to satisfy my boredom. After having electricity, I might even be able to create a community.

    Ha, that sounds like a laugh.

    I wanted to grab a huge new television, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to carry it back home. Oh well, I already had the latest Pok¨¦mon game to play, along with the latest FPS that everyone was hyping.

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    A blackout had already happened in our area, but thanks to being a zombie, I had some night vision. I set to work creating my contraption well into morning. I still needed an alternate source of power just in case I wasn¡¯t home to use my machine.

    What was it? A bike hooked up to a turbine that would generate electricity when turned. I rewired my house to be powered by my bike and set to work. Being a zombie, I could literally do this for days. Hmmm¡­maybe I can get some zombies to

    No. I am not going to be like Wallace. But maybe if the bad guy is about to kill humans, but even then, where would I find one? I spent the entire day pedaling to draw power. It was at 17% before the monitor began to buzz.

    There was only two humans and neither of them were good. Instead of killing zombies, they were awarded for killing humans! Killer Jesus and his buddy Brutal Bill. They were attacking a human settlement that looked really familiar.

    It was the location of that lucky girl! Time to hunt!

    I gathered my new tools, which were a spear and a nail gun laced with my¡­blood? It was black like it was dried, but it still flowed like normal blood. With this, I could turn them into zombies easier.

    How convenient, that scum appeared just as I needed scum.

    I guess I can make another bike¡­or two.

    I got on my scooter, as it still had thirty minutes left of power, and putted my way to the encampment. I still saw the men attacking the base, not much longer after the broadcast.

    Strange, that the device would show me exactly what I wanted¡­Is that part of the system? Well, there¡¯s no way to find out right now, but I could run experiments later. Like focus on who I want to see.

    Jesus was shooting an AK he found giving cover fire for Bill who kept inching closer to the camp. There were many bodies surrounding the gates, but not all of them belonged to the good people. Besides Jesus and Bill, there were a couple other guys who were shooting or getting closer.

    I got off my scooter at a far enough distance away before hiding it and began to aim using the nail gun. There was a loud ¡®pop¡¯ sound as a guy got hit in the shoulder. I don¡¯t know how long the turning will take, so I got set on shooting the others. The ones I hit first were startled and turned to my direction. I didn¡¯t get up, so they couldn¡¯t see me. The dark has its advantages.

    Over half of the 12 bandits were tagged as they began to yell about ¡®the assassin¡¯. Dumbasses, if I really were an assassin, you¡¯d be dead.

    Jesus and Bill weren¡¯t hit yet, but they had already been alerted about my presence, meaning they were not going to be easy to hit. I don¡¯t know what happened, but the first couple of guys I hit started to stumble and collapse. I guess they¡¯re getting dizzy. It¡¯s already been 15 minutes. How long did my turning take again? A couple hours? It might have been shorter than that, because of time appearing to slow down as I died¡­

    Anyways, after almost half of the bandits were out of commission, the settlers began to rally back and turn the tide. They forced more of the bandits to retreat, as they shot the men that fell.

    Drat, my hamsters and lab rats¡­

    Luckily for me, the others began to run towards my direction. Lucky? That sounds bad!

 Novice Zombie Commander

    It wasn''t that bad, since they were paying attention to the settlers so as to not get shot. I got some hits in, especially on Bill. Jesus was fast so I missed. They ran right past my scooter I stashed away in the brush.

    I got on and drove after them. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t go far. They were camped out at a gas station down the road. I stopped at a car shop and parked my scooter. I stalked my way to the station, noticing the guy out front.

    He looks weak. Next.

    Pop!

    He falls down dead, a nail smack dab in his neck. Now I¡¯m an assassin, you assholes.

    No one noticed the guard¡¯s demise, as they were all in the back. I opened the door and began to slowly walk over to the employees¡¯ break room. I think it was someone other than Jesus or Bill talking.

    ¡°You bunch of fucking retards! Do you have any idea how many men you lost?! And someone find out what¡¯s on these nails! There¡¯s no one who would actually use Z blood for killing, do you?¡±

    A small raspy voice responded.

    ¡°Boss, I think if the guy shooting these nails was extremely weak, he might have resorted to it and killed us after we were weakened.¡±

    Ooh, good job. If I was human, that is.

    BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

    Aww¡­Bill¡¯s bounty¡­

    ¡°We can¡¯t be too careful, now can we? Get Fuller, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Hehehe, not alive, you¡¯re not.

    Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

    Time to run!

    ¡°Shit! He followed us!¡±

    ¡°Boss, please! What if it¡¯s not¡±

    BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

    Shit! How many bullets you got?! Oh...he¡¯s reloading¡­Now¡¯s my chance.

    Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

    That¡¯s the last of them.

    ¡°Give me your gun!¡±

    ¡°But Boss!¡±

    Slam!

    Ooh, nice swing. He must have been a boxer. Oops, oh no you don¡¯t. No suicide today. Time to repay your actions by being my little hamster and running the wheel. Bike. I meant bike.

    Pop!

    ¡°Aaagh! Fuck! My hand! Where are you, you fucker! Get your ass out here where I can see you!¡±

    Pop!

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Pop!

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    Pop!

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Pop!

    Oops, I was going to stop after the last one. I used this time to reload and make sure nothing was jammed. The other guys, which happened to include Jesus, were all crawling on the floor in fear and pain. The Boss was nailed to the wall outside the gas station. Seeing his crying, helpless, figure, I couldn¡¯t not go help¡­

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    Dig a deeper grave for him.

    I slowly walked out of the shadows and into the light given off by their source of heat, a burning barrel of trash. The spooky red light might have added to the effect as I started to smell shit and piss. The wounds already started to pus and fester, which was horrible to look at. Super gross.

    But with the way I was walking forward, it may have looked like I was frowning at the bandits themselves. Which works, by the way. The Boss started to whimper and shake as I got closer and closer, my ugly gray skin forever imprinted into his mind. If he ever survives (which we all know will not happen), he would be scarred for life.

    ¡°W-hat -do you want?¡±

    Hmm, let¡¯s do a bad Batman impression¡­I begin to smile and catch myself, stopping halfway, not realizing I made an even scarier face than before.

    ¡°I want your lives.¡±

    He fainted. I think the other guys fainted, too. This feeling is exhilarating. Is this how the Punisher feels? Nonono, probably more like Deadpool. I match his ugliness. And funny wit. Maybe.

    Whatever, moving on. I wait a little while, forgetting to watch the latest news on the monitor. I left after these guys so quickly, I didn¡¯t get to see the zombie broadcast.

    Hehehe, there I am, sniping some of those assholes. Looks like I got a bounty and another title.

    Vigilante Zombie. Grants better physical abilities. Nice, but I¡¯m still a chicken shit. Definitely not fighting up close and personal. If I had a way to check time, I would have been surprised by the fact that it was almost 3:30 in the morning. But I didn¡¯t, so I wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t till closer to 5 that the zombification finished and I was left with four dumb zombie comrades. I rode my scooter at a slow pace, barely making it home before the battery died. So I hooked them both up and used up all my saved power. Looks like I will be making several more trips to the hardware store tomorrow. Or will I?

    I tried sending the zombies to do it. And they did! Ha! But I decided to head after them, wanting to make sure they did their job. And to run tests, of course. Like how far will they follow my orders, or if there are orders they can¡¯t do¡­

    What I found out was that if they physically couldn¡¯t do it to begin with, say for example, lift a car, they wouldn¡¯t do it even now. If it was against what they wanted, like, don¡¯t eat the baby, it won¡¯t follow the order. But if the order was raise the baby and make sure it doesn¡¯t die or turn, they do a good job.

    Why the oddly specific example? Because I found a baby and her mother. Luckily I stopped the zombies from eating them in time. I sent the two to the nearby camp for safety. I¡¯m such a nice guy. Although I think she pissed herself too. Am I that bad? That kind of hurts my feelings.

    We managed to return not only with enough materials to make two more bikes, but I also got a van! A nice big van that is great for selling ice cream. Or for gardening tools. Or solving mysteries in. Or you can do what the previous owners did and violate young people in it.

    On second thought, I am gonna torch it.

    And so I did.

    Anyways, I got back home with 4 zombies in tow carrying lots of stuff. I started to renovate my garage, partitioning a section for the working zombies. I told all the zombies to line up against the wall while I adjusted the equipment. All was quiet as I set to work, but I kept hearing a buzzing sound.

    Coming from Jesus. I told him to pull out whatever was making that noise but as soon as he reached into his pocket, whatever it was started to shine. Jesus¡¯ eyes began to swim as he collapsed. I looked in his hand to see the monitor! That¡¯s right! He was on the broadcast! He must have been given an award!

    Let¡¯s tie him up first, in case he manages to free himself from my control like I did to Wallace.

    I only had three bikes, which worked since only three zombies were fit to work. Instead of having all three hooked up to one generator, I decided to have three generators for three bikes. Kind of like a backup and a backup¡¯s backup.

    All I would have to do is switch where the power comes from, and all I had to do to do that was create a switchboard. Hehe, tongue twister. I applied it to the wall beside the door with different switches that corresponded with their respected energy gauge.

    From the laundry room connecting my house to the garage, the limp body of Killer Jesus began to stir.

 Greenhorn Zombie BOSS

    Of course I heard him. He was making a god awful racket with all his gear scratching up my tile. It was still only 10 in the morning, so there was no major need for anything. Just wait for power¡­Nope. I¡¯m going to have to make a trip to get that TV! Hehehe, I can¡¯t wait. With three pack mules, they should be able to do a good enough job.

    While lost in thought, Jesus woke up. At first he was confused, then he began to laugh with tears in his eyes, and then he noticed me.

    And fainted.

    I can¡¯t be that ugly, can I? I must be. Hell, Jesus still looks like himself. Why is everyone afraid of me now? Do I have something on my face? Maggots? No? What is it?

    Hmm, I think I lost some weight. Good. Got to look my best for the camera, after all.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing here?!¡±

    Looks like he is back at it.

    ¡°How about asking yourself that question.¡±

    ¡°You can talk?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and so do you. Whoop de fucking doo.¡±

    Do I sound a little ticked? I think I sound a little ticked.

    ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re a zombie!¡±

    ¡°Seek previous answer.¡±

    ¡°Heh?¡±

    Then he looks at himself as I lead the way to the mirror in the bathroom.

    CRASH

    Dude, what the fuck?

    Slap!

    ¡°Ouch! What the hell?!¡±

    ¡°You just punched my mirror, dirt bag.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want to see your own ugly mug anyway?¡±

    ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t mind my appearance.¡±

    Shit. I devolved to my middle school years. And I hated middle school. At least it got him to shut up. Maybe he is thinking of a good comeback.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    Wow. Just wow. Top class. Best in show. You¡¯re a winner, Jesus. Wait, where are you going, you have to pay me back!

    ¡°Look, Jesus.¡±

    Good, he stopped.

    ¡°Work for me or die.¡±

    Did I come on too strong? Maybe not enough?

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Are you a child? You¡¯re a zombie now. You were a wanted criminal while alive, and now you have a bounty while you¡¯re¡­undead.¡±

    ¡°No, I meant, why am I here like this?!¡±

    ¡°Because you got on the broadcast. You gained an award that unlocked the awesome use of the monitor. The crazy gadget that everyone got on Z Day.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Did you watch the broadcast two nights ago?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°That was me who got scratched on his first day outside.¡±

    ¡°Pfft HAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!¡±

    ¡°Glad to know someone enjoys this.¡±

    ¡°HAaahh¡­huh¡­so, does this mean that whoever gets on the broadcast becomes a Variant Zombie like you and me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Wallace, the guy who killed a bounty zombie was also pretty much dead when he became a zombie. He was the zombie that turned me.¡±

    ¡°Ohh¡­Okay, so you getting turned was more because of an intelligent zombie.¡±

    ¡°No, it was because a zombie has no physical limit and can move at terrifying speeds and use monstrous strength.¡±

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°My best guess is that the Player has to be a zombie before activating the monitor. I haven¡¯t seen enough to make a solid bet, but have you seen any other Variants around here?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Cool. Now, will you work for me¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Goodbye.¡±

    Squish. There goes one of my favorite chopsticks. Shame. Stabbed right into the brain of an unsuspecting Jesus. It helps we were in the kitchen. It would have looked weird just carrying chopsticks around. It also helps that his eye was squishy But I wasn¡¯t going to want him around anyways, since he was a mass murderer.

    Huh, that sounded weird. Who am I? A vigilante hero! Of course I can do this and get away with it! Besides, no one was going to miss him. His friends are all just braindead laborers. More like gross robots.

    ¡°Clean this up, then we¡¯re going to get a brand new TV!¡±

    <hr />

    Aw man¡­it took us forever to move that thing. And when I say we, I mean the three chipmunks back here. Now they are in the back pedaling away, while I watch another season of DBZ I found in the mall. And eating mac and cheese¡­ooh sooo goooood¡­

    Oh, looks like the broadcast is starting up again. Look, it¡¯s me! Wait, why am I first?

    ¡°Congratulations! This region now has its own BOSS zombie! Meet the Tragic Zombie, a Variant that still holds its human morals! He saves the innocent and punishes bad guys, but he died! Who would follow a zombie? No one sane, of course! As the BOSS of the region, he has access to all bounties in it, including zombie bounties. Be careful, the Grim Reaper is upon you!¡±

    Hmm¡­And it fucking zooms out to let everyone know where I live. God dammit, what a cum swallowing dick muncher. *Cough*

    Looks like I better start moving¡­I need a van. So I spend 10 minutes to find a U-Haul and another 20 to pack it full. Just as I open the garage, there¡¯s a whole mob outside!

    Buuuut¡­they are carrying everything they need. Food, water, clothes. Are they going to live here? Shit, they did see my TV and mac and cheese, didn¡¯t they¡­

    Out of the desperate crowd comes an old man being led by a familiar little girl. When I say old man, I don¡¯t mean walking with a cane and yelling ¡®get off my lawn¡¯, I¡¯m talking about a heavily built old man that¡¯s bald and scarred, looking as if he used to yell ¡®get out of our country¡¯ a lot.

    Like Bruce Willis, but less movie magic.

    He takes a heavy breath and asks,

    ¡°Can we live here, too?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I just thought you were going to kick me out.¡±

    All of a sudden, everyone¡¯s faces just lit up and everyone smiled.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°You saved us and even avenged us, even if you didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t, I just needed pack mules and didn¡¯t want good people to be wasted. So why not just use the scum of the planet?¡±

    And with that, the three amigos, hehe I like that, came out carrying my stuff.

    ¡°Take it back, we aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡±

    Then I walk back into the living room as I put on my snuggie that I now wash three times a day and pull out the mac and cheese I was eating earlier. I continued where I left off at, although I could have managed to skip a couple episodes and still not miss a thing. Some of the children came in so I sprayed some febreeze to kind of mask my horrible scent as we watch Goku beat up Frieza again.

    After a while, I left the kids to continue watching without me. Scratch was curled up in the lucky girl¡¯s lap, who just so happened to be named Lucy. Lucky Lucy, how clich¨¦.

    I talked with the ¡®elder¡¯, who goes by Spotter or Spot, about the machines and my little zombie henchmen. I gave the zombies sufficient orders and walked around. The pretty mother who I saved earlier came up to give me a thank you hug but sort of just stopped a ways away.

    I understand. I appreciate the thought, though.

    The neighborhood once again became full of life as the people began to help make more bikes as well as other exercise machines and they even started to grow a farm. Now that they have electricity, they can boil water to make sure it gets clean.

    Hah, the moon is out, the air feels cool, and my abilities will make me great!

    Wait¡­Jesus¡¯ ability!

 Apprentice Baseball Player

    Hahaha! Yes! It was a long range skill!

    Triggered.

    Ammunition does more damage and shoots further. When my ammo runs out, or my gun jams, I see a massive boost to my physical abilities. I guess it¡¯s like a self-preservation buff to get rid of nearby enemies quickly and get far enough away to start shooting again.

    Hehe, not too shabby. I do a couple rounds around the perimeter of the area, just to make sure there are no enemies, sweeping with my radar, and set the Amigos on patrol. Now that there are a multitude of people who can power the bikes, the zombies can be used for protection.

    Nothing to see here. I go back to my house to see the children mostly gone, save for Lucy. She fell asleep on my chair with Scratch in her lap. I grab a small throw blanket from one of my closets and lay it over her. I also grabbed a pillow and put it beside her. I turn off the TV and make sure everything is clean before going into the garage and pedaling a little to help me think.

    I now have to deal with an entire community of survivors. I am a zombie and deal with zombies. But I also have power and electricity. This means a lot to the modern people of today. If any normal person can tell that showing up on TV allows for a transformation, then they know that killing me or troubling me will probably get them on the broadcast.

    Looks like I need to hunt some more.

    I grab Spot¡¯s rifle after explaining to him what I¡¯m going to do. He said for me to bring a couple regular people so maybe one of them appears on the broadcast. Not going to lie, we need more Heroes. The Variants, which includes me, can be a little weird.

    Two teenagers come with me. Maybe they¡¯re teens, maybe they just have baby faces. One carries a shotgun while the other carries a machete. They look real proud, don¡¯t they? Shotgun user just stands there, trying to intimidate me. He must be nervous.

    The machete guy, however, wasn¡¯t really much of a talker. He wore a sheath around his waist so he would be mostly hands free if he needed to be. He had a combat knife strapped to his ankle, but it just somehow didn¡¯t look right. Maybe because both weapons look like they were meant to be grabbed by his left hand.

    Wouldn¡¯t be easy to grab both weapons at once. With the machete hanging on his right side and the knife on the left side of his left leg, it just seemed off.

    But maybe I¡¯m wrong.

    We set off after the locations I saw on the broadcast the other day. We searched around, but didn¡¯t find any trace of the zombies, even after traveling a good 20 minutes to get here. I checked the saved footage and noticed that the normal broadcast from earlier was actually saved into the monitor. I was too busy packing my stuff to pay attention.

    There was a group of hunters that killed one of the bounties while a sneaky bastard came in and stole the other. They didn¡¯t look like they would die, so maybe there would be nothing to worry about if I turn them.

    We found the traces of the group and noticed they were actually headed to my home.

    The community.

    We rushed back, following the tracks, just to see a campsite not five minutes away from the battle ground. We hopped out of the van we hijacked and snuck closer.

    It seems the group captured the sneak since the someone was tied to a pole in the center. They weren¡¯t beating the person up, nor were they ridiculing them. Maybe it was a falling out? A Kill Steal meant for the leader?

    I checked the radar and noticed we were still out of range. Good. I don¡¯t want to actually fight these guys if we can help it. If we find hostility, then maybe. If not, maybe they can help us out a little.

    I tell the other guys to hide as we back up to the van¡­which had someone at it already.

    The sneak? Then who was that back there? Wait¡­was the sneak the actual leader? Or maybe a coup happened? Or maybe¡­this was a trap!

    ¡°Ha¡­You already figured it out, ugly. We figured you might come check out the competition. Why don¡¯t you do us all a favor and die for me?¡±

    Nope.

    Ptoo!

    ¡°Shit! My eyes!¡±

    Shit, he blocked with his sleeve.

    PKOW!

    Looks like my shotgun buddy got a little trigger happy. Bye bye, baby.

    Unfortunately, the sound was loud and alerted the other members of an attack. We decided to ditch the van because who knows what might have happened to it? I look over at the sneak and saw that he was still alive. Time for some questions.

    ¡°Were you planning on attacking me...us in the first place?¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Ew, he puked blood. Isn¡¯t it darker than normal?

    ¡°Yeah¡­we need power¡­to¡­live¡­¡±

    Aaaaand he¡¯s gone. He went the way of the dodo.

    Yells and shouts could be heard from behind us as I dropped my two flunkies into some bushes to hide.

    I notice some people get in range so I ready my weapon. In case they come right for us, I also tell the two what direction the person is coming from. That way, they can get some of these people with monitors.

    How else would they know where we¡¯re at without the radar?

    Anyways, eventually, the other guy showed his face. He yelled out we were nearby before a blade sliced at his neck. Nice, knife guy.

    After that, I picked up a few, and by that I mean 10, new henchmen. None of them were Heroes, but they all had killed twenty zombies each which meant they had a bounty.

    I don¡¯t know what will show up tonight, but by the time we returned, it was beginning to get bright outside. We dropped off the loot and supplies we obtained and I gave Spot his gun back. It was easy, since I didn¡¯t even have to use it.

    I guess I will take a shower. I am covered in blood and dying flesh, after all. Hmm? Why is the door closed? The light is on? Lucy is still asleep, so maybe I left the light on. I open the door and before my undead virgin eyes is a sexy MILF drying herself off with a towel. What do I do, what do I say?

    ¡°Lovely weather we¡¯re having, huh? I guess I better just, you know, leave¡­¡±

    Aaaand it¡¯s closed. Good, no screams, no throwing things. I must say, my first time seeing a naked lady irl and I didn¡¯t even have to pay for it. How lucky. Hehe, thanks Lucy.

    BAM!

    Ouch? Ooh¡­everything is fading to black¡­so this is how I die¡­

    .

    .

    .

    ¡°My apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to intrude into my own bathroom.¡±

    I¡¯m being interrogated. I am literally tied to a chair as I am barraged with questions from angry mothers.

    ¡°Would it help to say you are pretty?¡±

    Slap!

    No? Okay, then. Strike one. And please find some other way to hit me besides a bread board.

    ¡°Would it help to say that if I were currently alive I would make advances on you?¡±

    Slap!

    ¡°That¡¯s not stopping you now, is it?¡±

    Strike two. She¡¯s right.

    ¡°I guess that means it¡¯s okay to make some moves on you, hehe.¡±

    ¡°Not if you want your decaying maggot ridden rotten sausage to mysteriously fall off.¡±

    Whoa! Low blow! I think I need a free walk! Let me on first base!

    ¡°Help! She¡¯s crazy! Please! Anybody! I just wanted a shower! I still stink of blood¡­¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s what you wanted?¡±

    ¡°Uhh yeah. How was I supposed to know you were using my shower?¡±

    ¡°Well, umm¡­I figured you wouldn¡¯t need it since¡­you were a zombie¡­¡±

    She is adorable when she¡¯s shy. Hehehe, time for another swing.

    ¡°You can use my house. Although, we may have to just tear down the bathroom door so we can tell if someone¡¯s in there or not.¡±

    Where did the frying pan come from?

    Whatever, strike three, I¡¯m out like a light.

 Something cool! (Not a chapter)

    How do they look? Leave me your thoughts! I wanted to have tabs, but buttons work I guess...

    P.S. SPOILERS! Drop Down Menu

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    Here are some images I plan on using for the buildings. I suck at outlining them, but I will work on it.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    This house will be the simple homes of normal families.

    This one will be used like the current dorm buildings.

    And this one will be the Headquarters, or the MC''s current house. Subject to change.

    This is farm land.

 Neophyte Ladies Man

    Well, after finally taking my shower, you know, after waking up, I checked some stuff to make sure everything was running smoothly.

    The pretty lady, whose name happens to be Rebecca by the way, stayed at my house for some odd reason that no one will tell me. She watches over Lucy, Scratch, and her own little tyke, Sarah. Did I forget to mention she was the mother I helped the other day? There¡¯s too many females in my house. Does this mean I am finally a family man?

    Probably not, since I am dead, after all.

    With all the zombies walking around, most other potential community members stay away. But this works great since I can find them and watch them to make sure they¡¯re not bad. I hide my actual appearance and ¡®safely¡¯ lead them back to base.

    I mean, there was no danger to begin with. The zombies don¡¯t attack unless provoked and actually just tell me if they saw a living person. I¡¯m getting really good at wording my commands.

    We created similar machines to the bikes. Some are still used for exercise like the treadmills while some are literally for gathering power like the cranks and levers. With this, we have so much power that over 5 homes can run power for most of the day everyday no problem. And we are only using four houses! One house has been restructured to be a mess hall and rec center. That¡¯s where the workout area and game room are.

    My house is the Headquarters, for some reason. Pisses me off every time they go to my kitchen to discuss important matters. Because they usually make me come, too. The other two houses were remade into barracks. One for the guys and one for the girls. There are so many girls because most of the guys died in the recent bandit fight.

    Now the guys don¡¯t have to fight over their favorite girl. I paid attention, and no one seems to look at Rebecca which makes me happy. Though every time she gets mentioned, someone shushes the person who said her name and gesture towards my house¡­

    Wait¡­

    I approach my knife buddy and shotgun buddy.

    ¡°Hey, what are your names?¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­huh? Uh¡­David?¡±

    ¡°Chance.¡±

    Hmm, shotgun buddy is a little slow, huh. No, it¡¯s David now.

    ¡°What is the problem, Sir?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, calm down there. Just Boss, Leader, Jefe, Father, or even Big Boss works. Sir sounds too formal.¡±

    ¡°Why not just use your regular name, Andrew?¡±

    ¡°Well, David, because it¡¯s boring.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Knife buddy talks again, or rather, Chance.

    ¡°What did you need, Sir?¡±

    Heh, he must be military, or something. Raised by Spot, probably.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Rebecca?¡±

    ¡°¡±Huh?¡±¡±

    Got ¡®em both. Maybe I am misunderstanding something here.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with her?¡±

    ¡°Not that I can think of, And¡­Boss¡­¡±

    ¡°Then why can you not talk about her?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Because she is your woman.¡±

    ¡°Chance! What the heck?!¡±

    ¡°She is?¡±

    Great, now they look like I just ate a guy right in front of them. Although, in my situation, it might not have been all that strange.

    ¡°But¡­she lives with you.¡±

    ¡°And she sleeps at your house.¡±

    ¡°Can a zombie like me even copulate with a living woman?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡­¡±¡±

    This is awkward. Maybe something to lighten up the mood.

    ¡°Well, if you find out, let me know! Hahaha...Don¡¯t tell Rebecca.¡±

    Hmm? They are looking behind¡­me¡­shit.

    ¡°Heeeey~! How¡¯s it going?¡±

    Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Why was she standing behind me?!

    ¡°Uh huh¡­pretty good. Especially when an ugly zombie asshole seems to want to sleep with me. Hmph!¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Thud!

    Oh! So this is the infamous Orz!

    ¡°Boss!¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡±

    Oh my aching never beating heart, why must you break twice? My face is wet, am I crying? I thought I could handle most abuse, even more so now that I became a zombie, but hearing such terrible words from a woman I was crushing hard on hurts a lot.

    While still laying down, I order some zombies to come take me away. It was a good thing she left after what she said, I wouldn¡¯t want her to see me like this.

    Shiiiiiiiiit¡­my fifth rejection¡­how pathetic can I be? Even after death I am unpopular.

    Great, thank you, Tragedy. You are here with me as well. Wonderful. I can feel your power coursing through my dried up veins. Huuuuh¡­hooooh¡­I hate this¡­

    After being carried like a sack of potatoes, I had the zombies set me down. I sent them away for a little, because it still felt odd to cry in front of others. What? I don''t do well with rejection. Hmm, I don''t recognize this place, how far have I gone?

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±

    Oops. Sorry innocent passerby. It¡¯s just me, the pathetic BOSS. Defeated by one sentence. Don¡¯t mind me and go about your life.

    ¡°A zombie? I thought this area was cleared! Good, now I might show up on the broadcast!¡±

    Dude, why talk to yourself? People will just be weirded out all the more. Isn¡¯t that right, me?

    Yep. He¡¯s getting closer, but I don¡¯t want to actually kill him. For all I know, he is trying to do something. Let¡¯s just let him kill one of my henchmen. One of the ten from last night, since I got attached to the Amigos.

    ¡°Shit! Another one?! I better go return and tell the others! We can hunt over here!¡±

    Crap. He left. Time to follow. To distract myself from my misery. He didn¡¯t even kill my henchman.

    Crap, maybe I should have brought some weapons. Oh well. I feel a little stupid right now.

    I slowly follow him like a walker would through the suburbs as we see a sort of badly made fort like house. Time to hide.

    The guy didn¡¯t even notice me leaving. I watched as he went up to the door and knocked a specific pattern.

    The door opens and I see a big man carrying an automatic rifle strapped at his side. He is definitely not practicing gun safety. Up, man! Up! Keep the barrel up, not aiming at your toes!

    Pssh, untrained moron.

    The door closes, but there are still windows. Not many, and the few that aren¡¯t boarded up probably have traps for those who try to sneak in. I can hear them arguing about finding me and my minion, but I quickly hid in the nearby trees when someone came to the window. The guy turns back around and I can see his exaggerated movements as he slaps the other guy upside the head.

    These guys must have been clearing out the area frequently, since they were looking for more zombies. I wonder how many are bounties? I check the news, but the rifle man doesn¡¯t seem to be on the broadcast. Maybe I should check the bounty list. Ehh, it can wait.

    I wait and watch a little longer, but still don¡¯t see what¡¯s going on. Maybe they are discussing stuff?

    Oh wait, the monitor. It¡¯s buzzing.

    I guess they were waiting. Not everyone takes advantage of the monitor to cause chaos, right?

    Although, I could probably do something. But I won¡¯t since I don¡¯t know if these guys are good or bad.

    The first shows these guys and my two new friends David and Chance as they kill zombies or hunt down bandits. These guys here seem more and more like zombie hunters, not bandits. Just poorly trained.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s time for our Daily Tragic Tale! Poor BOSS, he falls in love just to get rejected again! Wallowing in despair he distracts himself with a journey! Look! Here he is now!¡±

    God FUCKING DAMMIT! I got to get out of here! You can see that I am looking at these guys¡¯ base clearly! I can already here clattering as they start to chase after me.

    This was a bad idea! I should have checked the bounty list!

    Oh look, a rubber band. Let me make a slingshot and cover some acorns in my blood. Let¡¯s see if I can stop these guys from killing me!

    Although I doubt it. Let¡¯s hope I can MacGyver my way out of this!

 Competent Bounty Hunter

    Luckily, I still had my titles, skills, and henchmen. Not that I was going to waste the zombies. They will be a last ditch effort. I decided to split them up amongst the forest. Now that I obtained a weapon with ammunition, I should be able to use Triggered. Thanks to my Vigilante title, I can also fight in close quarters. But these guys were mostly bounty hunters. I checked and noticed them in the list. There are only three ways to enter the bounty. Kill a specific amount of lower tier enemies, either human or zombies, enter the broadcast, or directly kill two bounties.

    My bounty already makes me a Level 3 bounty. A bounty hunter is usually a Level 2 bounty. This means at least five Level 2 bounty hunters were chasing me alongside seven Level 1 bounties. I¡¯m surprised these guys did so much. But then again, only one person got the Most Kills Award. And he¡¯s one of the hunters!

    The guy¡¯s name was Reese. He must have been a gangster. Not like the Amigos, I¡¯m talking at a mafia level. The guy is ruthless. I saw the video. He let people get bit and then threw them into a pit. He then tossed a Molotov and sprayed an AK into the hole, getting him the award.

    It was on the first day! Granted, I¡¯m not the only one who saw zombie movies, but I¡¯m surprised the guy would do such a thing! We had no way of knowing what the monitor even did until later that night! He was one of the first people in our region to be on the monitor.

    Hmm¡­I know that the previous monitor holder, the one David shot, was not infected so he had no reason to turn. But now would be a good time to test things out. I shoot some acorns into the oncoming danger, as well as throw some, but no one even flinched.

    Shame. I actually hit a few, but did no damage. I want to hide, but 12 of these guys have the updated monitors! This is far from how I imagined this to go! I run faster, ignoring the breaking bones and ripping muscles. Blood begins to seep out of my body as I tear it up more and more to evade these bastards.

    Thankfully, when some came close, wielding their swords and bats, I got some blood in their face. Let¡¯s hope some of them turn. I manage to catch my breath after jumping up into the trees. The best part about the radar is that it only shows a top down view. You can¡¯t tell if the target is above or below ground and by how much.

    Here they come, time to run. My regeneration is working on over drive, even with the help of Tragedy. Thanks to Triggered, more of my acorns hit with enough force to bruise or even break skin. This is what I wanted. I don¡¯t know if these guys know about my turning ability, but they seem to want me dead before they kill themselves.

    Time to play the waiting game. I spot a good looking log lying on the ground and go hide. A little bit later, a couple guys came to kick at the log. Too bad I am hiding above them in the tree. It was a pain to crawl up here and I have a huge gash in my leg.

    But these guys noticed too late. And I am going to take their guns because I just conveniently ran out of ammo. Thanks, Triggered. With this, I only see about five guys chasing me. Are they all the Level 2? I thought I got one of them, at least. Oh, I did. It¡¯s just that the last guy happens to be the guy I followed.

    I shoot into the group and clip a couple, one of which was the weak guy. Too bad for you, guys. I just shot you through my hand. Have a fun time with my blood inside you. It hurts like a bitch, but it¡¯ll heal. I can see hope shine through my situation, as well as light through my hand, so Tragedy begins to disappear. But it might come back soon, because here comes Reese and his two remaining men.

    All he did was point and fire flew from his fingertips. A fucking pyromancer! A mage! I need him as a puppet! Please, let this work!

    Takakakakakaka!

    Shit! How do you deflect bullets with fire? That¡¯s not fair! Speaking of not fair, the other guys seem to have elemental powers as well. The tall dude uses ice while the shorter guy uses lightning. Totally not fair. If I got these guys, I could have a long range group protecting the group back home!

    And maybe use them as an apology¡­

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    My hand is now no more than a mangled mess. Thankfully I don¡¯t need it to live or fight. I just need a really good sword. And there were quite a bit from the fallen bounty hunters.

    My leg muscles explode as I burst forward catching the guys off guard.

    Stabby stabby! Pokey poke! Now you¡¯re nothing! But an ordinary bloke!

    Hahaha! Who needs guns?! Directly attacking my enemy feels great! After having them drink my blood, I face Reese. I think this sensation feels good. Who knew? I never did this stuff before the apocalypse, so I never payed attention¡­

    ¡°Sup, mister zombie hunter?¡±

    ¡°This is all your fault.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    He is growling. Shit, I did it now, I made him mad! Wait, why charge at me? Can you not use your fire powers so often? How pointless. Under my rule, you shall be practicing your powers frequently.

    If my theory works, after all.

    It seems they ran out of juice. Well, aren¡¯t they smart. Sarcastically speaking, of course. Have they not practiced their power much? Whatever. I just shoot them and quickly take their weapons while they are in pain. Didn¡¯t want to lose any hamsters!

    After a little bit, I travel around, gathering the unconscious bodies of the bounty hunters and their supplies. I seemed to have lost seven henchmen, but gained 13. Some must have found the zombies I had hiding away. Thank goodness I had them split up. I wrap up all the ones with skills, which includes the five Level 2 hunters and Reese, who happened to be a Level 3. Almost half of the guys had a skill!

    There were quite a few rewards on the first day. Maybe there is a list on how to earn titles.

    I head back to their base and gather more supplies, placing them in a pile by the corpses. I looked over the other three Skill Users and noticed they were physical ones. Thank you, monitor. You are so nice now that I am a BOSS. One hardens the body, one makes the body faster, and one that helps you hit harder. I guess these three will be a part of my patrol team. The mages will be used to protect the civvies from danger by sending out long range mortar like attacks. I should also somehow teach a couple of these guys¡­or maybe the Amigos¡­to shoot.

    The others will be used for forming my patrol unit. Although, I better not be counting my eggs before they hatch. If that¡¯s the case

    Oh look! They¡¯re all moving! Yes! And they are dumb! They are zombies that have skills! Not a Variant, but a normal zombie! A Variant would be a transformed human zombie. But these guys are more like zombies of something not human in the first place.

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    What. The. Shit. This is cool! They retain some form of intelligence! I don¡¯t have to be ordering them around all the time! Hehehe, I feel like I am playing one of those strategy games that make you care for each character! Like Fire Emblem, or Mass Effect, or something.

    Hmm? When did David and Chance get here?

 Basic Zombie Maker

    Dum dum de dum. The MC is getting a little stressed out. Maybe a break will help?

    <hr />

    <hr />

    ¡°We finally found you! We came to¡­save you¡­¡±

    Hehe, they just jumped right out of the bushes, apparently. They were surprised to see me, but didn¡¯t notice all the zombies. Not until now, anyway.

    ¡°Come on, you two. Help us carry these supplies back home!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Chance, man¡­you could stand to be a little suspicious, like David. Ask me what I did! Come on! I want to boast! Well¡­I don¡¯t want to say it more than once¡­So I¡¯ll just wait until we get back home.

    <hr />

    ¡°¡­and then I jumped down from my hiding spot from above and BLAM! Took them out by surprise! They thought they got the drop on me! Haha!¡±

    ¡°Here, sir, we¡¯re back home.¡±

    ¡°Haha, oops.¡±

    Shit, it¡¯s her. Rebecca¡­

    Why is she dressed funny?

    ¡°It¡¯s not winter, why are you so bundled up?¡±

    She¡¯s not saying anything, just walking towards me. Shit, man. She saw the stupid broadcast and saw my reaction. She knows that I¡¯m really pathetic. Fuck! Whatever. I¡¯ll just take what she dishes out.

    ¡°mm hm mm.¡±

    Eh?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say? The wrapping is covering your mouth.¡±

    What?! Why. Oh¡­she hugged me. So that¡¯s what the stuff was for. So as to not let her get contaminated. Sheesh, I was freaking out. But, this feels nice. Even if it¡¯s only blankets, towels, and jackets.

    It still feels warm.

    Alright! Time for a movie! I want to celebrate! I almost died!

    I get the new zombies to their positions while I let the Amigos go and set up a projector. We had a wall of one house painted white since it was flat and perfect to watch movies on. We gathered all the chairs and stools for others to sit on.

    I personally grabbed my comfy recliner from my house. Well, the Amigos did. But when I sat down, Rebecca sat on my lap! Eh? Isn¡¯t this too fast?! I mean¡­I¡­

    Whatever. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s doing it because she loves me, or anything. It must be so I don¡¯t freak out again and leave. Makes since. The rest of the community must have made her a sacrifice. That kind of hurts me inside.

    Well, I think I am more hurt by the fact that someone grabbed the stupid Dragon Ball Evolution movie! What the fuck?! I thought I broke all those! Hehehe, let¡¯s watch something like Riddick or the Mummy or something. Maybe¡­oh fine. They want to watch the Avatar.

    Fucking no! Not that one! This is not the blue people Avatar! Again! With! This! Shit!

    I am putting on Harry Potter. That should shut them up. God dammit. Putting on terrible movies...

    I settle back down, and Rebecca snuggles up to me. Must be trying to calm me down so as to not get angry at the others.

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad, just frustrated.¡±

    ¡°Mm? MMhm?¡±

    ¡°Shit. Forgot. Here.¡±

    I hand her a pen and paper I had the Leader of the Amigos go get.

    (What are you talking about?)

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you were doing? Calming me down?¡±

    (No, I was getting comfortable.)

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you sat here?¡¯

    (Yep.)

    I don¡¯t know how she did it, but she managed to look cute covered in stuff. I literally can¡¯t tell it¡¯s her, but I somehow can. Is that weird?

    Maybe. But would a girl get so close to a guy merely because the seat was comfortable? She would have to be comfortable with the guy sitting in it, after all. Maybe I seem like an herbivore in her eyes. Shame.

    Where¡¯s Lucy and Sarah? Oh, off to the front with Scratch. Hah, everyone is sitting here, watching a movie with zombies watching over them from behind. We¡¯re in the middle of an apocalypse, but we¡¯re having a good time.

    Hey¡­she¡¯s rubbing me. Why? Does she need something?

    ¡°You hungry? I can get some chips.¡±

    (No, just tired¡­)

    Why add the dots? What do you mean?! I don¡¯t understand! You were just angry at me earlier today!

    I give up. At least the stars look amazing. All it takes is a lot of cities to be destroyed so the night can shine, but it¡¯s beautiful.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Shit.

    I whisper to Rebecca,

    ¡°We¡¯re in public, what are you doing?¡±

    (Nothing¡­)

    Shit, again with the dots. Fine. I pick Rebecca up and carry her away. No one was paying attention, I don¡¯t think, but it was a good thing we were in the back.

    We¡¯re back in my house.

    ¡°What do you want? Take off the damn outfit.¡±

    After several moments of Rebecca trying to remove her clothes,

    ¡°So you want me to strip the rest of the way?¡±

    What is wrong with her? She is definitely forcing herself.

    ¡°Tell me honestly, what do you want?¡±

    Good, she dropped the act. Although she seems really down.

    ¡°I need to be stronger.¡±

    ¡°Eh? How did that come about? We have Spot, Chance, even David! Heck, Lucy has a Skill also!¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I need a Skill as well! I need to protect my Sarah!¡±

    Oh. That changes things.

    ¡°So you are trying to get closer to me so you can unlock a Skill as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes¡­¡±

    She¡¯s not writing anything, but I can actually sense those damn dots in her speech.

    ¡°Look, if you want a strong Skill, you have to be strong. That Reese guy used a Molotov to destroy zombies and gained a fire Skill. Lucy got lucky when I protected her at the last moment. If you continue the way you¡¯re going, you¡¯re only going to get something like ¡°Lover of the BOSS¡± or something. I doubt the related Skill would be combat worthy.¡±

    ¡°I know. But when I saw you fighting, I realized you were strong. Strong enough to protect us. You can have the zombies be our protectors and we can live in peace.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. If someone activates the monitor after becoming a zombie, they end up like me, a Variant.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll just become a Variant!¡±

    ¡°Then you can never hold Sarah again.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°This is not as good as you think. Thankfully I can curb my hunger with whatever mac and cheese has. Must be the bacteria found in the product or something. I will have to look into it. Anyways, I have trouble as it is feeding these guys under my control.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you feed them?¡±

    ¡°Rotten stuff. Bugs will grow and live in the stuff and that provides nourishment to the idiots. It¡¯s really gross.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    She seems to be really thinking about it. If I had a choice, I wouldn¡¯t want to be a zombie, but since I already am one, I can see what makes it popular. I can surpass my limits temporarily and regenerate thanks to my Title. But this can be done by normal people, too. This was proven by all the bounty hunters from before. The only reason I did good was because I turned them.

    The problem with them was that they never hunted a person before, only zombies. They got used to stupid enemies. Of course, if I had used my zombies, I could have done more damage, but it didn¡¯t even occur to me. I just thought about what to do in order to stay alive.

    I must be changing my personality after dying, I can¡¯t seem to figure out how¡­

    ¡°Hey! Stop!¡±

    I thought she wasn¡¯t going to do anything!

    ¡°I need that power!¡±

    Eh? Is she trying to kill me?

    I could hear the old grandfather clock my grandmother left me chiming midnight. My grandmother was a cheapskate.

    But that was beside the point!

    ¡°Rebecca, put your clothes back on!¡±

    She was standing before me stark naked as she placed her belongings on the table and left her clothes on the floor. She walked up to me with a seductive sway. Somehow, I doubt she wants to kill me.

    Wouldn¡¯t that have guaranteed her getting a Skill? Even a Title. Why is she, oops. There¡¯s no more space to back up!

    ¡°Why are you so nervous? You saw this all before when you peeped on me, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I may have begun to faint, but I could never forget the soft and warm touch of her naked skin on my rough and decaying body. Then I blacked out.

    <hr />

    <hr />

    Nope. Andrew''s Explosion Meter is at 67%

    Hehe, been watching MobPsycho 100.

 Elementary Private Investigator

    Ha, the title of the chapter is a pun...

    <hr />

    <hr />

    Shit. It may have been when she scraped my back to pieces when she dropped onto me, it may have been from the time she bit my shoulder so she wouldn¡¯t scream. But I can tell what didn¡¯t turn her into a zombie¡­Me.

    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t filled with the desire to consume anything so that works. And even if she didn¡¯t turn, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten pregnant since I have no ability to ejaculate. In fact, the only reason she had a good time at all was because I was already stiff!

    My first time. Yeah I felt it, but it felt like I wasn¡¯t even there. It kind of freaked me out. Like I wasn¡¯t important, like a toy. To be honest, she is still hot. Even when she¡¯s gray. But since she can¡¯t even think for herself, I am left in a really awkward situation.

    Thankfully, it¡¯s still night time. I have another 12 hours before tonight¡¯s broadcast begins to make sure no one sees Rebecca¡¯s current condition. Have her hide in a closet? No, the girls play hide and seek in the house. And Rebecca would never let Sarah outside without supervision!

    Shit! What do I do? If the others find out I turned Rebecca, they might misunderstand! And then no one will trust me again!

    Hmmmm¡­

    ¡°Rebecca, what do you suggest?¡±

    What? It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll

    ¡°I suggest we continue where we left off.¡±

    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±

    ¡°You heard me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was afraid of. How are you talking?!¡±

    ¡°Because you asked me a question.¡±

    What¡­why¡­I didn¡¯t¡­whatever.

    ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Go ahead and speak whenever you want to.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I just wanted to let you know I was really afraid before, but now I don¡¯t care. Come on, let¡¯s go back to bed.¡±

    She is completely emotionless. Am I going to have to give really good instructions so she can appear more human? And why is Rebecca horny? She¡¯s a zombie! Isn¡¯t she supposed to be a flesh eater? Or is she something else?

    I knew doing things like this would be counterproductive. Now I¡¯m left with more questions.

    ¡°Look, we can go to the room, but we¡¯re locking it and just talking. I don¡¯t want anyone else besides me to see you before I can fix this.¡±

    ¡°Just go tell the truth if you¡¯re that worried.¡±

    We walk into the room and I had Rebecca lock the door. She won¡¯t do anything unless I permit it. This way, she can¡¯t just leap onto me and destroy my innocence again.

    Hey, I have an idea, let me get revenge!

    NO! Not that way!

    ¡°Hey, Rebecca. Tell me about yourself.¡±

    ¡°I was born on¡±

    ¡°Too far, just start with the day of the apocalypse.¡±

    ¡°Richard, my husband, woke me up and told me to pack my things. I grabbed Sarah, and he grabbed Dillon, our son who was younger than Sarah.  On the first night Dillon got sick. He didn¡¯t wake up the next morning. And on the third day, we were attacked by bandits. Richard died to let me run away. I hid in collapsed buildings until you found me a couple days ago.¡±

    I wish I could say she had tears forming, but she was still stone cold. It¡¯s okay, I cried for her. You know, I was wondering how I can cry but not ejaculate. Wait, I got off topic.

    ¡°Did you love Richard and Dillon?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Hah¡­I¡¯m not getting but the basic answers. Let¡¯s try something else.

    ¡°How do you think about me?¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Decently. Like a child. You are immature and moody. You make simple mistakes and shirk your responsibilities. And your dick is bigger than my husband¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t think I needed that last one. Sure, it helps my self-esteem, but it feels wrong. How about that, how do you feel about sleeping with me?¡±

    ¡°I was scared. I didn¡¯t want to die, but I didn¡¯t want Sarah to die before me even more. If I could do anything to improve her chances of survival, I would. Even if it meant sleeping with the strongest person here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you were the one who came up with the idea.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I also wanted a chance to gain a power.¡±

    ¡°You know you could have killed me. You might have earned my powers.¡±

    ¡°But what if I failed? I would die and my daughter would be defenseless. Also, what if I succeeded? I would lose a person capable enough to protect us and we might have to rely on someone not as nice as you. I chose the less risky route.¡±

    ¡°You know, just because the path is easier or less steep doesn¡¯t make it better. Say you¡¯re going hiking. Not that I have, but I read about it. There are two paths to the top, one well used and gradual winding slope up the side or a direct route to the top where not many people go. Which path would be more fun?¡±

    ¡°The longer path. Even though it¡¯s longer, I wouldn¡¯t be so tired.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a race. You can take breaks here and there. Little patches of calm. Taking the shorter path has its disadvantages, but there aren¡¯t many people so animals are more likely to be seen. The ground is rough so you end up looking for a good place to step, forcing you to pay attention to your surroundings. If you were on the other path, you might get bored!¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So you wanted me to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­no. I was just saying that there were other options.¡±

    "I feel like I made the best choice, even though it wasn¡¯t the right choice.¡±

    <hr />

    I must have spent several hours just talking to her. I heard the girls come inside as they began running around and playing. Then I heard Spot.

    ¡°Everything alright in there? Having fun~?¡±

    ¡°I wish.¡±

    Before I could say anything, Rebecca replied first! Shit, don¡¯t do that! I signal her to shut up.

    ¡°Ho ho?! I see you need to work on that, Andrew. Can¡¯t have you being weak willed. I actually thought you turned her into a zombie by accident. I guess that must be the reason for you two not doing it, huh?¡±

    Shit¡­

    ¡°Can you shut up while the girls are here?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll leave you two to your own devices!¡±

    <hr />

    Some more time passed, and I can honestly say Rebecca is not in her right mind. She must have had something change within her as well. That was when I noticed the buzzing. Oops, I forgot Rebecca¡¯s monitor downstairs! Shit!

    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t unlock the door for anyone but me.¡±

    I quickly snuck out and grabbed it before booking it for the bedroom.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, open the door.¡±

    ¡°How do I know it¡¯s you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? I was just here.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t see you to make sure.¡±

    ¡°Fine, do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you can tend to my needs tonight?¡±

    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s me? Are you even a zombie or did you actually trick me this entire time?!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m opening the door.¡±

    Geez, what a trouble maker. It¡¯s even worse when she is so expressionless.

    ¡°Here, let¡¯s hope you get your power.¡±

    Both of our monitors¡¯ screens lit up for the daily broadcast.

 Capable Zombie Lord

    ¡°Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Today we have some amazing stuff happening, so stay tuned till the end! First up we have a perverted suicidal necrophiliac!¡±

    Wow. That is mean. Thankfully, it doesn¡¯t show our escapades. It went on to continue bashing her while showing our shadows dancing against the wall. I think I heard screams from outside and people trying to remove the monitors from the children¡¯s hands. Sorry.

    Then Rebecca passed out. My guess is she received her reward. After that was some more people who killed zombies or other humans. They weren¡¯t even bad since the one that killed humans was actually avenging his dog they killed.

    Dogs are people too. And so are cats.

    And besides, they can locate enemies and become a pet that can evolve thanks to the system.

    ¡°Today we have two special announcements, but they will be interrupted by the Daily Tragic Show!¡±

    Dammit. Not that shit again.

    ¡°So first on the menu is an Undead Beast has appeared!¡±

    On the screen appeared a zombie wolf as it ripped apart a corpse.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, animals can receive bounties as well! They can gain Skills and Spells as well as prove to be difficult opponents! We wish you luck!¡±

    I bet if someone were to kill that wolf, they would get a Hunter Title or something.

    ¡°For today¡¯s show, we return to little miss Rebecca. She rejected our protagonist but chased him down just this morning!   But oh so tragic! He died a virgin and when he finally lost his virginity, his partner died! What a shame! Now she¡¯s a zombie, too!¡±

    Hmm¡­I may be wrong, but it doesn¡¯t actually feel all that bad. I mean, she¡¯s returning to normal like I did, right?

    ¡°But, and this leads us to our next piece of news, this meant she is now a mistress! Our tragic BOSS has become a Lord! A Noble! Given control of his own area within the Region, our protagonist has leveled up! I wonder what may come of the people who work under him!¡±

    Hey, that¡¯s right! Why are they so friendly? I was worried at first, but I guess the kids eased up my concern. Didn¡¯t I just give these guys the tools and knowledge on how to beat me?!

    Oh, I can feel Tragedy working¡­

    It looks like the broadcast is over, I guess I will look at

    aaaaAAAAAAAAAGH! WHAT THE SHIT??!!! IT HURTS!!!

    <hr />

    Uhh¡­huh? I¡¯m on the bed¡­and who¡­

    ¡°Hey, you up yet?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Oh, it¡¯s Spot.

    ¡°Hehe, I guess you would be disoriented after that. You look completely different! Besides, I was wondering what was going on. I guess you were worried about how we would treat you.¡±

    I sit up and notice Rebecca sleeping beside me. But she doesn¡¯t look as gross or dead as before. What happened?

    ¡°Here, a mirror.¡±

    Oh, thanks. Hm, maybe I should say that out loud.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Naw, too lazy. I want to sleep still. I look into the hand mirror he gave me.

    Who is this?! This can¡¯t be me! Where¡¯s the fat?! Holy shit, I look good! I don¡¯t understand!

    ¡°I guess this might be too much for you, so we¡¯ll leave you two to rest some more. Good night!¡±

    Where¡¯s my monitor?! Oh, here we go. Wow, the system changed. Now there¡¯s more buttons. There¡¯s one for general Status, one for the News, one for the Bounties, one for Abilities, one for Titles, one for Units, and one for¡­Domain¡­?

    My guess is Abilities contains Skills and Spells. The layout changed to put just about everything into one tab that would expand when I clicked on it. The Radar took up the entire screen like before, but this time the buttons were moved to the bottom and new options appeared where they used to be.

    Influence, Terrain, and Populace.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    I could now zoom in and out on the Radar as well as select these three options to change the way the Radar looked. Influence showed the area that was under my patrol, highlighting different places with different colors. Terrain showed the topography and buildings or other notable things. They would appear on the map to show cover or dangerous places. The Populace showed me the location of everyone under my area of influence and their relative emotions.

    It showed what they thought of me! Wow! Eh? A ghoul from Fallout? A gross, stinky, weirdo? An idiot?! Orz

    No one is even afraid of me right now. Even after the thing with Rebecca, I only see some ¡®Masochist¡¯ or ¡®Pathetic¡¯. No fear or hatred towards me at all. Sarah thinks I am her uncle, which will be odd to explain. But with this, I can understand why the people weren¡¯t really suspicious of me. I have been told I am a terrible liar. And who could be afraid of a guy who still walks around in his Super Mario pajamas? What? They¡¯re comfortable! The top is just a t shirt, shut up.

    I check the new Units option under the menu button and see a list of all the zombies I control. They are all there, but kneeling outside of the building. I wonder why Spot didn¡¯t mention that while he was in here. I order everyone to go back to following their previous orders.

    Hehe, I can order them from anywhere, as long as I use this monitor! I can see their Abilities and¡­why are they different? Ghouls, Revenants, Skeleton Mage, Fallen, what are these?

    ¡°They leveled up! Check your News area.¡±

    Oh, okay. Thanks.

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Hmm, so because I was the first to become a Lord on the entire continent, I received a level up to all my units! I guess Rebecca didn¡¯t count because she was undergoing the process of whatever it was.

    ¡°Oh, she was coming back to life. She had to receive her reward somehow.¡±

    Hm. So¡­

    <ul>

    <li></li></ul>

    <ul>

    <li></li></ul>

    <ul>

    <li></li></ul>

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡±

    Said the gray Fairy with torn leathery wings and dark skin. She had white hair and even a tail. She looked more like a tiny Succubus or something.

    ¡°I am your Pixie Guide, sent here from above.¡±

    ¡°Above? Like Heaven? Oh, and sorry for the Fairy thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes. No problem, I was supposed to be a Fairy but then you died.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°I am connected to you. Essentially, I became infected, too. Everyone has a Fairy. Unless they¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°Huh, that sounds like the monitor.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because that¡¯s where I was.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Would it be easier to think of me as some sort of artificial intelligence?¡±

    ¡°Kind of?¡±

    She flew over to land on my pillow next to Rebecca¡¯s head and plopped down, spreading her limbs and relaxing.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a body before, but now I do!¡±

    ¡°So everyone can get a Fairy or Pixie?¡±

    ¡°No, only those who get to a certain spot, like becoming a Noble. Others can awaken their Fairy or Pixie, but they won¡¯t get a body. They¡¯ll just stay in the monitor.¡±

    I¡¯m tired, still. I guess I will lay down as well and just listen to the pretty lady as she talks.

    ¡°It is up to me to get you ready for anything!¡±

    Wow, she¡¯s as tall as my face.

    ¡°For one thing, you have been wasting chances and not doing things as efficiently possible! You don¡¯t understand how to use your control powers and there are many ways to get more resources! Are you listening? I¡¯m telling you how to survive! How to let everyone get as powerful as quickly as possible! Hey! Listen to me!¡±

    Zzzzzz shut up Navi.

 Clever Tutorial Taker 1/3

    Whoa boy, we have ourselves a doozy of a release. If you guys don¡¯t appreciate a good info dump or something like that, sorry. I will try and speed on through this with multiple releases today. BUT! I would suggest reading this all the way through since it has important information you really need to know! If anything sounds too confusing, let me know in the comment section.

    Thanks!

    Made an UPDATE, he was first in the country, not continent. Messed it up.

    ========================================================

    ¡°¡­ick him up¡­ver to the ch¡­ock him tight. Make sure he can¡¯t get out.¡±

    ¡­Huh? What¡¯s going on? How come it¡¯s still dark?! Eh? A towel?! And why are there ropes?!

    ¡°This is a tutorial!¡±

    ¡°More like torture! What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to just repeat yourself? It¡¯s me, Navi.¡±

    ¡°Heh? Umm¡­Oh, the Pixie! Wait, was that really your name?¡±

    ¡°NO! You gave it to me! You named me after a stupid videogame fairy! And now I can¡¯t change it!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. But why cover my face?¡±

    ¡°Because your mistress here might get ideas.¡±

    ¡°I keep telling you, I¡¯m not a pervert! Just because I was desperate, I get this fucked up Ability?!¡±

    ¡°Rebecca? What happened? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I am fine. Why do you ask?¡±

    I can tell from her voice that she is genuinely surprised and confused with my question.

    ¡°You died. Because of me. Remember? I was asking if everything is okay with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks. I¡¯m fine. In fact, I am more than just a regular zombie, thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you leveled up as well! What are you? And what¡¯s your ability?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I can hear those dots!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a Succubus and her Ability is Perverted.¡±

    ¡°How so? What does the Ability do?¡±

    ¡°No, it really is called Perverted. That¡¯s the name.¡±

    I can hear Rebecca¡¯s sobs. I told her this would be bad. But a Succubus in videogames always has high magical power, right? Doesn¡¯t this mean she might become really strong?

    Wait¡­how did a zombie become a Demon?

    ¡°It¡¯s a special prerequisite for evolution. All of your zombies evolved. Judging from their previous actions, when they reached level 2, they changed. Some stayed Undead while others became Spirits or Demons or something else.¡±

    ¡°What about Lucy, Chance, and David?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t your Units. They aren¡¯t even officially your friends.¡±

    ¡°Really? So how do I change all that?¡±

    ¡°Look, I have a lot to tell you and I need you to be able to remember it all. Also, in order to teach you, I need to know what you know. So start from Day 1.¡±

    Sounds boring as shit. Oh well.

    ¡°Shit. Day One, huh. I woke up around 11 o¡¯clock thanks to the doorbell. I opened the door to see a small box. Inside was the monitor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you got yours? My family found ours on our beds mysteriously.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah¡­speaking about that¡­Do you remember last night?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so? I just remember the night before and then the pain of dying. Why?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­I am terrible at keeping secrets, so I am just going to tell you and get it over with here and now. I asked about your family. When you were a zombie.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Fuck, those god damn dots!

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice.¡±

    ¡°I¡­I feel bad about hurting your feelings, but to be honest, I don¡¯t regret it. I know that makes me sound selfish, but I now know you better.¡±

    I can feel Navi¡¯s feet angrily tapping my shoulder. I can practically imagine her standing there crossing her arms in frustration at being interrupted.

    All of a sudden, she jumped off. I was then promptly smacked across the face. I may have had a towel around my head, but it still hurt. Geez, is she a fighter, not a mage?!

    ¡°Is that what you wanted me to do?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Did you want me to retaliate? Hurt you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a masochist! I just thought you should know! Damn! I can¡¯t tell what you want!¡±

    ¡°I want to thank you.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡±

    I am so confused! What the hell?!

    Why is she laughing?! I don¡¯t fucking¡­know¡­

    ¡°Hahahaaa¡­ look. You are an idiot.¡±

    ¡°APPARENTLY!¡±

    ¡°Pfft, even now, you don¡¯t realize you helped lift me of a burden.¡±

    What burden? Giving her power to protect Sarah?

    ¡°You relieved me of being alone. I only had Sarah and I couldn¡¯t just unload all my fears and worries on her. That¡¯s not right. But now, since you know, expect me to come crying whenever I get sad, okay?¡±

    I¡­really? That¡¯s it? I guess she couldn¡¯t talk to me before, since she barely knew me¡­She probably thinks of me like a younger friend. Of course, that changed two nights ago¡­

    ¡°Helloooo, this is the part where you assure her she always has a shoulder to cry on from now on.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Uhh, yeah! You can come talk to me whenever and about whatever you feel like! Wait, which direction are you?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, why are you leaving? Navi! What¡¯s going on!¡±

    I hear a small slap¡­Did Navi just facepalm? What did I do wrong?!

    ¡°Whatever. You are a difficult case for me. So, as you were saying, after receiving the monitor, what did you do?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­nothing for three days. Well, I downloaded plans for machines, details for electrical contraptions and such¡­you know, easy ways to remake modern conveniences.¡±

    ¡°So you could stay lazy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that now, you know.¡±

    ¡°I know. I have to protect Rebecca and Sarah. Heck, might as well add Lucy, since she has no family of her own. You know, I haven¡¯t really talked to her, yet.¡±

    ¡°You can increase your approval rating later. Continue.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Umm, I went outside and pretty much got immediately turned. Because of that, I received the Tragedy Ability.¡±

    ¡°No, because you were a lazy shit and died as soon as you left the safe confines of your house, you were awarded the Title of Most Pathetic.¡±

    ¡°Hey! If you already know, then why ask me?!¡±

    ¡°To hammer it into your head! Because you died in such a way, you received a reward from completing a hidden Mission. Because you completed a Mission, you went onto the broadcast. The broadcast is like an announcement strip in an MMO game.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Hey, can I see now? Since Rebecca left?¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    I felt the rope loosen and I removed the bindings to see the little Pixie sitting on the windowsill. Wait, how did she do that from over there? She had her feet hanging off and looked extremely cute.

    ¡°Thanks. Now, upon waking up, you killed another Ability Holder while he was trying to kill Lucy. You received another Reward. Two, actually. One for saving a Human, and another for killing the first Ability User in this Region.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s that Region thing again. It sounds more important now. How big does a Region get?¡±

    ¡°Well, to sum it up, seven Regions can fit into Texas.¡±

    ¡°Wow. So there are six other Regions here?!¡±

    ¡°Well, they don¡¯t follow borders so there are actually more like 10 within the state border lines, just not completely.¡±

    ¡°Wow. And I¡¯m the first to become a Noble on the country?! That¡¯s insane!¡±

    ¡°Well, to become a Noble, one has to fulfill certain requirements. Usually, a living person gets Puppetmaster. Unfortunately, Humans will hunt them down because of the threat they hold.¡±

    ¡°They can control zombies, it¡¯s a pretty OP Skill.¡±

    ¡°Not when they¡¯re alive. Then they control other Humans.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    Navi got up off the windowsill and stretched, raising her hands high up into the air like a little child. Her body looks really mature, but she seems like a little spoiled girl. She fluttered her wings and flew onto the bed before grabbing some of the blanket and making herself a comfy place to lay down. She is really lazy too, huh?

    ¡°To become a Noble, one has to have an ability to create underlings. This includes things like Necromancers and Liches like yourself.¡±

    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m a Necromancer?¡±

    ¡°And a Lich.¡±

    ¡°Wow! Why?¡±

    ¡°Because of your lazy actions, the only real thing you did was turn people into your followers. There were only two people you killed and they were both Variants. You also killed those zombies at the beginning, but they didn¡¯t count for anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh. So what does this mean, being a Lich and a Necromancer?¡±

    ¡°You are a natural leader of Undead. You also can summon Undead, making you a really efficient person. Lucky you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, must have come from saving Lucy, huh?¡±

    I only said it as a joke, but Navi actually sat up and looked at me wide eyed.

    ¡°You realized?! Really?!¡±

    ¡°Realized what?¡±

    She calmed down and saw that I was just joking.

    ¡°Ahem. Lucy has the Ability to bestow a Luck Bonus to three people at a time. She picked you, Rebecca, and Spot. It was because of this that you survived that idiotic mess with the zombie hunters.¡±

    ¡°Dang, I have to thank her.¡±

    ¡°You do. I am actually surprised she managed to obtain the Title of Lucky. I mean, that¡¯s not even a hidden Mission, it¡¯s a Special Mission. You have to have been born under a special star to win those. I guess she must have had one too many lucky breaks so now she can share her luck with others.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Okay, moving on. You went out and set up your fancy little gadgets to live an easy life. After finding out you needed zombie minions, you see the news. You hop on your stupid scooter and go save the day.¡±

    ¡°I have been meaning to ask that. How did something I want just show up? Don¡¯t tell me it was Luc, she just got her Ability! I doubt she would have noticed how to use it!¡±

    ¡°Oh, but it was her. It was just her luck that you came and saved the day again. And so that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can get more surprised¡­Why is it that eating mac and cheese decreases my hunger while most other food doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You got some of it right. But to be honest, I think it was because cheese is a dairy product that carries all sorts of stuff in it. It is spoiled milk, after all. I wouldn¡¯t know, it¡¯s weird. But zombies don¡¯t have to worry about hunger, since even if it was full, they would move faster. But since you are a Variant, I don¡¯t think anything would have happened to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Anyways, you gathered the Amigos and got minions. This and killing those zombies rewarded you with a Level 2 Bounty. Because you killed Wallace, you had already earned the Level 3 Bounty. But there was a system in place to make sure no one just popped up several Bounty Levels more than necessary.¡±

    ¡°So by earning the Level 2 the normal way, I automatically went to Level 3? What does this have to do with me?¡±

    ¡°This was when you became a BOSS.¡±

    ¡°Oooh¡­¡±

    ¡°And then you took care of more bandits and helped make two more Ability Users with Chance and David. Nothing happened to you here since you still didn¡¯t kill anyone. But when you went and¡±

    ¡°Hold on, sorry for interrupting you again, but what¡¯s with the Daily Tragic Show? That isn¡¯t fair!¡±

    ¡°It helps show where a BOSS is. Soon, that zombie wolf will become a BOSS and show up on there too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so like an update.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll continue with that in a little bit. After that, you had a pathetic moment and fled away. It was here that you leveled up again.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    Man, she looks really comfortable. I am getting sleepy again¡­I don¡¯t want to work! It¡¯s boring! It¡¯s tiring! I don¡¯t like being mocked!

    ¡°Then don¡¯t be so pathetic. Now you obtained six wonderful Ability Users. You should have died right there, but ¡®luckily¡¯ the people were too disorganized. This was when you went to a Level 4 Bounty. After that, you went and did the dirty with that crazy lady, thereby making her into a mistress. This completed all the necessary requirements to become a Noble.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? So for my Controlling Ability, I had Puppetmaster. For my mistress, I had Rebecca. But that¡¯s it? Nothing else?¡±

    ¡°You had to be Level 4, have a specific amount of minions, and have three Abilities.¡±

    ¡°How many abilities can I have at most?¡±

    ¡°Three.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Doesn¡¯t this mean I can only be this strong?!¡±

    ¡°No. After becoming a Noble, you gain access to the Domain function and other functions as well. It¡¯s part of the perks of obtaining a Level 5 Bounty.¡±

    ¡°How many Levels are there?¡±

    ¡°Ten. And you are right now a C Rank difficulty. Difficulty Ranking goes to SSS from F. Well, F is more like a regular person. A Level 0, if you will.¡±

    ¡°This is a lot of info.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and we haven¡¯t even gotten to the main part!¡±

    Noooo¡­

 Clever Tutorial Taker 2/3

    This one is a little short compared to the previous one, but there are still some major stuff contained inside. Again, if something doesn¡¯t seem right, let me know!

    ========================================================

    ¡°So I mentioned before that I would return to the monitor updates. Now that you are a Lord BOSS, anything you do will be put onto the broadcast.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    ¡°In exchange, now whenever someone completes a hidden Mission, Special Mission, earned a Title, or killed a high Bounty, they will automatically appear as well.¡±

    ¡°So I won¡¯t have a Daily Tragic Show?¡±

    ¡°No, that will still be there. It¡¯s to help the ¡®players¡¯ track your movements. But there will also be a Daily Top 10. This will show the best people in the Region each day, based on kills, Abilities, and even equipment.¡±

    ¡°Am I on there?¡±

    ¡°Yep. First place.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­So do you get anything from being in the Top 10?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Now you earned the Summon function on the monitor. After becoming a Noble, you earned 5 armor set tickets and 5 weapon tickets.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­those better not be like those Gacha lottery things.¡±

    ¡°They are indeed. You use ticket and you will receive a random item corresponding to the ticket type. In the Summon area, you can receive anything from weapons to armor, or animals to Abilities, or even companions or resources.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Yep. These tickets can be purchased using GP.¡±

    ¡°Gacha Points?¡±

    ¡°No, moron. God Points. You can even purchase them using your real money.¡±

    ¡°Not this shit! Micro transactions are a menace!¡±

    ¡°But now you can make use of all that money. $100 = 1 GP!¡±

    ¡°What kind of fucked up ratio is that? Isn¡¯t it usually the other way around?!¡±

    ¡°Not here. Hmm, who gets the tickets?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Can¡¯t I just use the tickets and give the others their armor?¡±

    ¡°You idiot! If you give them the tickets, they can unlock the Summon and Inventory functions as well!¡±

    ¡°Eh? I have an Inventory?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Any ¡®game¡¯ related items can be stored here, so no trying to sneak mac and cheese away.¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­mac and cheese whenever and wherever I wanted¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, pay attention. Don¡¯t go to sleep!¡±

    Huh? When did I get on the bed? Oh well, it feels great. NNnnnnngh¡­aah¡­

    ¡°Whatever. I have an idea, we¡¯ll make this a little game. At the end of this tutorial, I will give you a test! Can¡¯t help but make sure you are paying attention! And if you fail¡­hehehe! I will take one of your Skills away!¡±

    ¡°WHAT?! You can¡¯t do that! Can you?¡±

    ¡°Haha! Got you up, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Shit. Fine.¡±

    I adjust myself so my back is propped against the wall. Navi is still just laying around, but she continues to move and wrap herself up in the blanket.

    ¡°So we went over your Race and Job, how you came to be a Noble, the Summon and Inventory functions¡­and I may have touched on the Units function. We¡¯ll continue there. Units are the things that you control. This can be tamed pets, minions from an Ability, or won in the Summon function. Now, about your zombies.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Most have become really intelligent but you¡¯re treating them the exact same ways as the others.¡±

    She took a little difficulty to unwrap herself from the blanket before daintily walking over onto my outstretched leg.

    ¡°You are using the loopholes against the rules. In most cases, this isn¡¯t bad, but why not play according to the rules?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What rules?¡±

    ¡°You found out the function of not telling them something they don¡¯t want to do. How else could you take this information?¡±

    ¡°Tell them to do something they want to do?¡±

    ¡°Exactly! If you learn what your Units want, they can perform better.¡±

    ¡°Really? Sounds like the same way to treat normal people.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I want you to release all of them from their restraints.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?! They¡¯ll kill each other! That¡¯s a dumb idea!¡±

    ¡°No, because they retain their information. They hold the memories of their previous lives.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Even more so. No way am I releasing those bandits!¡±

    ¡°Now, now. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Fine. But they are coming here. I don¡¯t want anyone else to get hurt.¡±

    <hr />

    It took several minutes while I waited for the 18th zombie appeared before me. The room was crowded and some were in the hall. I gave a reluctant look to Navi before releasing the rules I placed on them.

    They just stood there. Hmm¡­I forgot they only act whenever I command them too. It was the basic rule. I feel stupid. Navi just smirked at me.

    ¡°Now what?¡±

    Navi had moved to my shoulder and was nestling in that little nook in my shoulder. She was warm.

    ¡°Tell them to ¡®Say whatever whenever they want.¡±

    ¡°Great. Now I will have to deal with expressionless weirdos.¡±

    I told them all, but they still just stood there.

    ¡°You can talk now, you know?¡±

    Reese was the one who stepped forward. He had turned into a Skeleton Mage complete with his old business suit. He definitely looked like an old style mafia member. All he needed was the hat and a tommy gun. The inside of his skull was on fire, making him look like some cleaned up Night Rider. Bad ass.

    ¡°Sir, we didn¡¯t want to interrupt Your Lordship.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that way of talking? Don¡¯t you guys hate me?¡±

    This time, the boss from the Amigos, Amigo Leader, walked forward. He was entirely red, and looked every bit like a thug would, but red. Maybe I should call him Red Amigo. I saw the other two Amigos were blue and green. These guys aren¡¯t Rangers, what the fuck? If I had to describe them, they looked like the different colored but same monster. You know, when you fight an enemy but when you go to a different place, they are still there, but stronger and a different color.

    ¡°Naw, we kind of mellowed out. We don¡¯t find being angry to be very productive.¡±

    ¡°Navi, what happened to them?¡±

    ¡°They take on a similar personality as the one who leads them. It¡¯s really funny to see minions using each other to remain lazy.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all lazy?! But what about training?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Lordship. We will make sure the people are safe.¡±

    ¡°Why is Red Amigo so casual to me, yet Reese here is so polite?¡±

    ¡°They still retain their speech patterns. Cool, huh?¡±

    ¡°This is getting weird. What are the Amigos, anyway? What are Haunters?¡±

    ¡°They are zombies that focus on strength instead of speed or technique. Just think of them as next Level zombies.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be something like Mummy, or Walking Corpse?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t DQ, idiot. No matter how badly you want it to be.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay. So I have three Haunters, one Skeleton Mage, one Ice Specter, one Thunder Phantom, one Shadow, one Ogre, one Fallen, two Ghouls, three Revenants, and four Skeletons. Hey, what are the requirements to Level up into these guys?¡±

    ¡°Ae you asking for them, or wondering about your own?¡±

    ¡°My own¡­¡±

    ¡°Because you would rather have your minions do things for you, you became a lazy Undead Leader, a Lich. A Lich¡¯s Job is usually Necromancy, so that¡¯s where you got the Spell from.¡±

    ¡°But why do I look this good?¡±

    ¡°Because you aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t. You are still short and wide.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m ripped! Look at my muscles!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean the energy you expended to evolve? Yeah, nothing much. Don¡¯t think you automatically look like a hunk.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t Liches supposed to be¡­bones?¡±

    ¡°Nope. They are just Undead of their previous race. They don¡¯t have to be bones.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you say Rebecca would want to¡­with me if she saw my face?¡±

    ¡°It was for her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±

    ¡°I lied. She didn¡¯t want you to see her.¡±

    ¡°But I saw her while she was sleeping. Why worry?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that. And I didn¡¯t tell her. Oops.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. So what about the Domain function?¡±

    ¡°Aha! The major part! Your approval rating and castle building!¡±

 Clever Tutorial Taker 3/3

    So maybe the first chapter was long...here you guys go! Last release of the day!

    ===============================

    ¡°Okay, guys, you can go about your business. Red Amigo, I want you and the other Amigos to oversee the Skeletons as laborers. Reese, I want you, the Phantom, and the Specter to take the Revenants and guard the community. Ogre, I want you to take the Shadow, Fallen, Chance, and David to patrol. You can set up different parties using the other Humans as well, but discuss it with them first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mean to be rude, Boss, but the name¡¯s Brandon, mate.¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that, Brandon.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry aboot it, Boss. Me and mah boys have goat it.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­hmm? I got an alert?¡±

    On my monitor, the little menu button at the top right had a red exclamation point. I dropped the menu and saw the Units had something to tell me. I opened the tab and saw that the minions were divided by their tasks and showed their stress levels! With this, I could find my minions jobs that they enjoy!

    ¡°Now that you are getting the hang of this, we will move on to the Domain.¡±

    I click on the Domain tab that was right there on the screen. My guess was that it was really important to have its own quick tab. When it opened, I saw what looked like the Radar, but less green. It was more like Google Maps. It showed the Area under my control. Apparently, all the surrounding buildings counted as mine.

    I even owned the farm land and such. I had a list with a lot of information, and on it had things like wood, stone, and metal. I had started off with one hundred units of each, although I don¡¯t know the measurements without pulling them out of my inventory.

    There was a list of people who were currently in my Area. Hmm, that sounded like important info, too.

    ¡°Indeed. First is an Area, which would hold several hundred people. Not very big. The next is a Region. These usually hold more than several hundreds of thousands.¡±

    ¡°Wait, so it¡¯s not relative to the size of the land?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it relies on the people living within. Japan has tons of Regions and so they had tons of people with Abilities. It didn¡¯t take but one day for someone to become a Noble, but he¡¯s alive.

    Speaking of other Regions, in another two weeks or so, the State Broadcast will air. In another couple months, the Country Broadcast will air.

    Let¡¯s say it like this. A Region Broadcast airs once a day. A State Broadcast compares all the Regions within this State once a month. A Country Broadcast will air once every three months and will have all the States within it. Then there¡¯s the Continental Broadcast which airs twice a year. If you hadn¡¯t put two and two together, this will hold all the Countries within it. And finally there¡¯s the Global Broadcast which will air once a year.¡±

    ¡°Wow. So it¡¯s like the Top 10? Or like the original broadcasts?¡±

    ¡°Both. It alerts others to possible worldly dangers that no one managed to stop fast enough. Mostly, they¡¯ll be marine life that ate a lot of other creatures.¡±

    ¡°Dang. That¡¯s all well and good, but I wanted to know about the other people.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    She acts really innocent. It creates a weird gap with her appearance, though.

    ¡°Ahem. This list contains the information of all the people currently in your Domain. This will allow you to see them and plan for their attacks. Or, you can see their feelings towards you.¡±

    ¡°This is like that Radar function.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s like a shortcut. This allows you to see more in depth information. Alright, let¡¯s go outside!¡±

    ¡°Really? I just got comfortable.¡±

    ¡°Boohoo. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    <hr />

    We were standing beside the unused buildings down the street. Navi was on my shoulder while the Amigos were standing off to the side wearing construction equipment. They even had tool belts and hard hats.

    ¡°So this is the system¡¯s doing?¡±

    ¡°Yep. These guys are your designated builders and craftsmen. Your Contractor is Red Amigo.¡±

    ¡°Okay. So I just tap this building on the monitor and select destroy?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Have at it.¡±

    I click the button and soon a strange yellow tape surrounded the area and only the Amigos could enter. They began tearing it apart with vigor and a bar appeared over the building both on the monitor and in real life displaying the time remaining.

    ¡°You can even use GP to speed up the process.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not wasting these things for such a petty reason. These GP can be a life saver, I¡¯m not going to be impatient.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Good. Since you put all three Amigos on the job, it shouldn¡¯t take that long to complete. When they are done, the Skeletons will come remove the debris and clean the area. The debris will automatically be turned into resources and be deposited into your Inventory.

    Over here, let¡¯s build some walls to protect your people.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    I follow Navi¡¯s flying figure and stop on the street passed the houses being used by the community. I select the basic wall function, which was a wooden fence about six feet tall, and see that I have to set the size. Thankfully, Navi helped.

    ¡°Okay, walk over there.¡±

    ¡°Now walk over there.¡±

    ¡°Okay, good. The area is set. Now whenever the Amigos are done, they will begin working on the wall.¡±

    I walk back to my house while trying to remember all the things I just learned. This wasn¡¯t just a monitor that looked like a smart phone, it practically was a smart phone!

    ¡°Yep, you can even call people. But you need to be friends, first.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, that was a function, too.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. So go to the search button and type the person¡¯s name. Then you just click on the right person that shows up. You can narrow your search to people within a certain area.¡±

    I set the area to the community and send everyone friend requests with a select all. I wonder if I could do that with everyone on the planet.

    ¡°Nope, you need to be Level 10. As of right now, you can become friends with everyone in a Region, but if you do, those people will be able to find you pretty easy.¡±

    ¡°Alrighty then. I will make sure to only befriend those who work for me.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you send the Humans friend requests?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Because¡­reasons.¡±

    A little smack sound was heard as Navi face palmed again. Shut up! I was lazy. I didn¡¯t want to go through each and every person!

    Oh? Rebecca is nearby!

    ¡°Rebecca! Over here!¡±

    Eh? Why is she leaving? Is she really conscious about her appearance? Or maybe she still feels awkward about me finding out about her husband and son? I sure as hell hope that it isn¡¯t about having sex.

    ¡°Just leave her be, for now.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    I must have looked pretty sad because Lucy came up to me and said hello.

    ¡°Hey, Lucy. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. Grandpa Spot has been teaching me how to use a bow!¡±

    ¡°Wow! Man, I suck at using the bow. Couldn¡¯t focus.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, I am really good! Even when I mess up, a sudden gust of wind makes the arrow hit the bullseye!¡±

    Wow. That¡¯s a dangerous Ability.  Why does she look like she wants a pat on the head?

    ¡°Because she does. It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re not a zombie anymore, just an Undead. You won¡¯t infect her.¡±

    ¡°Cool.¡±

    I pat Lucy¡¯s head and congratulate her as she blinds me with her smile. She skips back to Spot and I wave at him before walking back home. I then got the alert saying the Amigos finished with the house and were working on the wall.

    Wow, they¡¯re efficient.

    ¡°That¡¯s because they were construction workers to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yep~! I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right. I just woke up about two hours ago,¡±

    Gghlarghaburgle

    Uhh¡­I guess she¡¯s hungry. Let¡¯s go have some mac and cheese!

    ======================================================

    ======================================================

 Gifted Ladies Man

    We were eating back at my house and Lucy, Sarah, and Spot joined us. Rebecca was still nowhere to be found, although I knew exactly where she was. Halfway through the meal, I got an alert saying all of my resources were used.

    Huh? I thought it was just wood? I finished quickly and walked outside to see a wall that looked far better than what I saw before. Really?! What is this?!

    ¡°It looks like the Amigos make for some really good Builders. They went above and beyond!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not upset at their ability, Navi, just frustrated they didn¡¯t tell me! The requirements for the basic wall was just wood!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t have enough? It looks like some of this was also taken from the scraps around the place. Why not ask them?¡±

    We all walked over to the Amigos as they were wiping towels across their foreheads. You guys are Undead, how do you sweat? Or is this just part of the ¡®system¡¯?

    ¡°Sorry we used some extra materials, Boss. We decided to make use of the metal and stone to help fortify the wall. You really wanted this place well defended so we had to make a walkway. There are also two entrances on the main road with gates and sentry posts.¡±

    ¡°Exemplary. But next time, I would like to hear your thoughts so I can prepare for any other necessities.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Boss.¡±

    ¡°Good. You may return to deconstructing the nearby uninhabited houses for more resources. Do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°May we use the Skeletons?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are in charge of them. If you find any good looking corpses, bring them back as well. I can use Necromancy to make more minions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±

    Red Amigo gave me a casual salute before gesturing towards the Skeletons to follow him. Some Humans were placed at the gates to keep watch. I checked the emotions, but the feelings were split.

    The elder people were happy for the protection while the younger people felt as if they were being locked in. I might have to change that.

    ¡°Hey Navi, is there any way I can give GP or anything to other people in exchange for their actions?¡±

    ¡°Like a Quest?¡±

    ¡°A what now?¡±

    ¡°A Quest! Sort of like a Mission, but smaller and ranked for difficulty like Bounties. People can issue Quests in exchange for an item. Only people who want the item will want to complete the Quest. The system automatically fixes everything.¡±

    ¡°Can I set it to only the people here?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Andrew, what¡¯s up?¡±

    Spot walked over, probably interested in what I was doing.

    ¡°Hold on, Spot. This is important.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°The easiest way to do that is to create a Clan and invite everyone here into it. You will be the Clan Leader and can issue Quests only other Clan members can see. This means other people within the Clan can as well.¡±

    ¡°That works. Sooo¡­send it like a friend request?¡±

    ¡°You are getting the hang of it.¡±

    ¡°While I¡¯m at it, I can send the armor and weapon tickets to Chance, David, Spot, and Rebecca.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±

    Spot was a little confused as he saw his monitor change. I could hear a small child like voice talking to him.

    ¡°Congratulations, This State¡¯s first Clan has been created! For those that are part of this Clan by the end of the day, they will receive 200 GP! Send a request!¡±

    Soon, my monitor was flooded by requests to join my Clan. I ignored them and sent the requests to everyone in the community.

    ¡°Wow, 200 GP! That¡¯s enough for two tickets! Awesome! This will help all of you get stronger quicker!¡±

    Navi was fluttering around my shoulder, expressing her joy while looking at the monitor.

    ¡°Yep, but wasn¡¯t that a State Broadcast? I have way too many requests to join.¡±

    ¡°Accept them. They can¡¯t easily quit and they can earn you better points. And if they die, they will just make room for others.¡±

    ¡°I will wait for everyone here to accept. That way, everyone here is guaranteed a spot.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You say something?¡±

    Oops, accidently said his name, huh? And he was standing there so quietly, too.

    ¡°No, take a little bit to get situated. I want you to do something later, though.¡±

    ¡°My, aren¡¯t you reliable now? Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®now¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I am only teasing.¡±

    I checked the monitor, indeed he was. I sighed before replying,

    ¡°I know. I am just tired. And Rebecca keeps avoiding me.¡±

    ¡°Well, no surprise there.¡±

    ¡°Hunh?¡±

    Spot actually started to shake. I may have gotten a little ticked, but I don¡¯t think I was emitting killing intent or anything.

    ¡°Uhh, what I mean was that she is afraid.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Umm, it¡¯s not my place to say. If you can catch her, I doubt she would run away. She¡¯d be too embarrassed to.¡±

    ¡°Great. A game of hide and seek.¡±

    I leave Spot to look after Lucy and Sarah who were all fiddling with their monitors.

    ¡°You know, because of you making a Clan and inviting these people, they awoke their Fairies. And Rebecca awoke her Pixie.¡±

    ¡°Really? I guess unlocking the Summon, Inventory, and Friend tabs would do stuff like that.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°You also unlocked the Clan tab, otherwise how did you open it?¡±

    ¡°Oh right. Well, tonight I will have to sit down and make Quests for people.¡±

    ¡°Yep. I wonder how far your control will extend by the time the State Broadcast appears.¡±

    ¡°Hush, there¡¯s Rebecca.¡±

    ¡°Hey, before you go, don¡¯t you feel bad for her?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Imagine, a lady who went through so much pain and found herself as some sort of freak that wasn¡¯t even the same race as her own child. She didn¡¯t want the only person she chose to confide in to reject her.¡±

    ¡°Hah?! But she rejected me! And she still came back to me! Grr, she¡¯s so selfish! So what her story is tragic! I need to¡­huh?¡±

    ¡°You feel it?¡±

    ¡°Why is Tragedy activated?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t only grow from your own Tragedy, but other people¡¯s as well.¡±

    ¡°Damn. With this, I should be able to catch her. Hiya!¡±

    As I was talking, I pulled out a strip of leather and picked up a rock. I slung the rock away and activated Triggered by running out of ammo. I then shoved off the ground and heard Navi saying,

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s using the rules to your advantage!¡±

    In an instant, I was right behind Rebecca but out of nowhere, her wings unfolded and she flew into the air.

    I caught myself and looked at her surprised face. Her skin was extremely white, almost like dried bones. She had two similarly colored horns on either side of her head just above her ears. They weren¡¯t long, they looked more like little cones. She had slightly pink colored wings and a tail the same color. Her hair had changed from its previous brown to the very same pink.

    All in all, she looked the same except the color change. And the horns¡­and tail¡­and wings. But besides that, she was fine. Unfortunately, she had a web of blue lines that looked like blood veins spanning across her face and arms. They looked a lot like tribal tattoos. But I just figured these were Mana lines.

    Sort of like veins, but where Mana flows.

    ¡°You¡¯re correct. Those horns are also used to attract Mana from her surroundings to quickly refill her energy. Of course, there are other ways she can rejuvenate¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­Anyways, Rebecca, what¡¯s the matter?!¡±

    ¡°No! Stop!¡±

    She covers her face with her fragile looking arms. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would think she was a glass cannon. But she¡¯s made of tougher stuff. Although you can¡¯t tell from her current appearance.

    I readied my power output and jumped. With her eyes covered, she had no way of knowing what I was doing before I already got too close. Triggered was already wearing off since the effect didn¡¯t last for long. It was only meant to get a good enough distance away to continue shooting.

    But it was enough to grab onto her legs. Man, they¡¯re soft. Were they like this before? Wow!

    Soon, we collapsed onto the ground. I took the fall and managed to turn Rebecca so she landed on top of me, so she wouldn¡¯t get hurt. But when we landed, I wasn¡¯t even winded! That was a good six feet off the ground! Normally, I might have even broken something if I didn¡¯t fall right!

    But I wasn¡¯t thinking about that, since Rebecca was reeeeeally close to me. I could smell her now, too. She smelled like oranges. Weird, I thought she would smell of flowers, or something. But I like oranges.

    Her oranges were also pressed up against my body, making it hard to concentrate. Luckily, Rebecca wasn¡¯t really paying attention to me as she was sobbing into her hands.

    ¡°Why are you crying?¡±

    ¡°I look like a freak!¡±

    Let¡¯s try defusing the situation.

    ¡°If you are a freak, then I must be the scum on the bottom of an ant¡¯s foot!¡±

    Eh¡­I suck at making jokes. I know I said I was sarcastic, but¡­

    ¡°Hahaha¡­you suck at jokes.¡±

    ¡°I noticed. Hey, you know, you smell nice. I thought our shampoo was lavender scented or something.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, that¡¯s part of her power! She can¡¯t change too much about herself, but your senses get muddled and you believe she is the perfect girl for you. Your sense of smell, touch, and sight are probably being affected, huh?¡±

    ¡°Wait, if sight is being affected, why do you think you look ugly?¡±

    ¡°These blue lines! I look like I am dead!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­you did die, after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Dammit, I don¡¯t feel good seeing her like this. I was suddenly struck with the desire to kiss her. I gently grabbed her chin and made her look at me. I slowly got closer, but the other night started playing in my head and I almost backed away.

    She saw the change in my eyes as she tried to remove herself, but I only grabbed her harder. I forced her to look at me. Then I kissed her.

    Which surprised the both of us.

    ==================================

    WOOHOO! Looks like MC has stepped beyond the boundary! But...he needed to be affected by magic, huh...

    What a shame. I kind of want to post more chapters, but if I do that, I will burn out! Such a hassle...meh. whatever. Expect a second release, later!

 Decent Heartfelt Listener

    Well, I''m back! This chapter was kind of a filler, but holds some much needed character development. Enjoy!

    <hr />

    <hr />

    Ho-ly Shee-it! Wow! That felt weird.

    ¡°That¡¯s also her power. You might get addicted to her, hehehe.¡±

    I may have blacked out a bit in shock from the euphoria. It completely overwrote whatever negative feeling I had of being sexually related to Rebecca. I know this sounds really bad, but it felt amazing. I kind of just wanted to stay this way.

    But it ended.

    ¡°Andrew, what¡­why?¡±

    ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why did you kiss me?¡±

    ¡°Hey Navi, does she not know of her own power?¡±

    ¡°I guess not. Oh well, she can have her Pixie explain things to her.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay. Well, let¡¯s just say I really wanted to kiss you.¡±

    Wow, even though her skin is almost translucent, she can really blush! Hehe, she looks cute this way. I may have started grinning like an idiot, though.

    When I went to stand up, she continued to grab onto me. I decided to lift her like they did in the movies, the infamous princess carry. Unfortunately, our little mood was ruined when I saw Spot, Sarah, and Lucy standing there.

    Spot was probably going to have an earful later.

    But Rebecca wasn¡¯t paying attention and just held onto me even tighter. She even pulled herself up to face me and kissed me again.

    Not going to lie, it felt great. But I noticed her eyes were a little cloudy. Could she have triggered that Ability of hers? What was it, Perverted?

    ¡°Yep, kind of. It allows her to confuse and turn enemies on each other but there¡¯s the con of being sent into a feverish lust when feeling passionate emotions. Even if she doesn¡¯t love you per say, but she does feel some sort of attraction. I don¡¯t know how, but she does.¡±

    I go to glare at Navi, but she seems irritated. Why is that?

    ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Whatever. I need to fix this. Spot, expect to hear from me about your careless actions later. Lucy, watch over Sarah. I need to help her Mom for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Sarah, let me show you what I can do!¡±

    She holds up her bow in one hand, looking every bit like Katniss Everdeen, and uses her other hand to grab Sarah and lead her to the firing range. Spot fidgets a little, but asks me a question.

    ¡°Is there anything you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Well, for one, leave. But I really want you to grab some guys to help you kill the wolf monster that appeared. If you kill it, you¡¯ll probably receive a special reward. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­I was wondering if you wanted something since you gave me an Ultra Rare Armor and Weapon.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Wow, an Ultra Rare? Aren¡¯t you supposed to get a Super Rare at the beginning? That¡¯s some luck, isn¡¯t it, Andrew?¡±

    ¡°¡­Lucy. She gave us three a luck boost! Thanks to that, you had better luck and received a better grade of equipment.¡±

    Rebecca was clinging to me and even began licking my neck. It was getting harder to¡­well¡­let¡¯s just say things were getting hard.

    ¡°Navi, what are the rankings for Summons?¡±

    ¡°It starts with Extra Common, or EC, Common, Uncommon, or UC, Rare, Super Rare, or SR, Ultra Rare, or UR, and finally Legendary, Mythic, and Godly. Nine ranks in total.¡±

    ¡°Wow. That sounds great. What¡¯s the highest you can receive in the Summons?¡±

    ¡°Ultra Rare. After that you will need to spend GP or find the necessary materials to upgrade it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like more stuff to learn. Well, Spot, I just gave that to you since I wanted you to be the delegate for the other Humans. Is that fine?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I, I didn¡¯t realize that that was the reason for the ticket.¡±

    All of a sudden, our monitors dinged with a new alert.

    ¡°Well hello! We¡¯re back with a new update! Player Rick Manton, A.K.A. Spot, has agreed to work under the Lich Lord of this Region! You better watch out, his power is growing!¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Damn, it makes me look like I¡¯m a bad guy!¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­before you go, I¡­no¡­I can tell you later. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Hm? Is it about his secret? If he¡¯s going to tell me himself, I will have to trust him completely, huh? Since his mission here was top secret, after all. I wonder what he will say. If he tells the truth, I will allow him total control of operations concerning the Humans. If not, nothing changes.

    I quickly head back to my house and run to my room. I tossed Rebecca onto the bed and begin undressing. When I look up, I see Rebecca is already naked and crawling sensually towards me, her tail swishing in the air, her wings clasped tightly against her back.

    I reached over and rubbed her horns, expecting the feeling of bone but I ended up touching flesh. Rebecca begins to moan, rubbing her hands down my chest. I suddenly remember two nights ago, but I don¡¯t panic, the feeling of lust being too strong.

    Instead of just pouncing on her, I want my¡­umm¡­first consensual time to be better. So I decide to slowly caress her body as I look into her pale blue eyes. They were really mesmerizing. I almost lost myself if it wasn¡¯t for Navi pulling my hair.

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t lose yourself, you might just get sucked dry! Geez, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m helping you with this.¡±

    Grateful for her warning I look away and see her lower region. Afraid of heading into dangerous territory, I slowly start kissing Rebecca¡¯s body heading up to her neck and moving onto her face. Each kiss tasted like sweet candy and soon it felt as if I was experiencing a sugar rush.

    I looked into her eyes again, but with more conviction. I then said what was on my mind.

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.¡±

    Then she started crying.

    What did I do?! Eh?!

    ¡°Thank...you¡±

    I almost couldn¡¯t hear her whisper when she suddenly wrapped me into a hug. The lustful feeling soon dissipated without us even having to get nasty. But¡­we were already naked so it still felt a little awkward. I then remembered our conversation earlier this morning.

    ¡°Hey, is there something you want to say? Whatever it is, I¡¯ll listen¡­¡±

    I was a little afraid, since she was probably thinking of her husband and son. I knew she had loved another and that it was still pretty soon after the event, even if she has already come to terms with her loss.

    ¡°I miss my husband and son.¡±

    I knew it. Feeling a little bit of me tear inside, I just slowly rub her back as her sobs begin to shake her body uncontrollably. She lets loose all her bottled up feelings onto me as I just sit there consoling her as best as I can.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m betraying my husband.¡±

    I almost couldn¡¯t understand her through her tears. But I knew. She must feel terrible inside and she feels like it was her fault. Yes, it was, but not in that way. She wanted to protect her kid as best as she could while still being there. She slept with me, the strongest guy here so I would feel obligated to protect her and Sarah.

    She did these things yet she still feels bad.

    ¡°Look on the bright side. Now that you¡¯re no longer a zombie, you can hold Sarah again!¡±

    She started crying even more, but I thought I heard some laughter within it somewhere.

    ¡°Do you think I am bad? That I¡¯m a terrible wife and mother?¡±

    Damn. This isn¡¯t what I signed up for. No wait, it kind of is.

    ¡°The way I see it, right now, you are trying to protect your child as best as possible. No mother would be labeled as bad after that. As for being a bad wife, I doubt your husband would appreciate you selling yourself, but if you didn¡¯t do this earlier, it may have been too late in the future.

    I would have been too busy with the construction of my Area and I might have forgotten about your presence, making it harder to desire to protect you. Likewise, if I were some other guy, this would have been a terrible method as well, since he might have just used you and then thrown you away.

    As I was saying, I don¡¯t think you are bad. You had to do things to survive. I ended 13 lives because of an accident, turning them into my loyal minions. I also turned murderers and bandits who wanted power no matter what the cost. If I hadn¡¯t, I and most people here would have probably died.

    So no. You are not bad.¡±

    She just continued crying. Eventually, her sobs quieted down and I was left with a soaking wet shoulder and an awkward boner.

    I¡¯m going to take a shower. After tucking Rebecca in and leaving a pile of clean clothes next to her, I go relieve myself.

    Okay. Time to find Spot and chew him out. Wait, he¡¯s fighting the wolf. Then I guess I will talk to Reese about the community¡¯s protection. And I¡¯m off! Nothing to see here!

 Expert Trouble Maker

    I easily locate Reese at the Northern Gate. This gate was more used since it was closer to the major roadways that had supermarkets and restaurants. The scouts had procured quite a bit from the places nearby and we were always gaining new people who wanted to live an easy life.

    This might be troublesome later on, but according to my Radar as of now, no one was planning on taking over the place. So far, only Chance, David, and Lucy had Skills amongst the living. This was the reason I sent Spot. He needed a Skill to help prove his worth to the populace and to help him become a valuable asset to the team.

    Reese was standing watch himself at the sentry position on the gate. I called for him and his spot was taken by a Human with a rifle. Two Revenants guarded the gate and the Ice Specter was off to the side playing a card game with a human and the other Revenant.

    How? Argh, this stuff is confusing me. I think I heard Navi chuckling from behind.

    ¡°Yes, your Lordship?¡±

    ¡°Why do you talk like that? Your image looks really like that of an old Prohibition mafia member.¡±

    ¡°I was raised by my family to meet with nobility from across the ocean. They would fund us in return for our product.¡±

    ¡°They bought really bad drugs from you?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. And since the clientele was notorious, we couldn¡¯t afford to offend them.¡±

    ¡°I see. This is your polite speech. I thought you hated me since you ended up dying.¡±

    Reese pondered a bit before reaching into a pocket on the inside of his blazer and pulled out a cigar. He used a little flame to light it and placed it between his jaws. It looked really weird, especially since he was actually inhaling the smoke.

    Now I had a breathing problem when I was alive and disliked the smell of smoke. But the smell coming from this cigar was not only nice smelling, I wasn¡¯t coughing. Then again, I had no need to breathe. Forgot about that.

    You know, I never payed attention to that before. I usually forgot to breathe every now and then when I was alive because I would get too focused on things, but that was a long time ago. Now it seems to happen quite often.

    I recognized it when someone would poke me to make sure I was moving. Forgot to breathe, but didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°You know what, let¡¯s go to the party store.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Just come on.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s outside of the range, isn¡¯t it? What if something happens?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re with me, nothing should go wrong! And if people really want to mess with us, we can just make them into corpses. Oops, forgot to use my tickets.¡±

    Reese looked at me oddly, but I ignored him. I noticed everyone from the community had accepted my invite so I sent some more requests to some simple looking people nearby. I only had room for two hundred people right now, and over sixty were already taken.

    I used the tickets and a little capsule machine appeared before me. Instead of a place to put coins, it had a little slot. I slid the ticket inside and out popped a blue capsule. When I grabbed it, it glowed with a bright golden light.

    In it was a magnificent pistol that had a strange marking on it.

    ¡°The Burning Brand¡­Hmmm it says here it turns magic energy into projectile spells that pack the same punch as a rifle, if not stronger. If that¡¯s so, the recoil should be enough to break an arm if I¡¯m not careful.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.I go to the firing range with Reese in tow. He stays quiet, but little puffs of smoke can be seen coming from his skull every now and then. I can just imagine him saying, ¡®Nyah, see?¡¯ in that cartoon like voice. He¡¯s got the suit and the cigar, he just needs the hat and the gun.

    I take the pistol and fire it at the target. Thankfully the firing range was set with the background being a sort of no man¡¯s land. We made it that way so no one would get hurt by accident. But the wall would have to be fixed after this.

    I shot the gun, but what came out was a floating circular pattern, a rune or something. It was black in color and reeked of death. Probably since my magic is Necromancy, it took on my magic property. The wooden target was instantly dried and turned gray wherever the bullet hit. The same thing happened to the wall behind it.

    Even though he didn¡¯t have eyes, I could tell Reese was surprised. Well, even if he didn¡¯t have eyes, I still wouldn¡¯t have seen his expression. I need to ask how to do that. I don¡¯t want expressionless minions. I also don¡¯t want to work so hard at wondering if they¡¯re being sarcastic or not. Most of that stuff is based on gestures and facial expression.

    Kind of hard when they have none of that. I pulled up the Summon Machine again, new name by the way, and inserted the armor ticket. I think it was obvious to say that the armor was the same rank as the gun, Ultra Rare. It had a dark oppressive feeling to it, and looked like something a grave robber would wear. Dirty, black, and ragged. But the power behind it was immense. It apparently increased the effect of Undead powers and Death Magic like my Necromancy.

    I put on the outfit, aware that I looked shady as hell. It looked like something someone would wear around the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. It came with a black top hat and gloves along with the long black trench coat/petticoat looking thing. The pants were a little plainer but could still count as once having been formal attire.

    I looked like I was getting ready to go kill some unfortunate whores in the dark streets of Old London.

    In fact, the name was Ripper¡¯s Rags. Totally wasn¡¯t good for maintaining a heroic image. I looked even more like a bad guy!

    Now I just need a cane that popped out as a sword. I would look like quite the dapper bloke, eh?

    Ahem.

    I have Reese follow me out of the little Area and use one of the nearby vehicles to get to the store. We don¡¯t have to worry about gas since the Humans are too busy being lazy and let the zombies do everything. Is that my fault? Naw, can¡¯t be.

    As soon as I pass the Area border, I receive an alert. In fact, Reese also received an alert. He still had his monitor! Could he still receive rewards? Or is this because he leveled up? I wonder what would happen if he became¡­wait. I became a BOSS when I became Level 3¡­and Reese was already Level 3 when I turned him.

    I could understand him losing the Bounty after dying, but he leveled up again when I became a Noble! Maybe because he possessed the requirements to become a BOSS as well, he could receive another reward?! I had Reese grab the monitor and sure enough, he conked out.

    I checked the alert and was surprised to see my position now glowing on the Radar. My guess is on other people¡¯s monitors, they would see an indication of which direction I am. Better hurry this up quick.

    I stop at the party store and find the 20¡¯s theme area. Sure enough, I spotted the costume. I grabbed the hat and booked it out of there. In the car, I place the hat on Reese¡¯s head and take a picture using my actual phone. I don¡¯t normally use it, but this seemed pretty important. It was like looking at the skeleton of Al Capone or something.

    This time, I was headed for a gun shop. I knew they would probably be all gone, but I had to check. Eventually, I couldn¡¯t hold out for much longer and headed back home.

    I was welcomed with a group of people and an alert saying,

    ¡°Ahh, too bad. It looks like the big guy made it back to his base! Try harder next time!¡±

    And then Reese woke up.

 Reliable City Planner

    ¡°Ooh¡­what happened? Huh?! YOU! What, where am I?!¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, calm down there.¡±

    Reese was practically trying to rip his seatbelt apart. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

    ¡°Why am I still alive?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say you were alive¡­¡±

    He pulled up his hand to punch me, but I wasn¡¯t going to flinch. Besides, he saw his hand and the fire within his skull transformed into two burning balls of light and his jaw just hung there. I guess he was slack jawed¡­Surprised, that is.

    ¡°It seems you turned into a BOSS after I turned you.¡±

    ¡°But why am I a freakin¡¯ skeleton?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re also on fire. Here, take a look.¡±

    I pull the visor down and pop up the little flap so Reese could see his own reflection. After evolving to a Level 3, his body seemed to be surrounded by a strange smoke. I checked my monitor, but he wasn¡¯t there.

    I decided to send him a friend request and a Clan request. What? I needed his power. Besides, he¡¯s cool. Or warm¡­I¡¯m lame.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°You can accept if you want, but if you leave, you might be chased after to become Skills and points.¡±

    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Just a little fact. I can¡¯t have you coming back and causing me problems. Why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, you remind me of my Dad.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Ooh¡­intriguing!

    ¡°Yeah, he was a prick, too.¡±

    ¡°Geez, that was uncalled for.¡±

    ¡°Hey, where did this hat come from?¡±

    ¡°Does it look good?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, it sorta does. Why?¡±

    ¡°Oh. No reason. Keep it. Hey, if you join, you will be one of the toughest dudes here. Leader of the blockade or whatever you want to call it. The protection of the Area.¡±

    ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°They went through the same process, but they are all a Level behind you and need some time before changing.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Eh? So quickly? I was going to give you til the end of the day!¡±

    ¡°Naw, if I did that, I might waste my chances for some stuff. You see?¡±

    ¡°Hey, say the first and last words of what you just said.¡±

    ¡°Naw¡­See?¡±

    ¡°No, needs a little ¡®eya¡¯ sound like Nyah, see?¡±

    ¡°¡­I hate you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡±

    He ignores me and just unbuckles himself and gets out of the car. He reaches into his blazer and finds the cigars.

    ¡°Hey, where did these come from?¡±

    ¡°How should I know? You were smoking them before. I didn¡¯t even tell¡­wait¡­speaking of, I still can¡¯t figure it out.¡±

    I could tell Reese was expecting an answer.

    ¡°Well, when you were a zombie, you could only do things I told you. I don¡¯t know how you were able to hijack some cigars and actually smoke them.¡±

    ¡°That would be my doing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, hey Navi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I thought he¡¯d look cooler this way. Did the same with the other guys, too!¡±

    Nice. I gave her a thumbs up when Spot, Chance, and David burst out from around a house. They were dragging the corpse of the wolf which was three times larger than a normal one.

    ¡°Looks like you did something while we were gone, huh?¡±

    Reese stiffened up and immediately got in a defensive stance with his hand at the ready.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s strong.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just sent him on a trip to hunt another BOSS.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You teamed up with the humans?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? As you can see, we aren¡¯t contagious anymore. That¡¯s only the Level 0 zombies. Hey, Spot, Reese retained his past life.¡±

    ¡°Dang, and he still decided to work with us? Wow!¡±

    Spot walked up and dropped the wolf and proudly hefted his huge rifle that had arcs of yellow electricity racing up and down it. This must have been his weapon and the special military uniform he was wearing must be his armor.

    ¡°What Skill did you get?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Haven¡¯t seen the broadcast.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Hey, we need to talk.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Let me go grab Rebecca, I think she needs to be here as well.¡±

    ¡°Umm, how about¡±

    ¡°I am flattered you want to tell me, but I think anyone who has a Skill and is past a certain age needs to hear this. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Let¡¯s go. Chance! David! You two as well!¡±

    ¡°¡±Yes Sir!¡±¡±

    Reese was looking really confused so I walked behind him and pushed him towards my house. He was really enjoying the electricity and the comfy luxuries we didn¡¯t have to give up. In fact, I think this was our main selling point.

    Sure we can¡¯t communicate to others, but we can live nice and easy with food and clean water. Although this apocalypse is really easy to begin with. The zombies aren¡¯t fast and the powers one can receive are immense. Someone can easily just gain an Ability by killing zombies repeatedly. Eventually, they need to kill an Ability User and then they will get it. This is a really simple set up.

    One meant for combat. Kill those with powers and take them. To the winner go the spoils. No wonder this system was practically forcing the Humans to come fight me. But there was one thing that bothered me the entire time.

    The military.

    Where were they? Surely if it was just killing twenty zombies, then the armed forces would be super powerful by now! Commanders would be flying through the sky, swinging weapons and splitting buildings!

    But yet, we were up shit creek without a paddle. That was until I met Spot and his dynamite duo. I recognized his military background since I had family that were also part of the Army and the Navy. Heck, I also had a grandfather who was in the Air Force! I would think I could tell if someone was a trained soldier.

    I also knew, thanks to the monitor, that Spot was hiding something from me. Now, hopefully he explains it.

    Are you mad I didn¡¯t clue you in? Why? It must not have been that important. I mean, we survived this far.

    The others sat at the table while I went upstairs and gently woke up Rebecca. She saw my face and slightly smiled sadly. I bet she must have thought about her husband or something.

    ¡°You remind me of Dillon in a way.¡±

    Your son?! And you slept with me?! I am wondering if this Title is actually necessary for you¡­

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? I¡¯m not a pervert!¡±

    She picked up a pillow and swung it at me. It wasn¡¯t going to hurt, so I didn¡¯t dodge or block. My face was covered in the pillow, but when it slid off my face, Rebecca¡¯s was right in front of mine. She then moved closer and stole a quick peck on the nose.

    I was surprised, and then I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. It helped that Spot was yelling at me.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go. Spot wants to tell us something.¡±

    ¡°Carry me, I¡¯m still tired.¡±

    ¡°I will carry you like a sack of potatoes if you don¡¯t hurry up.¡±

    She puffed her cheeks out and started to sulk. What is with us being so lazy?! Is it the environment? Or is it me? Either way, I might have to fix this!

    After she put on her clothes, we walked downstairs with Rebecca leaning against my back, her tail sliding up and down my arm. It was covered in that flesh just like her horns. I bet her wings are the same way. I don¡¯t know, I was a little scared to touch them since she was having an emotional moment.

    I was kind of afraid she would change targets upon seeing the others, but she only tightly grabbed onto me and tried to shrink into my arms. When I sat down at the table, Rebecca pulled her chair to be right next to mine and she leaned against me, grabbing my hair and rubbing my body.

    I will need to work on self-control somehow, otherwise I would fall prey to her schemes eventually.

    Spot cleared his throat and began to speak.

    ¡°Okay. So I and these two here are part of a special task force created by the government.¡±

    He paused to see our reactions. I feigned surprise for a second before returning to my straight face. Reese actually snickered. Gosh, it is good to see reactions. Maybe he likes the sarcasm? Or maybe he never really had the chance to laugh before. Unamused, Spot continued.

    ¡°We had knowledge of this event before it began.¡±

    Here we go. Rebecca looked up and a flash of anger appeared in her eyes. I would be mad too, if the government could have warned us about this. Then maybe her family wouldn¡¯t have been split. But how could the government know precisely about what would happen?

    Reese, on the other hand, was more surprised than angry. He seemed more like a kid who was interested in conspiracies like Bigfoot and Area 51. Hearing that we were somehow involved in our own conspiracy lit a literal fire within him. His fiery eyes burned even brighter, but somehow didn¡¯t mess with his hat. How strange.

    ¡°Now hold on. Every major power in this world received an audio transmission that seemed to be sent from everywhere on the planet at once. It said that the world was going to change. Each country was sent a special message of which places would become important in the future. We had no idea it was going to be like this. If we had known, we would have spread out all of our forces.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Rebecca was mad. You could tell from her voice. I slowly stroked her wings and she shivered before settling back down onto my shoulder. Yep, like skin.

    ¡°We thought to keep our forces prepared in case of other countries were to take advantage of the incoming panic and chaos. Our orders were to make sure we defeat this threat and keep the populace protected.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then why do you look so guilty?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help asking aloud. Both Chance and David winced, pain appearing in their eyes.

    ¡°We finally received our next mission. It was to defeat any BOSSes or Nobles that appeared and were negatively affecting the civilians.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay, and?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I am not affecting anyone negatively, am I?¡±

    Reese put his hand up.

    ¡°Well¡­you did kind of kill all of my friends.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, why do you act so young?¡±

    ¡°Because I am only 19.¡±

    ¡°What?! You tossed people into a pit and shot them while a Molotov burned them to death and you weren¡¯t even legal to drink?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah. My Dad made me do it. Before he turned. Mom had become a zombie and bit him. He killed Mom and wanted me to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­sorry.¡±

    I was really surprised, but seeing Reese¡¯s diminishing flame, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sorrow. That was probably how I would want to go. I was too scared to kill myself and I still wanted to amount for something. Helping my son become one of the strongest people would certainly do it, though I doubt his father expected all of this.

    ¡°Afterwards, I grabbed my buddies and we went around killing zombies. Then you appeared.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. You can blame that little guy, the one with no abilities. I guess he was a new recruit.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Sammy. He was indeed new. He was a slimy bastard. He didn¡¯t want to do his bit.¡±

    ¡°Okay, enough about that, can we return to what I was saying?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure Spot.¡±

    ¡°Hah¡­so we were actually told to kill the strongest person as well in order to dominate the Area or Region.¡±

    Hmmm¡­my new gun should be better equipped for closer combat. Should be easy to win, especially with Reese and Rebecca near me. Wait, can¡¯t have Rebecca die, so I would need to watch for her.

    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have to worry, we had no way to reply. We can say that we didn¡¯t receive our orders and were just continuing our previous orders.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but the seed of doubt has been sown. You guys are even already at BOSS Level as well.¡±

    ¡°¡±Huh?¡±¡±

    Chance didn¡¯t say anything. But the other two were surprised.

    ¡°Yeah, David and Chance each killed their own Ability Users the other day so they both have two Skills each. Now that Spot killed the wolf, he gained a Skill. He will probably get one tonight as well. Heh, especially after you got announced throughout the Region earlier.¡±

    ¡°Forgot about that.¡±

    Chance was not surprised and David was quietly thinking to himself. Only Spot replied to me.

    ¡°Now then. Why not kill me?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t surprised by my question, although Rebecca did grab me tighter.

    ¡°You hold a chance to create a feasible army. I think you are the very person who was labeled as important by this voice.¡±

    ¡°Probably God or something,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but interject.

    ¡°Anyways, if we killed you here and needed your power later, we would be dead. And you aren¡¯t the brightest of the bunch, although you are getting better so we expected we could use you. Speaking of which, why do you seem so reliable today?¡±

    I don¡¯t want to answer. He said he wanted to use me. I¡¯m the one using him! This isn¡¯t fair.

    ¡­I guess I can answer him this question.

    ¡°It¡¯s a game.¡±

    ¡°¡­So?¡±

    ¡°I like games. I want to win with an overwhelming advantage. I will practice for hours or grind my characters as much as possible to win that way. This is just another game to play. I¡¯ll be damned if I lose here at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°The beginning?!¡±

    Spot looked a little incredulous.

    He should be. I was planning on something big. Something nobody ever managed to succeed at.

    <del>Taking over</del> Uniting the world!

    I totally meant uniting the world¡­

    <hr />

    Probably could have split this into two chapters, but who cares? Not me!

 Number One Undead

    We decided to end it there while I began accepting more people into the Clan. I had the Amigos get to work on constructing houses this time. I had no idea how it would go, but I just left it to them. We would need more buildings if over 200 people were going to live here.

    I walked along to the wolf¡¯s body while editing the Clan¡¯s main page. I spent some time to make a burning skull as our logo or insignia. Reese was kind of upset I made him our mascot, but I neglected to tell him I used this symbol when playing videogames before this shit fest happened.

    I decided to try out my Necromancy. I felt a tug of energy, like from when I shot the Burning Brand. The wolf¡¯s carcass started to move and it propped itself up before howling.

    Or acted like it was howling. There was no sound, save for the clicking and clacking of bones. The Bone Wolf had become just a skeleton.

    ¡°Hey, Reese! You have a matching pet!¡±

    ¡°Har de har har. Hey, was that magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±

    ¡°Because I have Fire Magic.¡±

    ¡°Cool, must be because of your Pyromancer Job.¡±

    ¡°That and I¡¯m already a Skeleton Mage. I am able to use most forms of basic magic. But Pyromancer increases the effectivity of Fire Magic.¡±

    ¡°Nice. What¡¯s wrong then?¡±

    ¡°My Skill, Swelter, activates using SP, not MP like Fire Magic.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­Well, keep up the both of them. You never know.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I am going to check on the walls again. See you later.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Thanks for helping us.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Since me and my friends can still live, kinda, I don¡¯t think we will hold any hard feelings. In fact, we got stronger!¡±

    Reese walked away, whistling a familiar tune as he had his hands in his pockets.

    He was right, being a Monster had way too many advantages. Why even bother staying Human? Yet for some reason, I desired for the Humans to remain Humans. Not because I was afraid of the power they may obtain, but because I didn¡¯t want them to lose their Humanity like me.

    I still had an hour before the supposed time of the normal broadcast, so I called for Navi, who was resting.

    ¡°Hey, what did you mean earlier by you telling Reese to smoke?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I can do things in your stead.¡±

    ¡°So I could essentially leave everything to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t wanna¡­¡±

    I know that feeling.

    ¡°Okay, then why are Rebecca and Reese so nice and attached to me?¡±

    ¡°¡­well, that¡¯s because of your Puppetmaster Skill. It is still affecting them¡­kind of.¡±

    ¡°Damn. I guess I should feel kind of happy, but is there some way to remove the effect? I feel weird to be manipulating people like that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. To them, the feeling of following your orders will be as natural as breathing.¡±

    Yeah, but that ruins the need to interact with them. They are almost like brainwashed cultists.

    ¡°Hey, when does the Top Ten begin?¡±

    ¡°It should be today. It has been 14 days since the beginning of the apocalypse.¡±

    ¡°Wow, two whole weeks! What kind of things can I expect from the Top Ten?¡±

    ¡°GP, Titles, and even random items. By the way, the timing is almost up for the Clan.¡±

    ¡°I know. I just have to accept some more. I narrowed the search of people who sent me invitations to those who are at a Level 4 Bounty or above.¡±

    ¡°That means they might be a Noble. Wouldn¡¯t that mean they would try to contend with you for your spot?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can just kill them if they threaten anyone here.¡±

    ¡°Nope. You¡¯d automatically lose your position as Clan Head. You would also lose your GP and probably receive a Curse or Demerit for killing someone who is supposed to be family. It¡¯s not just you, it applies to everyone in the Clan. No infighting.¡±

    ¡°Nice.¡±

    I had accepted the last of the requests that I could and declined all the rest.

    I had at least three other Level Fours that were part of the Clan, but none of them were like me, Monsters. How is this possible? Could Variants be so rare? I guess the system tried really hard to remove them. As it was, I saw several people trying to get close to the community but were repelled by the guards¡¯ attacks every time.

    The Amigos were doing a great job and even bringing me the bodies they found. Most were in terrible condition with only bones mostly remaining. But that was fine. I summoned some more Skeletons and had them help with patrolling and guarding the place.

    Movement outside the community ceased as it was almost time for the broadcast.

    ¡°Today is a really interesting day! We have a lot to announce, so keep on watching! First up, we have several Humans who managed to become Bounty Level 3! Heroes! They¡¯re finally here! Unfortunately, some of them work for the Lich Lord! How could this be?!¡±

    The voice went on to explain about the new powerful people within our Region. Obviously, Spot was on there. He gained a new Skill, but I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Not until the next segment, that is.

    ¡°Next up, we talk about the Lich Lord again! On today¡¯s Daily Tragic Show, we are the ones facing tragedy! The Lich Lord has established his own Clan and accepted several powerful Heroes into it! Speaking of which, everyone who actually joined him gained 200 GP since they joined the first Clan in this State!¡±

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    I could hear dings from all the people nearby. I had told them to wait until after the broadcast and to pay attention to the Clan¡¯s chat. I hope the people listened.

    ¡°Besides that, we have more BOSSes! The man once known for killing the most zombies in one day, Reese, has been turned by the Lich Lord and became Level 3! He is now the Pyromancer! Not to mention the Bone Wolf! Killed by his subordinates and revived by his sinister power, The Bone Wolf has risen again and is now an Alpha Bone Wolf!¡±

    Sure enough, the two began changing. Well, just the wolf. Reese had already received his reward from earlier, but now he was officially a BOSS. He probably gained a Skill or Title. The Bone Wolf grew in size and a horn appeared on his snout. I checked him, and realized his place had changed. He was now under Pets, not Minions.

    He had gained Summon Bone Wolves. Wow, a Spell like mine. He also still had the Alpha Skill which Spot had obtained after killing it in the first place. Now he could summon subordinates and lead them just like me. How weird.

    ¡°Onto a more empowering announcement, we are glad to introduce the Top Ten! This list will be displayed every week!  But now, we will announce any alerts as soon as they happen. Good luck!¡±

    The voice clicked off and was replaced with a list with five people on it and one big arrow at the bottom right, pointing to the next page.

    I was first, followed by Reese, then the Alpha Bone Wolf. Spot and Chance took the 4th and 5th spot while David and Rebecca took the 6th and 7th spot. Next was the Thunder Phantom, Ice Specter, and Brandon. Wow. They all worked for me. I feel kind of bad now. Well, this is just our Region.

    I received a Number One Title which granted me a week long boost to my Stats that didn¡¯t count towards next week¡¯s Top Ten.

    I also received more GP and some resources. Reese and the wolf obtained lesser versions of the boost and lesser amounts of GP and resources. Anything the wolf obtained, I gained. It was the same for my minions at the last three spots. But all they got were GP. And not a lot.

    I sent the message in the Clan chat to spend the points on a weapon ticket and an armor ticket.

    I quickly called Lucy and had her switch her luck to Reese. I felt a strange pop, but ignored it. Reese pulled out a cross necklace that he wore around his neck. It apparently increased magic effectivity. So it¡¯s not always a full set of armor or clothes, huh?

    But the weapon¡­It was a tommy gun! It even came with a little gun strap he could wear underneath his blazer! I saw him glance around before slowly pulling the tommy gun out with one hand, cigar lit in between his jaws, and sprayed spit fire all over the targets at the firing range.

    I bet he thought he was so cool.

    He was. I did laugh, though.

    =======================

    Somewhere else

    =======================

    ¡°So. They disobeyed, huh? Either that or they were captured and are under the BOSS¡¯ control. Blast ¡®em. Send some people that are still at Level 0.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, General? There are quite a few powerful people there and civilians.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. They sided with a monster. They don¡¯t deserve to live.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes sir.¡±

    The young man radioed in a heli attack and gave the coordinates.

    =======================

    Back Home

    =======================

    I had Lucy give me back the Luck Boost and went on my way. Lucy herself was on top of a roof trying to aim at the targets just like Spot. Lucy had gained a special pair of glasses that enhanced her vision and a bow that had the chance to Critical Shot. She went into a really focused mode and her hands began to glow. Just when she was about to fire, a strong wind made her lose her balance as she slipped and fell, shooting straight into the sky.

    Everyone saw a bright streak shoot into the air before a massive BOOOM!!! happened in the distance. Several thousands of feet above our heads, Lucy¡¯s Critical Shot collided with a black shape in the sky! What the shit?!

    ¡°Ouch¡­sorry, my Luck Boost is currently disabled. I used too much Luck.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How does that work?¡±

    ¡°Well, I notice you guys use MP, but I have LP. Whenever an action uses Luck, my LP goes down.¡±

    ¡°How much do you usually have?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even reach 50% by the end of the day, even if it didn¡¯t fill up again.¡±

    Wow, so broken. Like my pride. To know that I survived only because of her, I felt a little weird. But now that we didn¡¯t have her Luck for the night, we might have to deal with difficult people! Shit! The Radar is full of people! And none of them are part of the Clan!

    =======================

    Back at the other place

    =======================

    The young man listened to his radio before shaking as he turned back to the General.

    ¡°We¡­we lost them, sir. They were shot out of the sky!¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    The grumpy old geezer smacked his fist against the arm of his chair in anger.

    ¡°Get me through to the Pentagon. We need to prepare.¡±

 Dependable BOSS Creator

    ¡°Congratulations on creating the first Clan in the State! All Units under Level 2 have leveled up!¡±

    Eh? Well that works. Looks like all the Skeletons I just awoke became stronger!

    ¡°Sir! Look, kitty!¡±

    Hm? Sarah? AND A FUCKING LION?! Oh wait. It¡¯s Scratch. EH?!

    She must have leveled up from when I became a Noble. This was when everyone else leveled up as well. Heck, after turning them, the zombies all went down a Bounty Level, but when they are revived from the dead, they go down 2 Levels. Luckily Reese was already Level 3 so when he leveled up, he returned to his original Level, becoming a BOSS.

    Heck, even the wolf had become a BOSS. He just died before the broadcast happened.

    After receiving a new Skill from the broadcast, the wolf was eligible for Level up again. So Scratch was Level 0, then I became a Noble and she became Level 1.

    Now she is Level 2! Wait, this means the Amigos are now Level 2! I almost forgot they were Level 1! Now what?

    ¡°Thanks Sarah, but you should go inside.¡±

    ¡°Okie.¡±

    She is quiet. I turn to Lucy, who is climbing down from the roof of my house. Spot stays up there as he scopes out the enemy. Another Human joins him and they sit back to back.

    Reese went to protect the North Gate with David and Brandon. The other two mages and fighters along with Chance went to protect the South Gate. I had Rebecca go to protect the civilians and had the Amigos build a last line of defense for them using the last resources I had.

    ¡°Lucy, how much Luck does it take whenever you fire off an arrow?¡±

    ¡°Around 2%. I am getting better!¡±

    ¡°Alright. I want you to stay here near Spot and if he needs you to help, I want you to do your best, okay? You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! I got this!¡±

    I feel some regret at having such a young girl participate in this. She is really strong. Much stronger than me. Thankfully, the explosion kept most of the people away. With this, we were given enough time to sort out the mechanics on the monitor and receive our tickets.

    Most of the women and children were in the fortified female dorm house. I stationed the more powerful Skeletons to help the Amigos protect it.

    I had the Revenants and the Ghouls protect the North and sent the Skeletons to protect the South. I had the wolf stay as well, while I went to watch over the South.

    It may seem as if I was under manning the North Gate, but I trusted in the Abilities they all had.

    That was when I heard the war cries.

    Approximately several hundred people had surrounded our base. We had close to 60 capable people on our side. And that was counting the women and older children. It was a case of quality against quantity. It seems I had no reason to worry about teaching my Units to shoot since they already knew how or I could just order them to shoot.

    The side walls were being protected by the Skeletons I just summoned. They had cheap rifles and were gunning down anyone that approached. But most of the people were coming for the Gates. They apparently wanted the luxuries inside, not wanting them damaged. Otherwise they would have launched stuff into the community to destroy it and lower our morale.

    That or they weren¡¯t smart. It was more like mob mentality, or dealing with actual zombies for once. It was weird. These people must be starving or afraid if they came here to fight to the death.

    Maybe they were trying to be peaceful? Then why not send a representative to negotiate peace with me? Why surround us and charge forward? Could this have been a result of the explosion? They might have thought it was a warning to not approach, but these people were too desperate.

    Hmm¡­

    ¡°HALT!¡±

    The minions stopped what they were doing. I walked out of the gate and questioned the nearby attackers.

    ¡°Do you wish for peace? Where is your leader?¡±

    An arrow whizzed by. It would have hit me if the Shadow hadn¡¯t been there to catch it.

    ¡°Alright then. Continue!¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.I walked away to hear the sounds of many guns being let loose. Unfortunately, these guns would be out of rounds soon. The guns from the system were all magic guns and required your Mana to power. And that refills over time.

    We might have to rely on primitive tools eventually like spears and swords. Thankfully we have those, too. I join Spot and his new buddy up on the roof. I had checked the enemies and only 5 of them had Abilities. One was¡­well, he wasn¡¯t a good guy.

    The Rapist. He had raped women and children on the second day of this madness. Not just one or two, but an entire room filled with them. He was some scientist that used a sleep gas to put everyone to sleep so he could have his fun.

    From what I can gather, his sleeping gas became his new Ability. I found him at the North Gate so I warned David about him. I told the two snipers the general locations of the Ability Users and left again.

    I could hear explosions and maniacal laughter from the North Gate and rushed to go see.

    It was Reese as he burned all of those around him to ash. He seemed to be in his element, as he was out in the center of attention. David took the moment to taunt his enemies using his Loud Skill he obtained and combined it with his Divert Attention Skill he took from the bandit guy.

    This way, all eyes were on him for a little bit, allowing the others to get some easy kills in. I saw Brandon rushing out and crushing all the opponents before him.

    Knowing this place was set, I checked the sides and noticed most of the people were gone so I sent a few of the Skeletons to the South and to the dorm house. I followed the latter to check on everyone.

    The Amigos were definitely bigger, and they had armor on!

    ¡°They are now Armored Haunters. They look like Power Ra-¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Navi! No!¡±

    Shaking away the distractions, I checked on the civilians. They were all huddled in the basement of the house with Scratch and Rebecca guarding them. I took the time to check the chaos using the monitor and noticed some people detaching themselves from the enemy¡¯s main force and trying to enter through the now less protected sides.

    I sent the wolf over to deal with them.

    Everything seemed to be doing good. I saw Chance and the Shadow weaving in and out of enemies, slicing their heads off. All of a sudden, I received an alert. In fact, everyone did. A little square appeared in the top left of the screen that showed a miniature Brandon fighting on the field.

    ¡°Oh no! Another BOSS! What are you guys doing? Hurry up!¡±

    Brandon had once again evolved. But I told him not to touch the monitor until the battle has been finished. As it was, he transformed into a horned Demon bigger than an Ogre. I guess this is one of those Oni I heard so much about.

    His club, a support beam from somewhere, was a terror as people were quickly smashed and body parts went flying.

    I heard sounds of screams from outside and saw some Skeleton Wolves chasing after a couple guys. Scratch follows and swipes her paw, decimating them. Soon, one of the Ability Users walked over. I don¡¯t know how he got passed the wolf, but he must have had a diversion. He probably thought I was really weak and that he could kill me by himself.

    But I wasn¡¯t the one he was fighting.

    I had to hand it to the system, they did make me look weak. But before I could do anything, Scratch went up again to fight him! He swung his fist and a fierce wind attacked her, sending her flying! She twisted in midair, landing on all four paws as gently as a butterfly would.

    She pounced again, unperturbed by the attack. Wearing him down, she toyed with the guy for several minutes before he ran out of juice.

    Dang, Humans are weak. How did they take over the world anyway?

    Scratch took the moment to revel in the moment before biting his head off, blood spurting from his empty shoulders. His body slumped to the floor when I received another alert.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Another one?! Stop feeding them! We have the first ever Magical Beast! What are we going to do?!¡±

    It seems as if the voice is pretty hostile towards me. I wonder what I did to it.

    This must be what happened to Brandon, when he leveled up.

    Scratch definitely looked weird. She now looks like a leopard with her sleek body and dark fur. Her eyes glowed and suddenly her body contorted, transforming into some Humanoid Beast or something. Like a Werecat or something. She definitely looked humanoid.

    Damn, I now had  4 BOSSes under my control¡­

 Third Rate Commander

    I was getting itchy. I really wanted to participate, but what if I died? What would happen to the minions? And what about the guy who would gain my powers? I couldn¡¯t let that shit happen!

    Luckily, only a few Skeletons had been lost. No Humans were in any danger and the major people had the situation under control. Heck, I think the South Gate was in really good condition. I thought it would be difficult over there, but I guess since the Humans were relying on guns, Skeletons had a certain advantage.

    You try shooting a creature that already has holes in it. Besides, Skeletons had no organs and no need for stamina. They were Undead, a limitless laborer! Heck, even after becoming a Demon and regaining the whole stamina and hunger/thirst problems, they were still leagues above Humanity!

    Why is it that Humans are so weak? I mean, I know these guys look like the outcasts that cause problems during an apocalypse, but¡­Could¡­could some thing want to make Humans extinct? Probably the voice I thought was God. But if that¡¯s the case, why create us in the first place? What if this whole set up wasn¡¯t decreed by whatever God exists, but is a plan by something else?

    Arrgh, I can¡¯t concentrate! I am going to go get some air! Maybe watch the North Gate kick some ass.

    As it was, three of the Ability Users were dead. Apparently, Spot got one. Nice. He told me he got a Scan Ability that allowed for the chance to see the bars and names of certain people. Being able to see the HP bars will be good for the future. But this means Spot now has all three of his possible Skills¡­A Skill to see further, a Skill to see the enemy¡¯s data, and a Skill to help lead others. Not bad, but there¡¯s no attack Skill.

    Hell, Brandon should have his three as well. He had the Tough Body Skill which passively raised his toughness. He probably, no, definitely gained another after defeating a different Ability User, since he had ranked up. And after becoming a BOSS, he should have gained another one. I wonder what it is.

    Wait¡­I just realized something. Humans don¡¯t become BOSSes. And I wouldn¡¯t know, since I already had three Skills, but what if you didn¡¯t gain an Ability for becoming a Noble, either?

    This means¡­Humans had the ability to choose their Skills. All they had to do was complete certain Missions, kill specific Ability Users, or maybe even purchase them in the Shop!

    ¡°Congratulations, you are thinking for yourself. Yes, this is why Humans have a better chance. They have the ability to pick and choose their growth. They can predict what to do in order to become the strongest around. Even when they kill a person with multiple Skills, they can choose if they want any of those Skills. Alpha was the only Skill the wolf had and Spot really wanted it.¡±

    ¡°Damn. So that¡¯s how it is¡­huh?¡±

    I looked over at Reese who was pretty much kicking ass and taking names. But then I saw a shifty looking guy sneak over. Is that?

    It is! A strange blue smoke billows out of his clothes and catches Reese off guard! No!

    Without even realizing what I was doing, I charged forward. I didn¡¯t even think of using Triggered and I wasn¡¯t feeling Tragedy acting up so I was just at my normal speed. I could only watch as Reese stumbled onto the ground.

    ¡°Dodge to the left!¡±

    Then he kind of fell towards his right side. Thankfully, he dodged fast enough to avoid that asshole¡¯s first attack. Caught off guard, the asshole stumbled, giving Reese enough time to get back on his feet. I had made it out of the Gate, but I still wasn¡¯t any closer! Brandon was surrounded by enemies, crushing them with his weapon, and David was on the clear other side luring people to get hit by the Revenants¡¯ and Ghouls¡¯ attacks.

    I was the only one nearby! But I still wasn¡¯t close enough!

    Reese pulled out his gun and just before he could fire the trigger, a bright light flashed, seeming to separate Reese diagonally.

    I don¡¯t know what happened, but I saw a fire exploding outwards and when I saw the light fade, there was Reese with a crack in his skull and fire escaping into the air.

    ¡°NO! WHAT THE FUUUUCK!¡±

    There¡¯s Tragedy. I pull out my Burning Brand and load it chock full of magical energy. I fired the shot, but the same splitting light appeared and cut the magic in half! Out of energy, my Triggered activated and a new surge of power enveloped me, allowing me to rush directly into the bastard.

    I must have caught him by surprise. One good clean hit to his stomach sent him flying a good distance away. Hell, I think I even saw blood spat from his mouth. Triggered ended, and I tried to regather more Mana. I was definitely tired after that. I knelt down before Reese and saw he was still conscious.

    ¡°Che, why are you here?¡±

    What?

    ¡°Dammit, you come to see me die again?! Damn bastard. You are no better than my father! Damn asshat *cough* never wasted a chance to rub my mistakes in my face!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all.¡±

    ¡°Then WHY?! I fought for you and now I¡¯m dying for you! Just like my dad! He made me do all those unforgivable things and for what?! Just to kill him because things didn¡¯t go his way?! And now I have to suffer for this!¡±

    His fire was draining, disappearing from his body. I could tell even without looking at the monitor that his HP was almost gone. But I had no words. I¡­

    This was my fault. I went out when I was upset and got Reese and his buddies mixed up in my antics and killed them. They now had no chance of ever living a semi normal life. Well, as normal as you can get in the apocalypse. But then to add insult to injury, I am now forcing his friends to fight in my battles!

    Shit. I guess my Puppetmaster is wearing off, if he¡¯s acting like this.

    ¡°I¡­I am sorry. If I could, I would change my actions.¡±

    ¡°Che, well, there¡¯s something that makes you different. He never apologized¡­Look. I may be angry, but if you want to make it up to me, don¡¯t ever let my friends die!¡±

    ¡°Why? Can¡¯t you do that? Who says you have to die?¡±

    The new speaker daintily landed on my shoulder.

    ¡°Eh?! Navi?! What do you mean?!¡±

    ¡°Duh, the Shop! Buy an HP Potion! Stupid.¡±

    Reese and I just looked at each other in an awkward silence. I quietly bought the Potion for 50 GP and had him drink it. The fire stopped leaving his body, but the crack remained giving him an imposing scar running through his right eye socket. Damn, it looked cool.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    And his hat wasn¡¯t even messed with!

    ¡°Ahem. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No problemo, mate.¡±

    ¡°I am not your mate¡­man.¡±

    ¡°Are you still mad?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Yeah, looking like Al Capone or the Don is cool and all, but I¡¯m a freaking Skeleton! Looking at your hot sexy wife made me a little frustrated!¡±

    Is¡­he¡­no. He¡¯s definitely blushing. How in the¡­no, if I think on it for too long, I might get a headache. And did he just imply he liked Rebecca?!

    ¡°Uh¡­oh. Ummm you do k¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you do know that if you become a higher Level, you can regain your ability to procreate? Just like our little Lich here!¡±

    I was just about to say that. Now it was Reese¡¯s turn to look amazed.

    ¡°Oh. Um, I think I need to dwell on this.¡±

    Then the Rapist came back, charging right at us. He was surrounded by the fog, but it only surrounded him, not changing its course. He was kind of limping, holding an arm to his chest. As long as he wasn¡¯t close, we were safe. But Reese wasn¡¯t having any of that.

    ¡°Fuck you! Go die! EXPLODE!¡±

    And explode he did. I guess that¡¯s Reese¡¯s new Ability he gained from becoming a BOSS. I mean, after reaching a high Level, I gained a Job. This is what gave me my magic. Same with Reese¡¯s Fire Magic. I guess the wolf, Scratch, and even Brandon will have something too.

    I need to name that wolf. Maybe¡­Daver like in cadaver? The Calcium Canine? Huh¡­Maybe I will save it for later. (**In the comment section, GO!**)

    After that, it seemed that someone was making their way to the dorm! Scratch and Rebecca were fighting! Shit!

    ¡°I got to go, keep up the good work, kid!¡±

    ¡°Shut it! I do what I want!¡±

    Damn, I don¡¯t like him not being under my Ability, now that I think about it.

    Navi just shook her head. Is she mad at me?

    Okay. Let me focus. It would be really tragic if after wasting all my time to save a mere ally that my love interest would die and I could do nothing about it.

    Oh! It worked! Tragedy activated upon a theory! It¡¯s weak, but it¡¯ll do! Maybe it has to do with how much I believe in it?

    ¡°Close~!¡±

    ¡°Argh, tell me!¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡±

    It didn¡¯t take but a minute or two to return to the dorm and see Scratch fighting off several fighters at once with her fast attacks and new wind claws. That must be the Skill she took from the guy, I wonder what her Skill for becoming a BOSS is?

    And there was Rebecca swaying her hips and trying to seduce the men in front of her. It wasn¡¯t working. Probably because she wasn¡¯t activating her Skill, or it could have something to do with the fact that she doesn¡¯t seem to want to actually seduce the guys. Luckily I showed up!

    Well, as soon as I appeared, Rebecca immediately turned towards me and gave a loving smile. One that enraptured me and the other guys who saw it. Luckily, I had some sort of resistance to it. But the other guys were all with little heart symbols in their eyes. Well, in front of their eyes. It looked like the magic rune that I shot out of my gun before.

    I never noticed her outfit, but I guess she didn¡¯t want me to see her in it. It was a skin suit that showed all her curves and was made out of a very shiny material. It wasn¡¯t black, but a sort of faded orange color, almost yellow.

    In her hand was a small dagger that definitely looked scary as shit. The handle had a skull on it that was covered in blood!

    Not realizing my awareness of her equipment, she bounded over to me and gave me a hug. I wonder how she would act without the Puppetmaster. Geez, makes me sad just thinking about it.

    But I heard some sounds of fighting that wasn¡¯t coming from here. I looked over and saw a massive hole in the blockade.

    ¡°Rebecca, where is that coming from?¡±

    ¡°The basement! Some bigshot made it past!¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    Thankfully, the Amigos were taking care of it. They ganged up on the guy and let Red Amigo take him down. Oops, another alert! Looks like Red Amigo became a BOSS! Or not? He seems to be classified as a Mid BOSS. How?

    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s not named. He is an Amigo!¡±

    ¡°Quit it, Navi. What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Because you never called him by his name, he was just a simple Haunter. Now he¡¯s an Undead Hero!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Truly.¡±

    ¡°Great, now he is a Ranger. He looks like a god damn Kamen Rider.¡±

    ¡°Yep~!¡±

    Shit. Well, at least the fight is basically over.

    Now time for the clean up! I¡¯m kind of drained. Even though all I did was punch a guy!

 After The Math

    ¡°You know, you are wrong about Reese not being under your control.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But he is acting out against me! And I thought since I gained awareness against Wallace, he did too.¡±

    ¡°That was because you were both the same Level. But now you are two Levels higher than both Reese and Rebecca. They were told to say whatever whenever, right?¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    Navi was flying around my shoulder laughing in my ears as I was walking around and raising the dead. I had already summoned 20 something before the battle so around the thirtieth corpse after the battle, I received a notification.

    ¡°Necromancy has Leveled Up.¡±

    Hm? That¡¯s it?

    I tried my magic again but instead of the normal Skelton, a zombie arose! Or rather, I guess you could call it a Zombie. It wasn¡¯t categorized as a Level 0 monster, which surprised me. I bet I could now Summon any Level 1 Undead I have ever owned or the basic types. Can I Summon a basic Level 0 Zombie?

    .

    .

    .

    No. The basic Level 0 is a Skeleton. Trying to imagine the contagious basic zombie just activates the noncontagious Level 1 Zombie. But now I can summon Skeleton Mages, Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Warriors, Ghouls, Revenants, and Haunters.

    Fallen, Phantoms, Specters, Ogres, Shadows, and such were either Dark monsters or Spirit monsters. Not my area of expertise. Looks like I can only hope the Level 1 Zombies can evolve into them. Maybe it has something to do with their previous life¡¯s actions?

    I counted a good 278 more troops. Wow! That was¡­weird. We only lost 5 Skeletons. Not one person died.

    No.

    Those Skeletons could have eventually become people, too. I killed them. I killed the chance of them returning to life. I am a hypocrite. I mean, I already knew that, but it hit kind of hard when Reese almost died and I flipped out but when mere Skeletons were in danger I did nothing. I probably wouldn¡¯t feel anything if normal Humans died.

    And then where would I be? I would be a monster. Hell, I wouldn¡¯t be able to look Spot in the eyes if I had caused David or Chance¡¯s death, but if, say, that guy helping Spot on the roof had died, I wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye. I know that I was kind of cut off to begin with, what with killing¡­wait. What?

    ¡°Hey, if I got out of Wallace¡¯s power, doesn¡¯t that mean I had control over¡­uh¡­Jesus? Almost forgot his name¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I completely forgot him already. But yeah. You had control over him. Remember, you would have become a BOSS the next night.¡±

    ¡°But he disobeyed me.¡±

    ¡°No, you asked him, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes? But¡­wait¡­he never actually disobeyed me, huh?¡±

    ¡°Correct. He had more power over his own actions and they were extremely close to his original personality, but he wouldn¡¯t attack you and he just diverted the order so he wouldn¡¯t have to follow you.¡±

    ¡°Dang. What was I talking about?¡±

    ¡°You were crying about how weak you are.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You do know you could have spent the time getting ready to issue Quests and establish a communications with others using the monitor? You could have also assigned people specific enemies instead of just letting people know where they were generally. Keep that in mind for the future.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay¡­¡±

    Wow, I suck.

    ¡°Yep~!¡±

    I finish up the reviving and notice certain special things happening. Four of the Haunters I created went off and joined the other Builders so I now had 7. Also, the people that had Abilities retained them, but I wasn¡¯t going to pay attention to them. Most of the others joined the wall guards and patrol. I then set up 150 Units specifically for war.

    3 groups consisting of different types of Undead. I left the strong guys to directly protect the ¡®castle walls¡¯ and left Brandon and David to control the front line, or the infantry. This was filled with Revenants, Skeletons, and Haunters or Zombies. I was told there was a fast version of Zombies called Wicked that I hadn¡¯t seen yet. Hopefully soon.

    The long range fighters would be Skeleton Archers, Mages, and any Gunners we have. After handing a gun to a Skeleton, they turned into a Level 1 Skeleton Gunner. They don¡¯t fire off regular rounds either. At the cost of their own HP, they shoot Bone Rounds. They explode slightly on impact. This group will be led by both the Specter, whose name is Damian, and the Phantom, A.K.A. Renzo.

    Damian is a beefy Russian guy but made completely out of ice and he wears a strange simple outfit. Kind of boring, like a t shirt and a pair of pants and that¡¯s it. But it¡¯s all transparent, even his clothes. Renzo was different. Technically, he was a figure made up of pure electrical energy. But, he is able to manifest a humanoid shape. In this form, he looks like a yakuza. He wears a robe, maybe a kimono or something but only a loincloth underneath. Thankfully he doesn¡¯t walk around opened up. Again, everything just looks sort of transparent. It¡¯s like looking at a yellow ghost.

    I wanted to get used to their names so they could ¡®wake up¡¯ like Reese and Brandon. By the way, Brandon talks like a Scottish guy. Because he is a Scottish guy¡­but after becoming aware, he decided to wear a blue two piece suit that actually worked well with his extremely pale skin and fiery red hair that fell over his two horns that protruded from his forehead. He also ended up joining the Clan, but he didn¡¯t receive any awards since he wasn¡¯t part of the Clan and he technically didn¡¯t participate in the battle. Thankfully, I gave him the GP he earned for me.

    Anyways, the last group, the ones who flank or attack from the other side, the fast and quiet scouts led by the Fallen, a young man from a prestigious drug cartel family, Chris, was wearing a conspicuous disguise. Well, it would be if it was such a neon yellow bandana like that. Chance will also help them.

    Scratch and Ribcage, or Fluffy the wolf, if you¡¯re Sarah, will be kind of like the protectors of the civilians. Since Ribcage had his Buffer Skill and Scratch had her new Wind Essence along with her Booster Skill. Wind Essence was the Ability User¡¯s Skill which added wind to his attacks. Why he used his fists was beyond me.

    Ribcage had the ability to boost others while Scratch had the power to buff herself. Now that she looked really human like, it was awkward for her to still be labeled as my Pet. She may look that way, but she is still an animal on the inside. But, she won¡¯t play with Lucy and Sarah anymore, which bewilders me. Maybe because she is now big?

    Well, besides Scratch and Ribcage, Kuvali, the Shadow, an African man whose family came from a long line of poachers, protects the Gates. Kuvali was¡­black. He was a silhouette that had no other defining features. My guess would be that that would change once he Levels up.

    And then there was Sammy. He patrolled the area.

    But Sammy was different from normal Skeletons, he became a Skeleton Leader! A basic Level 2 Skeleton without tools. He¡¯s not strong, but having someone who can lead others is a good pawn. What? No one likes him. He is like a Reese knock off. And not a good one.

    After every one of the enemies were killed, we all got a notification.

    ¡°The Undead Clan has fended off an attack! Anyone who participated on their side has gained 500 GP! Members of the Clan who proved themselves will be listed in the Top Ten tonight!¡±

    Well, more like tomorrow night. That fight didn¡¯t even take 3 hours. In fact, the only reason why it¡¯s past midnight was because we were chasing all the runaways. They didn¡¯t want to surrender so we just killed them. Sad to say.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.It is starting to get bright now, since I spent so much time raising the dead. Everyone spent their points on materials like Potions or attack items like Magic Stones or Bombs. I spent all the extra GP I gained from my Minions on Resources to upgrade the walls. I wanted actual ramparts and such. With this, I can install cannons or turrets. Plus, the populace will be better protected.

    The Builders set to work, with their new Pink Amiga, Yellow Amiga, Black Amiga, and White Amiga. All girls? That¡¯s weird. Oh well.

    With this, I could have them do lots of things. Red Amigo could easily Destroy a building with his new Ability, and after becoming a Mid BOSS he earned Construct as well. He could easily complete a project by himself in a matter of hours.

    The other two Amigos, which were Armored Haunters, could perform at the same level when working together. Likewise, this was the same as four regular Haunters. I had three groups that could do things at about the same speed. I sent Red Amigo to destroy buildings and gather more Resources while Blue and Green Amigo rebuilt the wall. I had the Amigas build houses and dorms. Afterwards, they would help each other construct a better house for Headquarters.

    After the successful night, my Area expanded to cover nearly half of the entire Region, which surprised me. I could now easily see many different people around us. I sent each of the three groups out to bring in the people. Some of the survivors were actually part of our Clan. Had to help them out there.

    I checked to see the Level of the members and saw that no change in the Top Five had occurred. According to the list, there was me, then the three Level Fours, and then Spot. I guess since I gave him that position, he would be towards the top.

    Unfortunately, these Level Fours were spread around the country. No, I don¡¯t mean Country, but the United States. I had sent a request to a person in California, someone in Massachusetts, and one other one in Louisiana. It doesn¡¯t look like they will be coming here anytime soon.

    I guess I could use that as my excuse.

    ¡°Hey, Navi.¡±

    ¡°Yep?¡±

    ¡°¡­Watch over them, will you?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm, alight. But only Sarah and Lucy. The bitch doesn¡¯t deserve my attention.¡±

    ¡°Navi.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine.¡±

    She hmphed and flew off back to the base. I was about to step out of the boundaries of my ¡®castle¡¯. Why, you ask? Because I am the cause of this trouble. Because I was an idiot and went to go get Reese a god damn hat, I led all those people to us. I caused them to die. First off, I was going to check out whatever it was that Lucy hit, but it turned out to be a government helicopter. Her damn arrow somehow hit a guy who ended up dropping a grenade and exploding the entire thing. Crazy. My guess is Spot was regarded as a lost cause.

    Such a coincidence if I ever saw one. If I stayed behind, I would just be a target for the government and the other power hungry morons. I messaged Spot, but his comms cut off half way through. I hope that doesn¡¯t mean what I think it means. Before I was convinced to stay back, I needed to leave.

    One, I could use this chance to quietly learn more about the monitor on my own.

    Two, I could gather the members of the Clan and bring them back safely back to base.

    Three, by leaving the ¡®castle¡¯ to Spot, the government hopefully won¡¯t attack anymore.

    There might be other reasons, but they aren¡¯t that important.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hm?

    ¡°sssSSSSTOOOOOOOP!¡±

    Huh? OOF!

    ¡°Rebecca, what the hell?! Where did you come from?!¡±

    ¡°Ribcage helped me! Where the hell do you think you¡¯re going?! You have to stay back and protect us!¡±

    ¡°But if I stay, then I¡¯ll only place you in more danger!¡±

    ¡°Bullshit! You are just upset that people died because of you! You want to shirk your god damn responsibilities again! Don¡¯t fuck with me!¡±

    Eep. So this is Rebecca when she¡¯s mad¡­Great. There¡¯s Spot riding on top of Ribcage. That smug little bonehead. The both of them.

    I gave them my reasons, but¡­

    ¡°Who cares?! You are going to stay here with me and Sarah! Lucy needs you as well! You are not leaving alone out there! What if something happens to you?! You will be a neon sign to anyone out there!¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, there¡¯s a thought. Why don¡¯t you join him?¡±

    ¡°¡±Huh?¡±¡±

    We both looked at Spot as he jumped down from Ribcage. He understood the necessity of me leaving and so wasn¡¯t going to argue with me. He knew how strong the government was. Especially now that they have ways of going places. This means that trade and growth will return shortly to the country.

    But both of us together? I must admit that the idea has its merits, but what if something happens to her? How am I going to explain it to Sarah?

    ¡°Yeah, think of it like a honeymoon!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­well then¡­I guess that works¡­¡±

    Eh? Rebecca, you are already swayed? And don¡¯t play coy while on top of me! It¡¯s really distracting!

    ¡°But what if something happens to you?¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t let anything happen to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    That¡¯s it. The answer I was running away from. I never participated because of my fears of losing, yet even in such a daring situation as last night¡¯s with the Rapist, I had won easily. A simple punch. Imagine if I was ready and had good control over my powers?

    I would have decimated the guy.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change anything. What if I meet someone stronger than me? How would I go about winning?¡±

    ¡°You have me, now.¡±

    Uhh¡­

    ¡°You can¡¯t argue that logic, Andrew. Get going. I will tell the girls your farewells. Make sure to come back often.¡±

    ¡°Alright~! We will~!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­what have I gotten myself into?¡±

    <hr>

    <hr>

    Alright! Time to build on the other characters! Don¡¯t worry, we will continue to involve Andrew, but now we can start to see how the other main characters act without their leader. Up next is the military man Rick ¡°Spotter¡± Manton! The man who can see for miles!

 Character Index (not a chapter)

    Bounty, Danger, and Noble Ranks

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    Bounty Level 0		Starting point

    Bounty Level 1	        Kill a certain amount of Level 0s. Varies on type of Level 0 (10 Humans/20 zombies)

    Bounty Level 2		Kill an Ability User/Magic Beast

    Bounty Level 3		Earn two Abilities or get on broadcast

    Bounty Level 4		Kill 5 Ability Users/Magic Beasts

    Bounty Level 5	Lead/Control 5 Ability Users/Beasts, kill 20 Ability Users/Beasts, kill 5 BOSSes, or 10 Mid BOSSes

    Bounty Level 6		Kill/become a Lord               <*will edit that one in somehow*

    Bounty Level 7		Kill/become a ???

    Bounty Level 8		Kill/become a King

    Bounty Level 9		Kill/become a ???

    Bounty Level 10	Kill/become a ???

    Danger Ranks are dependent on the person in question¡¯s abilities in combat.

    Danger Ranks go from F to SSS

    Noble Ranks as of now.

    Lord > ??? > King > ??? > ???

    Lord rules over one Region.

    ??? rules over one State.

    King rules over one Country.

    ??? rules over one Continent.

    ??? rules over the world.

    Ability Users

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    ?	Andrew is the main character for now and has the Tragedy Skill for his untimely death. He gained Puppeteer and Triggered afterwards. His Job is Necromancer and uses Necromancy Magic.

    ?	Wallace is the Puppeteer who turned Andrew at the beginning of the story. Deceased.

    ?	Jesus was one of the four bandits that Andrew brought back home on the fifth day. He received his reward but got killed by Andrew for not wanting to obey. Deceased.

    ?	Jason is the unnamed Ability User that belonged to the group that was aiming for Andrew after the community joined him. He had Morph and used his Skill Morph to draw out Andrew, Chance, and David. Deceased.

    ?	Fredrick is the other unnamed Ability User that snuck up behind the three using Divert Attention. Deceased.

    ?	Reese is the Skeleton Mage that joined Andrew after he wiped out the group of zombie hunters. Reese is the son of a well-known drug dealer that was attending a party in Texas thrown by their associates from Mexico when the apocalypse happened. His Job is Pyromancer that uses Fire Magic. He has Swelter, Explode, and Split as his Skills.

    ?	Damian is a Permafrost Poltergeist and the son of a well-known leader of the Russian Mafia. He was attending a party that his friends were also present at when the apocalypse happened. He has the Glacial, Gladiator, and Stone Heart Skills. He is a Cryomancer.

    ?	Renzo is a Warrior Thunder Phantom and next head of a prominent Yakuza group in Japan. He is trained in kenjutsu and even runs his own branch. He was attending a party thrown by a friend of his. Due to his young age, he was hanging out with their sons when the apocalypse happened. He has the Thunderclap, Heavy, and Quick Step Skills. He is a Electromancer who uses Lightning Magic.

    ?	Brandon is an Oni and a strong man and part of an underground fighting ring from Scotland. He was pretending to be a body guard for his body double so he could attend the party all his friends were going to. Unfortunately, the zombie apocalypse happened. He has the Tough, Swing, and Imposing Skills. His Job is Fear Monger.

    ?	Chris¡¯ father, the leader of the drug cartel, was throwing a massive party, inviting all his friends to join him to celebrate a law he had managed to get the stupid U.S. President to sign. Things were going great until the zombies attacked. Chris is a Sealed Demon, and holder of the Power, Firecracker, and Bullet Biter Skills. He can use Blood Magic.

    ?	Kuvali was sent by his parents to see the Americas. They were busy trying to fight off the local army and still wanted to show their appreciation to their friends. While at the party, Kuvali made some friends in the young men around his age. Unfortunately, zombies crashed the party. He is a Corrupted One with the Quick, Spit, and Swarm of Darkness Skills. He can use Dark Arts.

    ?	Chance is a member of the special troop that the government sent in to try and save the situation when the apocalypse came. Unfortunately, no one expected zombies. Before Day 0, the higher ups received reports of some of the world¡¯s most wanted were coming together to throw a party. That was why they sent in Chance, a promising recruit raised from birth in a secret orphanage. Essentially a modern day ninja, Chance¡¯s Skills are Silent and Morph. Due to his kills on the battlefield, he chose the Assassin Job and earned Hidden Techniques.

    ?	David was once a member of the front lines in the fight against terrorism. He could always instigate his comrades to fight back against all odds and come away with a great victory. He was handpicked by Rick Manton himself for this job. David has the Skills Loud and Divert attention. He picked the Job Commander and earned Strategic Techniques.

    ?	Rebecca is a Succubus who was desperate enough to do apparently anything to keep her daughter safe. Her Skill Perverted messes with her emotions and makes her come onto Andrew on more than one occasion. It also messes with other¡¯s emotions, but she has yet to truly understand her power. As a Succubus, she can easily change herself to match someone¡¯s desires. She also has the Title Lord¡¯s Mistress.

    ?	Lucy is a lucky girl. She is mentally strong but secretly has a big complex about being left behind. She finds solace in her new friend Sarah.

    ?	Richard ¡°Spotter¡± Manton is a distinguished soldier who completed several missions on enemy soil and came back to find the love of his life taken by another man. He spent the rest of his time until the present offering his services to train potential soldiers to perfection. He now runs the Territory belonging to Andrew. He has the Overseer, Alpha, and Analyze Skills and selected the Sniper Job, earning him the Hunting Techniques.

    ?	Scratch is a lazy cat who just likes to be scratched behind the ears. If you pick her up, she scratches you!  After the apocalypse, she Leveled Up due to Andrew¡¯s efforts. Thanks to this, she has been completely recovered from her spaying. Unsure of the strange emotions she is feeling from her Turned Skill, she also has Wind Essence and Booster. She is a Humanoid Magic Beast.

    ?	The Rapist is someone that shouldn¡¯t even be talked about in such a place as this. He had Sleep Gas, Slice, and Will. He was made perma dead by Sammy.

    ?	Ribcage is an Alpha Bone Wolf and is affectionately referred to as Fluffy by little Sarah. He has the Alpha, Buffer, and Summon Bone Wolves Skills. He is an Undead Beast.

    ?	Scrooge is the Ice Vulture that Spot killed while on his hunting trip. He took advantage of the chaos of Day 0 to sneak into the grocery store and eat the meat left out on the counter. A passing zombie bit his wing and so became an Undead Beast after getting locked in the freezer by someone. Some time passed and some Human survivors recklessly opened the door and released him. He killed them all and earned himself the Frostbite Skill. Using the Skill, he became ruler of the flying Undead Beasts nearby.

    ?	Jane E. Fitzgerald is an ambitious woman who plays her part well. She ended up becoming some important guy¡¯s secretary and ¡®earned¡¯ her way up the ladder to become a government official. She took over a General¡¯s position as leader of a group of survivors. She holds some relation to Rick Manton. She has the Sadist, Cruel, and Charming Skills. Due to her Tactician Job, she knows Analytical Techniques.

    ?	Sammy was a simple guy and after the apocalypse, he became simpler. He got dead. Not really leaving a mark on society or those he stays with, he somehow became a high Level Commander in Andrew¡¯s army. He has Will and Domineering Aura. He has the Skeleton Commander Job which lets him lead any Skeleton as long as they are lower than the Level above his. This Job can be promoted into one with Ruler Status. He is a Greater Skeleton.

    ?	Carlos Gomez was a sad person. He couldn¡¯t live how he wanted before the apocalypse, and neither could he do so afterwards. He holds several Skills such as Gladiator, Vengeance, and Slasher. He has the Dictator Job and gained Ruler Status. However, he was slain by both Damian and an unnamed Undead Knight, becoming permanently deceased.

    ?	The Butcher never was stable since his three dogs died. He was a lonesome person to begin with since he cut up meat for a living. Not knowing what to do, he continued cutting up meat and storing it for winter. However, some thugs found his place and got chased away by the dogs. However, they got bit by zombies and so became Undead Beasts. In order to repay the thugs, he chased them down and killed every last one of them, which made the Living Saints acknowledge him. He kept his dogs to hopefully one day cure them. He has the Chop and Slice & Dice Skills. He had earned a Debuff and a negative Title for feeding his allies to his dogs. He had the Butcher Job, which increased his precision when carving meat, corpses, or enemies. This also unlocked the use of Cutting Techniques. He was killed by Blue Amigo and then sentenced to permanent death by an Undead Knight.

    ?	Clyde, Pickles, and Fido were the three dogs belonging to the Butcher. Clyde had a special Shadow Walk Skill, Pickles had a Haze Skill, and Fido had a Fire Breath Skill. They were kept alive in order to become Messenger Beasts that would travel around the Region. They were originally killed by a Skeleton Guardian and two Shades.

    ?	The Bomber was a cowardly man that helped make drugs before the apocalypse. Using his chemical know how of what not to mix, he devised a concoction and used it against a horde of zombies, earning him the Skill of the same name. He went on to use this power to easily win another Skill called Detonate. He earned the Terrorist Job and could use Mayhem Tactics. He was sentenced to permanent death after a Gale Ghoul killed him for the second time.

    ?	Eva, Tina, and Lana are three sisters who managed to stay alive together. They faced tough times and thought that even though they were nothing but slaves, they would be protected. A certain Thunder Phantom proved otherwise. They now follow Renzo wholeheartedly and learn the ways of the sword. They each know a different powerful wind related skill. Eva knows Featherfall, Tina knows Force Wall, and Lana knows Whisper Wind. They are Humans who became Apprentices. This allows them to learn Techniques, Magic, Tricks, and such from others.

    ?	Blue Amigo is from the same group that Red Amigo and Jesus came from. After killing a powerful Ability User and earning the Chop Skill, he became an Undead Hero just like his red counterpart. As a Builder, he learned the Build Skill as well.

    ?	Green Amigo is from the same group that Red Amigo and Jesus came from. After killing a powerful Ability User and earning the Detonate Skill, he became an Undead Hero just like his red counterpart. As a Builder, he learned the Build Skill as well.

    ?	Jeremy is a young boy about nine years old. His father was strict on him after the apocalypse, making sure he got strong enough to live on his own. After watching his father die to the forces of the Lich Lord, he vowed to one day kill all Undead. He has the Flash Skill, Maestro Skill, and the Vow Maker Skill. He decided on the Entertainer Job and learned Magic Tricks.

    Skills (still working on it)

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    1.	Tragedy: Tragedy is an obstacle hard to overcome. (Boost Type)

    ?	Tragedy raises the User¡¯s abilities.

    2.	Puppeteer: The one behind the strings pulls the rest of his life away. (Control Type)

    ?	Human: designate target as Puppet; the Puppet will completely obey any command if the target is weaker than the User.

    ?	Infected: People turned will become mindless Drones to command as long as they are weaker than the User.

    ?	Undead: any Minions created or Summoned will completely follow the User¡¯s commands.

    ?	Non-Human: Any Minions created or Summoned will completely follow the User¡¯s commands.

    3.	Lucky: There¡¯s no excuse now that you¡¯re not a beginner anymore. (Effect Type)

    ?	Raises the User¡¯s Luck and changes the MP bar to the LCK bar. Any action that can make use of luck will now drain the LCK bar. The more LCK required, the more difficult an action is.

    4.	Triggered: There are some buttons you just don¡¯t push. (Effect/Boost Type)

    ?	Increases accuracy and bullet damage.

    ?	When out of ammo or the projectile malfunctions, User will receive a temporary boost in abilities.

    5.	Morph: Sometimes, I don¡¯t want to be myself. (Active Type)

    ?	Transforms the User¡¯s appearance to match another person¡¯s.

    6.	Divert Attention: Escaping is all about the diversion. (Active Type)

    ?	User sets a target and activates the Skill, causing everyone else to somehow pay attention to something else.

    7.	Silent: The calm before the storm. (Active Type)

    ?	Activating this Skill allows the User to move about without making any sounds for a while.

    8.	Loud: The storm after the calm. (Active Type)

    ?	Any sound made by the User when this Skill is activated will be amplified.

    9.	Taunt: Come and get me, suckers! (Combo Type)

    ?	By combining Loud and Divert Attention, User David created the Combo Skill that can force enemies within a certain range to focus on him, allowing his allies to get some sneak hits in.

    10.	Swelter: Welcome to Hell, get to work. (Target Type)

    ?	Skill will send a controllable flame at the enemy.

    11.	Glacial: Alright, Hell froze over. Are you going to keep your promise? (Target Type)

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.?	Sends a blue bolt at the enemy. If it connects, the enemy will begin to freeze solid if they are weak enough.

    12.	Thunderclap: No, it¡¯s not TNT, but it still hurts. (Target Type)

    ?	Sends a bolt of lightning at the enemy.

    13.	Tough: All I have left are these tough, old bones! (Effect Type)

    ?	Raises the User¡¯s resistance to all forms of attacks.

    14.	Power: Power corrupts, and all that jazz. (Effect Type)

    ?	Raises the User¡¯s power output.

    15.	Quick: I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy! Hi! How¡¯s it been? (Effect Type)

    ?	Raises the User¡¯s speed.

    16.	Perverted: You are sick, twisted, and evil. I like it. (Special Type)

    ?	A strange Skill that effects both the User and enemies. This Skill counts as a Target Type, Control Type, Effect Type, and even a Buff Type. Any enemy charmed will be under the total control of the User. They will receive buffs and enhanced effects. In return, the User will be forever itching for sexual release.

    ?	As an added effect of being a Unit to someone else, the holder of this specific Skill will only be able to obtain that release from their Leader.

    17.	Overseer: Do you ever people watch? They kind of look like busy little ants. (Effect Type)

    ?	The User will have greater effects in getting people to do what they want and can see greater distances.

    18.	Alpha: The leader of the pack walks behind everyone else. (Effect Type)

    ?	The User can lead allies more effectively and gains a slight boost for every person the User is leading.

    19.	Summon Bone Wolves: They are all dead, but they are very much alive! (Active Type)

    ?	The User summons ten Bone Wolves and can control them in battle.

    20.	Buffer: Can you feel this incredible power?! (Buff Type)

    ?	Increases the abilities of nearby allies.

    21.	Analyze: I already know your weakness. Because it¡¯s the same as mine. (Effect Type)

    ?	The User can see the bars of others if the User is strong enough. Being stronger means more information.

    22.	Explode: True art! Explosions are the best! (Active Type)

    ?	The User can create an explosion wherever they can see. Completely drains SP after use.

    23.	Swing: It¡¯s all in the grip. (Effect/Active Type)

    ?	The User will have an increase in strength when swinging their weapon.

    ?	Can use SP to activate the Swing Skill, making a powerful strike.

    24.	Imposing: Appearances make up the brunt of a first impression. (Effect Type)

    ?	The User will strike fear into weaker enemies by just standing there.

    ?	The User is less effected by enemy auras.

    25.	Turned: Everything changes, just some more than others. (Effect Type)

    ?	The User is now part Human. Increase in intelligence and strength.

    ?	If one race has a disability covered by the other race, that disability is gone. So to say, this User is the best of whatever the two races have to offer.

    26.	Wind Essence: Life is like a breeze. Cold and biting. (Active Type)

    ?	The User can shroud their attacks in wind. Blunt attacks will have a crushing effect and sharp attacks will have wind blades added to the strike.

    27.	Sleeping Gas: Rock a bye baby, in the tree tops¡­(Active Type)

    ?	Shrouds the User in sleep inducing fog.

    28.	Split: Time to divide and conquer! (Active Type)

    ?	Literally has the power to split anything, as long as the User has enough SP.

    29.	Destroy: Everything returns to the nothingness it came from. (Effect/Active Type)

    ?	User can use SP to destroy something. The harder it is to be destroyed, the more SP it requires to use.

    ?	The act of destroying things takes less time for one so gifted as yourself.

    30.	Build: Everything was created from nothing so you can indeed create something! (Effect/Active Type)

    ?	The User can instantly create something if the required materials and SP are there.

    ?	The User has the innate ability to build and create, making it easier to do so.

    31.	Frostbite: It¡¯s definitely worse than its bark. (Target Type)

    ?	Sends an ice spike at the enemy, if they are weaker than the User, the target begins to freeze.

    32.	Sadist:

    33.	Cruel:

    34.	Charming:

    35.	Gladiator:

    36.	Vengeance:

    37.	Slasher:

    38.	Chop:

    39.	Slice & Dice:

    40.	Shadow Walk:

    41.	Haze:

    42.	Fire Breath:

    43.	Bomber:

    44.	Detonate:

    45.	Feather Fall:

    46.	Force Wall:

    47.	Whisper Wind:

    48.	Flash:

    49.	Maestro:

    50.	Vow Maker:

    51.	Spit:

    52.	Swarm of Darkness:

    53.	Quick Step:

    54.	Heavy:

    55.	Firecracker:

    56.	Bullet Biter:

    57.	Stone Heart:

    58.	Will:

    59.	Domineering Aura:

    Jobs (still working on it)

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    1.	Necromancer: someone who uses Death Magic

    ?	Raise the dead LVL: 2

    2.	Pyromancer: someone who uses Fire Magic

    ?	Flames LVL: 1

    ?	Fireball LVL: 2

    3.	Fear Monger: someone who uses Scare Tactics

    ?	Intimidate LVL: 1 (can make enemies flee)

    ?	Terrorize LVL: 1 (can make enemies paralyzed with fear)

    4.	Sniper: someone who uses Hunter Techniques

    ?	Track LVL: 1 (recognizes enemy markings and can accurately infer from clues)

    5.	Commander: someone who uses Strategic Techniques

    ?	Rally LVL: 1 (allies in range get buffed)

    6.	Assassin: someone who uses Hidden Techniques

    ?	Shadow Walk LVL: 1 (blends into the shadows)

    7.	Magic Gunner:

    8.	Tactician:

    9.	Dictator:

    10.	Butcher:

    11.	Terrorist:

    12.	Apprentice:

    13.	Entertainer:

    14.	Electromancer:

    15.	Cryomancer:

    16.	Blood Mage:

    17.	Dark Mage:

    18.	Skeleton Commander:

    Titles (still working on it)

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    Hero: Your meritorious actions will definitely be rewarded! Just not right now.

    ?	Receive a boost to regeneration

    Vigilante: Your actions against crime, with or without the law on your side has made you stronger!

    ?	Receive boosts to strength and toughness.

    BOSS BOSS: You boss the BOSSes around. Have some boosts.

    ?	Receive an increase to all abilities permanently.

    ?	Buff one Unit (Effect increases with more BOSSes under your control)

    Lord¡¯s Mistress: You are getting down and dirty with someone important!

    ?	Receive an increase to charm and intelligence.

    Hunter: Wow! Kill those Beasts! Get those Points! Here!

    ?	Grants better rewards from killing high Level Beasts.

    Races (did I miss any so far?)

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    ?	Skeletons: A race of Undead that have no flesh or organs and seem to only be kept together thanks to magic. Come in a variety of types.

    o	Warriors use attack

    o	Soldiers use tactics

    o	Knights use defense

    o	Archers use bows

    o	Gunners use¡­guns

    o	Mages use basic magic

    o	Guardians use shields

    o	Gatekeepers have high regeneration

    ?	Zombies: The next basic form of Undead after Skeletons. They still have their flesh so bash and blunt attacks aren¡¯t as effective anymore. Fire and bullets are. Has a diverse evolutionary tree.

    o	Haunters are tough

    o	Wicked are fast

    o	Brutes are strong

    ?	Ghouls: A feral form of Zombies that are fast and dangerous.

    ?	Vortex Ghouls: Ghouls that have learned to ignore gravity.

    ?	Revenants: A type of Ancient Undead that were wronged. Now they walk again to avenge themselves.

    ?	Undead Knights: A powerful soldier that will never tire.

    ?	Dark Knight: Corrupted by the Dark Magic, this Knight has more intelligence and can use magic attacks as well.

    ?	Shades: The byproduct of Dark Magic on weak creatures.

    ?	Shadowlings: Created by Shadows, these creatures are like weak clones of the original.

    ?	Shadows: A Dark Monster that is spawned from nightmares. Focuses on stealth so as to sneak in to homes and hide under beds or in closets.

    ?	Corrupted One: A special being that evolved from a Dark Monster. By taking control of the Dark Magic, they regained their freedom while losing their humanity in the process.

    ?	Fallen: A mysterious race that somehow traces themselves to the first Angels that were cast out of Heaven. These monsters have a special path they follow and wish to someday regain their ancestors¡¯ wings.

    ?	Sealed Demon: A Fallen Angel who had their wings ripped off and their power locked away.

    ?	Ogres: These Monsters are tough and strong, refusing to bend to other people¡¯s wills. They live in the mountains and fight all sorts of animals for entertainment.

    ?	Specter: A type of Spirit Entity that embodies a memory or thought. Grasping onto this feeling, a Specter will normally replay its actions over and over forever on repeat. There have been known to be special variants of Spirit Entities.

    ?	Poltergeist: A special version of a Specter that has more of an effect on the Mortal Plane. Can have different variations.

    ?	Phantoms: A Spirit Entity that gained awareness or began to receive emotions from the living. A Phantom could have been a God, but most of the time were regarded as an evil spirit. Because of this, the Phantom truly became evil and attacked the Humans. There have been known to be special variants of Spirit Entities.

    ?	Lich: An Undead that has dominion over other Undead. Weaker Undead will naturally follow them and obey their commands. Not all Lich are piles of bones, it is determined by the amount of skin on their bodies when they became a Lich, after all.

    ?	Succubus: a race of Demons that pride themselves on their appearances that confuse and befuddle weaker beings. Commonly confused with Vampires, Succubi can indeed consume energy through blood, but the energy consumption is better if using their ¡®lower mouth¡¯.

    ?	Oni: A powerful Demon race that works the Underworld, torturing bad Humans for eternity. Their wonderful horns are regarded as treasure amongst many enthusiasts.

    ?	Dark Revenant: The Zombie version of the Dark Skeleton Knight, this creature has succeeded in defeating the one they wished to enact revenge on. They are now armored and their swords are mightier.

    ?	Gale Ghouls: A breed of Ghouls that can outrun the wind. These creatures never let their prey out of their sight. If they haven¡¯t caught you yet, they are only playing around before their meal.

    ?	Dark Skeletons: A Skeleton imbued with Dark Magic takes on a separate evolutionary path that uses both Dead and Dark Magic.

    ?	Armored Haunters: These beings are even tougher than before, appearing like a Zombie Knight.

    ?	Undead Hero: A prestigious Zombie Knight that has slain a powerful enemy to save others.

    ?	Greater Skeletons: These Skeletons are red, instead of white and have better abilities.

    ?	Humans: A simple race that has the ability to pick and choose which powers they receive. Eventually, they can even drop the unnecessary Skills they don¡¯t like in favor of better ones. This limitless potential will insure that Humanity will remain on this planet. Hopefully.

    Other Notable People

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    Zombies

    ?	Yellow Amiga = Armored Haunter

    ?	Pink Amiga = Armored Haunter

    ?	Black Amiga = Armored Haunter

    ?	White Amiga = Armored Haunter

    People

    ?	Sarah = Rebecca¡¯s daughter

    ?	Andrew¡¯s mother and brother (both deceased)

    Animals

    ?	Pepper (deceased pet cat)

    Things?

    ?	Navi

    ?	Candice

    ?	Catherine

    Forces

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    Builders = Red Amigo (Lvl:3)

    ?	Blue Amigo (Lvl:3)

    ?	Green Amigo (Lvl:3)

    ?	Pink Amiga (Lvl:2)

    ?	Yellow Amiga (Lvl:2)

    ?	Black Amiga (Lvl:2)

    ?	White Amiga (Lvl:2)

    ?	Skeleton x 10 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Zombies x 5 (Lvl:2)

    Infantry = David

    ?	Skeletons (Knights/Barbarians) x 15 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Brutes x 20 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Armored Haunters x 15(Lvl:2)

    Artillery = Sammy (Lvl:3)*

    ?	Skeletons (Mages/Archers/Gunners) x 50 (Lvl:2)

    Scouts = Chance

    ?	Gale Ghouls x 15 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Wicked x 35 (Lvl:2)

    Camp Drive = Spotter

    ?	Immortal Gatekeepers (Lvl:3) x 4

    ?	Dark Knights (Lvl:3) x 3*

    ?	Vortex Ghouls (Lvl:3) x 2*

    ?	Various Skeletons x 100 (Lvl:2)

    Blue Creek = Kuvali (Lvl:3)* & Chris (Lvl:3)*

    ?	Shadowlings x 3 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Shadows x 2 (Lvl:1)

    ?	Skeleton Guardian (Lvl:2)

    ?	Skeleton Hunter (Lvl:2)

    ?	Various Undead x 100 (Lvl:2)

    Downtown = Brandon (Lvl:3)* & Reese (Lvl:3)*

    ?	Undead Knight (Lvl:2)

    ?	Skeletal Magic Gunner (Lvl:2)

    ?	Einherjar (Lvl:2)

    ?	Various Undead x 100 (Lvl:2)

    Cliffcut Mall = Damian (Lvl:3)* & Renzo (Lvl:3)*

    ?	Skeletal Spellweaver (Lvl:2)

    ?	Greater Skeleton (Lvl:2)

    ?	Wandering Warriors x 4 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Various Undead x 100 (Lvl:2)

    ?	Eva

    ?	Lana

    ?	Tina

    Messengers = Scratch (Lvl:3) & Ribcage (Lvl:3)

    ?	Scrooge (Lvl:2)

    ?	Clyde (Lvl:2)

    ?	Pickles (Lvl:2)

    ?	Fido (Lvl:2)

    ?	Various Undead Beasts x 150 (Lvl:2)

    Border Patrol = Andrew¡¯s Guard

    ?	Various Elite Undead x 100 (Lvl:3)

    *Reese¡¯s friends*

 He Who Sees For Miles 1/3

    Richard Manton, the man commonly referred to as Spotter, or Spot affectionately, watched as the bubbly Succubus carted off a confused Lich Lord. He got back on the Bone Wolf and sped back to the base. Upon returning, he and everyone else received a notification.

    ¡°Hello! Now then. It seems like our little Lich Lord is on the run! Pursued by the government, he decides to leave behind all but his mistress and hide from the law! So begins the Hunt! A special worldwide Event! Unfortunately, only people in whatever State he is in are notified of his presence for now. If he gets stronger, everyone in the entire Country or even the Continent can prepare! But for now, here are their coordinates! Go get him!

    Also, the unprotected Area that used to belong to him is now under new management! Welcome, Rick Manton! Looks like you played your cards right! Congratulations on the promotion!¡±

    What a dick. Thank goodness the voice sounds like a guy or Andrew might have had some issues after being scolded by a cute girl every day.

    The first thing Rick did was check out the crash site of the helicopter. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with several solutions to the oncoming problem. He noticed these guys weren¡¯t completely decked out. They didn¡¯t have all their required gear that soldiers needed.

    All they had were massive explosive rounds. They were more like walking bombs in the first place. Most of the time, they wouldn¡¯t be packing this much heat unless they weren¡¯t going to get close. They had planned on bombarding the place from a distance. What a spineless method.

    They didn¡¯t want to risk infection by going down and making sure everyone was dead so they were going to just blow everyone here sky high. They probably wanted to conserve the ammunition meant for common weapons so as to keep their guards back home ready.

    Even then, these guys looked like they hadn¡¯t trained ever! Doesn¡¯t this mean they used regular people?! What was the current situation if they had to use civilians?! Sure, the pilot was trained, but he wasn¡¯t equipped with any weapons! Theories swirled around in Rick¡¯s head, but he wasn¡¯t lying to Andrew. He truly did not have a way of contacting the nearest military compound, much less his superiors at the top.

    He got back on Ribcage and returned to the ¡®castle¡¯. Or rather, the Castle. It was definitely more guarded than before. It seems the Builders were planning on reconfiguring the surrounding area to be just one massive building. There would be space for training and a place for farming, but that was only for those staying in the Castle.

    The area surrounding the Castle was set up like an old medieval village with small thatched buildings easily made of sticks and dirt. Though they were cheap, they were masterfully built. They didn¡¯t have leaks and they stayed cool during summer and warm during winter. They were roomy and had good basic furnishings like beds and outhouses. People will have to make do with the basics for now, it seems.

    The wall was undergoing a serious remodeling by being completely built of stone. The metal was going to be used for weapons and things like doors or barricades. Rick admired the changes that were happening before his eyes. The sun was definitely in the sky now, as the warm feeling hit his back.

    That was when he received an alert.

    ¡®Hello. This is your Clan leader. I may be away for a while, but have no fear. I am using this chance to retrieve more allies and see if I can find more ways to be of use. I will set up Quests so as to help people easily find where to go. If something happens back at Base, I am just a message away.¡¯

    Andrew may have left the Area to Rick, but not the Clan. Thanks to this, Andrew still had some say in whatever went down here. With that in mind, Rick felt more at ease. He set up some quick Quests for the young ones and the old ones to complete. The men and women who showed talent in hunting did and the ones who did well at cooking or household chores stayed around the Castle.

    Reese and Brandon practiced their Spells and Skills repeatedly, earning their next Level in magic. Reese could call out a far stronger fire than before. The first could be described as a spray of fire, the next one could be called a Fire Ball. Definitely something simple but destructive. Brandon was a Fear Monger, a user of Scare Tactics. This included things like Intimidate and Terrorize. These two could weaken enemies or paralyze them in place if the enemy was weak enough.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    For some reason, it seemed like Ribcage, Red Amigo, and Scratch didn¡¯t earn anything like magic. But that was fine since they were plenty strong as it was. Thankfully, the Bone Wolf didn¡¯t need to be fed and Scratch could now eat people food. It seems from Andrew¡¯s words, she had gained a strange Skill called Turned upon becoming a BOSS. This meant she could sort of transform into a human now. That means her intelligence and strength were now stronger than before.

    Now, as the temporary leader, Rick could finally see the Domain tab. He could see where the members of the three groups were headed and the simple survivors here and there. Bored and kind of antsy, Rick decided to go check out the training areas. The Castle was the size of four regular four bedroom sized houses. It was more mansion sized than castle sized, but the structure was different.

    There were stairs that led to the towers on each corner. That¡¯s right, it had spires. They looked more like observatories since they weren¡¯t pointy or imposing. They just looked like a small room placed upon a spiral staircase. But, the staircases also led to the roof of the Castle which had ramparts that archers or snipers could use.

    This meant there was now a second line of defense within the Castle grounds. The construction wasn¡¯t finished, so Rick kept looking around outside. He came upon the training grounds. Instead of circular targets, there were now Skeletons in place that would train against the Humans if they wanted it.

    Unfortunately, this meant that Skeletons would need to be healed. In order to train, one would need to spend 50 GP to buy a Potion afterwards. But this was fine since the Shop allowed for the selling of unnecessary Resources or weapons and armor. This also meant that $500 could afford a Potion. Now, Quests were issued to go find any and all the money they could.

    Not very many people were still at the Castle, since the construction was still going on. Most were either hunting and scavenging or training for the next attack. This was also going to be the easiest as well. Future opponents won¡¯t be so disorganized.

    This entire Region pretty much now belonged to the Undead Clan and Rick could finally see the next door Regions. Well, not physically, but on the monitor, he could tap the neighbor Regions and receive certain information. This also meant he could see the previous broadcasts and even see the Top Ten of the Week.

    Rick also noticed the Clan¡¯s logo on the map. It colored their part of the Region in a dark gray that differentiated from the others. None of the nearby Regions had Clans, which was a given. Well, maybe they had Clans, but not to the level of Andrew¡¯s.

    ¡°I want to go hunt¡­¡±

    Ribcage lifted his head and sort of nodded. It would seem that this wolf was more attached to Rick more than Andrew, but this was just a matter of opinion. Ribcage agreed with Rick since it was in his blood to hunt. That didn¡¯t change even after he died.

    Checking the map, Rick found a spot that was indicated with an exclamation point. This was to symbolize that the area was not safe for Level 0s. Rick hopped on to Ribcage and told Reese where he was going.

    After about an hour, the two found themselves in a grocery store about twenty miles away. Even though an Alpha Bone Wolf is fast, they aren¡¯t a match for a normal car, after all. Rick signaled for Ribcage to Summon his Minions.

    Rick was still wondering how come Ribcage¡¯s Summon was different from Andrew¡¯s Summon. Instead of using the dead, the wolf could just Summon 10 Skeleton Wolves no problem. He had the wolves circle around the place while he himself tried to make heads or tails of the Radar. It was wonky, just like when he tried to hunt down the big wolf standing next to him.

    This must mean that the Radar wouldn¡¯t work in places that had strong enemies. After once again focusing on the task at hand, Rick scoped the store out. The wolves would prowl the aisles, but they didn¡¯t find anything. The place was already ransacked, so there was nothing usable here.

    But then what moved in? Was it a really strong zombie? Or perhaps a pack of wild animals? But where were they? His answer swooped down from above, aiming its talons directly at his face!

 He Who Sees For Miles 2/3

    Even though there was no bird shit all over the place, Rick still saw some telltale signs of flying creatures roosting here. The fallen feathers were a good indication. He could also sense the killing intent from the bird swooping down at him so he had enough time to dodge.

    He even brought up a small pistol tucked into a holster attached to his ankle. He zeroed in on the bird before it could make another try at him.

    Bang!

    Instant head shot. But, he saw something he wasn¡¯t happy about. Up in the pipes and rafters of the building were dozens upon dozens of zombified birds. Some were missing eyes and others were missing feathers and skin. Some had their beaks hanging precariously off their faces while some others were standing on one foot, their other stump held underneath their bodies.

    And all of their attention was on him.

    He whistled for the wolves who somehow heard him. Skeletons, no matter the race, had no eyes, ears, nose, or tongue. But anything within their range could be detected. Ribcage was next to Rick so he commanded the other wolves to come back.

    Spot was wary of his opponent that was still yet to attack him. He activated his Analyze Ability and saw many bars appear before his eyes.

    These damn birds were only regular zombies! Level 0! Even the Bone Wolves were Level 0! Yet a Level 0 Wolf was much better than a Level 0 Bird!

    Rick moved to a safer location and started sniping the Infected Birds from behind Ribcage¡¯s ribcage. The other wolves began to dance around and focus their attention to the ceiling. Unfortunately, none of the birds reacted. Why did that one bird attack him? How come these didn¡¯t?

    He looked again at the bird and noticed three things. One, this bird was in much better condition than the others. It was tougher but still an Undead. Two, it was in fact an Undead, not a zombie. Andrew had stressed this fact really well. Normal zombies were more of the Infected Type. They were contagious and deadly but weak. Once they evolve, however, they become a normal Undead. And three, this bird was bigger than the others.

    By a lot.

    That means this bird was a Level 1, and it had exerted its dominance over the other birds. But the zombies should have attacked him as soon as the Level 1 was killed. Why not?

    Soon, more Level 1 Birds appeared, and they were the same breed as the first one. Hawks. It was two this time, but Rick easily shot them before they got close. He didn¡¯t want to use his rifle he got since he wasn¡¯t that big of a sniper and had no major magic. Using the rifle would leave him drained although he could probably blast a hole in the roof with it before that happened.

    After that, more cawing could be heard as five more Level 1s appeared. It would probably be safe to assume that these hawks were pretty close to Leveling Up before they turned. Now that they were Undead, they had no worries for stamina and had no need to eat or drink.

    However, just like Ribcage, these animals wanted to hunt. The hawks would chase the other birds around and damage them if they were caught. That¡¯s probably why the zombies all have wounds and are afraid to move.

    They have been taught to stand still so as to not get hunted down. It is said a virus only does what it does to survive. By reproducing and spreading everywhere, it insures that it will survive. However, if they get attacked, they fight back. If they get destroyed, they hide in wait for the perfect time to strike out of nowhere.

    It¡¯s a survival mechanism. But because of this, Rick was having an easy time hunting. Eventually, most of the zombie birds were lying on the floor motionless and Rick was almost out of bullets. He only had six remaining. He had budgeted his ammunition so as to not be empty in the future, but it may have backfired on him.

    Out of the shadows was a bird that was bigger than it normally was, with a hooked beak and disgusting feathers. It smelled like blood and guts in an instant, flooding the entire store with a nasty smell. Rick had no idea where this bird was before, but he would be surprised to find out it was the freezer in the deli area.

    It was a blue vulture the size of a full grown wolf. It wasn¡¯t fit to fly since one wing was torn in half but its beak was stained red and its feathers were matted down and were colored a dark brown of dried blood.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    The vulture hobbled into the open and Rick took the chance to pull his pistol up and aim for the head.

    Bang!

    The vulture all of a sudden reacted with a speed Rick didn¡¯t know it had. The vulture spun around, as if the floor was covered in oil, and dodged the bullet. From his jacket pocket, Rick could hear a muffled,

    ¡°Oh by the way, there¡¯s a BOSS monster on the loose! It¡¯s a dangerous Ice Vulture! Oops, someone is already fighting it! How unlucky! It just Leveled Up not three minutes ago!¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    The vulture stared at Rick a long time, its cloudy dead eyes moving in their sockets. The Bone Wolves surrounded the scavenger and all pounced at once to block off its movement to allow Rick to get a shot in. Yet at the last moment, instead of jumping, the vulture swung its broken wing and numerous frozen feathers flew out and pierced the wolves.

    Thankfully, they were only bones. Unperturbed, Rick continued his aim, unaware of the danger the wolves were currently facing. He finally realized the wolves weren¡¯t moving. Looking around, he saw all the wolves were covered in a layer of ice. The vulture hobbled over and pecked the frozen wolves until they collapsed into shards.

    What a dangerous ability! Fortunately, Rick had some other weapons at his disposal. Namely a grenade. He only had five of these left and didn¡¯t want to waste his GP for bombs. He pulled the pin and tossed it over to the vulture before hiding behind Ribcage who hunkered down and braced himself as well.

    There was a deafening BOOM! that shook the building and caused plaster to fall to the floor. When he stood back up, Rick noticed the vulture was nowhere to be seen, but he didn¡¯t receive an award so he remained vigilant.

    A few minutes later, however, a DING! appeared and notified Rick of his new Hunter Title. Since he had the Hunter Techniques as well, it would Level Up faster and increase his abilities when hunting an enemy.

    Then he had a choice of whether to receive the Skill and trade it for one of his old ones or leave it. He sent a message to Andrew who replied that he needed a way to easily use his rifle. Rick liked his Analyze, which helped him know how strong an enemy was in comparison to him. And he also wanted the Overseer Skill since it was similar to his Alpha Skill but also had the ability to see further.

    So Rick decided to drop Alpha and gain Frostbite. A Target Type Skill that shot ice shards at an enemy and would begin to freeze them if they were too weak. The vulture was a Level 2 just before so when it became a Level 3, it definitely had more strength than the Level 0 wolves.

    Rick had another question asking him if he wanted to change Jobs. He had a Hunter Job, but he didn¡¯t like it. He was a Sniper and one that would stay still for a while to attack his target. There was no need for him to chase after his enemy if he can just kill them in one shot.

    His choice became Magic Gunner that would learn different Target Type Spells. Now he had a way to use his rifle. His first Spell was Shock Shot.

    The bodies of these birds could be useful so Rick took some posters or random pieces of fabric and wrapped the birds up before placing them in a basket and carting them back to the Castle. Andrew would be able to revive them again later.

    If he had already used Raise the Dead on something, he wouldn¡¯t be able to again. Since these birds haven''t been Summoned before, when Andrew returns he can make use of them. So with a lighter heart, Rick returned to the base.

    <hr />

    <hr />

    So when I update the Index, I will post a link in that chapter. I don¡¯t want to have to edit it every day so expect it to be updated after every five chapters or so.

 He Who Sees For Miles 3/3

    Rick returned to base with a grocery cart filled with the corpses of birds. After placing them somewhere where they wouldn¡¯t get desecrated, he looked to the sky. The sun was just approaching the horizon and the Castle was complete. There was a total of five levels to the building. One basement, two regular floors, the roof, and then the four rooms on the staircases.

    On the first floor was a magnificent entryway that had some big double doors and four strange locks. Apparently, this was to be the plan in case of an attack. Since the leader was massively important, thanks to this system, they would remain in the Throne Room on the ground floor. This floor had a kitchen, a dining room, a study, the Throne Room, and a master bedroom behind it. The kitchen had the stairs down to the basement. The basement was also fitted to be a safe zone for the noncombatants in the Castle.

    The basement had large areas for storage and pipes connecting to the bathrooms were found here as well. The pipes also connected to the kitchen and electricity and such. The building may have been created after the apocalypse, but the Builders were definitely skilled in their work.

    There were some strange placements of piping and areas being practically secret passages to an important location or some other strange building plan. It actually felt like a haphazardly created videogame dungeon or something. Rick wasn¡¯t going to complain since this made it difficult for enemies to easily locate the power supply or the room the regular people would hide in.

    There was a walkway connecting the kitchen to the exercise room. This had the bikes and belts used to produce power. This was also where the bathrooms for the ground floor were located. Going to the second floor, Rick saw the changing rooms for the workers and some other rooms for those that would live here.

    For now, Rick would stay in the Throne Room until Andrew returned, but when he did, Rick would probably move into one of these rooms. Rick bumped into Lucy and Sarah who were playing in their room. They had a bunk bed and some toys that were scavenged from around the area.

    ¡°Grandpa Spot, why did they leave?¡±

    Lucy looked at Rick with water forming at the edges of her eyes. She had lost her family to the first day of the apocalypse and was found and taken care of by Spot. Somehow, she had grown more favorable towards Andrew in these several days. Rick guessed she needed someone to fill that hole and he was only a friend in Lucy¡¯s eyes.

    Sarah was confused and wondering why her mom left as well.

    Unsure of what to say, since he never really talked to kids, he said something he thought would help.

    ¡°Well, they are going on a vacation.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they take us?¡±

    Shit.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous for you two.¡±

    ¡°Then why did they leave if it was dangerous?¡±

    Because it was more dangerous for them to stay. He couldn¡¯t say that. He knew whatever he had to say would only sound like excuses so he messaged Andrew and had him and Rebecca talk to them. It wasn¡¯t bad since they were only about 12 hours away by foot.

    ¡®Hey, how¡¯s it going over there?¡¯

    ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you take us?¡±

    Wow, she just jumped in there, didn¡¯t she?

    ¡®Hehe, because we are doing adult stuff. No need to worry. We will come back.¡¯

    ¡°But¡­that¡¯s what my parents¡­said to me before¡­¡±

    ¡®Aww, don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯re not alone. You have your little sister Sarah!¡¯

    ¡°Sister?¡±

    ¡°Lushy ish my shishter!¡±

    Seeing Sarah hug Lucy brought a warm smile to Rick¡¯s face as he relaxed. Andrew seemed to have a ways with kids.

    ¡°But I want you guys back here!¡±

    It appeared that Lucy had difficulties with being left behind. She was practically ignoring everything else.

    ¡®Now Lucy. We are trying to get stronger. Are you going to just stay the same way and watch everyone leave you behind?¡¯

    ¡°Whoa, Andrew, that¡¯s not something you say to a kid. What are you doing?¡±

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    ¡®Calm down, Spot. Look.¡¯

    *sniff* ¡°Okay. If I get stronger, can I go with you?¡±

    ¡®Of course. Besides, if you were with us, we could be extremely lucky! But as you are right now, you might get hurt. And I don¡¯t want that. So have Spot continue training you and soon we will return. I promise. Give me a couple months.¡¯

    ¡°Okay. See you later.¡±

    ¡®See you soon, sweetie. Rebecca says she loves you!¡¯

    The girls began laughing and hugging each other, probably trying to not cry. Lucy turned back to Rick and took a deep breath before giving a determined look.

    ¡°Grandpa, I want to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°Certainly. Tomorrow, we will begin your training. In fact, we will be training all of the people we can. Even the Skeletons!¡±

    Rick was going to start a boot camp here so everyone had some experience with combat in case of another raid.

    The sky was getting darker when the groups returned with Clan mates and survivors willing to join. They moved into the huts after eating some small rations the Builders had made. Judging from the food everyone had remaining, they were getting towards the red.

    ¡°Candice, can we buy food from the Shop?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Before Rick on his monitor was a blue Fairy darting around his screen. She had green hair and glittery wings that resembled a butterfly¡¯s. She was more energetic than Navi had been. In fact, Rick didn¡¯t remember seeing Navi with Andrew. Where did she go?

    Shaking the distractions away, Rick looked up consumables on the Shop interface and found all sorts of seeds and food. Seeds were cheap, ingredients were a little expensive, and complete meals were downright hard to get. There was no baked potato, it was a loaded baked potato with cheese, bacon, and chives with a side of sour cream.

    You could get potato as an ingredient, or as a seed. It wasn¡¯t really a seed, but it was categorized as one. Seeds grew into materials and materials were used to make food. With the Shop, the people now had a way to procure a source of sustenance.

    The next day, Rick had some of the newcomers help ready the land for crops and sent some others to hunt down regular animals that they could capture and breed for food. Trying to rely on the system too much would leave everyone with a hole in their pockets. He supervised the others as they practiced and trained. It was just a simple track, but Rick had already told the Builders to construct an obstacle course. The firing range was modified to look more professional with lanes and racks to hold weapons while the combat area was made to look like a ring.

    The borders were coming along as well. After several more days, the entire Region now belonged to the Undead Clan. There were still some places that had survivors living here and there, but people were sent there to complete Quests and to trade any possible goods they received. The Clan had grown to Level 2 and so Rick sent a list of all the remaining survivors in the Region to Andrew so he could invite them.

    They all accepted and there was a notice from the monitor.

    ¡°Congratulations! This Region has been completely taken over by the Undead Clan! By killing everyone else or accepting everyone, it doesn¡¯t matter! This Region is the first Clan in the State to be completely taken over! Everyone in the Undead Clan receives 200 GP and any Units belonging to any members within the Clan under Level 1 have now Leveled Up once!¡±

    There was a few basic Skeletons here and there, but now they were evolved. In fact, there were now two Brutes and 3 Wicked belonging to the Zombie race. They were like Haunters, but a different stat focus. There wasn¡¯t any other special race that appeared, so that was kind of boring.

    On the morning of the fifth day after Andrew and Rebecca left, a group of Undead appeared on the outskirts of the Region. Thankfully, they were only some Undead Andrew had Summoned and sent back to base. A nice new addition of 10 Units.

    But what surprised Rick the most was the armored caravan approaching from the opposite direction. Andrew had left for the north so seeing these people come from the south both made Rick sigh in relief and curse under his breath.

    South was the direction of the nearest military compound. It didn¡¯t take but another thirty minutes for the entourage to approach the Castle. The soldiers that exited the vehicles were well trained and well-armed. The men all protected a solitary figure that stepped out of the ATV.

    Taking one look, Rick couldn¡¯t help but groan in frustration.

    ¡°Shit. It¡¯s Jane.¡±

 Maneater 1/3

    Jane. That was all Rick knew her by, but her full name was Jane Ellie Fitzgerald. They had actually joined the forces at the same time, however Jane worked in the Medic Area. But everyone knew the blonde hair blue eyed beautiful nurse. Every time there was practice, some guys would pretend to get hurt just to visit her. After he got deployed, Rick never saw her again.

    She was always flirting, getting on his nerves. For some reason, she liked married men more. Seeing her again brought up some bad memories of her trying to get in his pants. Every time he would reject her and go back to training. And for what? A disloyal wife who left him. He was almost hating himself for not giving Jane a chance, but some guilt washed over him. He still couldn¡¯t let his wife go, could he? Rick even named his Fairy after her. It was evident he still had issues.

    But the fact that Jane was here now meant that the group would be facing difficult challenges in the future. From what he knew of Jane, she was a devious woman who could get what she wanted and somehow not have to actually do anything but talk her way out. She would promise things and never get around to keeping them.

    This was probably how she got to her current position. Steeling himself for a possible trap, Rick took a deep breath before walking up to Jane and greeting her.

    ¡°Hello again, Jane. What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Oooh, you remember me? I¡¯m touched. You were always my favorite. It seems the previous guy stationed in this area made some bad choices. He and anyone who helped him received punishment befitting their traitorous actions.¡±

    Which meant they were imprisoned or killed. War had changed in these many decades and officers killing fleeing or disobeying men was less common. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t gone. If you were caught, you would get reprimanded at first. Then, you would be detained. Finally, you¡¯d be sentenced to death for treason.

    Attacking a place filled with civilians and sending regular people into combat using military equipment was a serious no no. But the real punishment was having Jane take his spot. She would actually turn the place around, making it difficult for the group to stay in control. Rick wasn¡¯t willing to offend the government, but it seemed that having the Region gave better effects to the Clan members.

    If the government came in and wanted it, they would probably do all sorts of things like bribing the members to leave, attacking the Castle and seizing control, or just outright killing Andrew and disbanding the Clan. Rick had been helped many times by Andrew, even going so far as to help Chance and David Level Up.

    Not only that, but He himself received rewards for helping the dead dude out. Rick was definitely sure that Andrew would be important if something changed in the future. He had heard from Candice that eventually, the other Countries and Continents would fight each other, bringing war back to the world.

    The United States would need someone like Andrew who could raise the dead. He just needed to fix that na?ve attitude towards losing subordinates. War wasn¡¯t just some game that one side would win hands down with no casualties. There was death on both sides in war. There would be people that would be able to strike out and kill in one move.

    If he could somehow convince Jane to help him instead of fight him, there might be a chance.

    ¡°¡±How about a truce?¡±¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What, surprised? The government saw what you did, having that idiot rely on you. Now that you are the leader, the upper crust is wishing for you to expand your reach. Sure, the Clan may not belong to you for now, but since he is on the run, we¡¯re pretty sure he will fall eventually.¡±

    A little voice cried out, surprising everyone there.

    ¡°Leave them alone!¡±

    ¡°Sarah! Lucy, take her away from here!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, we saw the cars and¡±

    ¡°GO!¡±

    Jane was staring bemused at the two little girls. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and the men ran forward and blocked their path.

    Rick was about to step forward when he heard movement from behind, letting him know he was being targeted. He could only watch in fury as Jane took some swaying steps towards the two children.

    ¡°Hmm? And why should we leave them alone? They are monsters, after all. Not even human.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the monshter! Mommy isn¡¯t bad! She did that to become strong!¡±

    One of Jane¡¯s eyebrows twitched after being referred to as a monster. She then bent forward and grabbed the young girl¡¯s face and stared her right in the eyes.

    ¡°Your mother is a slut who slept with some dead guy and now she ran off with him. You shouldn¡¯t worry about such a bitch.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Just as Rick took a step, he felt something hit him in the back. Not enough to make him fall down or suffer a concussion, but enough to sting and let him know he was not in charge. The soldier let out one word before turning silent once more.

    ¡°Quiet.¡±

    Tears were welling up in Sarah¡¯s eyes, but the sound of a string twanging shocked everyone. Lucy had pulled out her bow from her Inventory and strung it up, an arrow notched and aiming at Jane.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Let. Her. Go.¡±

    ¡°Hoh?¡±

    Jane shoved Sarah to the side, causing her to fall down on her rear end. Now Jane had her attention on Lucy, but didn¡¯t notice the movement in the background.

    ¡°Oi, stupid woman, you might want to let the wee lass be, eh?¡±

    A massive shadow loomed over the soldier who was watching Rick. In an instant, the soldier was on the ground covered in sweat, piss, and shit, screaming uncontrollably.

    The other men were quickly dealt with as well, all of them collapsing to the ground in fear. They were all Level 1 so Brandon was surprised they didn¡¯t just run back to the ATV and drive off. He didn¡¯t know the soldiers were all under Jane¡¯s Skills.

    Reese came up, smoking another cigar. Apparently, these cigars were actually bought using the Shop on the monitor. It even increased concentration and regeneration. But the effect it had with Reese¡¯s appearance was far more pronounced.

    He just strolled right to Lucy¡¯s side before putting a hand on her head.

    ¡°Calm down, kid. We got this.¡±

    He slightly tousled her hair before turning back to the beautiful woman before him.

    ¡°Bitch, I would suggest you leave. If you want a truce, so be it. But don¡¯t come here causing problems to try and prove your dominance. ¡®Cause that don¡¯t mean jack shit to us. I have seen all kinds of sluts before and you¡¯re no different. Hehehe, maybe you just need a good spanking. How about it, Spot?¡±

    He had to admit, the idea did intrigue him, but for some reason, Rick noticed Jane¡¯s cheeks turn pink before her neck and ears started turning red. The pink cheeks were gone as soon as they appeared and only an angry face remained.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re so tough, ganging up on a woman, huh?¡±

    ¡°Bitch, don¡¯t be so shameless in front of me. I know damn well you did the same thing to Spot here. Just the three of us could easily wipe out any little camp you guys had set up. And right now, I¡¯m the only one dealing with you.¡±

    Suddenly, she closed her eyes and calmed down. She smoothed out her uniform and walked over to one of the soldiers. She then proceeded to kick him in the gut, forcing him to spray some blood from his mouth along with whatever meager food he had in his stomach.

    Instead of complaining, the soldier actually had a creepy smile on his face.

    ¡°Get up, you idiot. Get the others. We¡¯re about to leave.¡±

    The soldier hurried to attention and saluted her before going to help his comrades.

    Jane then turned back to Rick and walked towards him, getting right in his face. Unsure of what she wanted, he just stood there in silence for a bit.

    ¡°What, not going to hit me? I threatened those little girls. You¡¯re not angry? You sure have changed. If it was the you from before, you would have rushed at me and slapped me down the instant I got within 5 feet of her. Heh, maybe losing the woman of your dreams made you soft. Bye, take care. We¡¯ll talk again later. I¡¯m still up for that truce, but maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle next time.¡±

    She tossed Rick a kiss before getting back in the vehicle. Reese walked up to Rick and just shook his head.

    ¡°Man, why are all the women so weird now? Have they always been like this? I¡¯m beginning to have doubts about finding a girlfriend now.¡±

    Rick remained silent, the turmoil and rage swirling inside him and the guilt for not being able to do anything. He felt guilty with how he treated her before and the memories of their past was constantly fresh on his mind. He didn¡¯t get much sleep that night.

    Back to Jane, who was staring out the window of the ATV, she was definitely reminiscing about something. Then, without warning, she raised her fist and socked the guy on her left in the face. She punched him and scratched him, smashing his head into the headrest really hard.

    ¡°Dammit dammit dammit! I fucked up again! Why the hell do I say things like that?! I haven¡¯t met him for 15 god damn years and this is what I do?! Shit! Fuck! ¡°

    Jane didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s rest either.

    ==========================================

    Okay guys, I edited the Index</a>. Just click the link provided. Made some changes with Red Amigo and added the Ice Vulture, Magic Gunner, and Jane¡¯s information.

    Hehehe, just what this story needs, more screwed up people! What did you expect? It¡¯s the apocalypse!

 Maneater 2/3

    Jane had managed to make it back to the compound without killing someone. Unfortunately, she almost, no, she definitely increased the hostility. Sha had tried her best using the techniques she found to work on most people.

    First, she was someone of authority. She led strong people and could easily have them do anything she wished.

    Second, she came from the government. In this time of chaos, most, if not all, survivors would flock to their open arms demanding safety.

    Third, she displayed her power. She made no effort to hold back so to prove she had the courage to fight if necessary.

    Unfortunately, authority meant nothing to people who had the same level of control. Spot may have been the temporary leader, but Brandon and Reese commanded many Undead by themselves. Spot was merely a figurehead for the Humans.

    Next, the members of the Undead Clan came from notorious groups of wanted men and wished for nothing more than the dissolution of the people who chased after them. Besides that, even the normal Humans weren¡¯t completely willing to give up the flimsy peace they now have.

    And finally, her strong arm tactics only inflicted more anger towards her and the group who she headed. But how was she to know that the people respected a monster? According to everything everyone knows, the dead were the bad guys, right? Why would even a small child be willing to submit to one?

    And not only that, the other girl was strange, too. She apparently had no qualms about letting that arrow fly. If it wasn¡¯t for her abilities and Skills, Jane would have been scared shitless. When that little girl pulled a shiny bow out of thin air, Jane realized that even a little girl had become strong in this crazy disaster.

    She looked out the window and saw the crappy tents that the civilians slept out in. There were pathetic excuses for farm land and the only restrooms they had were now outhouses. Most of the better luxuries were already wasted or being used by the soldiers. The army couldn¡¯t afford to treat people who couldn¡¯t do a thing to help.

    And when they suffered from zombie attacks day in and day out, they not only suffered from low living standards, they also suffered from the constant fear of possibly dying. And when people heard of the Necromancer that could even control the dead, many people felt sick to their stomach. Imagine, even if you didn¡¯t turn into a zombie, you could still be forced to do things you never wanted to do.

    There were some cases of some people¡¯s disappearances, but then, come to find out, they had accepted the Lich¡¯s invite and left to join his Clan. The compound had easily fortified walls, highly trained soldiers, and access to powerful weaponry. People were wondering if the Lich had done something to them to make them leave.

    Thanks to the guns, it was a piece of cake for the soldiers to become Level 1. Simply handing a normal person a gun and having them shoot twenty disabled zombies made them become Level 1. There were several soldiers that managed to succeed early on and show up on their Region¡¯s broadcast, but they had joined hands with the previous General.

    They believed in hunting down every zombie to end this farce. They completely eradicated any and all Undead or Infected they found. The General involved willing civilians to help bolster their forces and equipped them with weapons of mass destruction to earn easy points.

    They hadn¡¯t created a Clan, but when it was announced by the system, they had no choice but  to make their own. However, they were too late and didn¡¯t receive an award for it. Someone else had beat them to it.

    Some of the civilians ended up joining the other new Clan so as to receive GP and get stronger faster. There were still some simple minded and na?ve young adults who thought they could survive in this strange apocalypse since they thought it was just a game. Unfortunately, it was all a trap.

    The other Clan, the leader had named it Living Saints, tricked the possible members to show up at a specified location. It was easier to kill other Humans to Level up, since only 10 kills were needed. The people who wanted to join had to kill 10 other people. Some tried to run, but it was no use. Their antics were displayed on the monitor for everyone in the Region to see.

    Fearing for the people¡¯s safety, Jane had tried a risky maneuver to try and ally herself with Spot and the Undead Clan. But now¡­She fucked it up.

    Jane had joined the compound¡¯s Clan, the Country¡¯s Best. It was tacky, but all major leaders had apparently the same idea. All Clans that had the Country¡¯s at the beginning of their name were now to be recognized as government forces. After Jane had joined, her superiors had General Stillers give her a high position.

    Then, they were all killed. The government still had to keep up appearances and to allow someone who would endanger the lives of the innocent so easily would never be allowed in modern society. But, no one was there to witness the event except for those who would never speak of it again. Now that all the leaders of the Clan were dead, Jane was bumped up to the Leader''s position.

    Jane, after hearing about the troubles that plagued the group, focused on the task at hand.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.She needed to help protect the base and maintain it. Maybe she can patch things up with Spot later, she mused to herself.

    First things first, she demanded her loyal toys to begin building actual buildings necessary to increase the standard of living for these people. She located places of interest, as designated by the exclamation points, and even started work on patrolling the perimeter. Eventually, she would increase their borders and make sure these people were safe.

    Probably what tore her apart the most was the stories these people wanted to tell her. They were all for blowing the Necromancer to bits since he was leading the zombies. The people here viewed the zombies and Undead as the same thing and wanted nothing more than to see all of them die.

    They all had stories of loss and pain, some even losing their entire families. And when they finally grew close to someone else, they would die as well. On the third day, a massive swarm of zombies appeared because some guy didn¡¯t want to kill his pet snake. It bit someone and transmitted the virus, turning many people in the course of an hour.

    Among these people were the General¡¯s family and most of the soldiers¡¯ families. The man was trying to bring his snake through the preliminary screening where a lot of people were being tested for the disease. However, one wrong move turned the entire room into a gore fest.

    Jane knew this was going to be difficult. She needed to get into contact with Spot, but she couldn¡¯t act right around him even now! If he wasn¡¯t going to work, maybe she would have to communicate to that bastard Skeleton.

    Of course, if any of these people here were to find out about her actions, they would probably want to burn her to death. These people harbored a terrifying hatred that put that Demon¡¯s Skill to shame. Luckily, the Region the Undead Clan was in happened to be next door. Jane used the monitor to find his name then sent him a friend request.

    She needed it to send a message, after all.

    It was accepted, much to her surprise.

    ¡®What do you want, bitch?¡¯

    Frowning at the rude skull on the screen, she couldn¡¯t help but get a little riled up. No man ever could resist her charms, but she never tried her hand against a full blooded criminal before.

    ¡°I need¡­want to set up a meeting. I wish to¡­rectify today¡¯s encounter.¡±

    ¡®Psh, not gonna apologize? And here I thought I was wrong. Looks like you owe me, Spot.¡¯

    Spot? He was there? Shit, now she was starting to feel the sweat against her back. She had no idea how she could still feel those stupid butterflies at 33 years of age! Even Spot, who looked much older than he actually was, was only 37. Of course, no matter how he looked, Jane felt that she would still feel the same way.

    It took all she had to throw everything she had learned in her life away. She needed to drop that stupid better than everything attitude and that useless pride. She needed to approach this like her life depended on it. Because it did.

    ¡°FINE! Dammit! Yes! I am sorry. Please don¡¯t kill us.¡±

    ¡®Whoa¡­shit. I lost 50 GP.¡¯

    Jane could hear that stupid laugh she used to know, unfortunately, it was too distant.

    ¡°We are in dire need of resources and aid. I know you have access to working electricity and stable crops. Even if all you can guarantee is that you won¡¯t ever attack us, it will be more than enough.¡±

    Suddenly, she received a notification. A friend request from Spot!

    She hastily accepted it and found herself blushing like an idiot again. Feeling the embarrassment, she quickly adjusted herself for the face to face with Spot.

    ¡®Heh, and you said I changed. What¡¯s wrong, Jane?¡¯

    A gentle smile spread on her face before she complained the night away, just like they used to do, all those years ago.

    ================================

    If you are weirded out by our guy¡¯s actions at the end, just wait until tomorrow. I try not to do things without reason.

    ================================

 Maneater 3/3

    ====================

    Epic Flashback Transition

    ====================

    Man, walking around like this is annoying. We keep running into these power starved idiots who are literally asking to die. And I get to see Rebecca using her Skills to defeat people. It seems when those little heart magic circles are over their eyes, they can¡¯t do anything for a while.

    ¡°Rebecca, have you tried telling them what to do?¡±

    ¡°No? Why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°Because you might be able to become a Noble if you can control Ability Users.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    After walking for a couple hours on only the second day, we had just made it outside the Region. If I had known trying to run at top speed for so long was a dumb idea, I wouldn¡¯t have done that yesterday. I had used it as some exercise bull so I didn¡¯t look too stupid in front of Rebecca.

    The sun was reaching the sky when someone contacted me. Hoh? It¡¯s Spot.

    ¡°What¡¯s up now? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡®I guess you could say that. Apparently the leader of the military compound to the south showed up and¡­caused problems after asking for a truce.¡¯

    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡±

    ¡®¡­Sarah is still upset but¡¯

    ¡°What. Happened.¡±

    *gulp* ¡®Jane, their boss, said that the government is after you and it is only a matter of time before you die. Sarah came in and angered Jane which she didn¡¯t like. She told her that Rebecca¡¯s a slut and doesn¡¯t love her.¡¯

    ¡°SPOT! What the fuck?! Where were you?!¡±

    ¡®I had a fucking gun to my head!¡¯

    ¡°What the hell?! Why didn¡¯t you say that?!¡±

    ¡®You did cut me off¡­*sigh* okay, we¡¯re fine. Reese, Brandon, and even Lucy made her leave.¡¯

    ¡°Heh, ain¡¯t that the truth. You¡­you know her, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡®..Yes, sir.¡¯

    ¡°Don¡¯t sir me. Is this how she normally acts?¡±

    ¡®Actually, only when she is trying to either impress someone or if she is desperate.¡¯

    ¡°Why act like a bitch if she actually wanted our help?¡±

    ¡®She¡­expects most people to be of a specific type. She has been known to be stumped with people who don¡¯t fit the norm.¡¯

    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s all of us, isn¡¯t it?. Fine. If she calls back in the next day or so to request a truce, agree, but if she apologizes, I want you to talk to her just the two of you. Find out what¡¯s going on and see if we can help.¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s actually really nice of you.¡¯

    ¡°Hush. I actually want to punch her face in. But the only Jane I see on the monitor was someone who already had 3 Skills and has their own tiny army. If we can have her indebted to us, we have more allies. If her bitchy attitude continues, well¡­I will deal with her personally.¡±

    ¡®¡­I would want to do it, if possible.¡¯

    ¡°Whoa, is she an old girlfriend?¡±

    ¡®No, but close.¡¯

    ¡°Damn. Okay, but even if you don¡¯t kill her or hurt her, I expect a suitable punishment for her actions.¡±

    ¡®Is everything okay, sir?¡¯

    ¡°What did I say about the sir thing? Well¡­we have already been attacked several times. Maybe I¡¯m just upset a little.¡±

    ¡®Alright, be safe. I will call back later with more information.¡¯

    <hr />

    Sure enough, he called back later that night. It was kind of late, but we continued to move, sometimes I had some Skeletons carry us and alert us if something happens.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡®So¡­she apologized.¡¯

    ¡°Oh. Anything else?¡±

    ¡®Yeah. I learned that the previous General got the axe and Jane is now in control. There is a rival Clan in their Region that has murderers and powerful people in it. Her group also suffers from constant zombie attacks and bad living conditions. There is a need for medicine and daily luxuries that they don¡¯t have access to.¡¯

    ¡°Wow, that sounds pretty bad.¡±

    ¡®Well, that¡¯s what we had to go through until we joined you.¡¯

    ¡°Really? Damn. What else?¡±

    ¡®The people all hate the dead and want us gone.¡¯

    ¡°Hm¡­then when we do send supplies, make sure the Undead don¡¯t go into their range. Make sure you or Chance or David is present each time. For anyone else, you can issue small Quests to ¡®guard¡¯ the caravan. Send someone to scout this other Clan. We might go defeat them and Level Up the other guys. Having more BOSSes would be good.¡±

    ¡®Wow. That sounds pretty good. You¡¯re getting better. Is Navi helping you out?¡¯

    ¡°I left her to watch over Lucy and Sarah¡­Where is she?¡±

    ¡®I haven¡¯t seen her. I¡¯ll look for her and have her contact you. See you, sir.¡¯

    ¡°Ah that sir again! Oh, he hung up.¡±

    ==========================

    Back to what¡¯s her name

    ==========================

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Jane was busy planning the patrols and basic training when a soldier came to tell her that someone was at the gate. The person¡¯s face was full of disgust, so Jane was confused as to who it could be.

    Someone from the Living Saints? It wasn¡¯t someone from the Undead Clan, was it?

    It was Spot!

    ¡°Spot! Why are you here?¡±

    He laughed a little and pointed at the several of people that had all sorts of items that would help the people of the compound.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to help. Boss said to, so we did.¡±

    ¡°But, how are you out here if you are the temporary leader?¡±

    ¡°Someone else took my place back home.¡±

    Some soldiers came over and took the resources back into the camp before rearming themselves and aiming at the group.

    ¡°We might be here for a little. It seems that we were needed.¡±

    He started walking away before Jane could say anything.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    He turned back around and just said,

    ¡°It seems the Living Saints are on the move. You might want to ready yourself for an attack.¡±

    Shit.

    Jane quickly went back into the camp and ordered the men to situate themselves. She also armed the men who were willing to help. Most were not willing to kill people who were still alive, so many just packed their things and hid in the bunkers just like during a zombie attack.

    All of the patrolling units came back in and readied up for the incoming fight. They were stationed at the barricades at the front gate and along the chain-link fence. They had many trained forces, but they weren¡¯t really use to the system.

    The Living Saints, however, had several people at high Levels and probably had magic weapons and armor. Trying to fight them with regular weapons could be problematic.

    Jane checked the Radar, but couldn¡¯t find Spot or his team anywhere. Were they not going to help? This was going to be bad if the Living Saints were as strong as she thought.

    An hour later, people were detected on the Radar.

    There they were. People with bandanas and many different guns and weapons were spread out. They had vehicles, but they got out and stalked closer to the compound. One single man walked up and held up a megaphone.

    ¡°Hello! We are the Living Saints! We only wish to have all the people here join us. We can even allow you to remain ruling over these simple civilians as their guardian. All we ask is you give us the woman known as Jane Fitzgerald!¡±

    The soldiers gave a look at her but she remained where she was. If she walked up, she might get sniped as soon as she poked her head out.

    But, what came next was surprising. Without even a warning, several people just tossed semi clear bottles at the barricades and gate. Soon both were covered in flames. Molotovs! What happened to their demand for her?!

    ¡°Oops, looks like time¡¯s up. Men! Commence the attack!¡±

    Yells and cries could be heard as one man pulled out a massive turret from nowhere and started firing many rounds into the soldiers. In only a moment, four were dead and three were wounded! Why was this happening?! Where was Spot?!

    Was¡­was she never going to see him again?

    She collapsed to her knees in surrender but a snarky voice called out to her.

    ¡°Che! What the hell happened to your go hard attitude?¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Reese. Geez, do you miss the Boss that much?¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Brandon! I don¡¯t miss him!¡±

    ¡°No, but you want to show off your new Spell, don¡¯t you. You two are surprisingly similar, eh?¡±

    ¡°Grr¡­fine. Whatever.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    Jane was surprised and wondering where these guys appeared from. Did they mess with the Radar? Or were they just outside of the range the entire time? Were they waiting for this?!

    ¡°Oi, Builders! Get to work!¡±

    7 colorful figures rushed out of the shadows holding all kinds of materials and began to construct a powerful barrier to protect the civilians.

    ¡°Hey, Brandon do you think Boss should have let Sammy kill those powerful guys he raised from the dead? I feel weird that Sammy got to come back before everyone else.¡±

    ¡°No worries. He is just guarding the base. He needed the strength to guard the regular people, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know. Hey, who do you think will Level Up first? I say Renzo.¡±

    ¡°Naw, I saw Damian was aboot to get that turret guy.¡±

    Surprised by the casual conversation that was happening before her, Jane looked at the battlefield and saw many monsters and Undead tearing through the astonished Living Saints members like paper.

    ¡°What¡­is this?¡±

    Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a familiar face. Then Spot said,

    ¡°It¡¯s war, Jane. Just the next version of it, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Jane sighed in relief. She then looked around before ordering her men back into battle, rejoining the fray with an excited expression. It seemed as if she was about to show off.

    ¡°Damn, first Andrew, now Spot. Where can I get a pretty girl?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, she will probably be a monster or something, eh?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

 The Battle of Brookbend 1/4

    Spot left to find an advantageous position for sniping, leaving Reese and Brandon to guard the civilians in the compound, watching the battle and surveying the Builders¡¯ efforts. Out of nowhere, a bullet spray approached Reese and Brandon.

    Brandon ignored the bullets, watching them bounce off his toughened body. Reese wasn¡¯t even hit since all the bullets were split in half before reaching him. An angry yell came from behind.

    ¡°Leave! We don¡¯t want your kind here!¡±

    The yell was accompanied by even more yells and cries from the civilians that wanted to see what was going on. In fear of getting shot, the Builders quickly left, abandoning their post instead of finishing the barricades. This was a previous order seeing as how the normal people were quite hostile. Andrew didn¡¯t want any of his forces to be killed by people unwilling to be protected.

    Because then he would want to kill them.

    A young child grabbed a nearby broken bottle and threw it at Reese. He merely gave it a glance before snapping his fingers and watching the glass shatter into tiny pieces.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here for you, we¡¯re here for the free points. Just shut up and sit back. In exchange for this, we won¡¯t mess with you. If you wish to fight, I am more than happy to set things up.¡±

    He turned back to the people and smirked, showing off his toothy grin.

    Brandon never even moved, seeming to be oblivious to the entire ordeal.

    ==========================

    Elsewhere at the Living Saints Base

    ==========================

    Carlos Gomez was a highly unstable man. An abusive family and the constant threat of heavy handed punishment forced him to weakly follow the world order. But once things changed, he had adapted the quickest. He always wished for something like this to happen, to release himself from those rusty and bloody shackles.

    The first thing he did was kill his family. He then went around and killed all the people who he hated, taking out zombies along the way. He was the first person in the State to receive a Bounty for killing Humans, but that wasn¡¯t something the broadcast found important. No, his Vengeance was more important.

    That was his first Skill. By punishing those who have wronged him, he could gain an explosive temporary Boost or a smaller permanent increase in abilities. He had always selected the latter because with that, he could get even stronger.

    His favorite past time was gathering other survivors and pitting them against each other. He loved to see how people truly were once the fog was lifted from their eyes. Eventually, these winners joined him. It was unofficial, but they quickly gained more power.

    The best part? Anybody who joined him and didn¡¯t like him just had to participate in another battle royale. Soon, there were other people who got Skills and thought they could take Carlos and the position as leader. However, they just became fodder and increased his strength even more.

    He gained several Skills, but he always kept Vengeance. He picked Gladiator, which increased his physical abilities by a lot permanently, and Slasher, which increased his efficiency with bladed weapons.

    He picked the Dictator Job and earned Ruler Status. An equivalent of a Noble, he earned his position through actions, not by other¡¯s powers. He could now own an Area and build it up. But, he wasn¡¯t the first. The day before showed the creation of the Undead Clan.

    Some of his men had sneaked off before he could even react. Angry at the group who stole his people, he was already plotting their demise. But when a powerful person appeared to take over the General¡¯s place, Carlos decided it was high time for a few new people to work for him.

    He didn¡¯t personally go, because he figured that since the lady had just appeared, she would be flustered from an immediate attack. He sent several Ability Users to seal the deal. It seemed that only the lady now had Skills. Carlos wasn¡¯t sure what caused the change in management, but he decided to take advantage of it.

    He was currently having a break from leading and about to head into his personal quarters for some quiet time with some of his personal maids. But just as he reached the doors, an alert appeared.

    On the screen was a yellow being wrapped in static. It began to morph into a well-defined young man with a striking yellow kimono that fell around his elbows, exposing the tattoo of a massive dragon on his back.

    ¡°Oh no! It seems someone from another Region came in and became a BOSS! It seems the forces of the Undead Clan have come to protect the Country¡¯s Best! Is this the time for the Living Saints to end?!¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Carlos punched a hole in the door, much to the surprise of the barely clothed girls in the next room. They quickly situated themselves to welcome their leader, but another alert came.

    This time, it was a figure completely black. It started to change to form strange shapes that moved and receded, becoming tattoos around a gray person. This person didn¡¯t look human, even though the proportions were correct. Two arms, two legs, and a head. But there were no eyes, nose, mouth, ears, or hair on his body. Just the strange tattoos that moved around it.

    ¡°Dangit! Another one! It seems that the Living Saints are feeding these monsters! Be careful!¡±

    ¡°FUCK!¡±

    He only sent three! There was still one more, but it was obvious that his group had lost. He regathered all his men in their base to help defend against an enemy who was most likely about to come crashing down on their heads.

    Then, another alert came.

    Unlike last time, this did alert did not have the evolving into something completely different. What appeared on the screen was a zombie looking monster with long fangs and claws. The figure stood straight up and the claws and fangs receded a little and the figure began to become less dead looking. A strange black shroud came up from the ground and circled the man before it became a cloak and rested on his shoulders.

    ¡°Oh no! It seems the siege on the Country¡¯s Best has failed! Its members have lowered stats due to loss of moral! This can¡¯t continue!¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Carlos literally had no words. He knew there were several powerful people here. All he had to do was take a look at the Bounty List.

    He shouldn¡¯t have.

    There were 6 Level 3s. 6! This was equal to two times his current forces! There was no way to fix this!

    ====================================

    Later that night where the main people are at

    ====================================

    ¡°Hehe, how do you feel, Renzo?¡±

    Reese stood over the collapsed body of the literal yellow man.

    ¡°Ugh, like hell¡­Who the hell?!¡±

    Upon seeing the grisly skull with fire for eyes, of course Renzo was going to freak out.

    ¡°Whoa, calm down! Put the sword down! It¡¯s me, Reese!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡±

    After realizing the situation, Renzo even noticed that he himself was different.

    ¡°Well, all of us died. Then, we came back to life. And then we regained our sentience. Brandon and I, oh¡­and Sammy¡­have come back already. Now it¡¯s you, Kuvali, and Chris. Hey, that Lich guy should have given you some things like requests, items and something called GP. Accept them all.¡±

    The gray man with the tattoos on his body payed attention, only asking something to clarify.

    ¡°Hey, Reese. Is this like those games you were telling me about?¡±

    ¡°Quite right, Kuvali.¡±

    Renzo was going through the Shop, but didn¡¯t find anything he liked.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I have no need for a weapon or armor. I will use what I have.¡±

    It was fine since he could use the GP to help Level his equipment up.

    ¡°Damn, Renzo. You shore have goaten quite strong, eh?¡±

    Brandon came along and slapped Renzo¡¯s shoulder. Instead of flying away like Reese had done once before, Renzo calmly took the hit without even budging.

    ¡°Brandon? I only know of one fool who speaks like that.¡±

    A small with slick black hair and extremely sharp teeth walked up. He started picking his teeth using his abnormally long nails. After he was done, he covered his mouth with a neon yellow bandana.

    ¡°Haha, that is right, my little Demonic friend.¡±

    Brandon couldn¡¯t help but to pat Chris¡¯ head.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t little, you fool! Not anymore, at least. You just got too tall, ese.¡±

    The five friends were talking and shooting the breeze, happy that they could talk like this once again. They had long left the military compound to Spot. Chance and David helped patrol their Region and Sammy was busy doing whatever it was that Sammy did besides protect the Castle with Ribcage and Scratch.

    Several groups of Undead approached the little walled off Area that belonged to the Living Saints. Reese stopped the useless chatter before going up and discussing their next course of actions.

    ¡°Alright, we still need to get Damian to Level Up. And then we have all of our friends again!¡±

    Chris looked around in confusion.

    ¡°What about our guards? And Brandon¡¯s body double?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, they are fine as they are. We never knew their names anyway, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I guess so. If we don¡¯t remember their names, then we wouldn¡¯t be able to get them to remember themselves anyway.¡±

    Reese continued his speech.

    ¡°Quite right. But according to our monitors, there should be several Ability Users and three of them are at our Level. I say we should hand this over to some other possible BOSS candidates. Andrew did want more, after all.¡±

    ¡°Right. I think we should have a Guardian type like a Knight or another one of those Armored Haunters. If we can increase the Builders, they can increase construction speed.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, good choices, Renzo. You sure think fast. Have you ever thought of playing chess or RTS games?¡±

    ¡°I have. I mastered chess, shogi, and even had tried my hand at Age of Empires.¡±

    ¡°Psssh¡­there are other RTS games out there, you know¡­Whatever. It¡¯s not like I was competing or anything.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! That is fine. We can shorely have those games installed on the computers back home, eh?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Brandon. So we decided that the two Amigos that are Level 2 are to be the ones to take care of the others? Damian can take on the main man with Renzo¡¯s help while Kuvali will aid Blue Amigo and Chris will assist Green Amigo. Brandon and I will team up with Red Amigo to take care of the small fries. Take care, guys! We only have this one life left!¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±YEAAAH!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±

 The Battle of Brookbend 2/4

    The members of the Living Saints had taken a pretty big area ranging over several hundred feet. They had taken over a gas station, an 8 Hotel, and a Walmart. Each location had one of the top dogs of their Clan watching over it. Chris was sent to the gas station while Kuvali went to the Walmart. Damian and Renzo took the Hotel.

    At each building there was a blockade with several men holding powerful weaponry.

    Kuvali and Blue Amigo stormed at the grocery store. The regular entrances had been completely blocked off by cars and other vehicles stacked on top of each other. The only way in from the front was to enter the garden section. Unfortunately, all the men were stationed here.

    One man had pulled out a chainsaw while another pulled out a hunting rifle. There were all sorts of things in a Walmart, huh? Blue Amigo commanded the Skeletons and Undead that they brought with them. He had constructed a sort of metal shield that was bent in half long ways and held vertically like a Spartan. It deflected bullets well and even some Skeletons had them.

    These were the Skeleton Guardians. They charged forward and took the brunt of the attacks, letting the weaker Skeletons easily get close. Kuvali took the chance to practice his Skills and such. First, he used his Quick Skill and found himself constantly losing SP. While Quick was activated, however, he found that he could move at almost twice his previous speed!

    Earlier, in the siege against Jane¡¯s group, Kuvali had killed a Skill Holder. The Skill he had acquired wasn¡¯t all that good, or so he thought.

    Spit. It didn¡¯t do anything. He was told the previous guy used it to spit fire like a dragon, but he didn¡¯t have a flammable fuel nor did he have a mouth! Instead, he had the tattoos. They morphed around his body like a desktop screensaver. Only, he didn¡¯t know what Reese meant by this.

    If he focused, he could actually control what the tattoos transformed into. He made eyes, nose, and a mouth. It didn¡¯t look quite right, but it worked. He mimicked the motion of spitting and was surprised to see a glob of black ink exit where the mouth was located.

    What if he made the mouth elsewhere?

    Yep, it worked. But was this the tattoo? He didn¡¯t feel as if he was losing anything. No, he was losing SP here, too. He rushed around using Quick and Spit into one of the guy¡¯s face. After returning to safety, he looked at his test subject.

    ¡°AAAGH! AAAIIEI!!!¡±

    He was being consumed by the ink. His body became corrupted as the color drained into a dreary gray and he collapsed on the ground. His comrades stared on in horror before backing up. That was because the body began to move. The gray began to darken to a pitch black and became wispy. Soon, a Level 0 Shade was standing in front of them.

    This must be because of his Race! A Corrupted One. His body was taken over by the mystic and arcane markings on his body. They held a strange, almost Demonic, power, but that was all he knew. Could this Race give him the ability to become a Noble?! No, probably not. Only if the Shade could kill an Ability User, that is. Kuvali wasn¡¯t sure these things had that capability. Maybe later.

    He rushed into the throng of confused and scared Living Saints and formed multiple mouths which all spat at all of them. He backed away so as to watch the transformation. He had another Skill, but it was called Swarm of Darkness and he couldn¡¯t activate it for some reason. Maybe it had special conditions that needed to be met.

    Kuvali had the normal Skeletons and Undead return so as to let these Shades get some experience. They needed to get stronger.

    Now, Kuvali didn¡¯t have orifices or organs to sense the world around him, but he could still do just that. Sort of like a Skeleton. But unlike the Skeletons, Kuvali and even the Shades could feel the darkness and shadows. If anything was touching a shadow that he was in contact with, he could sense them. He himself had no shadow, however.

    The small group walked along the aisles, making sure the garden section was blocked off. The monitor stopped working as soon as they walked into the designated Clan Area, so they had to rely on their senses to find out where the Ability User was. They passed empty shelves and broken equipment. There was no sign of anything remaining in here. However, when they walked towards the deli area, they heard the sounds of sharp metal cutting into something.

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    They surrounded the possible exits and Kuvali sent some of the Shades to go block off the outside exit. They quietly snuck in and found all sorts of bloodied bodies.

    ¡°Cannibals?!¡±

    As they walked, Kuvali sighed in relief upon seeing the bodies being chewed on by zombie dogs chained to a spot on the ground. There were three of them and they seemed to be getting bigger. Suddenly, an alert appeared.

    ¡°Oh no! The Butcher has carved up his own Clan mates! He fed them to several Undead Beasts and now those are Level 3! 3 BOSSes! You aren¡¯t supposed to make the Undead stronger, you know?!¡±

    Creepy laughter filled the air as a man with a bloody apron and hairnet walked out of a side room.

    ¡°These were my doggies back before all this mess happened. Now that they are stronger, surely they can remember me!¡±

    Sure enough, the dogs started wagging their tails and made barking sounds but it came out as more of an ugly gurgle. Each dog began forming strange lines on their bodies as they fell asleep and rested.

    ¡°Hehehe, I don¡¯t care about this stupid Clan! I have my puppies back! Now no one can mess with me!¡±

    ¡°You fed your comrades to your dogs to make them stronger?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! YES!¡±

    It was no use. The Butcher was out of his mind. Kuvali quickly rushed at the Butcher, swinging the Kukri he got from the Summon. He also had some sort of tribal wear on that looked like Native American pants or something. But that was beside the point. In an instant, the Butcher¡¯s laughs were cut short when his legs fell off and he dropped face first into the ground.

    Blue Amigo then used a gun and finished him off, transforming him into another Undead Hero Mid BOSS. But, as if noticing their master was killed, the dogs woke up fully transformed and quite angry. Kuvali took this as a chance to Level Up more Minions and Units. He heard the others talking about raising the Guardians to become Knights or something, so he went to cut the feet off one of the dogs.

    Unfortunately, all the dogs rushed towards Blue Amigo. Fortunately, however, he still had his shield. He managed to block the initial attacks which left room for Kuvali to strike. He had a lot of experience in hunting and killing animals, so this was a cinch. He took out the legs of one dog and hurried to disable the others.

    Blue kept one busy while one of the Guardians were busy smashing the disabled dog¡¯s head to pieces. Kuvali hacked one leg off another before it sent a tendril of black smoke towards him. He quickly dodged and tried to go back, but the fog was in his way again.

    He took the chance to regenerate his SP. Wondering why the Guardian hadn¡¯t become a Mid BOSS, Kuvali pondered the possibilities. So the Guardian was Level 1. The only Level 2 Units were back at base. Now the Guardian was Level 2. It still had one more Level before becoming a Mid BOSS, although it definitely looked much denser than before. It could probably hold the massive shield in one hand now, allowing for a weapon to be held as well.

    The smoke slowly dissipated, indicating that the dog couldn¡¯t maintain it for too long. Kuvali rushed back in and finished hacking apart the weakened animal, allowing a Shade to finish it off. Unlike the Guardian, the Shade did not change. Did it need to do something else?

    That¡¯s right! It¡¯s only Level 0! It still needs to kill enough Level 0s to become Level 1 before becoming Level 1 and unlocking Level 2.

    Blue managed to disorient the last dog that kept trying to merge with the ground. Using that chance, Kuvali trounced the dog and it soon became fodder for another Shade. Lucky, he thought. He now had 5 Shades under his direct control and two of them were already waiting to become Level 2!

    He had also Leveled Up a Skeleton Guardian to a Knight and made Blue Amigo become a Mid BOSS. Kuvali exited the Walmart content with his actions when another alert reached his ears. It seemed to have something to do with Chris and Green Amigo!

 The Battle of Brookbend 3/4

    ===================

    Several minutes earlier

    ===================

    ¡°Alright, my little verde compadre, we got this. We definitely got this.¡±

    Even after being backed up by the reinforcements sent by Kuvali, Chris and Green were having a hard time. There was no crazy guy willing to kill his comrades here. There was over five Ability Users here! Thankfully, the shield Green was using was really powerful. If it wasn¡¯t, they would have already been blown to bits!

    Unfortunately, the shield had become useless after someone threw some sort of sticky bomb at them. It attached itself to the shield but Green and Chris were only thrown back. The Skeletons and Undead stayed back and gave them cover fire. Luckily, by now, the regular guys had all been killed off by a stray bullet or arrow.

    Unfortunately, they were about to run out of ammunition. Of course, the other side was growing tired as well, but that bomb user was definitely being a hassle. He was the guy Green was going to kill, Chris made sure of it. The others were simple, with one having a plant Spell or something while another guy could throw things really fast.

    Chris decided it was about time to try out his new Skills. He had managed to take out the turret guy, earning himself a good Skill called Bullet Biter. It allowed the User to fire exploding rounds whenever someone died to his shots.

    Using his AK and wearing his sandy yellow outfit that looked like it would belong in a Bollywood film, he had actually caused the death of two of those regular guys using this Skill. However, this wasn¡¯t the one he was talking about.

    He had turned into a Sealed Demon. He didn¡¯t have wings or a tail, but he did have some power over blood, or something. It gave him the use of Blood Magic. Yet, his last Skill was something he really wanted to try. He just had to wait for the right moment.

    There! Just when the bomber guy reached into his bag!

    Chris jumped out from behind cover and flicked a little red something at the bomber¡¯s feet.

    BANG!

    Sort of like Reese¡¯s Explode, Fire Cracker allowed him to designate an object as a firecracker. After he activated it, it would explode at a level that depended on the item¡¯s size. He had thrown a small ketchup packet. He giggled when he heard the screams come from a guy who thought he was bleeding everywhere. Chris and Green took advantage of the moment and rushed forward, knocking the men unconscious for the others to kill.

    When their leader had lost their cool, they all turned to see what was going on. Seeing the leader covered in red, one of the guy¡¯s moral hit rock bottom in an instant. These guys weren¡¯t trained soldiers, they were just killers. Even then, they had come to terms with their situation. They still had a chance, but knew that if their leader had died, it was all over for them.

    Even Chris didn¡¯t foresee this outcome. He was definitely surprised at the diversion. He also grinned at the thought of the pranks he could play. Keeping him cooped up at home all the time was a stupid thing to do to a growing boy. He had developed a sense of wanting to be noticed by his father who worked all the time.

    Thus, the pranks and the clowning around. However, this only further showed off his complex. He yearned for interactions and friends, so when he went to the party, Chris had automatically grown attached to these guys he instantly referred to as his brothers. He may not have been as commanding as his actual brother, but at least he was alive.

    Somewhat.

    Several alerts appeared, showing off Kuvali and Red Amigo¡¯s easy success.

    ¡°Welp, now it¡¯s our turn!¡±

    That was when another shadow appeared from the gas station. This was the true leader here! Chris didn¡¯t even notice him! Before Green could kill the bomber, a flash of light blinded Chris and the other Undead so they jumped back to protect themselves.

    A few seconds later, a young boy with a pair of headphones on his head stood between them and the knocked out men.

    The boy refused to talk, only choosing to stand back with his arm stretched off to his side, ready to strike. Chris began using his Blood Magic. Unlike normal magic, his required blood. Any blood, not just his own. It required MP to control it, though. Chris used the blood seeping out of the dead guys to fashion a makeshift club and slammed it into the boy¡¯s head and sent him to the ground.

    Green rushed forward and quickly cut off the bomber¡¯s head. The alert came up, warning of Green becoming a Mid BOSS. He transformed just like the Amigos before him, his clothes becoming a full body armor and a long scarf wrapped around his neck. The powered up Green worked together with Chris to keep the boy busy so the Skeletons and Undead could kill the other four Ability Users.

    A Skeleton Gunner shot one, becoming a Magic Gunner that had a rifle. A Skeleton Warrior killed another, becoming an Einherjar with an axe and rusted Iron armor and shield. One Zombie killed a guy, becoming a Brute, while a Skeleton Archer killed the last and become a Skeleton Hunter. It now had a crossbow and looked more nimble.

    The boy, upon seeing the dead men, promptly began to cry instead of fighting back. The boy rushed to the body of the man the Skeleton Warrior had killed. The boy sat there and cried until Kuvali and Blue Amigo walked up.

    ¡°Hey, I thought you would be in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Naw, fool, we had it.¡±

    The two Amigos somehow fist bumped each other and saluted themselves before returning to their respective groups. Finally, Chris walked towards the kid and asked him a question.

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    ¡°Hey, Ni?o, do you want to see him alive again?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Wow¡­that usually works. Who is this kid?¡±

    ¡°I know what you guys do! I will not have my dad become a zombie!¡±

    Oh, that¡¯s right. These guys were probably forced to view things in one perspective since their Boss was an asshole.

    ¡°Hey, Ni?o, I used to be dead, but now look. I am stronger and still remember everything! Well¡­that¡¯s not all that great¡­¡±

    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±

    Standing up, Chris patted his pants, getting rid of the dust on them.

    ¡°Alright then, Ni?o, just head in that direction. There will be a nice lady there to protect you.¡±

    Sniffing and wiping his snot covered face on his sleeve, the boy somehow picked up the body of his father and walked towards the military compound.

    ¡°Damn, weren¡¯t we lucky? If we had to actually fight that kid, I think we might have lost someone.¡±

    The domineering figures of the Corrupted and the Sealed filled the air with a strange sort of tension, unnerving even the Undead. These two were taboos, things that weren¡¯t supposed to be alive.

    Soon, a notification was sent to them.

    ¡®Hey, since you guys are both done, bring the corpses. Spot said we can have them for the Boss to raise and increase our strength.¡¯

    ¡°Alright, ese.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    The two began ordering the Skeletons and Undead to pick up the corpses. Kuvali stared back at the direction of the child and muttered at a level Chris could barely hear.

    ¡°We were lucky to not lose any before this point. It is only a matter of time. Back home, we lost a good strong man once a week for nothing more than disease or a failed hunting. Right now we are participating in war and no one is lost? Not even the Units? Something is going on.¡±

    They had already approached Reese and Brandon at this point. Chris had just shrugged it off but Reese had something to add.

    ¡°It must be our Guardian Angel, Lucy. She has a Luck Skill. I¡¯m sure that must be it.¡±

    Chris instantly agreed, but Kuvali was still unsure. This sounded like they were being blessed by ancient spirits. There were tales of warriors that came back from a successful hunt and didn¡¯t lose anyone. Each time, they had apparently prayed to a certain deity. Could they be under the watchful eye of some deity of war? Kuvali could only question the situation. Eventually, he returned to his familiar work of dealing with the dead.

    ==============

    Back at the base

    ==============

    ¡°Lushy, why are you tired?¡±

    ¡°I just need some sleep, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°When will the othersh come back? Are they coming back?¡±

    ¡°Oh they will be back soon, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±

    As the two little girls tried to do other things to keep Lucy awake, two voices were talking to each other on her monitor.

    ¡°Navi, seriously. You could have told him that you had no ability to interfere in the world that you are more like a projection! It would have been a lie, but then you could have gone with him!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Catherine. He asked me to watch over these girls so I will.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to waste your energy for that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it is permanent or anything. I will be fine tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. With some extra bags under your eyes. You are so dumb sometimes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, airhead!¡±

    As the two girls played Monopoly, they were unaware of the ruckus going on between a Pixie and a Fairy in Lucy¡¯s monitor.

    But the night was not over.

 The Battle of Brookbend 4/4

    While the others were quickly taking out the enemies, Renzo had Damian and their Units stay back for a bit. The aim was to strike fear and worry into the hearts of the remaining forces. Watching as their enemy got stronger and their allies died would leave a terrible hole in their moral. Renzo wanted to be extra careful since the Motel was not as open as the other places.

    The halls and corridors of a Motel made it so that swinging a sword around would be difficult. They needed to slowly progress up the floors, one level at a time to insure that all the enemies were dealt with. Thankfully, the people here hadn¡¯t gotten the electricity working so the elevator was inoperable.

    There was no one on the lower floors, but there were several guys on the third floor. They were nothing notable so they were quickly dispatched. But Renzo was having difficulty trying to imagine why someone living would live at the top floor of a four story building when the elevator didn¡¯t work. Was there another way out?

    After making it to the top floor, Renzo heard people crying out that they were finally there. When the group finally turned the corner and looked down the hall, they saw a girl holding onto the Boss of the Living Saints as they jumped into the elevator shaft. Then a massive wind escaped the entryway!

    ¡°So they could Skills for that¡­¡±

    Instead of being surprised, he called the others downstairs since they were done to block the entrance and all the exits. Then it was just a matter of chasing him down. There was several guys here, but not much to actually be trouble. Renzo accurately predicted the enemies¡¯ moves and countered with the Units.

    Damian stayed back since him getting the Boss¡¯ Skill was of high priority. Only if something bad happened would Renzo proceed any differently.

    Not even five minutes passed before four new Level 2 Undead were standing at attention before Renzo. He didn¡¯t have to even participate, that was how easily it was to lead these Units. Renzo was actually having a fun time. It was easy since his soldiers weren¡¯t alive and would follow his orders completely.

    He had one Skeleton search his room, but as soon as it walked in, it was sent flying into the opposite wall on the other side of the corridor. Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t died since it was just thrown. Soon, two almost naked girls were standing in the middle of the hall. They stopped once seeing the powerful people.

    The two girls instantly started to quake in fear. They had expected only a few opponents. It seemed their Boss had lied so as to make sure they fought back and increased the head start he had to run away. Before Renzo even took a step, the girls clutched each other and began to sob hysterically.

    They had spent their first several days trying to survive like normal people, then some thugs had taken them to be their ¡®playthings¡¯. Fortunately, they took advantage of an up and coming champion to kill all the ones who took advantage of them. Now the very man who saved them had left with their youngest sister and left them to die.

    They had been taken advantage of yet again. Crying was only a natural reaction to despair. But that only infuriated Renzo more. He stormed over to them and as they began to cower away, he reached out to slap them. However, he was still a Spirit. A Warrior Lightning Phantom. He passed right through their bodies, but they still felt a slight shock since he was a Lightning Phantom after all.

    They bolted upright and their hair stood straight up. But they weren¡¯t in any danger of dying. They just passed out from the shock.

    ¡°Damn. If you have the time to cry, you have the time to get stronger. That way, you will not need to cry. Why don¡¯t they ever realize?¡±

    The ceiling didn¡¯t reply and neither did the Undead who were watching him looking up.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s find that bastard who abandoned these girls. And take these two outside.¡±

    Renzo, Damian, and the four Level 2 Undead Units went to each floor starting from the bottom. On each floor, they left two Units to make sure he didn¡¯t come back that way. They found him on the third floor hiding in one of the rooms. He rushed out and sent a punch that connected to Damian, sending him flying into the wall¡­through the wall and into the next room.

    The third girl sent a strange force wave at Renzo that caused him to go flying as well, however he made use of his new Skills.

    Heavy.

    Not a good Skill to use often, since it would cause a physical strain on the body. However, it even affected his phantasmal body as well, making it and anything else within a 1 meter radius in any direction heavier. Renzo figured this would be good for training. The other was a Quick Step Skill that made him instantly appear at any place within his vision as long as he had enough SP to use it.

    Using both, he knocked the girl down and gave her a shock that would knock her out. Then he chased after the fleeing man.

    ¡°Stop running like a coward! There¡¯s only me!¡±

    ¡°HYYAAAH!¡±

    From one of the doorways, a surprise punch collided with Renzo, nearly destroying his face. What a punch! To even feel it as a Phantom meant that his power was on another level. Maybe it had something to do with his Skills?

    He had lost a considerable amount of HP after that one strike, depleting nearly 50% in one go. Time for his Lightning Magic. Thanks to his Electromancer Job, his magic would be increased just like Reese¡¯s.

    The first Spell? Spark. Even Thunderclap was a stronger Skill in comparison. However, after using his SP draining Skills, he needed to use his MP instead. Caught by surprise, Carlos felt his body go numb in an instant. He tripped over his feet in the confusion and by the time he stood up, Renzo had already caught up.

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    ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­Wh¡­why?!¡±

    ¡°For the points. I¡¯m sure you understand. You seemed to make a big deal about that.¡±

    Coming to terms with his death was impossible as he kept pleading to be let go or make a deal.

    ¡°I know! I-I can rebuild the Clan and send them to you for you to kill! Then you can get all the people you want!¡±

    Damian walked over, his face expressionless but his HP was nearly 75% gone. If this guy was stronger, he wouldn¡¯t have to bother himself with others. Seeing the frozen Spirit walk closer, Carlos tried to slide himself away, ignoring the tear stains and unashamed appearance he currently had.

    ¡°We had a more short term goal in mind.¡±

    ¡°What? What is it? Anything I can do, I will!¡±

    Renzo just coldly gazed at the despicable guy before replying,

    ¡°We need to kill a Clan Boss.¡±

    The color drained from Carlos¡¯ face as he looked up into the face of his very own Grim Reaper. With nary a sound, Damian froze Carlos in a moment and shattered him to pieces. Soon, an alert was heard and Damian began to transform.

    ¡°Oh no! A BOSS! With this, the Undead Clan completely killed off the Living Saints! For winning the Clan War, the Undead Clan members that participated will receive rewards depending on their contributions. Members of the Country¡¯s Best that participated in the first conflict will also receive rewards for their actions. For being the first Clan in the State to kill off an entire Clan, all members will receive 200 GP and all Units belonging to any of members of the Clan under Level 2 will Level Up once!¡±

    At that moment, five black shapes started to change along with all the Undead. Three became thicker versions of the Shade. While the Shade seemed flimsy, these Shadowlings were much stronger in appearance. The other two kept changing into a familiar form. The five Shades had changed into three Shadowlings and two Shadows.

    Everyone carted off the corpses using the Undead and left for the base.

    ==============================

    This should be the Main Character, right?

    ==============================

    Whoa! What the hell? I kept getting notifications of everything as it was going down! Holy shit!

    Okay, so I had Sammy kill the Rapist and Co. so as to quickly become a BOSS. He was my fifth BOSS. Mid BOSSes counted, apparently.

    Then Chris, Renzo, and Kuvali all became BOSSes! When Blue and Green Amigo both changed, I was rewarded with a new Title! Hadn¡¯t got one of those in a while. I don¡¯t think they are common. Then how did I receive two on the first days of being a zombie? Whatever. More stuff I will probably never know.

    I had already planned on going back to the Castle, because I was in definite need of transportation. It was stupid of me to think that just walking in a specific direction would be able to make me get from point A to point B. No, I was dumb.

    We would be able to return in another couple of days and then we could rest. Boy, I needed to find a way to travel that wouldn¡¯t attract attention.

    Now, Sammy had only become Level 3 since he had killed a BOSS. Yep, the way to show up on the broadcast was to kill a BOSS. And in order to easily create a BOSS was to have someone who already did all that and just had them kill another Ability User. I had the Rapist kill the Destroyer guy and had Sammy kill the newly awakened BOSS. I didn¡¯t want somebody like him on my side anyway.

    I will probably do the same to the members of the Living Saints. It would make it easier for me to make more BOSSes. However, I now had more than enough people to protect the Castle. In fact, I bet I could have some of these guys go to find the Level 4 person in Louisiana. Maybe once we take over the State, we can send a group to get the person in California. And if my presence causes problems, then I can always leave again. Yeah! This should be easy!

    Besides, Rebecca keeps sneaking over to me when I¡¯m sleeping and just stares at me. It feels creepy since it feels like my mother looking at me when I was younger. Geez! Thankfully, she hasn¡¯t been all up in my pants. Sometimes, though¡­her eyes glaze over and she jumps on me.

    Then, in the next instant, she comes to and begins to uncontrollably cry. It hurts me down to my gut to hear her sob like that. The only thing I can do is rub her back and tell her everything will be okay. And then she treats me like her son, probably reminiscing of past memories. Eventually, the feeling wears off and she starts to tease me again.

    The process restarts and I am left with a wet shoulder and a raging hard on I have no idea how to deal with. Thankfully the crying sessions get shorter and more spread apart.

    Oh how I wish she didn¡¯t have this Perverted Skill.

 The Day of Burial

    Wow, we sure have a lot of new faces. After traveling another day, Rebecca and I made it back to base. We were both already exhausted since we had never walked so far in our previous lives. By now, we had about 500 people. Only about 200 or so were Humans. There was even small animals that I could raise as well.

    All in all, counting members and Units, the Undead Clan had over 800¡­things. None of the Undead or Units had earned Skills so they would have to wait until I personally went in and Upgraded them. The only difference were those who had made it to Level 2 purely by rewards and then killing an Ability User.

    Like Sammy, or the Amigos¡­even Scratch, if I remember correctly.

    But that reminds me of earlier.

    =============

    Earlier

    =============

    Oh¡­I¡­oh man¡­

    ¡°Hey, Andrew. What¡¯s up? Notice someone? Hehe¡­whoa, hey, man.¡±

    Reese was joking at first, until he noticed my pained expression.

    ¡°Hey, Reese. Naw, it¡¯s just that this¡­um¡­say hello to my mother and brother.¡±

    I gesture to the two corpses I was about to raise.

    ¡°Oh¡­hey, sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I kind of figured this had happened since I didn¡¯t get called and they didn¡¯t try and come find me after the shit hit the fan.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Reese doesn¡¯t know what to say, huh?

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine. I can just raise them back up to awareness like I did to you guys. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Reese came up and patted my shoulder. Geez, these damn tears! Get back in there! I thought I could handle it, but¡­

    ¡°Oh, hey, your cat is here.¡±

    Reese motioned towards the door where a humanoid feline kind of walked our way. I say kind of because she still moves around on all fours. I scratch behind her ears before she begins to nuzzle me. I haven¡¯t done this in a while. Hmm? She¡¯s leading me away.

    ¡°Oh, this is where we keep the animal corpses.¡±

    Scratch led the way to a certain carcass of a cat with mottled gray, black, and white fur.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s Pepper.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Scratch¡¯s sister. When I left, I took Scratch with me. I am surprised she remembers her family so well¡­¡±

    FUCK YOU TRAGEDY!

    God dammit!

    AARGH! This fucking shit fest!

    ¡°Uh¡­I¡¯ll be right back¡­with help.¡±

    I guess Reese didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    I lifted Pepper¡¯s body and brought her back to my brother and mother. Now all of us were together again. Shit, but the only one left alive is actually Scratch! I don¡¯t know for how long, but I had all five of us in a group while I just let that terrible feeling crawl all over my back. I was shaking with anger, with sadness, and with guilt.

    I couldn¡¯t save my family. Maybe I could, if I had left the house earlier, but¡­they must have died pretty close to Day 0. Ugh. Well, they all turned into zombies and were promptly taken out by my men on patrol. I also see familiar faces of the people I use to go to school with, teachers, friends, and even enemies. Of course, that matters little right now.

    Eventually, Reese came back with three other people. I looked at Rebecca, Sarah, and Lucy with embarrassment.

    ¡°Umm¡­see anyone you know?¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to move, but I didn¡¯t have to. Lucy went to find her parents and Rebecca went to find her husband and son. Only Sarah remained behind, too young to understand what I meant.

    She walked over to me while I was still huddled with my family. Then she hugged me too.

    ¡°Sarah¡­what are you doing? You¡¯re going to get your clothes dirty¡­your mother is not going to be happy with me.¡±

    ¡°Nn nn.¡±

    She switched from hugging to laying against me and she started petting Scratch. The cat person just inclined her head, making it easier for Sarah to reach. Aww¡­my heart feels a little lighter, after that. But that was only removing one pebble from a basket of boulders, not much of a difference.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Soon, both of the other girls came back. I reluctantly left my family to Sarah and Scratch.

    Lucy was first. We walked around and found a couple a little older than Rebecca¡¯s age. They weren¡¯t raised yet, so I went to do so. However, Lucy stopped me.

    ¡°I want them to sleep happily. I can take it from here.¡±

    What the shit?! I am literally crying buckets! How the hell can one little girl be so strong?! I wanted to bring my family back and she doesn¡¯t? I don¡¯t even understand.

    Well¡­I guess a proper burial would work¡­

    Rebecca said the same thing. She had already come to terms with her husband¡¯s and child¡¯s death so having them be brought back against their will seemed wrong. Chris and Kuvali had apparently met a kid that thought the same way back in Brookbend. Am I weird?

    Could I be wrong? Unlike those weird magic novels, where Necromancy is a taboo and doesn¡¯t actually bring a person back, this is surely different! They can become stronger, become alive again! But¡­would my family like that?

    Probably¡­not.

    But wouldn¡¯t they be happy to see me and live again? They¡­aren¡¯t like me. That¡¯s right. They aren¡¯t like me at all. There¡¯s no way they would enjoy living forever and watching others continue to die. My mother is a diehard religious woman of God, for crying out loud.

    I¡­don¡¯t¡­

    I may have not believed in the God my mother and brother believed in, opting for a Creator more than a Savior, but would they be able to rest in peace if they ever died after being raised once before?

    I don¡¯t want them to suffer because of me. That! If I were to raise them¡­then they would have to join in the battles to come. And how we are treated, I don¡¯t want to subject them to that!

    I can finally see a glimpse of how these girls thought. I was about to endanger my family¡¯s lives instead of saving them. Raising the dead is not the holiest of powers, huh?

    After every one of us gathered together into one big pile for a hug, the five of us, Rebecca, Sarah, Lucy, Scratch, and myself. We asked for the others to pick out their families and friends and choose what to do with them.

    We decided to remove several hundred bodies because of this.

    However, we still had quite a bit of Undead left over.

    We had a massive burial, burning the bodies to ash so they wouldn¡¯t be raised and used against their will. Then we all received an alert.

    ¡°As a solemn sign of respect, the Undead Clan has created a Holiday to respect the dead and loved ones that have passed. The Day of Burial has been added to the Calendar. On this day, raising the dead in any way is prohibited. Those who partake in the services will receive rewards depending on their contributions. For the creation of the first Holiday in the world, all of your Units under the Level of 2 will be Leveled Up once and you will receive 500 GP. Our condolences.¡±

    For every body treated with respect this way, the person would get 5 GP. We were all filled with reverence and gloom until Chris and Kuvali brought out some alcohol.

    ¡°Man, why are all of you crying? They don¡¯t have to live in these fucking troubled times!¡±

    Chris was clearly drunk since his heavy Hispanic accent disappeared. The new Day of the Dead, huh? Kuvali always paid respect to his ancestors because they held power. Thanks to the two of them, the mood was lightened and people began to reminisce of the good times and laugh while crying their eyes dry.

    For every story told, people received 1 GP but for each full bottle of liquor drank would give you 10 GP. It was a perfectly reasonable excuse to get drunk. However, as an Undead, I didn¡¯t feel it until I was already screwed, the world practically flipping upside down.

    The night was filled with hollow laughter and people were distracted from the misfortune that surrounded them. Ribcage was busy howling to the sky, making his cracking sounds. Sammy was there, too, raising his fist to the air in the same direction.

    Damian was having a drinking competition, completely in tune with his new predicament. Kuvali couldn¡¯t drink, but he still participated by telling stories of his ancestors. Chris was passed out holding a bottle of tequila in his arms like a teddy bear.

    Reese was chilling off to the side away from everyone else with Brandon sitting nearby as well. Renzo was being really uptight by taking everything seriously. He made precise movements and bowed several times. He spent so much time, he apparently earned 20 GP from his actions.

    Spot was not here, apparently he went back to Jane for the night. David was trying to outdrink Damian, but he wasn¡¯t going to do it. Chance was actually busy staring off into the night, probably still doing guard duty. Or¡­remembering lost loved ones as well, since I see his eyes are wet.

    The two little girls had already gone to bed and Navi came back and rested on my shoulder. On my other shoulder, Rebecca had fallen asleep. The Builders were busy taking out Resources and tearing down unused buildings. The Undead continued to patrol.

    I now had many Level 2 Units since most of them were stronger Skeletons when I raised them, but I had Leveled Up the Spell a couple times due to all the bodies. Tomorrow, I would have the toughest Units become Mid BOSSes. I plan on changing this Region before I leave again.

    I need to get stronger¡­not for me¡­but for those who I lead.

 Positions and Deals

    So we got really overpowered. As a BOSS¡¯ BOSS, my new Title, I had a Buff that would increase any Unit of mine by a specific amount. It depended on the amount of BOSSes I controlled. Crazy.

    I separated the nearly 600 Units into different forces. The base, or Capital City, now housed over 100 Humans. The walls were guarded by Units of at least Level 2. Speaking of this, I had the other Level 2s that stayed behind to guard the Castle kill off the really bad guys like the Butcher or Carlos. I ended up turning the other members of Reese¡¯s crew and some Skeletons into Mid BOSSes. I now had almost 20 Mid BOSSes!

    Yeah, if I wasn¡¯t over powered, I don¡¯t even know what to call it.

    But they turned into stronger versions of what they were before. All sorts of stuff. I just let them work for whoever wants them. I decided to send people in groups of two to go settle different areas. For example, I sent Reese and Brandon down town to scout around and make a place for survivors to gather.

    I sent Damian and Renzo to the Cliffcut Mall that was down the road. There is a lot of places over there and I want to have some places built for people. Chris and Kuvali left for Blue Creek which has a lot of neighborhoods in that area. However, there¡¯s also an Aerospace Company near there. Shockreed, if I remember correctly.

    Each group left with 100 Units and several Builders. I had the others like Sammy, Chance, and David continue their patrols. Spot will remain the leader of the Capital here at Camp Drive. There won¡¯t really be any need for them at the Castle since pretty much 9 Mid BOSSes were guarding the place!

    I had Scratch and Ribcage set up a Messenger¡¯s Union. Using the Undead Beasts, we could sent information at a constant pace and won¡¯t have to worry about paying any of them!

    Although Scratch just lays at the Castle, making the place be guarded by 10 Level 3s at all times.

    Spot tried to set up a trade with Jane¡¯s group, but she ended up leaving along with her several soldiers. The people there had kicked her out for being friendly with the supposed enemy. A little boy named Jeremy took it upon himself to lead them. The Country¡¯s Best Clan was officially disbanded.

    Oh well, we gained a powerful new ally. She seems a lot better now that she talks to Spot all the time. Heck, if I didn¡¯t have Rebecca, I might have gone for her as well! But that thought immediately disappeared when I saw Spot¡¯s smile for once. He instantly looked like his actual age, instead of some grandpa. Hmm¡­I¡¯d like to know their story.

    Rebecca played with Sarah and I took Lucy fishing as a reward for her being so patient.

    I had also heard about her actions during the fight against Carlos and his men. She was still tired, apparently, since she fell asleep on my lap. We didn¡¯t catch anything alive, most of the water being contaminated, and all, but we did find a massive fish that ate all the others. It had apparently become a Level 2! That means it had to have a Skill!

    Little Nemo, as Lucy calls the gigantic catfish, was supposed to be raised at a Level 0 if I was just starting out. However, in this time of raising so many corpses, I had Leveled Up my Spell to Level 4! I couldn¡¯t instantly create Mid BOSSes, or anything, but I could create better versions of them. They still had the Bounty Level 3, but they didn¡¯t appear on the broadcast. I bet they had to kill an Ability User in combat first.

    The catfish became something different from what I expected. It became an Undead Leviathan. Wow. I placed it in the Inventory, which I can do, by the way, and took it to a massive river. I then took it out and let it go. Hehehe, go get me some points! Eat to your heart¡¯s content!

    Ahem.

    Since they are already dead, being placed in a magical vacuum will not hurt them. However, this can only be done with Undead, not Monsters, Demons, Humans, or things with a conscious.

    Lucy and I talked some and I thought it high time to take her hunting. However, if she does it with me, she might get attacked. So reluctantly for the both of them, Spot took Lucy out to hunt. Jane went with them as well.

    I watched the construction of the little towns I had started on and noticed that my Domain now almost covered the size of two Regions! We had taken all of the Living Saint¡¯s territory and could also start working there. I didn¡¯t rush it since there was Jeremy¡¯s new Clan called the Light of Dawn. They seem like a fanatical group. I hope I don¡¯t have to kill them¡­

    Sarah was busy taking a nap when Rebecca came down to the dining hall where I was currently eating some delicious mac and cheese. She sat down on my knee and wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her head on mine. I looked at her face and noticed her eyes actually weren¡¯t cloudy.

    She was also not looking at me in a horny way, either. She wasn¡¯t even looking at me. It seemed to me that she did it almost unconsciously, although I doubt she really minds. We had been closer before. That was when Navi flew over. She landed on my other shoulder and tried to do the same thing which made me laugh.

    It brought Rebecca out of her stupor and noticed the little Pixie copying her movements while puffing her cheeks out. She giggled at the little winged girl and kissed me right on the cheek, making Navi¡¯s face red.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t involve me in this¡­¡±

    They ignored me. Navi flew into my shirt and kind of wrapped herself around my collar, like it was a blanket. For some reason, Rebecca¡¯s eyes narrowed and she sat in my lap before wrapping her legs around my back and going to kiss me for real. However, Navi zoomed out of my shirt and went to stop Rebecca, but¡­

    ¡°Ptooey!¡±

    ¡°Gross! Blagh!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    I was dragged away to one of the unused rooms on the second floor where they kept playing around with each other before they both tired themselves out.

    Great. Now I have to go relieve myself¡­again!

    After doing the deed, I left the two behind so I could see the budding village that surrounded the Castle. The huts were being turned into actual small houses and stores thanks to the multitude of GP and Resources.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.There were almost 200 people here and another several hundred out and about around the Region. I thought building more Towns would cause those survivors to group together. However, I noticed that some of our other members are actually doing bad things. I think it¡¯s time I do something¡­but what?

    I don¡¯t think this is a good idea but¡­

    ===========

    POV CHANGE

    ===========

    Jeremy was busy. He had to make do with the small amount of stuff that was left behind when Jane went over to the Undead Clan. He didn¡¯t harbor resentment since she was forced to leave by the other people living here.

    He had learned from his time in the Living Saints that the weak shouldn¡¯t have a say. It hurt the chances of the stronger getting better. If more people got stronger, then that would be fine. However, no one wanted to leave the encampment.

    Since the government had appointed Jane, she had the say so to do things. When the group had wanted her gone, they also wanted the guns and vehicles. Unfortunately for them, they weren¡¯t allowed to have military weaponry after publically declaring themselves the enemy of a government official.

    If they had let her stay, they could have had soldiers trained in fire arms. But they were blinded by their rage. Jeremy knew also not to let that happen. He disconnected himself from the others even if he was the strongest here.

    The elderly, the children, the women, and the weak. Jeremy was not going to have an easy time. He left the camp and stared at the moon. He wasn¡¯t paying attention until an alert appeared.

    ¡°The Leader of the Undead Clan and the Lich Lord had entered your Region! Here he is!¡±

    And the indicator pointed to in front of Jeremy.

    Before he even knew what happened, a figure atop a massive Bone Wolf appeared before him. The figure, dressed in raggedy dress clothes and carrying a strange cane with a skull on top, landed on the ground. He tipped his top hat and the face of the Lich Lord himself smiled at Jeremy.

    Without even thinking, Jeremy used his Flash to disorient the Undead and quickly rushed forward. The music he was listening to gave him a buff that increased his physical abilities. He took two steps and noticed the Lich was still in the middle of calmly putting his hat back on.

    On his third step, Andrew placed the hat on top of his head and waved his cane, the sheath coming off to reveal a sliver of metal, glistening in the moonlight. The Lich swung the sword with little effort and Jeremy felt as if his entire existence was about to be ended right here!

    He tried to turn, but found it difficult to, and ended up falling over himself and crashed at the feet of the terrifying enemy. Jeremy braced himself for the pain of the sword piercing his gut, when he noticed the sound of chuckling.

    ¡°Hehehe, you like it? I found it in one of those hobby shops that sell anime swords and stuff. I feel like it matches me pretty well, what about you?¡±

    The figure gently sheathed his cane sword and placed it firmly into the ground, striking an imposing stance.

    If Jeremy wasn¡¯t about to piss himself, he would have agreed.

    ¡°Wha¡­what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Care for a deal? Do you want to kill my people?¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I guess that sounded weird. Well, I noticed I have some bad apples in my bunch that are abusing their luck. I want them gone, but I don¡¯t want to have to go through all the trouble to kick them out. I can only kick out so many people a day, after all.¡±

    ¡°So you want me to kill your Clan mates?¡±

    ¡°Yes? But I don¡¯t consider them Clan mates since they broke the rules I put in place. If they are going to act like common thugs, they will need to be dealt with.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how life works. Before the apocalypse,¡±

    ¡°That was then, this is now.¡±

    The Lich twirled his cane and coked his hat to the side before strolling out onto the hill where Jeremy was just sitting and watching the moon.

    ¡°People will think they have all the power to do whatever they want. You can¡¯t change that.¡±

    ¡°True, that is indeed true, young man. In fact, that is truer now than it was before. People with power will abuse it. So why can¡¯t I?¡±

    Jeremy stopped what he was doing because he had heard similar words from his father upon joining the Living Saints.

    ¡°I try to maintain a semblance of order, yet these guys come along and screw things up! I can¡¯t just scold them, they will just do it again! So I need your help. Your people hate my people. I can easily just leave a person hanging from a rope. They can die from ¡®natural causes¡¯ that way. But I need someone who can take out the ones who might earn Skills.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will think on it¡­¡±

    ¡°Good. Well, I must go. Have a wonderful night! Oh, and if you don¡¯t want to, that is fine. I won¡¯t force you.¡±

    The figure deftly jumped onto the Bone Wolf and they sped off again, and soon, another alert showed that the Lich Lord had left their Region.

 Fixing Problems

    Agh! I was dumb!

    Okay, so the process to actually kick someone out of the Clan involves a majority vote of its members. However, if I designate moderators, they have the ability to issue warnings and essentially kick people out of the Clan without all the hassle. How stupid of me. Thanks, Navi!

    I quickly returned to the kid, who probably hates me eternally by now, and rescinded the request. I think he was sort of relieved, since he wouldn¡¯t have to kill fellow Humans. I instead told him that I could send these trouble makers to him or send them further south.

    He didn¡¯t mind taking them in, for some reason. I wouldn¡¯t have, because I hate dealing with trouble on a regular basis. If I can fix it, I try and do so as early as possible. Especially if the problem happens often. But I guess he needs the helping hands.

    I must say, though. That kid has some strength to him. He could easily go one on one with any of the Mid BOSSes. However, if he were to fight Reese, for example, he would no doubt die.

    Just saying.

    Well, by the time the sun rose, several survivors were already gathered around the BOSSes here and there. While the Capital had over 100 people, the little Towns had about 50 or so. But, why weren¡¯t there a lot of survivors?

    Because they turned.

    Then why weren¡¯t there a lot of zombies?

    Because the remaining survivors all had freaking super powers.

    Unfortunately, there were still signs of the infection here and there. Thankfully, the Humans were getting into the groove of being adventurers and killing zombies or scavenging for items. All usable materials were usually handed in, since most people had no idea what to do with them.

    Money was exchanged for GP, so that stayed with the person who found it. But, we needed to acquire a means of income as well! Somehow, we could give GP as rewards, and in return, we got Resources. We could then sell these Resources for more GP if we wanted, and that¡¯s what most people wanted to do.

    Thankfully, I had set up a trade shop of sorts. The Exchange Express. A market system. Here, one could trade goods for GP or items they scavenged for stuff like food and water. Every resource, whether it be wood, stone, or metal, was given to the Clan. Everything else was kept by the founder.

    Isn¡¯t that dumb? Shouldn¡¯t I just keep everything and then use it to increase the army I have?

    No.

    My army is already over powered, compared to Humans. 100 Humans versus 100 Skeletons at Level 0 would work in their favor, but as soon as the Skeletons Level Up even once, you need to increase the amount of Humans. Or just give them all Skills.

    After kicking out the bad seeds, we went down by a good 30 people. But, this worked out well. They didn¡¯t hold grudges, since they could keep the things they earned themselves. I wasn¡¯t a thief. However, if they were, then I wouldn¡¯t hold back.

    We had created a Prison near the Capital. Prisoners were forced to excavate Resources and not keep any for themselves. They only got basic bread and water and couldn¡¯t have any free time. Any stolen goods were confiscated and any murderers were not tolerated.

    That¡¯s right, we had our first murder.

    It was a sad sight, but we could easily find out who it was since they appeared on the Clan log as killing their own comrade. A red aura surrounded them, kind of like a PKer would in a video game. He was immediately kicked from the Clan.

    It didn¡¯t matter if he had killed a guy that was about to rape a little child, we had an image to maintain. Soooo¡­I may have exiled him instead of having him executed. I gave him some Resources and food before sending him to Jeremy¡¯s group.

    The guy had gotten the Vigilante Title as well. Ha! It feels good to have likeminded people. He wasn¡¯t upset and solemnly left.

    Because of this, we had a special Task Force created to specifically patrol the Towns. They were more like a militia, but they would investigate criminal actions. I sometimes helped as well, but luckily, the crime rate was quickly lowered.

    There was still some bullying going on, but as long as it didn¡¯t get physical or life threatening, we didn¡¯t interfere. Why? Because the people had to get stronger. This wasn¡¯t like how the world worked before.

    Well, we payed people in GP. Now, GP would have normally been quickly depleted. However, since we could go into the Living Saint¡¯s Area, we found new hunting grounds. We decided to sparingly hunt the Beasts so there was a chance they would repopulate.

    But¡­all we had to eat were fruits and vegetables. We had places to grow clean food, filter water, but not any fresh clean meat. We needed to find a source of meat! The best bet would be chickens and grow nuts. We would also need to find a cow or goat to get dairy products.

    So I did the next best thing.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I Summoned them! And thanks to Lucy¡¯s luck, I got all I wanted! Unfortunately, she was drained for a couple of hours. But I got Cockatrices, Taurons, and even Ents! Well, that last one was a surprise.

    The Cockatrices were some sort of cross between a snake and a chicken. However, I believe this evolve into a Chimera or even a Basilisk! How crazy would that be?! Taurons were a race of Monster cattle. I bet they could evolve into the Minotaurs you always hear about. Now, the Ents were tree people¡­or more like just trees that could move around.

    The Ents would help manage the forested areas and keep animals from ruining our crops. For some reason, they also purified the land so the infection wouldn¡¯t ruin them.

    It¡¯s kind of strange how the world can¡¯t seem to decide whether it¡¯s a post-apocalyptic world or a fantasy world. Such a strange combo of the both of them. Anyways, we used the Cockatrice eggs, which were massive, about the size of an ostrich¡¯s egg, for breakfast! Ooh. We need bacon!

    But¡­I don¡¯t want to somehow get Orcs or something¡­I don¡¯t know how I feel eating humanoid things¡­

    So we decided to keep our eyes out for boars and the like.

    What Level were the creatures? Well, I Summoned the Ent first, which must have taken Lucy half her Luck Bar. I could then buy Ents for 1,000 GP each. It was a lot, so I only bought one. How much GP do I have? Not a lot. Probably about 600 after today. I need to get hunting. The Cockatrice and Tauron took the rest of Lucy¡¯s Luck so they weren¡¯t all that rare.

    The Ents were Level 4 and the Cockatrice and Tauron counted as Level 3s.

    Hmm¡­how to get GP¡­I could always sell Resources, but I need those to build the houses for the survivors. The only reason I had torn down the other houses was to equalize everyone. Not all houses were built the same way and I wanted to have some sense of ease when traveling through the City. Well, It was called a City, but it was just a Town at best. The Towns were actually closer to Villages, but¡­

    People wanted a semblance of normality.

    We decided to expand towards Louisiana. This way, it would be easier for us to get that Level 4 person here. Well¡­they had now become Level 5. Either it was by killing others or using their power to lead. Hopefully, it was the latter. The other two had also become Level 5 by now. They must be taking advantage of the GP supplied by the Clan. I noticed that the person in California was actually moving towards us.

    Hopefully, they weren¡¯t traveling on foot because that sucks.

    Lucy had come back carrying a big bird that looked more like an eagle than the pelican it actually was. The infection had gotten to it really badly. It didn¡¯t have a Skill, so Lucy didn¡¯t receive any reward except for completing a Quest we had set up.

    I raised the pelican, using my Level 4 Spell I was so proud of, and created a Level 3 Giant Bird. It wasn¡¯t all that special, until it started to morph. Just like the catfish, this creature started to grow sharp teeth and its beak became more deadly. Its jaws looked more like a black hole when it opened its mouth to screech.

    I sent him on his way to go earn me some more GP. Now, I could have another form of income. These guys are definitely strong. Even Red Amigo would have some difficulty fighting the pelican. Lucy called the bird Buster, so that¡¯s his name now.

    The messengers were a good thing. Now, I¡¯m not talking about letters and that stuff since we can use the Clan Chat and the monitor for those things. No, these guys were for carting around Resources and equipment. I had all of us within 30 minutes of each other, but this meant the other places were closer to the edge of the Region.

    Thankfully, Jeremy¡¯s group never decided to infringe on the territory we took from the Living Saints. I guess they still had their own troubles to deal with. Maybe that guy I sent their way could be of some help. Well, if Jeremy doesn¡¯t kill them. He killed the first couple of guys I sent.

    I went to ask what the deal was, and I thought he didn¡¯t understand when I said not to worry about what I said, but the situation was different from what I thought.

    Some thugs had been kicked out for beating someone. When they decided to join Jeremy¡¯s group, they wanted better positions than just newbie stuff. They apparently challenged his authority, so he got rid of them.

    Damn, kid!

    Oh well. Not that I cared. They didn¡¯t have Skills nor did they have amazing gear. I bet that was taken from them to empower Jeremy¡¯s people. Either way, I hope to actually see some awesome stuff come from there.

    In the meantime, why don¡¯t I send someone to travel to other Regions so they can scout out the enemies? Hmmm¡­I may have adopted an oppressive nature recently¡­

    Who cares?! Let¡¯s call it Manifest Destiny! For the Undead Clan!

 Top Ten

    Expect another chapter later today!

    ======================

    So¡­Conquest. Such a tiny idea, but the consequences are huge. Why?

    ¡°Oh no! Everyone! There is an Undead Lich Lord that plans on making a Conquest of the nearby Regions! We must stand together! Do not falter! Do not break! We must prevail at all cost for our humanity!¡±

    Stupid broadcast, inciting chaos. It was true, though. I had expanded our patrols to outside of our Domain so we quickly increased its size. What surprised me the most was Chance. Apparently, he had gotten into contact with the Level 5 person in Louisiana so he decided it would be best if he went.

    I gave him a Squadron of Elite Level 3 forces to aid him. Some other guy¡­someone called Finch, or¡­Bob? I couldn¡¯t remember his name. Maybe we¡¯ll get some good stuff from their trip. But¡­how was he going to travel?

    By boat.

    No, no, no. That is too dangerous! We have no idea what¡¯s in the waters! Besides, it was practically the same distance to get to the coast in the first place. So I had made a sort of wagon for him. I had some Undead Beasts pull it for him. We needed to conserve gas and fuel, after all. He left along with the 30 powerful Undead.

    Chance¡¯s team that was left behind was proactive in their scouting, providing us with good information on where to strike next. We decided to take out those that weren¡¯t helping humanity. That meant people resorting to criminal behavior, or were doing some really insane shit. David helped out with these.

    For example, there was the clich¨¦ farm trope with cannibals. Gross. Thankfully, we had the monitor and could see past broadcasts. Now no one¡¯s secrets are secret. We could make good judgements of character from the videos. But this wasn¡¯t towards the east, it was towards the west.

    The Panhandle.

    Well, not that far. But it was a considerable distance. We chose not to target the smaller Clans of people just trying to survive by normal methods. Of course, if they try to attack us, we¡¯ll defend ourselves.

    They weren¡¯t as big as the Living Saints since they were only about 10 people. We sent Sammy who completely wiped the floor with them. No Ability Users, unfortunately. I let Sammy set up shop, so to speak, and then had a powerful Dungeon built. I planned on having a System Oriented Area for farming GP.

    If I could get some people to come in and defeat some Level 0s, then they¡¯ll get stronger. Then they will earn Skills and GP. Then, when they get killed by my Units, I will receive rewards! Well, they don¡¯t have to go in. So what can I use as bait?

    An incentive is usually given to those who do well to keep them doing whatever it was they got paid for. So if I want them to continue, they need to beat a Level 1 on the first floor. I could easily leave a Skeleton Weapon or Equipment for them upon completion. Then the next floor would have Level 1s with a Level 2 boss. Then so on and so forth.

    The entire thing can be run by Sammy! Cool, this will work. And if people want to stop him, they just need to get strong enough to beat him. Of course, the Skeletons being used will be those of criminals and such. Now I won¡¯t have to worry about my conscious¡­too much.

    It still irks me even though I know I need to get stronger. The more powerful people I have under me, the faster we can take control. The faster we take control, the higher the Rank of Noble I will become. We still have another week before the Monthly broadcast.

    I¡¯m pretty sure I am number 1 in the State, but what would my Rank be in the Global? Hmm¡­

    ===============================

    A couple days have passed and we discovered more people lived in Dallas, so there were many small Clans that were warring with each other trying to do what I did. Well¡­I put a stop to it. Brandon did, anyway. He was more interested in fighting than sitting back and taking care of a city.

    Kuvali and Chris worked well together while maintaining their Town. They also salvaged Shockreed while they were at it. Reese took over the Downtown Area by himself and dedicated his time to teach people magic. Hm, that will be good. Damian seems to be preoccupied with himself but he moves for Renzo. He kind of reminds me of a hit man. Renzo is actually doing quite well.

    His place has those three sisters that spend their days learning from him. He also teaches the other Humans. Now they are highly militaristic and steeped in tradition. The tradition of What Renzo Says, We Do. And I thought I was oppressive.

    I left Spot and Jane to watch over the Camp Drive Capital. I decided to travel around the Region, raising the dead that I found. Every time was a different feeling, however. Sometimes, I wouldn¡¯t care, but then there were kids or pets littering the ground.

    I had raised so much, I decided to switch over to my new Spell I had. Yep, it was pretty cool. That Bone Equipment stuff I was talking about earlier. I could reshape bones to be blades or armor. Pretty damn sweet.

    I wasn¡¯t any good at it, but I did try my best. I made basic Bone Gear that mimicked my current equipment but it was clearly less powerful. I didn¡¯t mind, because I wasn¡¯t going to wear it. I made a Greater Skeleton, with its red coloration and the new lights that appeared in their eye sockets. I enhanced its body, making the body denser and reshaping it to be similar to my size.

    I gave it the gear and saw how close it looked like me. But made completely made of white with the red striking out of nowhere. It would have looked really awesome if there was some detail color. Maybe when I Level Up the Spell. He carried a Bone Pistol that shot Death Shots, since it was made using Necromancy, which is Death Magic. The cane sword was also pretty good, so I switched it with mine.

    What? It was made using magic. That means it had to be better than a normal weapon. Right?

    Well, the cloth was taken from clothes I found and sewed together. Of course I know how to sew! I lived by myself, after all! Anyway, I had laced it with bones, making it look like some sort of bone armor. But I tried making it mobile with the cloth by making it sort of layered like scales. The Skeleton stood proudly, waiting for a command.

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    ¡°I¡¯m going to call you¡­a Skeleton Mimic.¡±

    Oh? An alert now?

    ¡°Do you want to make a new race of Skeletons?¡±

    Uhh¡­yeah?

    ¡°Congratulations! The Lich Lord has created his first Custom Creation! For creating the first Customized Race in the Continent, the Unit in question will Level Up once! Since it was created to be in the likeness of the creator, it will have the same Job!¡±

    ¡°Beware! There are now a new race of Undead that can mimic others! It can take the appearance of fallen Heroes and Villains and use their powers! We now have TWO Liches! What do we do?! Argh! Beware the Skeleton Mimics!¡±

    Oh shit.

    What have I done? It has my power? Sure enough, it Summons 10 Level 0 Skeletons from nowhere. Isn¡¯t that like Ribcage? How come they don¡¯t need bodies? That¡¯s not fair. Whatever, it looks freaking awesome.

    Spooky scary skeletons! Hahaha! At least he still follows my orders! I mean, he is my first Level 4 that I raised myself. I don¡¯t count the Ents. I send him to Sammy so he can make use of him. Hehehe, maybe I shouldn¡¯t be left to myself.

    So what now? Hmm¡­

    I¡¯m bored. I¡¯m going back home.

    ==========================

    Well¡­it¡¯s tonight. The broadcast, that is. Every week we saw me at the first place. After me came the Skeleton Mimic. Then all of Reese and his five friends. Sammy and Ribcage took the last two places.

    No Humans, huh? Oh well.

    ¡°Welcome, all those who have survived the first month! This will be the start of the New Year! This way, everyone can see the strongest in the world!¡±

    Uhh¡­What? Navi! Don¡¯t give me that sheepish look! What the hell is this?!

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s begin with the people and things to look out for! Keep in mind, if they show up on the Top Ten, they won¡¯t be on here.¡±

    Oh. Hm. Let¡¯s wait and see.

    There was a couple of powerful aquatic monsters that already made it to Level 5. Oh?! Nemo and Buster are on there! Huh?! And all of my BOSS and Mid BOSS buddies! Isn¡¯t this really weird? Why? Okay, here we go. There¡¯s some Variants in Southern America but for the most part, I guess they get killed pretty quickly.

    There were some really bad guys that also showed up in Australia, but they weren¡¯t very strong. Is this okay? Wow¡­I don¡¯t feel really good about this.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s time for the Global Top Ten! Starting from the Tenth place! We have a special Skeleton that was created only a couple days ago! Here is the Skeleton Mimic made by the Lich Lord! Who is he? Just wait! This Skeleton has the ability to dress as other people and use their Jobs! Because of this, we have another Lich!¡±

    Wait¡­if he is here¡­

    ¡°In Ninth Place, we have Arzo Lomac! A powerful Human that killed several BOSSes already! Imagine, because of him, the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea is perfectly safe! Of course, someone with the Hero Job would have many good qualities about them. Give them a round of applause!¡±

    ¡°In Eighth Place, we have Titzi Skulu! Riding a powerful lion across the savannah, he is a powerful warrior!¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡±

    Kuvali? Really? That¡¯s pretty cool.

    ¡°With his Tamer Job, he has several Pets at his disposal! Plus, he has a new target! To avenge his fallen brother!¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oops, that¡¯s not good.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Boss. My brother was always easy to rile up. Hopefully, I can talk some sense into him.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°In Seventh Place, we have Clara Monti!¡±

    Eh? Her?

    ¡°She is a powerful person who just got another just as powerful Unit! The Spider Queen on her way to join her Clan several hundreds of miles away! Get at it, girl! Of course, we hope she changes sides soon!¡±

    Shit. That¡¯s the lady from California! She showed up on the broadcast! Damn, this might spell trouble for her!

    ¡°In Sixth Place, we have the Dollhouse! We chose to remain quiet about their information since their Clan mates are traveling to find them! Just know that their power is just as powerful as the Spider Queen, if not more than!¡±

    ¡°Dammit!¡±

    ¡°What is it, Boss?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our member as well! Shit! I hope nothing happens to them¡­¡±

    No one says a word.

    ¡°In Fifth Place, we have Ronald Royce! The Gamer in his prime! However, better stay back unless you want to have your soul be destroyed! It is fitting for him to be on the Lich Lord¡¯s Clan since he uses the living for his sick games! Better watch out, Massachusetts!¡±

    Whoa. I think we need to kick him. If we had to deal with someone like that, we might have trouble. I talk around, and we all decide to kick him out. I received a nasty message from the adolescent 15 year old but I ignore it. If he has beef with me, then he can just come here in person.

    But¡­this means I am in the Top Five!

    ¡°To the Top Four! In Fourth Place, we have Lao Zhen the Commander in Chief! Taking quick action, the military of China successfully dealt with the infection at an astounding pace! Taking the Status of Noble, he rules over quite a large Area!¡±

    Only an Area?!

    ¡°In Third Place, we have Bridget Ophelia Johnson! Her Slaves are well trained and due to her great leadership abilities with the Heroine Job, she took over an entire Region! Her house in England is well defended against the infection and other possible enemies!¡±

    Shit¡­I am second place. Even though I¡¯m not first, I will be well known throughout the world. This sucks.

    ¡°In Second Place, we have¡­!¡±

 Number One

    Hello! Sorry about the cliff last chapter, it went a little longer than I thought it would be so I split it...in a very good place to split...

    Now then, any Questions, Comments, or Concerns are welcome!

    ========================================

    ¡°In Second Place we have Takashi Toshiro! A charismatic Farmer that has gathered two complete Regions! His abilities in and out of combat will astound anyone! Not to mention that his actions have helped the surrounding people to continue eating and surviving! I wonder what his future will hold.¡±

    Shit. No, this won¡¯t end well. How can I be the strongest?! Wasn¡¯t there tons of other people in the world?! Why is it that I, who started late, still became the Number One person in the world?! Is this the power of a Necromancer? Being able to control many Units and raise them quickly would make for a more powerful person, but I don¡¯t understand!

    ¡°Aaaaaand in First Place, we have the Scourge of the World!¡±

    Great, another Title. I literally got an alert in the middle of the broadcast.

    ¡°Coming in at Bounty Level 6 and possessing the Noble Status, he is the Tragic Lich Variant who died after trying to become a zombie hunter! He had more than enough food and supplies to live for two more days, but he decided to go hunting! And what happens when he walks outside? He gets turned! For shame.

    ¡°But, he grew quickly, relying on others¡¯ Skills to rise to where he stands now, nearly 20 BOSSes strong! No, if we count his creations, he has many people more who could raze a City! No amount of courage can stand up to someone who can raise the dead! And to make matters worse, there are several others who can raise the dead! And all of them work for our Number One!

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for¡­Andrew Pharlain! Leader of the Undead Clan and holder of nearly 3 whole Regions! Capable of sweeping his forces across the land and decimating everyone, he decided to build a Stronghold first and then Conquer everyone! Undead, Demons, Monsters, it doesn¡¯t matter! All sorts of powerful creatures have joined him!

    ¡°Cursed Beings cast out of Heaven and things that seem to have come from nightmares. These are just some of the people that follow him!

    ¡°Now, we can¡¯t forget his other actions. He killed the variant that turned him, saving a little girl in the process. When that girl¡¯s group was under attack, he went and saved them! He housed the struggling survivors and helped them grow, giving them electricity and food. He used his Units to rebuild the Area into a place everyone can settle down in.

    He set up a working Quest System that helps the people get stronger quicker. He is even creating a Dungeon to use as a method to increase people¡¯s strength. He saved another Clan from destruction and cut the bad guys off at the source! He shows a tenacity and thought process that clearly cares for his subjects, spending his GP on livestock and farming needs.

    ¡°He built several other settlements all over the place and doesn¡¯t go out of his way to kill people, only acting in retaliation, even when he was found outside of the den of the worst criminals known to man.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, forgot about that. See, his group isn¡¯t only made up of literal monsters, but when they were alive, they were monsters then as well. People that belonged to the worst of the worst. Gangs, the Mafia, poachers, killers, black market, drug cartels, you name it.

    ¡°But, this means he has a diverse group and treats his subordinates with respect. Instead of raising people as soon as he found them, he created a Global Holiday against raising the dead in honor of his people¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°The man may be slightly questionable for taking over the world, but he doesn¡¯t hold an evil heart. Just a non-beating one. And there you have it, folks! The Top Ten of the Year is finished! Tune in next month for the Top Ten of the State!¡±

    Soon, an alert came.

    I received several hundreds of bonus GP from the Mimic, as well as some for my Units I sent out like Nemo and Buster, and the others who showed up also got GP. But¡­my reward for winning First Place got me several Guaranteed Super Rare item Tickets and tons of GP and Resources.

    I handed out some of the Tickets to people I thought would need it. Well, Lucy, Sarah, Rebecca, and Jane were the ones I immediately thought of¡­but I also gave my last one to Scratch. I got a lot of requests to join the Undead Clan so I spent some time answering or rejecting.

    Sarah had gotten a sort of lady bug backpack that had a special use as an Inventory that worked with normal objects! Finally, readymade mac and cheese! Just pull it out of the bag!

    No, that¡¯s Sarah¡¯s, I can¡¯t use it for food... She used it to hold her toys which was cool. The bag even created little bug wings that she could use to fly or shield herself with. I figured it was a well-received gift.

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    Rebecca had gotten a box of chocolates. Apparently, they could even enhance her Succubus powers temporarily. I don¡¯t know what else it did since she wouldn¡¯t tell me. However, her eyes did shine as if she had some sort of idea.

    Lucy got a Quiver that could magically create arrows. Leveling Up the Quiver would allow for better arrows. She went off to practice, skipping along the way.

    Jane got a¡­leather outfit. She teased Spot about testing it out, and he teased back, agreeing. She was actually turning red in embarrassment. I guess Spot knows her well enough. Though he did tell me that Jane was actually still a virgin. I know, it surprised me too!

    Finally, Scratch got a belt. It allowed her to shoot iron strings out and grapple onto things. I was reminded of Titan killers, jumping from building to building.

    I am rather happy that the broadcast finally showed how I really feel. But¡­Why? In one month, the people of the world could only do this much?

    ¡°It probably has to do with Humanity¡¯s desire for control. They don¡¯t want to let others run their life in a way they don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°But Navi, what about the people here?¡±

    ¡°They made a decision. To join and be your subject at the price of getting to use electricity. Of course, they will also grow stronger in time, thanks to your help. However, they won¡¯t care too much if you die, they will probably submit to the next person that comes along.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good. What if someone takes advantage of them?!¡±

    ¡°Only you would be worried for people that stabbed you in the back.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­But why did you lie to me?¡±

    ¡°Because if you knew that you would have shown your face over the entire globe, would you have been so decisive in your actions of taking over?¡±

    ¡°Probably not.¡±

    ¡°See? This is for everyone on your team. If they join, good for them. If they don¡¯t, then they either better leave or say their prayers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not like that. I only take care of the bad guys. And the people that attack me or my people.¡±

    ¡°Right. But, what happens to the people who don¡¯t want to join you but have no power to help themselves?¡±

    ¡°Then I guess that¡¯s their fault. I can¡¯t force people to join me, after all.¡±

    ¡°No, but you could bribe them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t I do that already with the Quests and such?¡±

    ¡°When Sammy¡¯s Dungeon gets completed, you will have tons of people trying to go down and finish it off. You should probably make several more Mimics and have them lead some Dungeons as well. These Dungeons will produce stronger people and can give great rewards.¡±

    ¡°Okay, and I can have specific types of Dungeons, like Magic Dungeons, Maze Dungeons, and even Trap Dungeons!¡±

    ¡°I knew you had the potential to be great.¡±

    I spent the rest of the time forging Bone Gear and Leveling the Skill up to Level 2. Now I could enhance the effect, if there was one. For example, the Bone Gun increased its power output.

    Now it was a weapon that equaled the damage of a normal pistol! Using MP, I could have more long range people. In this time, the Humans won¡¯t fight up close and personal since everyone was pretty much raised on guns. Close combat was a thing of the past.

    Unfortunately, guns were expensive from the maintenance and ammunition. But Magic Guns changed that. A renewable source of power and a simple use of the monitor allowed for anyone to easily maintain a fire arm. Even kids like Lucy and Sarah were getting more training in shooting. They just needed a lot of MP.

    However, Lucy liked the bow better and it was more silent. Sarah wasn¡¯t into fighting so I got her a special item using the Shop.

    Bandages.

    I got her polka dot bandages that had special recovery abilities. I wanted Sarah to learn first aid. Not so she could participate in the fight, but more of a just in case moment. We were in the middle of the apocalypse and I had no idea if something big was about to happen.

    But¡­it has already been another week!

    Chance should be in Louisiana and I now have control of over 3 and a half Regions. That last half belongs to Jeremy¡¯s group. They have, however, finally agreed to a trade agreement with us, but refuse to talk to the Undead or Demons. And Jeremy is the only one who comes.

    I offered to give him a helping hand, but he refused, saying he could handle it. I must say, I admire his effort. Although, he once saw Lucy and turned red faced.

    Really? He is only eight years old!

    Though I have heard of teens not even in middle school starting to date. Geez, the newer generation is weird.

    Hmm¡­it¡¯s about time for a report from everyone. Where¡¯s Chance¡¯s?

 Road Trip

    John Smith was very upset. He had managed to survive long enough to be invited into the world¡¯s strongest Clan but he wasn¡¯t a very important character! This was the chance in a lifetime! Everyone wanted to be the main character of their own story, right?

    But when he finally arrived, he was surprised at how unambitious the other people were being. They stayed at home, surviving to their most basic needs. There were others who wanted to get higher, but realized that those positions were already taken by all the Undead and non-Humans. Most of these people stayed low and completed Quests to receive GP and get items. However, there were others that were walking around all frustrated and such.

    One such occasion, John had a run in with a big dude who wanted a bottle of beer that was his. When he didn¡¯t hand it over, the guy was about to just hit John! Luckily, a man snuck in out of nowhere and grabbed the offender¡¯s arm before throwing him to the floor and handcuffing him.

    This was during the Sweep, as it was later known as. When the Lich Lord set in place a sort of peace keeper, the locals were all happy to an extent. He also set up a prison with harsh punishment. Repeat offenders would be exiled or worse if their actions deemed it necessary. But the man who had saved John at this moment was Chance, the leader of the Scouts!

    Seeing a powerful Hero in front of his very eyes, John wanted nothing more than to follow him around and hopefully get into the inner group. However, he soon saw the Lord himself! There he stood, torn clothes and all, yet still standing with an aura that claimed dominance over others. John didn¡¯t know it himself, but this was a turning point in his life. Every time something would get dangerous, he would look back on this man and be filled with courage.

    But¡­why were there so many Elite Skeletons? These were the strange red Skeletons that people began to see after the fight against the Living Saints. The people knew that these Skeletons were vastly superior to the previous white Skeletons.

    Before, even if they were Level 2, a well-timed grenade would take it out in one hit. Now, however, even a bazooka might have a difficult time destroying this Skeleton! And there were thirty of them!

    ¡°Oh? You got a buddy? Whatever, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. You are just going to Louisiana and picking up a Clan mate, after all.¡±

    Eh? What? He was going along just like that? Chance, say something! Why are you shrugging?!

    And with that, John Smith, a nobody that just recently joined, was sent on a trip in a wagon pulled by Undead Beasts and guarded by Elite Skeletons to another State. Looking at the map, John could tell that they would have to cross several, maybe even six or seven Regions just to get to the same Region as their Clan mate.

    However, John had no idea who this person was or if they were even strong. Why go through all the trouble? Why send out such strong Units for something like this?

    Since Chance wasn¡¯t one to talk, John was left to think by himself for the several weeks of travel.

    Of course, this was the time of the Monthly broadcast! But it turned out to be a Global broadcast! And the Lich Lord won!

    Hehe, John had made a good choice to join when he did, because now more people would want to join!

    When he had joined, he was given 100 GP to use towards whatever he wanted. He thought about using a weapon, but noticed some people had gotten swords or other melee weapons. He didn¡¯t want armor because it might be too heavy and hinder his movement.

    He wanted his first item to be a good one that he wouldn¡¯t want to switch out, thanks to what Laura, his Fairy, told him. He ended up choosing a Companion! But¡­he couldn¡¯t find it. He checked his map and everything, but it told him that his Pet was right in front of him!

    It wasn¡¯t until several days later, during his trip to Louisiana, that he realized that his Pet was invisible! It was a Chamosaur, a strange knee high reptilian quadruped that was a Level 2. It had a good invisibility power and could even grant the power to his owner! So John had an invisibility option, making his presence even smaller.

    He had even gotten used to the ability by the time the Global broadcast appeared. Afterwards, John was filled with the desire to Level Up his Cammie. He would need to defeat 10 level 2 Beasts, either alive or Undead, and gather special food to feed to it.

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    He could easily buy the food from the Shop, so he did. They had defeated many Beasts already, so John only needed a couple more. However, he still needed the GP to purchase the final food item. He thought after killing the other Beasts he would have enough GP to get it so he wasn¡¯t worried.

    The wagon had been attacked by several groups of people trying to get stronger, but they were either repelled or killed. The dead bodies were wrapped up and placed in the back of the wagon. So were the bodies of Beasts. But so far, there were no Ability Users. They were either hesitant to approach or weren¡¯t even there.

    But, a massive group of Undead deer appeared out of the trees and eyeballed the wagon. Both John and Cammie took their places after hiding, while Chance went back to sleep. He had taken a lax approach ever since John had made an initiative to participate. By now, John was actually very skilled in his attacks.

    Chance could tell ever since he saw him, that John was a person who could do things if he tried. John even reminded him of a friend he once had during his training.

    However, a huge stag appeared, separating the crowd of deer. It kept looking around, sensing John and Cammie but couldn¡¯t find them, no matter how hard it looked. It turned back to the wagon filled with smelly corpses and the thirty calmly waiting Skeletons.

    But it was at the moment it dropped its guard that the lizard attacked. Unfortunately, the stag had a tougher body since it had become a BOSS. The antlers on its head began to crystalize, turning into what looked like diamonds. It merely swung its head and a sharp wind left scratches on the lizard.

    Thankfully, the lizard had its powerful scales and was being raised by the magical food of the Shop. It was just scratched, so it took up a defensive posture to make a gap for its owner to make use of.

    Earlier, John had tried his hand at the Summon Machine, but he only got an Uncommon Knife, with a sharp edge and good durability. Still, it was enough. John took the chance and pierced the dagger into the unsuspecting stag and was awarded a lot of GP as well as a choice between two Skills.

    Sharpen or Leader¡¯s Aura.

    He wanted the Aura, but he back tracked in his thought process. He only won here because the stag hadn¡¯t sensed him. If he had the Aura, what if he couldn¡¯t easily hide anymore? No, he needed an attack ability and Sharpen would hopefully increase his damage.

    If he had selected Leader¡¯s Aura, he would have eventually learned how to seal it, but yes, he would have been easy to sense at first. However, the wind was actually generated by the Aura, not the Sharpen. The antlers turning to crystals was the Sharpen Skill activating. The sharpness of the antlers cut the air and the Aura infused the strike so as to send out a powerful flurry of wind blades.

    But, since he did this, Cammie had actually received the Leader¡¯s Aura! As an animal, the lizard was easily able to adapt and learn how to use its ability as if it was always born with it. The deer began to flee, but the Leader¡¯s Aura caused them all to cower in fear, giving the lizard the time to hunt them all down with ease.

    Using the GP, John managed to purchase the necessary food, and gave it to Cammie.

    Then, the evolution happened!

    Cammie was covered in a flash of light as its silhouette was growing larger and larger. Soon, it was about the size of a small horse! When the light faded, John saw what looked like a small wingless dragon!

    ¡°Congratulations! Your Chamosaur evolved into a Shimmer Drake! With the ability to dazzle its enemies and change its color, this dangerous Dragon Subspecies is a powerful hunter!¡±

    ¡°Laura, how did this happen?!¡±

    ¡°It must have been the Leader¡¯s Aura!¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    John heard the sound of movement and turned around to see Chance slightly nod in his direction before starting to set out again. They were nearly there.

 Dollhouse 1/3

    They had finally made it. But what stood in front of them was a pristine and brightly colored house with a well-kept lawn. There was even a guy bent over pulling up weeds. John knew this was where the Level 5 person was located, however, after hearing the name Dollhouse and seeing this perfect looking house, he couldn¡¯t help but put two and two together.

    But the worst part was there was only one life signature from the building. The man bending over and weeding the garden was a corpse that was moving against his will. He must have been a real gardener with his overalls and thick gloves, but his eyes were sunken in and his skin was bloated. Yet for some reason, the stench of death was not evident. When they had walked up, John saw someone in the garden and said his greetings, however the man did not reply.

    At that time, Chance had tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to the radar. The life signature was inside the house! Then the man stood up, carrying the weeds away. They had gotten a good look at his face at that time, so they realized what was going on.

    John noticed among the pile of weeds, he saw several flowers. It seemed as if the puppet had no idea of the commands and just ripped out any plant that wasn¡¯t meant to be there, leaving most of the garden bare, save for the vegetables. Maybe that¡¯s what it was ordered to do?

    They were about to walk forward when the Skeletons all rushed away, hiding behind another building on the other side of the street. Chance merely shrugged it off before going to his monitor and saying that they were here.

    The door opened and a dead lady dressed in plain maid¡¯s clothes led the way. The building inside was just as beautiful as the outside, with decorations and pictures everywhere. John noticed several pictures with a man, a woman, and a little girl. They were all dressed really sharply, with the little child wearing frilly dresses.

    However, in none of the pictures was anyone smiling. John didn¡¯t notice at first, but when he thought, ¡®did someone¡¯s dog die?¡¯ he realized the problem. This was a sad house. There were no pictures of family outings or having fun. Just the usual family photo. In fact, most of the photos had only the girl and the mother.

    There were all sorts of Christian related items with crosses, a nativity scene set up on a side table, and even a Bible nearby. They seemed like the ¡®perfect¡¯ southern white family. However, something didn¡¯t feel right. The two waited in what would normally be called the living room, but here it was called the foyer, with a couch and chair facing the stairs on the opposite side of the hall.

    Chance chose to sit down and politely wait, while John paced around, looking at all the pictures.

    The two saw several corpse puppets walking around like servants, catering to the needs of maintaining a pretty home. They were currently in a ritzy part of New Orleans, with other places looking like mansions or manors. It felt strange to John, who lived a very normal and unoppressed life. He was left confused as to why go through all the trouble for this place when they were alive.

    Were they stinking rich? If so, what kind of job was necessary for a pay like this?! But¡­wouldn¡¯t that mean that the father wasn¡¯t around much?

    John had some issues with his mom and dad¡¯s divorce when he was younger, so he knew the problems of a botched relationship. They normally don¡¯t hurt the spouses, since they can just decide things and be on their way, no. It hurts the children.

    But they couldn¡¯t have been divorced and still stay here unless the mother was rolling in dough as well. It didn¡¯t seem like it from the photos, she appeared to be more like a stay at home mom. So if that was the case, then the two never split. But that would just create trouble between the two, leaving the poor girl in the crossfire.

    It was at this thought when a door opened and closed from upstairs. Down walked a pretty girl a little older than Lucy, probably around 10 or 11. She had on a beautiful dress that was probably as expensive as a day to live here. She walked with precision and purpose, looking formal and presentable.

    She walked like she was gliding down the stairs and politely bowed to both of the men. A small smile was on Chance¡¯s face, but his eyes seemed sad. John was confused as to how such a young girl was able to survive the apocalypse like this.

    Instead of being awed by her beauty, John was shaking from the realization that this young girl was fine having the dead around her. She invited them to the dining hall around the corner and some servants brought some roasted fish. It didn¡¯t look professional and looked more like it was made in the wild. However, the fish wasn¡¯t infected, which surprised the both of them.

    They ate, not expressing how burnt it was. The little girl giggled and gave a cute smile that dazzled John. But he didn¡¯t forget the weird feeling that seemed to crawl down his back at every moment. After they had eaten, the girl led them once again to a new place, this time, the living room.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    After being seated, the girl introduced herself as simply Sam. Sam always sat with her back straight and her hands on her lap, looking the person talking to her dead in the eyes. Unfortunately, it was John that mostly had to talk. It shouldn¡¯t take long, since they were here to receive her and go back.

    But¡­

    ¡°I am sorry, Mother and Father forbade me from leaving the house.¡±

    Chance was visibly affected, widening his eyes and tilting his head in confusion.

    John continued,

    ¡°Where are your Mother and Father?¡±

    ¡°They are upstairs. They are still busy entertaining our previous guests.¡±

    The two men slowly stared at each other before realizing that she had to have these puppets dead somehow, could she have done this all by herself?! Chance was finally shaking off his reminiscing of a friend he knew and started to pay attention to the situation.

    He was here for a person that reminded him of a girl he used to know, but that would have to wait. They were in someone else¡¯s territory and one wrong move might make them just as dead as these servants.

    ¡°Well, we just thought that you and everyone else would like to live with others.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but Father says we must live here since this place has belonged to our family for some time.¡±

    ¡°I understand. However, it would be difficult for us to come help you out in case of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be easier for you to stay here?¡±

    The two immediately felt their skin crawl as a door slowly creaked open from upstairs.

    ¡°Oops, we have a messed up door. Charles!¡±

    A tall corpse appeared, moving his mouth but no sound escaped.

    ¡°I do believe Mother and Father will be busy with our new guests, so if you could get someone to oil their bedroom door, that would be most delightful!¡±

    The butler puppet bowed and left. Soon, two tall and dramatic corpse puppets entered, the parents.

    Seeing as how the girl had captured her own parents, John had some unfortunate fish come back up slightly. He was forced to swallow the stinging bile back down so as to not cause problems.

    Seeing John¡¯s face turn green, Chance looked over with worry in his eyes. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t make a move. It felt like he was back in that jungle, practicing his assassin techniques. Animals and enemies surrounding him on all sides until he ended up trapped. It was a lot like that, since he was in a foreign place with enemies around every corner.

    However, Chance couldn¡¯t help but remember the little girl he made a promise to all those years ago. If he didn¡¯t somehow help this girl in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face her in hell!

    ¡°Mr. Smith, is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, Miss Sam, I am fine. It must have been a while since I went to the restroom. If you don¡¯t mind the¡­um¡­if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Of course. The restroom is down the hall on the left side, opposite of the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    John quickly left the room and noticed that the parents had sat down on either side of Sam. He looked at the rooms as he passed and heard the conversation of the others. But when he passed a certain room, he held his mouth shut and rushed to the bathroom, lifting the toilet seat and releasing the contents of his stomach all over the porcelain basin¡¯s insides.

    What he had seen would leave nightmares in its wake for several weeks!

    ¡°Charles! I remember explicitly telling you to close the door to the storage when we had quests! Now they saw something unsightly!¡±

    Sam¡¯s voice came from directly outside the restroom!

    What unsightly?! That was gross! So many decaying bodies and such?!

    They hadn¡¯t walked into a safe house! This was a mad house with only one participant!

 Dollhouse 2/3

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry you had to see that, I will discipline my servant for his actions.¡±

    John didn¡¯t reply because he was busy washing out his mouth out and wiping off his face. When he was finally done, he turned to see the girl and her father standing in the hallway just watching him. Weirded out and wanting to go home, he obediently followed the two back into the living room. He gave a meaningful look to Chance who saw and nodded.

    They needed to get out.

    ¡°Well, thank you¡­for the food and stuff, but if you really don¡¯t want to leave, we must hurry back¡­hehe, stuff to do and all that¡­¡±

    John wasn¡¯t raised to know what phrases he should say to sound polite, so his actions seemed really forced. Both of the men were sweating up and down their backs, drenching their clothes in a matter of minutes.

    Why?

    Because the girl didn¡¯t say anything. She just sat there and thought. Chance was getting the Skeletons ready and John was willing to Summon Cammie at any moment. However, Sam just smiled and stood up. Relieved, the two stood up as well before getting knocked back down again by the parents.

    ¡°Wha-What?! Sam, what¡¯s going on?!¡±

    Chance wasn¡¯t saying anything, immediately choosing to call the Skeletons. John didn¡¯t waste his time either and Summoned Cammie from his Inventory. The room was thrown into chaos as a massive, horse sized lizard appeared and then disappeared. Sam opened her eyes in surprise before requesting the other puppets to come to the living room.

    The front door was smashed open as well as several windows as Greater Skeletons rushed inside and started hacking at the puppets. The little girl began to cry out and the house started to shake. Chance took the chance to deftly leap towards an open window, motioning for John to follow him. However, as soon as Chance and Cammie made it out, everything shut itself tightly, even if it was broken.

    The pieces had floated back together and fixed itself. The broken dishes and furniture returning to their previously perfect appearances. John was left in the living room with 5 Skeletons, but 7 puppets and the girl. Even though he could easily beat her with his powers, he had no idea if he could leave. The rooms were locked tight and it seemed as if he was going to be locked here forever!

    ¡°Sam, why?!¡±

    Breathing heavily, the girl had yet to reply, instead choosing to sit back down in a humph and check over her parents and servants.

    ¡°You hurt them.¡±

    ¡°They stopped us!¡±

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have hurt you!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you tell them to attack us if we tried to leave?¡±

    John had enough of this brat! She had almost killed them and she was blaming them?! What hypocrisy!

    ¡°I want out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous out there. Mama said so.¡±

    The child¡¯s voice had sunken to a quiet whisper, aware of what her troubling actions have caused.

    ¡°Not as dangerous as in here. Let me out. I can protect myself!¡±

    ¡°But Mama and Papa couldn¡¯t!¡±

    Shit, he didn¡¯t want to babysit a mentally unstable child!

    He took the moment to look around, noticing that one puppet even had its head cut off yet it was still moving around. In the next instant, the corpse was put together just like the furniture. This power, this Skill was amazing! Could it even heal people as well?

    Judging from the broadcast, Sam¡¯s Skill was Dollhouse. It must be control over this building. If she can manipulate anything in this building, she would surely be strong!

    Hmm¡­but that was beside the point, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Why do you want me here?¡±

    ¡°Because you are strong.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, we have people far stronger than I am back in Texas. Why not follow us?¡±

    ¡°Because my Dollhouse would reset.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Dollhouse is my Skill. It allows me to make a place my Domain, but I can only ever control a size about this big.¡±

    She gestured to the entirety of the building.

    ¡°Anything that was present from the beginning will be controlled by Dollhouse. I can fix things, change things, adjust things, and even grow things if I wanted to. Unfortunately, I can only cast Dollhouse on something once. Once I leave this place, Dollhouse will break and everything inside will not be able to move again.¡±

    ¡°Your parents¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°But why keep me here? You definitely have a good thing going on here, what with all the dead bodies and such.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem! The dead bodies! I can¡¯t leave and neither can my Dolls!¡±

    ¡°Then why not burn them or bury them?¡±

    ¡°Because burning won¡¯t work. Even if they turn to ash, they will still be on my property. If I bury them, they will destroy the good soil.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you just say that you could fix it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That¡¯s right, she could have buried the bodies and enclosed the bodies to one spot and make sure the infection does not go past a certain point. She had never had someone to communicate with about her power except for Chance. And he wasn¡¯t here.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°So can I leave?¡±

    The girl sat down and hugged her knees.

    ¡°No. Play with me.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?! Play what?! We are in the middle of a damn apocalypse! Sitting here and playing house will only waste time!¡±

    ¡°But Mama always played with me.¡±

    ¡°Kid, do I look like your Mama?¡±

    Sam hid her face and John could tell she was silently sobbing. He couldn¡¯t stay mad at the girl, especially since she wasn¡¯t going to kill them, just detain them. However, that was still bad. Then he remembered something.

    ¡°Hey, couldn¡¯t you get the house to move along with you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, make the house grow legs! Then you can just walk wherever you want to go!¡±

    They spent several hours talking about how Sam could use her powers when an alert appeared.

    It was Andrew, checking in since he didn¡¯t get Chance¡¯s report.

    ¡®Sam, I have heard much about you. Can you tell me why you did what you did?¡¯

    Instead of being completely angry, Andrew had instead adopted a sort of calm personality. From his past knowledge, if Andrew didn¡¯t like what Sam said, John knew that he would attack her if something went sideways.

    ¡°I¡­was lonely.¡±

    ¡®There, was that so hard?¡¯

    ¡°¡±Huh?!¡±¡±

    The both of the two just stood there and stared at Andrew¡¯s face as he broke into a smile and waved.

    ¡®Just make sure you let him come back home. He has a family as well!¡¯

    John had no idea what Andrew meant by this, but he turned and saw Sam wiping away her tears with her frilly sleeve, looking less prim and proper, her eyes swollen and nose running. But she had a smile on her face as she nodded in reply.

    ¡®Now you be a good boy as well¡­um¡­Jake?¡¯

    ¡°John.¡±

    ¡®Right. Jean. Be good to little Samuel over there, okay? He has had a bad past.¡¯

    Eh?

    HE?!

    ¡°Y-you aren¡¯t Samantha?¡±

    The trap looked down in embarrassment before replying with a silent nod.

    John looked around the room and soon things started to slip into place. A business tycoon that was upset by his child. Or maybe his wife? Why would a boy dress as a girl from such a young age? Whatever the case, the father was reluctant to associate with his own son, driving a rift between the parents.

    But they had to stay together for some reason. Instead of floundering for convoluted answers, he instead turned to Sam and asked him about it.

    He was reluctant, but the crossdressing boy conceded.

    Apparently, from his mother¡¯s side, they always raised a girl to pass on the family nonsense that no one common would understand. It was all mumbo jumbo to the ears of John. But when they had a son, something happened and the mother could no longer bare children. Stricken with grief over her lack of a daughter, she obsessed over Sam, but kept it a secret from his father.

    When he came home one day, early from work, he was appalled to find that his son was being treated like a doll, a plaything. The family became strained, and when it came time to deal with it, the father said,

    ¡°Just don¡¯t talk about it again. I don¡¯t want to hear it. This never happened. Tomorrow, he will learn how to run a business.¡±

    At only 5 years old, Sam was subjected to the difficult life of trying to notice good business deals and how to talk to people. However, he was extremely shy and held a severe distrust of females when they kept calling him cute.

    It didn¡¯t help that his own father would sneer at him in disgust, even if it wasn¡¯t aimed at him. It didn¡¯t take long for the father to realize his son was not fit to take his place. So he shunned him. Wanted nothing more to do with him. He believed his son was tainted, not a man anymore.

    However, Sam¡¯s mother took it in strides, forcing Sam into female clothes day in and day out, getting him to act like a noble and getting him ¡®dolled¡¯ up.

    When the apocalypse happened, they were not killed by zombies, they were killed by an ex servant that came back for revenge. She was accused of stealing something to diminish the rumors surrounding the family¡¯s household. She stormed in with all the chaos and shot everyone as they were huddled into the living room, arguing about what to do next.

    The masters of the house were the first to go, followed by the personal butlers and maids. Then, she stormed outside and shot the gardeners before she killed herself.

    For two days, Sam had no idea what was going on, afraid to go downstairs. He was told to stay upstairs until they were done talking, but Sam was not willing to see the carnage. He just remained in his room, playing with his dollhouse.

    When he finally went downstairs and saw his family dead, he almost couldn¡¯t believe it, trying his best to move them and see if anyone was left alive. Sam ate enough to survive, but never left his parents¡¯ sides. Instead, he tried to act out moments that he enjoyed in which the entire family was happily wasting time.

    On the fifth day, Sam earned the Dollhouse Skill.

 Dollhouse 3/3

    After earning the Skill, Sam was able to activate it in the living room, the place he was in when he got it. He activated the Skill and it encompassed several yards away from the building itself. Sam just wanted everything to go back to normal so the Dolls went back to their usual jobs, cleaning and fixing.

    Because of the Dolls being corpses, many people came by thinking they were zombies. However, they ended up dead when Sam reacted. He wouldn¡¯t let the people he knew to die again. Soon he showed up on the broadcast once more, and more people came to take advantage of the situation of a safe place.

    But they couldn¡¯t stay safe when Sam could easily snap his fingers and kill them. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, but they left him no choice. Killing so many people easily Leveled him up to Level 4 by the time Andrew sent him the request. Confused, Sam had accepted, not knowing what he was doing. However, when he received GP for joining, he unlocked the Fairy and the various services provided by the monitor.

    He got a teddy bear and a gorgeous red dress. He had yet to put it on, though.

    ¡°Why do you still wear girl¡¯s clothes?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Stupid John, he had no idea what being sensitive was.

    ¡°I¡­It just feels right?¡±

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t look wrong¡­Heh.¡±

    ¡°I felt like doing what Mother taught me was easier and more enjoyable. Of course, it may have had something to do with Mother teaching from a very young age.¡±

    ¡°So? If you like it, there should be no problem. There are exceptions, but you are not hurting anyone else. I have no problem with you being a guy (since it still would have been bad for me if you were a girl).¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What was what?¡±

    John looked away and began scratching his stubble, looking for a distraction.

    Seeing a figure standing outside the window reminded John of Chance.

    ¡°Can we let him in?¡±

    ¡°Oh, oops. Forgot about him.¡±

    The building began to shake once more and the super tough seal blocking John¡¯s exit was removed, allowing the figure to fall inside.

    ¡°Cammie! Are you okay?!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t Chance, but the oversized lizard. Seeing the large lizard try to enter the house in such a comical manner made the little Sam giggle.

    After Chance and the Skeletons walked in, things started to be changed. The Skeletons removed all the trash from the area and came back with the wagon, sitting in place off to the side in the garage. Chance seemed wary Sam now, but he wasn¡¯t about to attack.

    John took more time to explain an easy way to enable this building to move. They used a simple rolling method. Sam¡¯s commands were the fuel for the house so it could move as long as the mechanism kept up. Of course, since it was being under the effect of Dollhouse, it could fix itself if something were to happen.

    John had used the wagon from the garage to show Sam how the wheels worked. After getting the hang of it, spending an entire day to make a rudimentary system to allow the house to move, they were able to set off.

    Now they didn¡¯t have to worry about walking. In fact, they were like a mobile fortress! A couple Gunners took up positions at various windows. Archers took the upstairs¡¯ balcony and acted like scouts. It looked like it was going to be smooth sailing!

    Unfortunately, it apparently rained, making it difficult for the simplistic wheels to continue. At one point, the wheel slipped and tipped over a ditch, forcing the house sideways. However, using Dollhouse, it was up righted and everything inside was fixed again.

    They met some Beasts, but nothing that was terribly difficult. They had already passed the state border, but when they passed the State border, they all received an alert.

    ¡°Wow! It seems the Undead¡¯s reinforcements are on their way! Watch out for Baba Yaga¡¯s and Howl¡¯s love child! The infamous Dollhouse! They have made their appearance in the State and have come to help out the Lich Lord! Maybe you¡¯ll get something nice if you stop that from happening!¡±

    Chance furrowed his eyebrows and John could help but to yell out a curse word, earning himself a disapproving stare from Sam. Sam was currently sitting on Cammie, since he was apparently more comfortable than the couch. Everything was going pretty well until the Radar showed several tens of people.

    Of course, most would scatter when the Skeletons shot, but the Humans would return with more people, waving their weapons in anger. They had been scrimping and scrounging for good things and these people get to walk around in a house?! Not fair!

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Many tried shooting the house, but if any damage had been given, it would have been immediately fixed. But, three men stood out amongst the group of now fifty men and women.

    They had surrounded the slow moving house with ease and demanded that the house be turned over. However, they didn¡¯t understand that only the person who created it could drive it. They were too obstinate and desperate to actually pay attention. They were like survivors in a desert that found a mirage and thought it was an oasis.

    No one on the survivor¡¯s side had been hurt, much less killed, however, they had attacked with the intention to do so first, thinking the Skeletons were just terrible shots. Before the building stood one of the three men. Thinking they were about to run him over, they stopped.

    However, they still felt like they were moving! John looked outside and saw that this guy was lifting the whole building! What a monstrous Skill! The strong man had tossed Sam¡¯s house with ease and to the three, the world shook. It was soon stopped as the building began to fix itself again, like an unmoving mountain.

    It was when they were looking for the strong man when another man appeared before them, looking like a punk with his many tattoos and piercings. The man snapped his fingers and little fire danced in his hands. The fire began to take the shape of some character or word and was sent at the house, making it combust into flames.

    Yet again, the house fixed itself, although this time it happened slowly. John looked at Sam, but he didn¡¯t seem to be weakening.

    Taking the chance of distractions, a loud crash came from upstairs, throwing the three into disarray. Chance Morphed into Andrew while Sam grabbed his stuffed bear. John and Cammie both went invisible while the long range Skeletons were all being protected by the Soldiers and Guardians.

    The burly man came trampling down the stairs, ignoring the Skeletons, and saw the Lich Lord himself standing right there next to a little girl so pretty she could have been a doll. Caught by surprise, he didn¡¯t even notice the dagger plunged directly into his neck until it was too late.

    Sam¡¯s face went rigid, but he didn¡¯t get flustered. He had seen this one too many times, after all.

    Chance Morphed into the burly man and motioned for everyone to hide. Chance opened the door and welcomed the other two in and promptly closed the door. Well, Sam did, but Chance expected her to. (He still doesn¡¯t know about the whole ¡®Samuel¡¯ thing)

    Sam quickly used the stairway railing to wrap around the two until it got so tight that the two were popped in half. With that, Sam finally had his third Skill. The other two? Dance and his new one he picked, Fire Brand. Now he could attack without relying on his Dollhouse.

    But the whole building began to shake once more, yet there was nothing wrong with it since no matter what Sam did, the shaking didn¡¯t stop.

    There was another Ability User! Chance saw that a chasm was being created underneath them. However, it was too slow. Before Sam could even register what was going on, Chance grabbed him and jumped towards the door, the Skeletons going to get the wagon.

    John looked over and saw what was going on, but he too got grabbed without warning by Cammie and was lifted out the window, his glittering lizard not far behind. As soon as Chance left the confines of the house, it collapsed, as well as the Dolls inside, falling into the chasm that appeared out of nowhere.

    John was still winded so Cammie rushed at the dirty man that looked no different from the other survivors. However, he was too tired after that attack so he was a sitting duck for the massive gecko. He was eaten in a flash, his power giving the already dangerous Dragon Subspecies even more strength.

    John filled Chance in on the specifics of Sam¡¯s Dollhouse, but couldn¡¯t find the right place to tell him that Sam was a guy. Especially when Chance was acting like Sam was his little sister, or something.

    On the way back, it was up to John to deal with any and all problems that appeared while Chance spent his time getting to know Sam better. Of course, somehow, Chance was still in the dark about his gender.

    Thankfully though, Sam wasn¡¯t upset at Chance. Even if they easily got out of the building with time to spare, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to do so with the house, it being so slow.

    But for some reason, Sam seemed more determined than before. John had secretly filed the report since Chance had a bad habit of forgetting it. So when they all arrived back at the Capital, a massive room was reserved for Sam all to himself in one of the Towers. When he walked in, he was welcomed by tons of dolls and toys that not only would keep Sam busy, since he couldn¡¯t leave, but also provided him with good recruits.

    Now the Southeast Tower and nearby halls were patrolled by toy soldiers and stuffed animals, proving to be a place well-liked by the children, giving Sam lots of friends. And of course he got along with Sarah and Lucy. In fact, the Southeast Tower would now be the first place to look for them.

    And since Dollhouse could fix the Dolls, they were used to practice very often, which helped not only the Humans, but even Sam himself as he got to know his power more. He couldn¡¯t help but look into the night sky sometimes and wish for his family to still be here. However, with his new friends, he was not alone anymore.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mama, Papa! I won¡¯t be an embarrassment! I have found a place to live!¡±

 Dungeon Delving 1/3

    A deep sigh sounded throughout the quiet cavern west of the Capital City. In a comfortable looking reclining chair sat a casual Skeleton, lounging around in warmups and a baggy t-shirt drinking a bottle of Mana Ale that was popularly sold through the Shop.

    One of the first things Sammy did was set up a brewery for the stuff. He just got told that another Sam had joined the group and would possibly be confused on more than one occasion, however, no one talked to him in order to confuse the two.

    What was so special about a pretty girly boy? He, Sampson Oakson, was a Commander over a hundred powerful Skeletons! But ever since this Mimic appeared, Sammy was thrown to the side. Sammy just lazed about with nothing to do. There were already the necessary 4 Floors to this Dungeon, but Sammy was needed to increase newcomers.

    He controlled some of the Elites to sometimes attack the survivors, but never killing anyone. People would get angry and storm the Dungeon, but when they realized the possibilities of the Dungeon, they tried to keep it a secret. So Sammy had another entrance built. The two entrances would meet at the Third Floor so several groups would have the chance to fight the Dungeon.

    There was also a secret entrance from above that messengers could use to drop off rewards and stuff Sammy could use. Unfortunately, nothing else came. He wasn¡¯t talked to often¡­at all, actually. So he installed a secret pathway that connected every room and every floor to his room so he could travel around and watch the adventurers.

    He picked out his favorites and made little gambles with himself if they would win or not. Of course, he used it to scope out the enemies. He still wasn¡¯t guarded since he had two Skills already. He managed to get the Wind Essence and Split Skills. They worked really well with each other.

    He combined them and made a Splitting Strike, a Combo that when used, the attack would split anything that followed the strike, sort of like a flying wind blade, but on a monstrous level. He could even split a house in two! In fact, the attack would travel for approximately 20 feet! So his room on the Fifth Floor was just one massive room.

    He didn¡¯t have a magic related Job, but he instead had a Royal Status. This allowed him to have Units. He became a Level 4 and the Dungeon became his Domain. The Mimic may have been a Level 4 as well, but it was a Unit so it couldn¡¯t be a Noble.

    Ha! I will show you! I can be great as well!

    So far, no one has even beaten the first boss, much less gone past the First Floor. The set up was in a graveyard, something Andrew thought would be funny and ironic. It was to him and the others, but to Sammy, he could swear he would see movement at the edges of his vision at all times. He eventually got used to it, but the adventurers were scared shitless when Sammy tried having the Skeletons dig out of the ground.

    He even made a sort of catacomb passageway with ¡®tombs¡¯ on the side. When a Human passed, the Skeleton would ¡®waken¡¯ and attack, causing the people that came to suffer a little insanity and check everything they ever walked up to.

    Andrew was actually a major prankster at heart, apparently. He sent several chests, one of which was actually a Skeleton in disguise. There were little slots in the bottom for the Skeleton to stick its feet through. By doing this, it could even move about and chase after the unfortunate adventurer.

    Sammy used this once or twice and had the other chests have some small tool or weapon. Sometimes, he would leave seeds or GP, which looked like little blue square shaped coins. When the adventurers had first seen this, their eyes had opened wide and they continued with vigor.

    When the Chest Mimic was first seen, however, one unfortunate soul was lost. Since then, the Chest Mimic had taken another couple of lives. Unlike the Skeleton Mimic, the Chest Mimic was only a Level 1. Sammy didn¡¯t know why Andrew chose not to enhance it either. But soon another Chest Mimic appeared. This time, the chest was golden in color and was brought along with other similarly golden chests.

    Inside was a Level 3 Chest Mimic.

    Sammy didn¡¯t know what happened to the Level 2, but that could probably be fixed by the Level 1 evolving.

    Since he was bored, Sammy made several separate rooms on the Fifth Floor that had other non-combative uses. He had a work shop that some low Level Skeletons used to craft weak clothes and weak weaponry. These would be for the Skeletons and count as Common Drops. The rewards that Andrew sent would be treated as Special Drops and the little GP and seeds and such would be Uncommon Drops.

    Sammy may have been lazy, but he was enjoying his time.

    Another room was for monster breeding. Sammy had earned several hundreds of GP from killing Clans by himself so he Summoned some Pets but got a Slime and a Vile Rat. He bought another Rat and started breeding them, feeding the offspring to the Slime, making it split.

    The other Dungeon entrance had the Rats and Slimes for the First and Second Floors. After that, there was the Skeletons. Some really strong Slimes or Rats earned the right to walk around on the Third Floor, being Level 2, but no one came to the other entrance yet.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Maybe he should try and attack another settlement soon¡­

    ===========

    POV CHANGE

    ===========

    It was getting late when Dani was coming back to the little village that the nearby survivors had scrounged up. She was tired and hungry as usual, with no way to get stronger since the nearby Clan, the Fast Fists, found the Dungeon created by the Lich Lord. She wanted to join, but her parents said no. She was already 19, but that mattered little during the apocalypse, after all.

    She came back to see several large black rats with piercing red eyes attacking the village!

    ¡°Mom! Dad!¡±

    ¡°Over here, sweety!¡±

    She looked over to see her Dad scaring off one Rat with a pitchfork by waving it around in front of him. The rat stayed in place, but hissed before scurrying away. None of the rats or people had died, but some men chased after them because they needed the food.

    It was surprising that they weren¡¯t Undead, but it was a good sign, even if people were hurt.

    After making sure her parents were okay, she, too gave chase. The four men and one girl managed to track the rats to a broken cheese store. It was tacky and a major stereotype to think that the rats came here, but when they entered the stinky building, they did see large rat droppings and teeth marks on everything.

    They found a cellar door and entered, walking down the stairs. But when their feet hit the floor, they saw a massive hole in the wall.

    ¡°Is¡­is this a Dungeon?¡±

    Dani heard something, but when she looked around, only the other three were there and none of them were what she noticed.

    It felt like cracking from behind the walls¡­

    ===========

    POV CHANGE

    ===========

    After the four people left, Sammy was ecstatic. Maybe these people would have better luck! And he actually saw someone he used to know, which was weird. He should ask him who the girl was, she was rather pretty.

    But enough about that! Time to get the place situated for visitors!

    =====================================================

    Maybe about a week later, Sammy saw the second Dungeon being entered. However, it wasn¡¯t the normal people, instead, it was the Clan guys from the first Dungeon! How dare they?!

    These guys were the toughest of the bunch so they actually managed to get through the First Floor with ease. He guessed Rats wouldn¡¯t be as difficult as Skeletons. But when they entered the Second Floor, they were forced to turn back. There wasn¡¯t a lot of gifts and the Large Rat that was the boss of the First Floor only dropped a Rat Tail Whip.

    There were no Uncommon Drops or even Common Drops. Was it because the Dungeon was weaker?

    No, it was because Sammy wasn¡¯t planning for the people to reach the surface. Why give them gifts if they weren¡¯t going to live? The Whip was only because they beat the boss. Now, however, their path to the surface was blocked by several Elite Skeletons. They all died screaming like pigs, and Sammy enjoyed it. These guys were ruining business, after all.

    These guys were only a secondary party and weren¡¯t the actual champions of the Clan, however, they would probably know what happened to them by now. Sammy sent a Rat to the outside and it came back expressing to him through the Pet/Owner communication that the survivors outside were gone! There were no bodies, and there was no blood, but there must have been some people that took the locals here away!

    Sammy was unaware that he didn¡¯t have to get involved, but he was being influenced not only by his connection to Andrew, but by some deeper and more powerful urge.

    His ego.

    The sole purpose of creating a separate Dungeon was to have more people enter and these bastards ruined his plans! When someone else ruins your plans, it¡¯s obvious that they need to be disciplined! Sammy went down to the Third Floor to ready his troops.

 Dungeon Delving 2/3

    ================

    Several Days Earlier

    ================

    Dani was ecstatic. She was easily able to eat enough to fill her stomach and thanks to the seeds in the Dungeon, they could finally grow crops! They used the GP they found to order weapons and tools.

    Dani was currently in the Dungeon along with someone she grew up with, Charlie. They had been hunting relentlessly this entire time and forgot to bring something to drink.

    ¡°Hey, Dan, you think those liquid things can be used?¡±

    ¡°As an acid or trap, maybe. But not for farming or consumption.¡±

    ¡°Geez, that is always on your mind, huh? Come on, just live a little. All you do is hunt or farm. Why not try and clear the Dungeon? We already know the boss is a giant rat, but we should easily defeat it!¡±

    ¡°No, not with just the two of us, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh bull. We can easily take on anything on this Floor by ourselves. Hm¡­I am thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you are lamer than your dad.¡±

    ¡°Hush. Just drink something.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­forgot my bottle.¡±

    ¡°Great, just awesome. The champion of the First Floor can take on anything¡­except thirst.¡±

    The slightly pudgy young man threw his hands up in resignation before spotting a puddle of liquid.

    ¡°Hey, you think this is safe to drink?¡±

    ¡°Ew, no. This is in a Dungeon run by the Undead, why would anything be safe?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­But I really am thirsty.¡±

    ¡°Just wait til we get back, you can survive a couple hours without water anyway.¡±

    Dani had turned around, heading back to the entrance when she heard a slurping noise.

    ¡°Gross!! What the hell? Charlie! What happened?!¡±

    She had turned around to see her friend writhing on the ground in pain, clutching his throat and trying to rip his throat apart, but he couldn¡¯t use his strength very well.

    ¡°No! No! NOO! Someone! Please!¡±

    Then he lay still.

    ¡°Noo¡­¡±

    Then an alert came up.

    ¡°Charlie Plithe has drunken a strange substance and died! Because he is the first to drink a Slime in the Region, he receives the Taken One for the Team Title!¡±

    Staring in shock, Dani saw Charlie transform into a puddle of ooze before he reformed into his previous shape.

    Several hours later, he awoke in the Dungeon with Dani sleeping off to the side.

    ¡°Mmm¡­Dani, what happened? Everything feels weird¡­uhh¡­I can see through my hand¡­is this water?!¡±

    ¡°Mm? Ah! Charlie! You¡¯re awake! I¡¯m so glad!¡±

    She went to hug him, but she immediately felt a sharp stinging pain that caused her to jerk away. The two stared at each other awkwardly before returning to the surface.

    The next day, Dani earned her Green Thumb Skill from raising the crops. But how was she to know that someone would put two and two together, after seeing her on Charlie¡¯s broadcast?

    The people of the Fast Fist Clan made their way to the little village and wanted to have complete access to the Dungeon they had. Of course, everyone tried to work things out, but the Clan members were not having any of it. They wanted all of it. They didn¡¯t want anyone else growing stronger in their Area.

    Several days later, the leader of the Fast Fists, Phillip, came by with his powerful people.

    Unable to hold them off, everyone decided to join the Clan. At least they would survive. It was when they arrived at their base when things took a shocking turn.

    The Clan members never removed their constraints and Charlie was getting dragged off. Phillip had grabbed Dani and started hauling her towards his tent.

    ¡°Charlie! Stop, what are you doing?! We joined you!¡±

    ¡°Not officially. Besides, I don¡¯t want weaklings or people that will disobey me. I also don¡¯t mind making an example of the people who want to intrude on our territory. Hehehe, and I am going to enjoy you.¡±

    ¡°NO! Charlie!¡±

    ¡°Dani! Don¡¯t worry, I am a Gelman! They can¡¯t hurt me! Hey, cut that out!¡±

    The two were separated and Phillip took Dani to take care of her. However, she used her Skill to create a barrier between the two of them whenever he got close. A wall of weeds popping up out of the ground didn¡¯t scare him off, it only made the glint in his eyes brighten.

    ¡°Hehehe, you will make a fine addition to my team. You just need to learn a little discipline. Men! Bring the parents!¡±

    ¡°NO! STOP! I BEG YOU!¡±

    ¡°Shut it, bitch! You had your chance on several occasions to listen, and now you have to deal with the consequences! Hasn¡¯t your daddy told you that?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re in the right! You¡¯re worse than the Undead!¡±

    ¡°You fucking skank! Shut the hell up before I kill every single person from the village! I don¡¯t need them, you know.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    He drew dangerously close to her face before a vine slapped his cheek.

    ¡°Whore! Where are they?!¡±

    He turned to the man that just entered his tent.

    ¡°Here, sir. What do you want us to do?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, let me at them.¡±

    He walked off after placing a couple of his special traps in front of Dani so she wouldn¡¯t run away. Phillip had already realized that Dani could only create those plants within a certain Area.

    ¡°So¡­this is your mommy? I can see where you get your beauty. Too bad she won¡¯t see you become a woman.¡±

    Then he plunged a dagger into Dani¡¯s mother, stopping her heart in an instant. Dani¡¯s father jumped up, ignoring his bindings and rushing at Phillip who placed a little gray disc on the ground. Her father stepped on it and a mouth seemed to come up out of the ground and swallow his lower half in one bite.

    ¡°NOOOOOOOO!!¡±

    ¡°Dani¡­be strong¡­¡±

    BANG!

    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t believe I wasted a bullet on such an idiot. He was going to die anyway, why not just wait a couple more minutes? Making me use one of my trump cards. Sheesh.¡±

    Dani wasn¡¯t paying attention, her tears were too distracting. She couldn¡¯t see and she didn¡¯t want to. Her parents had just died to a madman who wanted to sleep with her. No, to rape her and violate her. He didn¡¯t love her, he didn¡¯t have any real feelings for her, he was a monster that only wanted one thing¡­power.

    But at the moment Phillip came over to reach out for her, a man walked in.

    ¡°Sir! The guys we left back in the village have died! They were on their way back from the Dungeon when we lost them!¡±

    ¡°Damn! Are there any more of you?!¡±

    Phillip had reached over and grabbed Dani¡¯s face before she could react. Instead of answering, she just started crying out even louder.

    ¡°Shit, can¡¯t get anything from her right now. You guys go check it out. Leave, I am going to get us another member, hehehe.¡±

    ¡°Haha, yes sir!¡±

    The man who brought Dani¡¯s parents picked their bodies up and threw them outside where he flung some fire to burn them to ash. Then he too walked out, leaving the two of them alone.

    ¡°You know, when I saw that slime boy on the broadcast and saw you on there, I just knew I had to have you. And then I saw you on your own broadcast. Ooh¡­beautiful. Far better than any of these other sluts here in the apocalypse.¡±

    She shuddered and managed to ready herself. When he tried to reach out, she grabbed him using the plants but she was running out of SP.

    ¡°Why are you fighting? You have no more reason for this. Your boyfriend is dead, your parents are dead and soon all your friends will die as well. Why not just join my group? Then you won¡¯t have to die.¡±

    ¡°No! You are despicable! Go die sucking on a dick!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, such a dirty mouth. I¡¯m not sure I want to kiss that thing now. Bitch!¡±

    At that last word, Phillip had backhanded her, leaving a red hand print on her pale tearstained cheeks.

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s right! Scream! Yell some more! I love it!¡±

    It was at this moment that a shadow appeared outside the tent.

    ¡°Um, sir?¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

    The Skeletons are leaving the Dungeon!¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Show me.¡±

    Without even waiting, Phillip grabbed Dani¡¯s arm and yanked her out of the room after taking his traps. When he exited the tent and saw one of his men nearly pissing his pants, he tossed Dani to the ground and set up some traps in wait for the enemy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, bitch! You! Get back to the Dungeon entrance and stop them!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Phillip looked towards the direction of the graveyard when a voice stirred him from his thoughts. He looked over at the young woman, shaking on the ground.

    ¡°You will die a horrible death.¡±

    ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s do it right here. You are getting on my nerves.¡±

    ¡°Elp! Help!¡±

    With almost no effort, he shredded some of her shirt in one pull. It seemed that she didn¡¯t have any more strength to fight back. He grinned as he began to yank off her pants, holding her legs down.

    But just as he was about to take off his underpants, a loud explosion came from behind him.

    They were already here?!

    =========================================

    You can say that today is a double feature! Unfortunately, I have no idea when I can post the next one today. Probably in 12 hours at earliest¡­maybe latest? I don¡¯t know. Keep in mind that it¡¯s only 6 in the morning when I posted this.

 Dungeon Delving 3/3

    ====================

    Maybe Half an Hour Ago

    ====================

    After gathering all the Skeletons on the Third Floor, leaving enough for the Mimic to protect the lower levels, Sammy went up using the Skeleton¡¯s Dungeon. There were some adventurers on the First Floor that were surprised by the Skeletons walking away and became afraid when they saw the incoming army.

    Many tried to flee, but Archers and Gunners peppered their backs, making it to where they wouldn¡¯t rise ever again¡­alive, that is.

    No one was able to prepare for the onslaught of the Skeletons that appeared and it didn¡¯t take long for one of the only five Ability Users to appear. Without sparing a glance, Sammy left twenty Level 2 Skeletons to swarm the User but leave him alive. He needed the Skills, after all.

    Upon reaching the center of the little village the Clan had set up, Sammy noticed the several dozens of people tied up. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t find the two friendly Ability Users. One of them was the pretty girl, so he kind of expected to find her at the leader¡¯s tent. However, the other was a young man that tried drinking a Slime to see if it held water.

    He became a Gelman, a monster Slime with a Human¡¯s appearance. Fortunately, he earned his reward, so he had become something like a Variant after he died. The reward came from being the first in the Region, so Sammy had sent several Slimes to Andrew who made some more Gelmen, capable of retaining their memories. People payed a lot of GP to lose their Humanity.

    But that was beside the point. Even if they didn¡¯t become Human again, they still turned into Gelmen, so Sammy sent some Slimes to enter the bodies of the Clan members and watched them die by drowning. They flopped on the ground, mercilessly punching their stomachs and scratching at their throats to remove the foreign objects.

    He turned away to find the leader¡¯s tent, but noticed three more Ability Users. In the background, Sammy noticed a puddle of ooze, the same color as a Gelman. So they killed him. Then there must be a sixth Ability User here.

    Sammy was furious, not even paying attention to see which Users had which Skills. He sent the first one with the hacked off limbs to the Mimic to feed on while he had these three surrounded in an instant.

    The Guardians removed all escape plans and the fear could be seen on the Users¡¯ faces. They turned into silent screams as several Level 2 Skeletons were directly promoted to Level 3s. Their bodies became red and their presences became stronger.

    Sammy set out once more to find the tent, ignoring the Level 1s and 0s who were running around like chicken with their heads cut off. Not even five minutes had passed when a bright light illuminated the day time sky. It was a bright orange ball that spanned several yards across and emitted heat that one could feel from across a football field.

    So they have a Fire Mage.

    The Guardians got in place and stopped the small sun at the cost of two Level 2s. It wasn¡¯t much, but it still left Sammy with a pain in his empty chest. The Guardians knelt down, revealing the line of Archers and Gunners interspaced between each other. They released their shots at the Mage who couldn¡¯t deflect all of them.

    He died easily, one Gunner becoming a Skeletal Flame Shooter, a turret wielding Skeleton with red bones and shot wave after wave of flame bullets. Looks like Sammy found his boss for the Fourth Floor. Now the Mimic could move into another Dungeon and leave him alone.

    The Mimic was now Level 5 after killing that other Ability User, after all. There was an alert and everything. Of course, if he had thought about it, Sammy would have realized that he himself was technically Level 6 by now. He had his own Area and several Ability Users under his command!

    He was now on the same Level as Andrew!

    Well, not really. Andrew was close to having his fifth Region and Sammy hadn¡¯t but this small Area. Also, he was technically a subordinate to Andrew¡­

    But that was beside the point! For right there, standing behind the fallen corpse of the mage, stood the Clan leader! He had a torn shirt and looked like he suffered from bad self-esteem, with his trashy appearance and terrible choice in clothing. A wife beater and boxers made him look like a sleaze bag.

    Cowering behind him was a shivering girl with a ripped outfit. Thankfully, she was still dressed, but Sammy wasn¡¯t even paying attention. He pointed at the leader and the Flame Shooter unleashed his Fire Wave Skill. It couldn¡¯t use magic, but this was the Skill it had earned.

    All of the magic bullets were of the fire element and burned everything around the leader to ash, cornering him and driving him into a small circular disc on the floor.

    The next moment, two rows of small metal spikes clamped down on the leader¡¯s leg like a bear trap, the teeth biting clean through his muscles and bones, making him fall to the ground.

    He had gotten surprised by the flame and took a misstep, placing his foot directly on the trap he laid! How stupid! Well, Dani had actually moved it there using her plants, but that wasn¡¯t found out til later.

    Much to both the leader¡¯s and Sammy¡¯s surprise, the girl rushed forward, her tearful face changing into a face full of hatred. She sent a green whip at the man and it coiled around his neck, suffocating him to death. Tears continued to stream down her face while she did so.

    Aware that the trouble was over, Sammy began to go back to the Dungeon, but was stopped by the crying girl.

    ¡°Why?! Why are you leaving?!¡±

    ¡°Because I have a job to do.¡±

    He didn¡¯t really want to listen to her because she was too na?ve. She had spent her time using her plant Skill to help raise the crops nearby, but she never killed unless she wanted to eat. So she never went passed the First Floor.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Can you help us?¡±

    ¡°How? Help you to defeat me? No way. Get stronger by yourself.¡±

    He had conveniently forgotten when he himself relied on others. Oh how easy it was when you had power, wasn¡¯t it? But, he had a point. She did have power, she just chose not to use it. Because of her lack of actions, several people died, including her own mother and father who tried to protect her.

    She was filled with regret at her actions and desired to change that.

    Sammy was busy communicating into the monitor, but when he finished, he continued talking to Dani.

    ¡°The Lich Lord desires your services. Take some people with you and leave. This Mimic will go with you.¡±

    He promptly turned back around and left for the Dungeon, letting the red Skeleton with white clothes lead the way, guarded by ten Level 2 white Skeletons. The journey was quiet and uneventful, but upon arriving, the people were welcomed and gifted several GP to get started with their new lives.

    They could now survive!

    But Dani¡¯s job wasn¡¯t finished. She used to have the Florist Job, helping plants grow quickly, but now she could have the Trap Maker Job. This came from the previous Clan leader¡¯s Trap Creation Skill. Using the available materials, she could instantly craft a trap or mechanism. And combining that with the Job, her Traps would become even stronger.

    She was given the Southwest Tower and used her Green Thumb Skill and Trap Creation Skill to make living traps that were placed all around the Castle and even surrounding the Capital. She spent her days easily and without troubles, getting to know the other Tower Keepers who happened to be a young boy that acted and dressed like a girl and a beautiful mature lady that helped keep the Prison running smoothly.

    It was on one of these days that the three of them¡­no, make that six, since Andrew¡¯s mistress Rebecca and her daughter and adopted daughter joined them, talked.

    Their topic of conversation today was who they liked.

    It was obvious that Rebecca liked Andrew, much more than he actually knew, and Sarah was too young to understand. However, they all thought Lucy would have started to like Jeremy, the leader of the smaller Clan, but were surprised to hear that she liked Andrew, too. They just chalked it up to admiration, not actual feelings of love.

    Whenever Jane talked, it was always about Spot. She was obsessed, they quickly realized, so they shut her up before she could continue.

    ¡°Dani, do you have someone you like?¡±

    She thought long and hard, but could not come up with an idea. But, an image of a steadfast warrior who could easily sweep across the place, leaving nothing but ruins flashed in her mind. She was curious, seeing as how she never really got to know the Skeleton Commander back at the Dungeon, but she was disturbed even more so.

    Why an Undead?!

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said, shaking her head adamantly.

    ¡°Oh, for shame. Maybe, I can tell you about me and Spot, it may¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­¡±

    Soon, Sam spoke up.

    ¡°Is no one going to ask me?¡±

    Jane joked,

    ¡°There¡¯s a guy you like?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    The adults in the room strangely looked at each other, afraid to continue the conversation. The tomgirl looked to the side and saw his personal bodyguard, an average man with an average dagger strapped to his side. The man rolled his eyes and Sam stuck his tongue out.

    The ladies were all aghast with shock, but soon relaxed when Sam reached over and gave the figure next to him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°I like Cammie!¡± he cried.

    ¡°You do know that he¡¯s mine, right?¡±

    The man in the back couldn¡¯t help but retort.

    ¡°Poo! He will be mine eventually!¡±

    ¡°Yeah right, good luck.¡±

    A small smile flickered across the man¡¯s face before he stood at attention, mimicking the Dolls that lined the room.

    The ladies in the room couldn¡¯t help but awkwardly chuckle to each other¡­

 Second Road Trip

    My bad, I suck.

    ===========================

    It had been several weeks since Dani joined the Clan, and another month had come, bringing the State broadcast. It was obvious that Andrew was in the lead, but having Sammy and Sam both be in the Second and Third Places caused quite a shock.

    After that came the first Mimic, followed by Reese, Brandon, Renzo, Kuvali, Chris, and Damian.

    There were some mentions of others, such as Nemo and Buster, but also Ribcage, Scratch, and Cammie. It was sort of a running joke that Cammie was stronger than his owner, even though John himself was actually enjoying the attention.

    Only Andrew, Rebecca, Spot, and Reese knew of Ronald Royce¡¯s movement. He was cut off from the Clan and was resentful for it. He had proven to be a danger, sweeping across the nation and bringing chaos. Unfortunately, the group had no idea what the capabilities of his powers entailed.

    However, Clara Monti, the Spider Queen, was also making her way to Texas. She never returned messages and when some people were contacted, all they could hear was raspy breathing or strange crunching noises.

    Back at the Capital, David was talking with John.

    ¡°Hey, do you think it¡¯s her?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Spider Queen! She must be that famous singer, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only listen to rock...maybe some orchestral stuff.¡±

    ¡°No, man¡­she sings pop and plays the piano. To be honest, if it¡¯s her, I would be too nervous to talk to her.¡±

    ¡°You do know that you¡¯re the most talkative guy here, right? And that¡¯s being compared to Andrew.¡±

    ¡°I heard that!¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Andrew himself walked over and handed some papers to the two. The papers were lists of things to request for an excursion.

    ¡°I want you guys to set up a group in case Clara wants to fight. I doubt it, but just in case, you know? Anyways, it was supposed to just be David, but you happen to be here¡­Bill?¡±

    ¡°John.¡±

    ¡°Right, that. Anyways, have fun.¡±

    The simple looking man turned to the young man with sideburns and spiky hair.

    ¡°Hey, do you think he¡¯s doing it on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he has a lot of names he is supposed to remember. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Who and what should we bring?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­if she is the singer, we will need to bring something comfortable, not that rickety wagon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only rickety because you go too fast in it.¡±

    ¡°Please, a vehicle needs to be comfortable no matter what speed it goes.¡±

    ¡°So what do you suggest? We also need to make sure we can set up some good guards or scouts.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­but they can¡¯t get in the way of Miss Monti. She is a celebrity, not a prisoner.¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, do we have to make you her assistant?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Just making sure she has no problems! Don¡¯t want any misunderstandings to happen!¡±

    ¡®Wow, this guy¡¯s a tool,¡¯ John thought.

    =========================================

    Several days passed and the two were surrounded by 50 Elite Skeletons and driving a bus to transport the newcomer.

    On their way, they cleared the highway of empty cars while also siphoning fuel. They sent some of the Skeletons to scout the vehicles for any goodies. Along the way, they found a portable radio that still had some battery power in it!

    They didn¡¯t have a cd port for the bus they were using.

    ¡°Hehehe, here, hear this!¡±

    ¡°What, you kept one of her albums on you this entire time?¡±

    ¡°Why not? Some people have pictures of their families, I kept my favorite idol¡¯s bestselling cd.¡±

    Soon, a rhythmical melody filled the air and a beautiful voice accompanied by a piano blared out loud for the whole road to hear. The Skeletons seemed to even jerk or tap their feet every now and then.

    Chuckling at the funny sight, John couldn¡¯t help but feel something was weird about the music.

    ¡°Hey, I think I heard this before.¡±

    ¡°Duh, it was in the number one spot recently.¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­the piano part. Where have I heard that?¡±

    ¡°What, was it some symphony or something?¡±

    ¡°No¡­more modern.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I thought you said that you listened to classical.¡±

    ¡°Kinda, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I was listening to dead guys¡¯ music. I attended some modern bands and orchestras before the apocalypse. I played a mean trombone back in my high school¡¯s jazz ensemble.¡±

    ¡°Pbbt¡­what a dork.¡±

    ¡°Please, like your obsession for a girl you would probably never have laid eyes on before the apocalypse is any better.¡±

    ¡°But at least I get to see her now.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Stay optimistic.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. You are just jealous.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The two kept bickering for a while, and then a new song started, although David reached over and skipped it.

    ¡°What was that for?¡±

    ¡°It was just her piano solo. She left it in as a sort of reminder of how she came to be famous, but it¡¯s boring. Heck, I bet you¡¯d like it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, go ahead and play it.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°When the piano started, John was completely shocked. He had definitely heard this before! But where? The song from start to finish never had any vocals, editing, or accompanying sounds. It was just the piano.

    ¡°So where did this Clara Monti come from?¡±

    ¡°Well, she actually started here in Texas, apparently. She grew up playing the piano and pretty much being really talented at it. She wasn¡¯t a genius, but she was good for her age.¡±

    John patiently listened, since there was nothing else to do as the Skeletons cleared the way, separating the oil and fuel into their respective containers.

    ¡°She wanted to attend an Academy for music and arts, but her father became ill so she took time off to take care of him. It was then found out that he had terminal cancer, and he didn¡¯t have much time.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°But, it was curable.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Do you even know what terminal illness means?¡±

    ¡°Really bad, right?¡±

    ¡°No, that means incurable, you moron!¡±

    ¡°Oh. But it was really bad cancer!¡±

    ¡°I get that now¡­¡±

    ¡°So she decided to work wherever she could in order to pay for her father¡¯s surgery. She started off in small clubs, taking gigs and such. From there, a producer saw her and helped her get to a higher place. Now she¡¯s an idol!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s not what she wanted. Did her father get cured?¡±

    ¡°I think so. I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡±

    ¡°You are a grade A idiot.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you. I like her for her music, not her past.¡±

    ¡°That might sound good if she had a bad past, but if you don¡¯t care about her sad past¡­then you are a jerk.¡±

    David went quiet, choosing to ignore John.

    However, that only lasted five minutes.

    ¡°So did you figure out where you heard the music?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Several months ago, I wanted to set up a gig, but the guy in charge of the bar said he already had several nights booked. I wanted to go complain to the person, but they were up on stage already, warming up. So, I decided to wait and listen. Couldn¡¯t hurt, right?¡±

    ¡°No, but if it were me, I might have just gone to another club.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, no you wouldn¡¯t. She was beautiful, you might have tried jumping into her pants, or something. I am guessing she¡¯s your idol. She looked better without all the lights and make up,¡± John said while tapping the cover art of the album.

    David widened his eyes in surprise.

    ¡°So you actually met her?! What was she like?!¡±

    ¡°Well, she was quiet and didn¡¯t want to talk all that much. When she finished, most people were either nodding off or ignoring her. However, I decided that it was great. Just not for clubbing.¡±

    ¡°True, her piano solo is boring.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a lullaby. So I worked with her to ¡®jazz¡¯ it up a little. She started practicing her syncopation and liveliness.¡±

    ¡°Sink oh what?¡±

    ¡°Just know that it¡¯s a style of music. She started enjoying herself as she managed to draw in some more listeners. I had finally convinced her to let me play as well, but the next night she was gone.¡±

    ¡°Damn, you got stood up! Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°I guess that was when she got picked up by her producer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that makes sense! That¡¯s pretty cool, how you set up her career. I guess I have to thank you.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­if this is her, then I think you might be in for a shock.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Look.¡±

    From their view, it looked like the ground was moving. Kind of like that hazy shimmering you see on hot days over the asphalt. However, these were not mirages.

    ¡°Dude?! What the fuck?! Are those all spiders?!¡±

    ¡°Seems like it.¡±

    They were at the bottom of a not so steep slope so when the ground started to shake, they had no idea what was causing it.

    ¡°Is that the spiders¡¯ doing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but according to the Radar, Clara is just about to come over the hill.¡±

    They saw a ghostly figure wearing a white nightgown and long dry hair with little spiders crawling here and there. Then, the figure began to rise above the hill, but that was because she was riding a massive spider!

    ¡°Dude¡­I think I¡¯m going to have nightmares¡­¡±

    ¡°Same here, David¡­same here¡­¡±

 Spider Dance 1/3

    ¡°Well¡­let¡¯s go roll out the red carpet.¡±

    ¡°You actually got some red carpet? I thought you were teasing me about me becoming her assistant.¡±

    ¡°I was. It was just an expression, moron.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    The two calmly got off the bus and watched as the many spiders came in like waves, almost as if they weren¡¯t going to stop. Yet, at about 20 feet away, the spiders did indeed stop and made way for the car-sized spider.

    ¡°Dude¡­it is her.¡±

    ¡°I know, I have seen her as well, remember?¡±

    ¡°Miss Clara Monti! I am a big fan!¡±

    ¡°You idiot! Calm down!¡±

    The young lady waited for the spider to bend down before she stepped off. She was barefoot and she looked as if she was starving or extremely sick. Because she was close, John realized that the nightgown wasn¡¯t a nightgown but a really plain dress. It looked to be made of really a thick thread that also seemed really comfortable.

    What probably unnerved them the most was the multiple spiders crawling all over her body and in her dry and flaky hair.

    She never said a word, but John realized she kept looking at him before quickly looking away.

    ¡°Hah¡­ so you are still so shy. I thought after becoming a celebrity that would change. Oh well. If you remember me, I¡¯m John. This is David, a really big fan of yours.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Sit, boy.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Don¡¯t treat me like a dog!¡±

    ¡°Whatever, you are freaking her out.¡±

    It was true since the girl was shivering. She back stepped a little and sat back down on the big spider¡¯s head.

    No, she wasn¡¯t scared, she was really weak.

    ¡°Do you need some food or water? We have enough to share. Here.¡±

    John handed a roll and a water bottle, which she happily took. Unfortunately, her face was mostly hidden by her long and unkempt hair.

    ¡°Do you need anything else? If you are ready, we can go ahead and return. We didn¡¯t expect to see you so soon, after all.¡±

    ¡°Dude, just wait, she needs to rest.¡±

    ¡°She can rest. But the faster we return to the base, the better.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Soon, everyone¡¯s monitors rang, signaling alerts.

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°Oh no! It seems the Undead Clan has made contact with more reinforcements! If you can, try and stop them from making it to the Capital! If so, you might get some really good gifts!¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s not good.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Clara, do you want to sit in the bus? It will be safer.¡±

    She nodded and a spider the size of a dog jumped up from the wave of spiders to sit on her shoulder. She was about to get up when she started wobbling. John quickly rushed over and caught her, holding her hand and helping her get to the bus where she sat down and patiently waited.

    David was wondering if he could have done that but realized he needed to get the bus moving.

    ¡°No, you might need to fight. I need Cammie to turn invisible and he¡¯s back at the Capital. Sam wouldn¡¯t let him leave.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, he was really upset that you were leaving.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been me, he really likes Cammie.¡±

    ¡°Sure. But okay, I will be ready to fight.¡±

    As they started driving off, several spiders as big as dogs jumped on the bus. The small spiders were Level 0s, but the dog sized ones were Level 1. There were spiders as big as horses that were Level 2, and then two more car-sized spiders walked over. These were Level 3s!

    *whistles* ¡°Damn, you have made some amazing friends, Miss Monti.¡±

    She never said a word and just silently sat still.

    David kept trying to get her to talk, but she wouldn¡¯t respond or give him acknowledgment. He was actually getting a little angry but stopped himself since she was his idol.

    John merely laughed at the scene of someone shutting David up.

    ¡°David, I see some people on the Radar. To the left.¡±

    ¡°Right, on it.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Without even slowing down, John opened the door and David jumped out, landing easily on the ground surrounded by hundreds of large spiders. Several Skeletons followed him, but they actually jumped on some of the Level 2 Spiders before continuing.

    One even transformed into a Skeleton Rider, gaining some easy maneuverable abilities. This Level 3 and Level 2 Combo easily led the other Skeletons and Spiders to ward off the enemies.

    Back in the bus, there was only the ranged Skeletons, Clara, John, and a dog-sized Spider.

    ¡°Hehe, he can be pretty annoying, just know that he doesn¡¯t mean anything by it. Hey, how¡¯s your dad?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m sorry, I just wanted to know if you got what you wanted.¡±

    Instead of saying anything, she nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I heard some of your latest music. It¡¯s not bad and I don¡¯t even like pop all that much.¡±

    It could have been a trick, but John could have sworn he saw a flash of a smile behind her bangs.

    The Spider was moving around the bus, crawling on the chairs and even the ceiling, moving its mandibles and stabbing its hairy legs into the cushions, trying to find a comfortable spot to sit.

    Crunch.

    ¡°Uh¡­what was that?¡±

    Crunch.

    ¡°Is that you, Clara?¡±

    He looked back to see Clara eating something so he turned back around. Then he realized she had already eaten the bread.

    ¡°Clara, what are you eating?¡±

    Then he saw something really gross. She picked up one of the little spiders on her dress and threw it into her mouth while it was still alive, the crunching sound filling the bus.

    ¡°Urp¡­are they¡­tasty?¡±

    She shook her head no.

    ¡°Then why eat them?¡±

    Then it dawned on him. She must have had a hard time finding food. So she had to eat whatever she could find. She had been traveling all this time from California¡­so what did she eat along the way?!

    John almost got sick, but he held it in. He knew that people changed after the apocalypse, but Clara hadn¡¯t completely changed. She just had to eat something to survive. Unfortunately, it became a habit.

    ¡°But¡­you used to be afraid of spiders, right?¡±

    She didn¡¯t move for a while, but then she slowly nodded, her hair blocking her face. However, John saw the small movements of her shoulders and her head. She was probably back in that place where she was starving and couldn¡¯t find food.

    She was afraid of spiders and had to overcome that fear in order to survive. Now, she was surrounded by spiders and had a bad habit of snacking on spiders. Hopefully, the others could somehow help her out. She needed to eat real food or else she would get sick.

    John began to focus on the road again, but since they cleared the road, he didn¡¯t have to worry about traffic. Unfortunately, more people were appearing on the monitor. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a slight breeze and saw black lines in front of him. One of these lines had a small wolf spider looking at him with all of its eyes.

    He almost wrecked the bus, but quickly realized it was Clara looking over to the right of the highway. Then, the rest of the spiders went that way.

    So David and the Skeletons took the left and the Spiders took the right. Their drive was going easy when a line of people appeared before them.

    John had gained quite a bit of new GP and realized he had a way with animals. So he spent his luck on another Companion. This time, he got a Blood Beetle. They were capable of shrinking down to the size of blood cells and entering the owner¡¯s body, increasing their abilities.

    However, they could also exit the body and grow back to normal size, as a form of attack against enemies. He had bought another at the cost of 500 GP and already had several hundred Blood Beetles. Because of his unusual affinity with animals, he gained the Animal Enthusiast Job.

    Probably the best part of this Job is the Boost his Pets get and the Boost he gets from his Pets. His Beetles flew out the door, shining a bright scarlet. They stormed at the enemy, burrowing into their skin and draining their blood.

    Some of the Beetles Leveled Up after killing some of the Ability Users, bringing them to Level 2.

    Clara stared on in fascination, watching the group of bugs that looked like a blood mist.

    ¡°Hey, do you want a piano when we get to the Capital? I¡¯m sure Andrew wouldn¡¯t mind. He played in his band as well.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything, but John was definitely sure he saw her smile as she nodded.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going! If this pace keeps up, then we can make it by tomorrow night!¡±

    Crunch.

    ¡°Uhh¡­could you not eat right in my ear? I feel kind of sick, now.¡±

 Spider Dance 2/3

    ¡°Are you still hungry?¡±

    Clara shook her head no to John¡¯s question. She was still snacking on the tiny spiders that neared her face, but she had stood back a bit so as to not make him sick.

    ¡°So¡­just nervous?¡±

    She slowly nodded.

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like anything completely bad is about to happen. We have loads of Level 3s and then there¡¯s the three of us. I doubt anything would threaten our lives out here.¡±

    David radioed in, his voice frantic and desperate.

    ¡°TANK!¡±

    BOOM!

    Several Skeletons were instantly shattered, causing the two on the bus to go wide-eyed in astonishment.

    ¡°Damn! And I don¡¯t have Cammie here to help!¡±

    John furiously turned the handle, causing the bus to swerve to the right, angling towards the shoulder of the road, intending to flee.

    However, there were several lines of men with guns and uniforms. It seemed the military was finally making their move.

    ¡°David, come to this side! The Skeletons will fare better against the soldiers! Clara, send your spiders to attack the tank! It¡¯s too slow to react in time and hopefully, they can stall it long enough for us to get out of here!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Even though she didn¡¯t say anything, Clara¡¯s determined look was seen in the rear view mirror. John flashed a quick grin before he issued more orders.

    ¡°Alright, guys! Let¡¯s unload on them!¡±

    The Skeletons on the bus all got on the right side, facing the soldiers. They let loose, causing several casualties in an instant. The regular armor they had could not stand against the powered up weaponry the Level 3 Skeletons had.

    The spiders scuttled over to the tank, forcing a man to exit the vehicle to burn the spiders off. However, all it took was a couple of Level 0s to infiltrate and the tank was in chaos. Several of the dog-sized spiders rushed forward, advancing into the tank and attacking the soldiers within.

    Screams could be heard from inside as David used the horse sized spiders to charge against the soldiers. Using his Taunt Combo, he gave the Skeletons enough time to get close enough to strike blows. What little plan the army had in place was negated by the overpowered abilities of the Monsters and Undead.

    But¡­the bus that John and Clara were on was a massive target, receiving bullet spray after bullet spray. Only a couple of moments had passed before their tires were out, not letting them get enough traction to drive on the grass.

    The two had to exit, bringing the long range Skeletons as well. One of the car-sized spiders came forward and picked Clara up, allowing her to easily see the battlefield. There weren¡¯t that many men left, and some of them had started to use magic.

    Of course, they probably didn¡¯t have enough MP to barrage the Skeletons, but it did give them an edge and several more Skeletons had fallen, along with their Spider Mounts.

    Then, a massive man with a handlebar mustache and mutton-chop sideburns stepped forward, carrying a small book. He opened the book and placed his hand forward, a strange circle appearing before him. The circle began to fill with strange markings and started to look like a sigil.

    ¡°Followers of Wrath, heed my call! Cast these heathens into Purgatory and burn them for Eternity!¡±

    A huge flame wave descended onto the Skeletons, incinerating them into ash. David high-tailed it out of there, running for his life. The other two followed him into the nearby buildings on the side of the road. All they had were the long range Skeletons and the larger Spiders.

    Or so the men thought.

    By the time they reached a place to hide, in a children¡¯s pizza playhouse, John and David realized there were still a lot of small Level 0 Spiders following them.

    ¡°Hah¡­hah¡­Where did they come from?¡± David asked, still tired from all the running.

    All Clara did was point to one of the giant spiders. Underneath its massive abdomen, there was a small white sack. An egg sac?!

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re alive. We are about a day¡¯s walk away from the nearest outpost, so we need to figure out how to get there. I called Andrew on our way so we have several choices.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, what are they?¡±

    ¡°We can go fight them.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    A passionate head shaking came from the spider girl.

    ¡°We can try and outrun them.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad.¡±

    More head shaking.

    ¡°We can sit here and wait.¡±

    ¡°I like that idea.¡±

    Even more head shaking, probably even more so than before.

    ¡°And then we can lay some traps and take these guys by surprise.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­I am not so good at that stuff¡­that¡¯s Chance¡¯s area of expertise.¡±

    This time, Clara nodded in reply to John¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°She¡¯s right. We can sit and wait, but if that fire guy comes back, then we are sitting ducks. We should set some traps.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡­do not know.¡±

    Clara reached forward, pulling a piece of string from her palm as if it was attached!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­webbing?!¡±

    ¡°We can use this. Alright! Here¡¯s the plan¡­¡±

    =============================

    This was easy. Sure, he had already lost some men, but no one can handle Jack Milo¡¯s Arcane Spells! As an Arcane Spellcaster, Jack was able to quickly rise in the ranks to the position of General. He had lied in wait for this moment, ever since he saw that idiot on the broadcast.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    When he received the order to not mess with them unless notified to, Jack couldn¡¯t stand it! How come he gets the attention? How come he gets the hot demon chick? Sure, he wouldn¡¯t actually do her now, but he had seen what Rebecca used to look like and she was hot!

    How could Jack just let the guy receive more pretty ladies into his Clan?!

    Jack wasn¡¯t a pervert, he was a gentleman! It hurt him to see such beautiful women subjected to live like servants to the Lich Lord! So he thought, ¡®Why if I come to save the day, I could appear like their knight in shining armor!¡¯

    He had about twenty men left, and three were sent back to commandeer the tank. He needed it to get rid of those two lackeys of the Lich Lord. He knew that Clara Monti, the pop star, was the Spider Queen, so it was upsetting to kill her Units. But he decided to keep an eye on the monitor in case they split up to lay a trap.

    They did!

    Jack and five of his men walked into the old Chuck E. Cheese¡¯s that was covered in cobwebs. This must be where Clara was hiding. Why did they leave her alone? Were those guys that cowardly to run off without saving the woman?

    Did they plan to use her as bait?! What kind of man were they?!

    He noticed there were several creepy shadows being created thanks to the cobwebs, but it almost seemed as if something was moving in the back.

    When Jack went to look at the Radar, he was upset to find that the surroundings were hazy! He was in someone else¡¯s Domain! He decided to find the main office to locate the cameras, but when he looked at the screen¡­

    There was no power. Duh.

    Slamming his palm against his forehead, he turned to go back out of the room. Unfortunately, he discovered too late that he was alone! Where was everyone?! How come he didn¡¯t notice?!

    Well, he¡¯s an idiot that was too absorbed in his fantasies to realize that he was walking into a trap.

    Against anyone else¡¯s better judgment, Jack walked back into the main building and started to search around for the whereabouts of whoever it was that was in this building. His dumb assumption that Clara was a possible ally blinded him into thinking it was one of the other guys.

    However, he was correct!

    What kind of guy would let the only girl be bait? (David)

    What kind of guy would actually think of making it seem like she was bait but actually be the bait himself? (John)

    What kind of guy would be so idiotic that he was actually correct? (Jack)

    And so when he spotted a flying red beetle, Jack¡¯s face instantly grinned.

    ¡°Hahaha! Good! Burn, Ember Flare!¡±

    This time, a small fire sphere was summoned. Jack flicked it towards the beetle and let the surroundings catch fire as he calmly walked back outside¡­

    Into a very obvious trap.

    John wasn¡¯t about to let his prey escape, so when the six men had entered the building, he had left several Blood Beetles there to deal with any stragglers.

    Before Jack could sound off another incantation, his innards were sucked dry and he passed on. Too bad, he didn''t even get to regret his poor actions.

    Outside, David had Taunted the tank and let one of the giant spiders drop an entire egg sac inside, much to the soldiers¡¯ fears.

    The others were all taken care of by Clara¡¯s horror act. The guys weren¡¯t ready for that kind of shock and passed out. They became spider food after she tied them up using her thread.

    But back in the kids¡¯ crack house, John was rushing to exit the burning building. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t going to explode or anything.

    One of his Beetles had become an Arcane Beetle, making it bigger and have sigils on it. It sported higher magic power and could also make Arcane Beetle babies.

    John felt a slight tingling sensation on his ass cheeks, but it must have been from his awesome escape. He saw David and Clara walk up and stare in awe at the burning building behind him.

    So he turned around to view it as well when he heard David cry out,

    ¡°Whoa! Put some new pants on!¡±

    John turned back around before looking down. Not seeing anything wrong, he slowly turned back around again, asking what was wrong.

    ¡°The ass part of your pants are gone!¡±

    ¡°Oops...¡±

    ¡°Pfffft HAHAHA *snort* Hahaha! Hah¡­hah¡­Haha!...¡±

    ¡°Uhh, Miss Monti? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s another thing I forgot to mention.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°She absolutely loves toilet humor.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    John had bent down, searching the area for something to cover his bare bottom as he continued.

    ¡°Tell her a fart joke, she¡¯ll love it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How do you know that?¡±

    *snort* ¡°Haha¡­here¡­hah¡­¡±

    ¡°Dude, she¡¯s still laughing.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    John took the white piece of cloth from Clara and wrapped it around himself like a towel.

    Seeing her pathetic snorting and laughing like a little kid actually warmed him up. This entire time she hadn¡¯t said so much as a word, but say something butt related and she went hysterical.

    If he hadn¡¯t had accidently passed gas that one time, he would have never known.

    David stared in bewilderment at the person he admired while John sent the Skeletons to search the area for goods or something to help them out.

    Besides the tank, of course.

 Spider Dance 3/3

    Now it was time for the three of them to return to the Capital. They wanted to use the tank the entire way but didn¡¯t have the fuel for it. They instead dropped it off at the nearest outpost. They used the fuel they scrounged up to power a nearby SUV and drive the rest of the way back.

    The soldiers hadn¡¯t gone through the bus in search of loot because their leader was a moron. Or it could have been that they thought there was a trap on board. Either way, everything was as they left it.

    The Skeletons were tasked with delivering the corpses and searching for more supplies that may have been brought by the soldiers, but there was nothing. Any GP, Resources, or Tickets on them would disappear, never to be seen again.

    The members of the Undead Clan didn¡¯t care, so they would take care of anyone that attacked them without mercy. Plus, when Andrew would raise them, he would receive a way to Level Up his Skills and Spells. It worked out well this way.

    The only problem was now the military. Of course, the Variants down south and the Gamer to the north were distant compared to the army.

    But not by much.

    After the ice was broken, Clara was more ready to communicate. She also ate real food and looked a lot better already. At one point, John and Clara were talking about music and left David floundering for a chance to enter the conversation as well.

    Too bad.

    She looked a lot better, but she also sounded better. If it weren¡¯t for the spiders, she would look like a fragile lady who was out on a trip to the beach in her sundress.

    David was having a hard time actually getting a word in edgewise. He ended up quitting and just followed along. There weren¡¯t any other problems and they all eventually made it back to the Capital.

    When Andrew heard that Clara wanted a piano, he went and grabbed all sorts of instruments. But when both John and Andrew grabbed trombones, Andrew quickly switched to a trumpet. Unfortunately, it was just the three of them that played in a band. Reese and his pals were spread out, so even if they played in a rock band, they wouldn¡¯t be able to show up.

    The trio goofed off and held a sort of show, inviting all the nearby people to participate in a Talent Show style competition.

    What made the whole thing more enjoyable was when the System made an Event later with rewards and everything. The big thing about it was it involved the entire globe! There were several locations around the world dedicated to being Talent Zones. Each Talent Zone had a corresponding timeframe to it.

    For example, everyone had three days to figure their talent out before one place, somewhere in Argentina, started off. Once the people there were finished, anybody watching could place their votes. And after Argentina was finished, the next Talent Zone would go. There were even three cartoonish judges that happened to be Fairies in disguise.

    Well, two Fairies and one Pixie.

    The Fairies belonged to the Heroine and the Farmer while the Pixie was Navi! She ended up being forced to wear a blue costume, looking exactly like her namesake, much to the people¡¯s enjoyment. Andrew and Co. didn¡¯t know exactly how it worked, but while the Event was going on, Andrew could not call out Navi.

    It wasn¡¯t bad, some people danced, some people performed skits. It was a fun experience to watch these survivors compete during the apocalypse. Most were in it for the reward, but those from the Undead Clan were more for the fun of it. They set up a magnificent stage for the Talent Zone, with lights and speakers and everything.

    They had plenty of time to prepare and practice since they were actually last. Everyone was pushing for their best because the whole world would be watching.

    In that time frame, the trio of John, Andrew, and Clara grew to include Rebecca and the little girls with clapping or tambourines, Brandon on drums, Reese on an acoustic guitar, Kuvali with a strange wooden flute, and Renzo with a shamisen.

    Andrew was having some few choice words with everyone when they came to join.

    ¡°Okay, I can understand the clapping or the drums, maybe even the guitar, but how are you even going to play a flute without a mouth, Kuvali? And how is a shamisen going to fit with the sounds of these other instruments?¡±

    Renzo was surprisingly passionate.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make it work.¡±

    Kuvali didn¡¯t say anything, but he used the shadow form into a mouth which started playing the stick shaped long flute. Andrew couldn¡¯t tell if it sounded like a didgeridoo or something else. It took everyone the entire time to figure what it would sound like, but everyone was having some fun with it, which was nice.

    Andrew was waiting for everything to blow up, but everyone kind of realized they all suck so it fell to the actual people who knew how to play. That meant John, Clara, Renzo, and Brandon, surprisingly.

    The song was built on Renzo first, then supplemented by the drums, giving the others a good beat to work with. Reese ended up switching to a bass, playing an underlining tone that helped keep the tempo slow, almost as if it was competing with the drums who wanted to keep the tempo up. Rebecca and the girls were mostly decoration, but that led to an amazing idea.

    Sam wanted to join in, but that would mean he would have to leave¡­so they videotaped his Dolls dancing and played them on some large screens behind the group. Andrew wasn¡¯t gifted at the trumpet, but at least he knew his way around. He played a sort of accent, or like a callback to the main trombone part.

    Clara was the core of the group, her playing was always the thing everyone listened to so they could figure out where they were. This meant no one was playing over each other, so when a solo came up, it was easy to pick out. It was unsure what Kuvali¡¯s job was in all of it, but he managed to somehow fit in well enough.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Finally, the day of their Talent Show was upon them. They decided to break the ice as the opening group so everyone else that followed would be more comfortable.

    As everyone was tuning their instruments, John looked over and saw Clara crying.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I wish my father could actually have seen one of my concerts.¡±

    ¡°What? I thought you said he came out of the surgery okay.¡±

    ¡°He did¡­then the zombies came. I had just received the confirmation that he was out when there were screams on the other end¡­then it stopped.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shit.¡±

    Completely disregarding the upcoming Event, John went and consoled Clara who went back to her silent self as tears fell down her face. She had finally succeeded in helping her father get better, and then he died! It wasn¡¯t her fault, so she had no idea who to get angry at.

    It was at this time when several of the Undead came by to see if anything was needed, like water or a towel for sweat. But the Undead that came to Clara made her gasp in shock.

    ¡°¡­Father?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to tell you. I knew who he was since he still had his bracelet on his wrist when I received his corpse.¡±

    Andrew had walked up and placed his hand on the shoulder of Clara¡¯s dad.

    ¡°Hey, should I have left you dead?¡±

    Then, the Undead spoke. His voice wasn¡¯t raspy like most other Zombies, but he did have a slight gravelly sound in there. The weird part was that the Undead wasn''t even robotic, Andrew had given the man his self back!

    ¡°Naw, now I can finally see my daughter¡¯s playing.¡±

    ¡°Andrew¡­what the shit?!¡±

    Not only Clara, John was shocked! This came out of left field!

    ¡°Heh, I know, save your applause. I am an awesome guy.¡±

    He held his arms out in mock self-appraise, but when Clara stood up and rushed in his direction, he was immediately surprised! He didn¡¯t budge, but he didn¡¯t have to worry since Clara wasn¡¯t going to hug him.

    ¡°Father! I missed you!¡±

    As the two hugged each other, Andrew recovered and walked back to the front of the stage, where it had gotten really quiet.

    ¡°My friends, my comrades! We are here today to express our joy in still being with those we love! I want to dedicate this piece to Miss Clara Monti and her father, William Monti! Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t screw it up!¡±

    He leaned over and pretended it was some sort of secret with the audience, which made some of the people chuckle. Clara¡¯s father pulled her in for another hug before returning back to the edge of the stage to watch.

    Clara wiped her tears and her previously depressed face was still teary, but now it was enlivened with a gentle smile.

    All in all, the song went well, except for when Andrew got too into it and blasted a note really loud.

    After the song was already over.

    And everyone was walking offstage.

    ¡°Heh, couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    Everyone clapped, but by the end of the night, it was clear they didn¡¯t win first place. That went to Damian and Chance¡¯s knife throwing party/fight where someone almost died but it was on purpose and stuff. Everyone went crazy from the spectacle and Renzo almost went up to crash it with his sword.

    He wasn¡¯t happy that he didn¡¯t get first. However, at one point, John and Clara went up again, but for a duo. Brandon had never left the stage since his drumming added to the effect. He was the busiest out of everyone, apparently.

    This piece was far better than their first one, and everyone stood up to cheer for them. They had actually gotten second place for their efforts. Renzo wanted to go up, but there were no more openings.

    Unfortunately, the big group didn¡¯t even get fifth place, but they went back up to the stage and kept playing different music even after the Event was over. There was no end to the night since Andrew made it a celebration for having all of the Undead Clan in one place.

    But¡­soon Andrew was going to have to figure out what to do with the ever-irritating government. It was about time he did something.

    It was just a matter of what that something was¡­

 Rewards From Tribulations

    Several things happened over the next month. Sam found out that his Domain was growing, meaning more of the Castle was becoming ¡®alive¡¯ thanks to his power. Dani could create strange plant monsters that could move around on their own. Several of Jane¡¯s soldiers became powerful, due to hunting dangerous criminals or Beasts. Even Clara had her Spiders everywhere. One of them even became Level 4, growing to a size similar to the tank!

    Andrew increased the power of his Spells, while John focused on breeding his Beetles and Leveling Up Cammie. David, Chance, and Spot focused on their strategies, becoming better at leading their forces. Lucy could now hit the bullseye without using her Luck bar, and an available doctor assisted Sarah to learn some things about helping people who are hurt.

    Rebecca was not really practicing her powers, but instead focused on things a mom or wife would do. She fixed food for her family, helped Andrew relax, and was more of a cheerleader. Jeremy had come by more often but soon had to stop since he was having a problem with a massive Undead snake they found.

    Sammy was focused on his Dungeon, and even created a third entrance, separating the Rats and Slimes. The other several Dungeons were coming along, but they had to be controlled by a powerful and intelligent Undead. The Amigos gained a following ever since they started the Constructor¡¯s Guild. They taught others how to build or craft, increasing the amount of labor at their disposal.

    The Undead Clan had managed to pretty much take over three more Regions, meaning Andrew now had eight. There were still some slight skirmishes here and there, but there was nothing the Elites couldn¡¯t handle. Plus, the Mimics began being created randomly amongst the newly raised.

    These Mimics were sent on a journey like Nemo and Buster, pretty much raking in the GP for Andrew. They may not have had the Necromancer Job, but they could at least lead other Skeletons around. It wouldn¡¯t take long for Andrew to Rank Up as a Noble.

    The Undead Beasts that made up the courier system Andrew put in place were actually earning GP for successful Quests. It was weird since they weren¡¯t supposed to be rewarded. It seems the System was changing, giving anybody who completes Quests GP. Now, more people were interested in helping out around the place.

    Several Heroes popped up, helping defend their local Area, but the best place to find Heroes was where Renzo and Damian stayed. They had eventually grown so big that they had to split up, but that mattered little.

    Renzo taught his civilians how to protect themselves, opening a dojo and letting the three sisters help run it. On the other end of the spectrum, Damian taught some of his people how to kill or assassinate someone. Not like a ninja, but like a hitman. Once these people passed training, they were actually given jobs as bodyguards for travelers or important people.

    Renzo was currently practicing his kenjutsu when an alert appeared. He had long ago reached Level 4, so he was already more physical than before, but this was to alert him and others that he had reached Level 5!

    ¡°Wow! The powerful Electromancer has had another of his amazing students obtain an Ability! This amazing Sensei has made another great contribution to the Undead Clan!¡±

    ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s about time. Reese and Brandon have already reached this Level.¡±

    His body began to brighten, just like last time, and the time before that. However, he noticed that his body had finally returned to the world! He was no longer a Phantom!

    He was now a Celestial Being!

    His skin was slightly yellow, but that was fine. He now had a tattoo of a Lung Dragon coiled around his back and a glittering yellow kimono that looked to be made of gold. His sword glistened with static and Renzo could tell he had reached a new Level of strength without needing to even test it.

    He compared his change to Brandon¡¯s and Reese¡¯s but was slightly disappointed. It was true that once becoming Level 5 was like reaching the limit of normal humans, but becoming Human was not really what he wanted. Sure, it made combat easy, but he would still have Humanity¡¯s weakness as well.

    Or so he thought.

    He was now able to phase in and out of his corporeal state! That was something those two could never do!

    Reese had become a Risen, the essential stage of a Skeleton trying to return to life. At this point, Reese could satisfy his dream of having a girlfriend now! He retained his previous features, but a scar was still visible over his eye and it was pure white, while the other was pure red.

    Brandon was now a Demonic Torturer. He didn¡¯t really torture anyone, but he did cause fear wherever he went. His two horns had become three, almost like a crown. Instead of using a pillar, the Amigos fashioned a massive column out of the heaviest material they could find. Sure, he had trouble lifting it for the first day, but he only needed one day to get used to it and swing it around as easily as a child would swing a little stick.

    The weirdest part was he was now normal sized! He had become smaller, but he actually became much stronger!

    That was when another alert for Damian appeared.

    ¡°Hmm, I guess we did come to around the same time. Let¡¯s go check it out.¡±

    This may be a bit off topic, but Sammy had already reached Level 6, but no one noticed he was a Risen because he wasn¡¯t. He had become a Lich Commander! He couldn¡¯t actually raise the dead, but he learned valuable orders. One order was to use their nearest fallen ally as a weapon, piece them back together again, and use their body to fix themselves.

    Or vice versa.

    This allowed for his Units to heal themselves or each other! No one paid attention, but this was revolutionary! This was a literal game changer!

    Oh well.

    When Renzo moved, he was like lightning itself. It took a matter of milliseconds to appear over the place Damian lived. When Renzo saw Damian, he could definitely¡­not tell any difference.

    Damian was always a stoic and stone cold man, much like his Job. Come to think of it, Renzo was also like his Job. But that was for another time. Damian had become an Elemental! This was entirely different from some measly Spirit or Specter! He could instantly use the power of ice to completely decimate any enemy nearby. He could even lure in his enemies real close before turning into ice. If they touched him at this point, they would freeze and shatter into ice particles.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°So¡­fight me.¡±

    The Ice Elemental looked at the Celestial Being before him before replying in a nonchalant manner.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    That day, a section of nearby land had become a massive frozen hole in the ground. It was big enough to fill several football fields! After that day, special Beasts were found here, and the BOSS of the Area was known as Ebenezer the Ice Vulture. Most people would just call him Scrooge.

    To the northwest, at an empty aerospace facility, a man with bony bat wings protruding from his back looked on as his best friend was about to Level Up as well.

    ¡°Heh, why do we have to be last? Oh well. Come on, hurry up and have your last Shadowling take that Skill.¡±

    The Shadowling in question then quickly killed the BOSS creature that had been found yesterday, but they had to wait for it to return in order for Kuvali to Level Up. All it needed was to get a Skill for that to happen.

    Another alert appeared, but most people stopped paying attention since an alert was usually happening every fifteen minutes now. Too many people were being awesome.

    The off white man without a face didn¡¯t have some amazing transformation, he just had the rest of the color drain from his body into the massive black orb that stayed behind him all the time. Kuvali could split it up or make it into arms or even faces and such. He still had no facial features, but he was now completely white.

    Even though the change wasn¡¯t visually climactic, the feeling in the room dropped. Everything seemed to grow cold and the air darkened. He wasn¡¯t the Cursed One or something like that, he was now the Darkness Incarnate. The blackness behind Kuvali morphed and changed, turning into hands and opening up like wings on his back. He flapped a couple of times before being lifted into the air. He flew for a bit before coming back down to watch Chris Level Up.

    Chris was waiting for Kuvali because he wanted to make sure Kuvali could help him out if anything went wrong. The last time he had Leveled Up, a lightning bolt had come down and nearly killed him. Thankfully, Kuvali nearly spent his life to shield Chris from the blow.

    One of his Blood Minions, creatures created from the blood of all the animals and such he killed, finished off another BOSS. Being who they were, it was no problem for either of the two to find a BOSS and kill it off. However, they needed to increase their Units, not waste the kills on themselves.

    The small chains that bound his wings began to tighten, forcing Chris into a fetal position from the pain. But it wasn¡¯t just from the chains, his entire body was changing. The chains and shackles began to glow, signifying something was happening. His previously lanky and weak looking body began to fill out, straining against the constraints. Something began to sprout from his ugly looking wings, they were feathers!

    Dark feathers that seemed to shine like obsidian glass!

    Wherever the feathers touched the chains or shackles, the blue light flickered before cracks could be seen in them. The wings not only grew more feathers, but they started to enlarge! In fact, it was as if his entire body was about to explode! Finally, the chains gave out!

    KRACK!

    The chains turned to dust and a powerful Awakened Hellish Angel appeared! Chris flapped his now freed wings and joined Kuvali in the skies! But, the dark skies had yet to clear! Soon, the clouds buckled and clapped, flashes could be seen somewhere among the clouds!

    All at once, a gigantic red streak stretched across the sky, arching its way towards Chris! It was a large lightning bolt that was so wide it looked like a road! A road straight to retribution! To judgment!

    To death!

    Without missing a beat, Chris and Kuvali readied their attacks. Chris reached into his Inventory and pulled out a huge object. It was a completely metal sphere taller than he was! Before the bolt reached him, Chris tossed the heavy paperweight at it and activated Firecracker!

    BOOM!

    But it wasn¡¯t over! The lightning was still coming! Now it was Kuvali¡¯s turn. He ushered his darkness to shield the strike, but to no avail! This was probably a hundred times stronger than the last strike!

    Even with that, the lightning was only about halfway gone! But Chris still had a few tricks.

    Well¡­just one.

    He used Power along with his Blood Magic to make a gauntlet. He punched forward with all his might, bringing the lightning down to ten percent of its original strength! But that was still ten times the previous strike! Would Chris survive?!

    Now, this took a while to explain, but it all happened in merely a blink of an eye! Kuvali had used his Quick Skill and helped himself and Chris reach a speed to fight against the strike. Unfortunately, now it was up to his defense if he survived!

    KRRRRRAAOOHGHAW!*

    In the air, two smoking figures had fallen to the ground!

    ¡°Ugh, thanks, bro.¡±

    ¡°No problem, my friend.¡±

    They had survived! And only several more days until the government strikes!

    <hr>

    *(lol, that lightning sfx)

 Trade Off

    Just what caused the government to attack? Why did they want to defeat someone as great and powerful as Andrew? Because they thought they could! They were all old men who believed their superior weapons would completely strike the fear of God into the Undead Clan.

    Sure, if they managed to defeat Andrew, they would get a lot of GP, maybe a few Titles, or even maybe an amazing item or something. But what they really wanted was the stability. They wanted the already made country that belonged to the Undead Clan.

    They wanted the easy living and the fresh ways to get stronger. They wanted the amazing people and awesome creatures. But they couldn¡¯t by themselves. Besides, they already knew they were old fashioned. There was no chance they would be able to go out and participate in another war.

    Now, if you were to compare the entire United States¡¯ forces right now with the Undead Clan, you would find that the Undead Clan is vastly outnumbered. Andrew focused on a stable growth that was aware of popular opinion. He wasn¡¯t willing to go and sweep through the other people.

    If he had, he would have already taken over a State and a half!

    The army, navy, and air force were actually still operational, they were just running low on supplies. They didn¡¯t have the ability to continue using their machines for too long, as evident by the one tank that was used against John and David.

    The armed forces were all trained soldiers that had training in warfare. The common civilians and Adventurers of the Undead Clan relied on the Skeletons to do that sort of thing. They instead used melee or magic, not wanting to rely on such risky equipment as normal guns.

    Guns were an amazing tool that would increase the basic damage output of a person to a set point. If a person could deal 5 HP of damage with a punch, that might be average when hitting someone in the face. If someone else were to do it, they might get 7 or 3 HP of damage.

    A gun would deal a Critical or Fatal Hit when shot to the head. No matter who uses it. This is of course not counting those who have Skills or Titles. But the problem was that the soldiers actually had a lot of people with these kinds of Skills and Titles!

    Many of the officers had Royal Status, the Noble¡¯s equivalent, so to speak. They had warfare related abilities and had their own Domain. This meant chaos to anyone who tried to rely on their monitor when they tried to fight against the army.

    Some soldiers also picked magic related Jobs, combining it with their guns, while some picked actual Gunner Jobs. Some used their GP to get guns or special weapons, increasing their effectivity.

    The best thing about the Skeletons and other Undead was their reliability and loyalty. They always followed orders and Moral was not important to them in battle. That would be dependent on the orders that were given.

    Another thing that the Undead Clan had was overpowered Units. They moved fast, hit harder, lasted longer, and could even regenerate if given the chance. There was also a lot of diversity amongst the Units, making the enemy have to adapt in combat.

    Humans are Humans. They aren¡¯t going to have wings, scales, breathe fire, or swing their tail. The only thing you would have to look out for would be Skills and abilities.

    The Monsters, Demons, and Undead had many different components that occurred naturally. At Level 0, non-Humans had the advantage. Now add that to the multitude of powerful Level 5s everywhere, and you will have an unstoppable group.

    So the military focused on coordinating their attack to happen at the same time. If they could overwhelm the Undead Clan with insurmountable numbers, extremely dangerous weapons, and brilliant strategies, there would be no contest.

    But¡­what about the leader?

    All he did was hide out in his Castle. The Castle itself had at least seven powerful Heroes, a large amount of all sorts of different kinds of Units, and the strongest of people.

    The most important wrench in the system, Tragedy.

    Should they take the smart approach and take them out one by one? If they did that, Andrew would only grow more powerful, practically drowning in the Tragedy.

    But if they tried launching a siege against the Capital, the Undead Clan¡¯s other forces would spring up from the side. Every time a person on Andrew¡¯s side died, he would only get stronger! Just how should they do it?!

    Nuke it?

    No way! That would be catastrophic for everyone!

    Napalm?

    Come on! That would waste everything as well!

    If the government took the easy way out, sure, the Undead Clan would be gone. But what about all the people? The electricity is useful and most people followed the example, however, it wasn¡¯t a good plan for massive areas. There would be too much power necessary to fuel powerful equipment. Sure, hydroelectric generators were still operational, but the cost to maintain it is still too much.

    So they realized they needed what Andrew had.

    The large amounts of free labor.

    They needed the Skeletons!

    Some people tried getting the Necromancer Job, but no one could actually pick it. There was some sort of hidden requirement they needed!

    They finally decided that they just needed to get Andrew to follow them.

    So they set out! They brought all they could, their soldiers, their machines, and their massive over compensating weapons! They decided to scare Andrew into joining the government!

    ========================

    Back in Camp Drive Capital, Andrew was thinking about his options. Most, if not all, of the Skeletons were Level 4. He could now even make Level 5 Skeletons, but was limited to only one a day.

    Like that was anything to cry about.

    His Bone Equip Spell was amazing, even going so far as to become Level 5, allowing him to make super amazing gear. He passed them out to almost anyone since he could.

    That other Undead that were Reese¡¯s bodyguards? They became powerful Units that were something like Mid BOSSes that patrolled the Castle. Those Gelmen helped Dani with her Traps, and Sam¡¯s Dolls were able to travel further, due to his growth of Dollhouse.

    The Mimics were all brought back and even Nemo and Buster arrived. These had all become Level 5 as well, becoming forces that could practically wipe out entire cities by themselves. They were dispatched to watch over the outposts and villages.

    There was so much GP and Resources being awarded all over the place that the Amigos also Leveled Up! Unfortunately, they were still nothing more than Builders. Just really strong ones. Those little huts became actual homes with a reworked plumbing system and well-designed roadways.

    Thanks to the large amounts of GP, there became a large amount of buying Tickets. This led to a lot of winning somethings that weren¡¯t all that great. So they implemented a new Market idea! People would sell their tools for the price they would have received and someone could buy it at a lower price than it was in the Shop! This led to the Market System and peddlers were made to cart their wares to other towns. This required people to guard the convoy and this led to more Quests! What an amazing turnaround!

    It was no surprise that people were making more money!

    The weirdest part was that no matter how hard the Undead Clan tried to remove all threats, only the zombies were removed. The original ones, mind you. The System was gradually changing, forcing some places to adhere to strange requirements.

    For example, Monsters or Beasts would be regularly ¡®spawned¡¯ from a pond. Even if the entire pond was drained, it would be filled once again and more creatures would surface.

    These became known as Danger Zones, similar to the Talent Zones witnessed during the Talent Show Event. Some places, like the graveyard where Sammy made his Dungeon, basic Undead would appear. This wasn¡¯t a problem, but where did they come from?!

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Sammy was forced to leave after his Dungeon suffered a severe change, although no one paid any attention.

    He found himself in a hole underground! He ended up building back up to the surface, but when he looked for the Dungeon entrances, they had changed! He sent in his Units and discovered each Dungeon had transformed, becoming something like instances in a video game.

    The same thing happened with the other ones! Now that the Dungeons were self-sufficient, the Undead Clan could make great use of them to get stronger! Even if they defeated them, the Monsters and Beasts would return whenever someone entered again!

    It was magic!

    But that wasn¡¯t the main point. The heart of the matter was that every single one of the Undead Clan¡¯s members and Units were located in one of their establishments. They weren¡¯t traveling around, and they weren¡¯t going to be missing for the major battle!

    Wait, was it going to even be a battle?

    In the massive dining room in the Castle, all the big shots were called in. Yes, this meant John and Sammy as well. Everyone was wearing beautiful black dresses or sharp black suits. Another of Andrew¡¯s great ideas to look cool.

    It was also extremely intimidating for the Generals and military leaders that were seated and ready to eat. They decided to take a peaceful solution at first so blood wouldn¡¯t have to be needlessly shed.

    ¡°Good day, I¡¯m glad we could finally entertain visitors here at this wonderful little Castle. What brings you here today?¡±

    The men were all caught off guard by the situation. So many non-Humans were in the room and none were about to kill them!

    Hopefully!

    ¡°Hehe, we were just wondering what it takes to be so successful.¡±

    A couple of the men were sweating enough to require beach towels to dry themselves off! They were directly in enemy territory! Even if their entire army was surrounding this little place, their lives were still in danger!

    Why? Because Andrew wanted to talk directly to the leaders! They had to oblige if they wanted to get through this safely.

    ¡°Oh? Nothing a little bit of motivation and dedication can¡¯t make. No, tell me what you really want, I can¡¯t lie to myself anymore, I won¡¯t play this stupid political game.¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­ahem, we want you to join us.¡±

    ¡°Let me check with everyone else.¡±

    Andrew pulled out his little monitor and typed some things out. Soon, a little beeping sound appeared, letting everyone know there was a Clan message from the Clan leader.

    The others at the table looked down and made a selection before going back to eating. Not a single one of them were nervous.

    ¡°Okay, it looks like most people don¡¯t care either way. Following behind that comes an overwhelming NO. Sorry, boys, I guess we aren¡¯t joining.¡±

    Their faces fell and one was about to reach for his hidden gun with only one bullet in it when Andrew spoke again.

    ¡°But we can make a sort of trade agreement. What is it that you guys want? Maybe we can talk things out.¡±

    One sorry man blurted out his immediate thoughts, wanting to hurry up and get this over with.

    ¡°Please, we would like to buy your Skeletons!¡±

    Surprised by the outburst, Andrew quickly recovered with a sly smile on his face.

    ¡°Sooo¡­you want my men?¡±

    A collective sound of gulps could be heard.

    Still smiling, Andrew called in several dozens of Level 0 Skeletons.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with 100 GP each, is that okay?¡±

    The man about to reach for his gun couldn¡¯t help but yell out,

    ¡°What are you trying to pull?! These are the weakest ones! Like hell, they cost that much!¡±

    Andrew narrowed his eyes and dropped his smile, causing the unruly old man to sink back into his chair.

    In a voice that had lost its humor, ¡°So what do you suggest?¡±

    One slightly still brave man brought up,

    ¡°Well, you would be gaining GP every time they completed their task, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but these are men that do your job for you. Why should I just give them to you? They will earn me GP no matter what I have them do.¡±

    The poor guy lost his last little bit of courage and sunk down as well. A different man, one that looked more like a businessman, spoke.

    ¡°Surely you can understand the situation we are in. If we can get America back on track, there will be a lot in it for you.¡±

    Andrew yawned, already bored of the selfish leaders.

    ¡°Oh really? Like what?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, hehe, like¡­the thanks of your fellow Americans¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. So nothing substantial? I see. You¡¯ll have to excuse me if I don¡¯t seem too happy by that thought. Especially since it would be empty thanks for you to receive benefits for something my men did.¡±

    ¡°Fine! What the hell do you want?!¡±

    ¡°I told you, 100 GP per Level 0 Skeleton.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s robbery!¡±

    ¡°Can you not afford it?¡±

    This caused the man to halt. Now, almost all of the seven men had been shocked into silence from the whole ordeal. Now that they had met the Undead Clan in the flesh¡­face to face¡­uh, in person, they knew they were all going to die! They had completely underestimated their enemies!

    Even if they took them on one by one, the people just in this very room would hunt them all down and annihilate them!

    For someone with power like the Undead Clan, there was no room for discussion. Unfortunately, the military only had 1,000 GP left. They had used most of it to purchase more equipment!

    But due to this, Level 0 Skeletons could now all of a sudden be bought on the Shop for 1,000 GP each. It was as if the very System was trying to make them feel better, as if what they got was a discount.

    Why were they so freaking expensive?! Because it showed up for everyone. Most of the time, one would have to wait to win something before unlocking it in the Companion Summon.

    But this meant people could spend 1,000 GP and get that hidden requirement to become a Necromancer!

    How would this change things?

 Happy News~! (+Sex Scene)

    ***WARNING***

    Dangerous Almost Lethal Level of SMUT contained in this novel! Proceed with caution as plot still exists somewhere within!

    ====================================

    Haha! This is awesome! Once people decided to purchase Skeletons, they had to come through me! I can make a killing!

    Why do this, though?

    Because we need Resources! I¡¯m not talking about those wimpy metal, wood, and stone types. Ever since the Talent Show, The System has changed. You could call it an update. There are more materials to use. For example, Orichalcum. It exists now!

    Plus, there are Guides for Dummies on everything!

    I¡¯m not talking about a normal book, these are Skill Books! Job Books! Manuals! These System Books can instantly transfer information into someone!

    Already we have loads of Blacksmiths and Engineers. People are testing the new materials and combining them with modern technology to create awesome new stuff!

    The creation of those Inventory Bags like Sarah¡¯s was a big step in the right direction. We couldn¡¯t make a lot, but as soon as it was made, the System recognized it and added it to the Shop!

    Wow!

    Can you imagine a car made out of Mithril?! Or a gun made out of Adamantine?!

    Haha! How can I not help but laugh?!

    Many times, we have discussed things with the military. They are reluctant to fight us, and they try not to anger us. However, I feel like it¡¯s only a matter of time until they try and fight me. Of course, at that time, we won¡¯t be out gunned.

    Probably the biggest mystery is the Necromancers. They don¡¯t have the limitless things that I had. They could only Summon a specific amount, like Ribcage and the Mimic. Of course, this would change with the Level of the Spell.

    So how come mine evolve like it does?

    Well, Navi told me it was because I was the first Necromancer. Using my actions, the System went about nerfing the Necromancer Job. In fact, they made it so that anybody not Undead would actually be weaker at Necromancy and Death Magic.

    And since I was first, I got to keep the original settings.

    Nice.

    Plus, my Skeletons are intelligent. I can issue orders from afar and determine if I want to change their owners. That was what I did with the armies we have, sending them to different people like Reese or Spot.

    But those who buy my Skeletons don¡¯t actually control my Skeletons. Ever since the first couple of freebies to Clan members, I realized that multiple Necromancers is a horrible idea! Thankfully, I didn¡¯t give the military their own Skeletons. I could control them.

    They kept trying to purchase a single Skeleton for their personal use so they could become Necromancers, but I never would. They would have to buy their own for 1,000 GP.

    Speaking of the Companions, those Ents I bought made more. They tend to the multiple gardens around the Domain and all ended up answering to Dani. Even though she¡¯s our official defense expert, she also runs the agricultural group, the Farmer¡¯s Guild.

    Now, Guilds are separate from Clans. Anybody could sign up for a Guild, be they in Ohio or Japan. Guilds don¡¯t really give anything, but they are a good hub for information to spread and have special objectives for their members to complete.

    For example, Dani made a special plant bloom the other day even though it¡¯s winter. Because of this, someone else around the world was able to as well. Yep, it¡¯s almost Christmas. Thanks to being in Texas, our time wasn¡¯t so bad. But¡­would the System use this chance to make an Event?

    During Halloween, nothing happened. Probably because no one celebrated it. They probably did in other places, so they didn¡¯t show up for us. Now why did the Day of Burning spread to around the world?

    Is it because I am the world¡¯s most influential person? Because that kinda boosts my ego too much.

    As it is, I already have an amazing girlfriend. I don''t need the extra self-esteem.

    Oh, that¡¯s right. Rebecca and I are officially together!

    Yes, yes, I know.  It took a while, but it happened.

    Apparently, it had been going for the longest time, but I only found out recently. I know she¡¯s supposed to be my mistress, but that¡¯s not me, you know?

    I found out when someone was teasing us. Who was it? Ah, it was Jane¡­

    ==========

    FLASHBACK!

    ==========

    We were sitting in Sam¡¯s room where there was a lot of comfy seats and plushies. We had found a lot of toys for Sam. He had even gotten to the point of making things in his Domain into Dolls.

    I thought I was being funny by pitching an idea for a rollercoaster with cute Dolls and everything.

    ¡°Yeah, it would be a perfect place to take someone on a date!¡±

    Of course, I already had Rebecca in mind when I said this, but Jane interrupted me.

    ¡°Oh! Then Spot and I will be first!¡±

    I almost laughed aloud when Rebecca glared at her.

    ¡°No, Andrew and I are.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    I remember staring at her in confusion, like, did you really say that?

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Yeah, our first real date!¡±

    She then hugged my arm like a little girl would. In fact, she acted like Sarah did.

    We are still fixing things up, but the roller coaster will be finished soon. We should just make the entire Castle an amusement park, or something. It sounds really awesome.

    But¡­that night I couldn¡¯t help but talk things over with Rebecca.

    ¡°So¡­we¡¯re dating?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Haven¡¯t we? I mean, you already got back to home base, you know?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t argue, but we had never done it since then. It was always stopped midway. Well, I may have gotten a little drunk from the little party we had, and I reached over and pulled her face over to mine, where I planted my lips onto hers.

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    We were kissing each other for a little bit when my hands went into her clothes. Certainly, her clothes were already tight on her skin, leaving little to my imagination, but the feeling of her skin was like¡­I don¡¯t even know how to describe it.

    I can¡¯t really say pillowy or like marshmallows, because she had a firmness that kind of pushed back against my hands. Her skin was super smooth as I found my way to her lower region. To my surprise, she was already a little wet. She had slightly moaned in my ear, making me stand at attention.

    Her hands started searching my body, inspecting my not so in shape body. Of course, I had worked out some, but I still had my large frame. She didn¡¯t have any problem as she tilted her head to lay on my chest, as she started kissing my skin.

    I took advantage of the situation by leaning my head over and nibbling on her horn which caused her to arch her upper body further on mine. We fiddled with each other for a while before the clothes were taken off.

    I couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerized by her pale skin. Yes, it was almost light blue, but there was a sort of attraction there. The dark blue lines stretched out across her skin were fun to trace, leaving Rebecca sensitive from my touch.

    We switched our posture, her wings covering her sides as she laid her back to my belly. We still weren¡¯t thinking of actual sex, just playing around. I cupped her breasts in my hands as I nibbled on her ears.

    Gods, she tasted amazing. I thought it would remind me of something like her smell was like oranges, but this taste was something completely new! We kissed in the awkward position, her ass cheeks grinding against my groin.

    I guess it was time.

    I didn¡¯t know what position would be my first, but Rebecca solved that. She pulled herself away from me and got down on her hands and knees, taunting me with her ass in the air. I got behind her on the massive bed in my room and started¡­

    Playing with her tail. From what I knew, a woman would need to be pleasured first, right? So I hadn¡¯t touched this place yet and needed to take care of it!

    I rubbed the base of the tail, on the underside where it met her body. I slowly teased my fingers all the way along her tail. I reached the tip of her tail, its shape reminding me of a heart. I slightly pinch it, making Rebecca squeal out in surprise. Next thing I knew, she was shaking as she collapsed, unable to hold herself up.

    ¡°Hah¡­hah¡­oh yeah¡­that¡­felt amazing.¡±

    I started rubbing her wet lower lips and could tell Rebecca was enjoying every bit of it. I spread her a little, making sure I wouldn¡¯t hurt her when I entered. However, Rebecca was desperate.

    ¡°What are you doing? I already lost my virginity, just do it!¡±

    Well, I couldn¡¯t say no to her.

    What was the feeling?

    I couldn¡¯t tell you in a way you would completely understand. You might be able to get the gist of it, but I doubt you would ever feel something like this.

    ¡°Hehe, do you like it? As a Succubus, my body has been restructured to bring a man the greatest pleasure!¡±

    I may have been in control at first, but once I lost my grip for that one moment, I was defeated. I couldn¡¯t think straight and all I could remember was the pleasure. I¡¯m pretty sure I launched several loads that night which was nothing to the next few nights.

    It was like a dam burst and all we did was each other.

    Sooo¡­it should have been no surprise to hear a new announcement today, several weeks after those initial bouts of intercourse.

    ¡°Congratulations, members of the Undead Clan! Your leader is expecting a child!¡±

    =======================================

    Northeast of Texas, Approximately 1 State away.

    =======================================

    Several hundreds of people were all standing around the ruins of another city. The houses were torn down and salvaged while bodies were being searched and looted. On each and every one of these people¡¯s necks was a small device that had a light blink on and off once in a while.

    Towards a campsite off to the side, there was a chubby young man with glasses and bad acne. He wasn¡¯t very healthy looking, as he was wheezing whenever he got up. He walked around the area and surveying the damage his people did.

    By his side were several beautiful women with empty eyes. In fact, every person here had empty eyes, just like they all had those strange devices on their necks.

    The fat man, Ronald Royce, walked up to the cowering couple and their young child. It was a miracle that an entire household had survived after all this time, but their fate was sealed this day.

    Ron stood before the three Humans and spoke four words. The very same words he spoke to all of the survivors that faced him over these past several months.

    ¡°Join me or die.¡±

 Rons Brief Respite

    Ron was a Gamer. It wasn¡¯t a Job, but a Title. It gave him the Gamer Skill that allowed him to control others using a digital device of some sort. Ron had originally debated whether he should use a handheld console or a smartphone but ultimately decided on the monitor.

    The best part for him was that his Units became mindless puppets for him. Even after they received rewards, they still followed every one of his orders to the letter.

    He could also control dead bodies, but not Undead or Infected bodies. As long as it was a corpse, he could use his Skill. Because of this, he could set up powerful people from anywhere he wanted. The only issue he had was that he had a limit to his amount of Avatars.

    Avatars were what the System called his puppets. Using his Skill, Ron could see every single bit of information about the Unit. Kills, Stats, and even EXP Bar. Yes, Ron could make use of the EXP Bar and pass through the different Levels without having to waste time gathering a ton of zombies or Monsters to hunt down.

    But Ron was more selective in his decisions. He wanted pretty girls, it didn¡¯t matter how old they were or how young they were. It didn¡¯t matter anymore, right? Laws were something meant for weaklings that weren¡¯t willing to do things on their own. They relied on others.

    But those they rely on can now do whatever they want!

    So Ron marched onwards. He held a deep hatred against the Undead Clan and Andrew specifically. What¡¯s with all those pretty girls?! That wasn¡¯t fair!

    But the main issue was the need to cut Ron off because he wasn¡¯t acting within ¡®good morals¡¯. Bull shit. Wasn¡¯t Andrew someone who did what he wanted? He was a Monster! An Undead! He should be the one cast out! He likes to believe that making his Units gain sentience is justification enough for raising the dead, then Ron would just come tear it down!

    Plus, he could add all the pretty girls to his army.

    Speaking of his army, if we were to compare the military, the Undead Clan, and Ron¡¯s forces, Ron had even more powerful people on average than the Undead Clan. Most, if not all, were Level 4 or higher. They all had Skills and they all had good Jobs to complimented the Skills. Ron was very much an avid player of RPGs. He loved creating the most powerful characters and watching them decimate weak people online.

    Probably more important was his ever constant need for attention. Even though they weren¡¯t technically alive, Ron had the girls he liked the most ¡®keep him company¡¯ on most nights. This had earned him the Freak Title and awarded him with another Skill, which he decided to drop. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t drop the Title.

    His other two Skills were for boosting other people like Amplify and Augment. Amplify, of course, increased the abilities of the target. Augment, however, was a permanent Skill that changed the target depending on the amount of MP used. It was a magic related Skill which was weird. His Job was a Trainer and the more people he trained, the more power-ups he received.

    Ron wasn¡¯t a fighter that much was certain. He instead relied on his Units for everything. It was how he imagined Andrew to do things.

    Ron actually looked up to Andrew in a way. He respected him. Why? Because he seemed to be a like-minded individual. When Ron was still in the Undead Clan, he watched all the videos of Andrew, especially when he killed people.

    Andrew was quick to act and once he made a decision, he followed through. Take the time he tried to ask Jesus to join him.

    ¡°Join me or die.¡±

    When Jesus refused, Andrew had killed him! It was amazing that such a normal looking guy could be so decisive! From that point on, Ron had done the same thing. At first, he was hesitant to use his Skill, but when he realized that Andrew was a Lich, Ron changed gears.

    But when the World broadcast happened, he was thrown under the bus! What the hell?!

    ¡°I guess Andrew wasn¡¯t as awesome as I thought he was. Come on, we¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Ron wasn¡¯t walking, he was being lifted by the strongest people he had. He had something like a carriage that was being carried by his Avatars, so he did not have to worry about transportation.

    Any and all GP or rewards received by the Avatars went to Ron and he could pick and choose what he wanted. It was no skin off his back to buy his own personal Skeleton and create a couple of Necromancers.

    He had so many powerful people, Ron was wondering if he should let Andrew surrender. Maybe he could see what kind of person Andrew was. If he was a pansy, Ron decided to steal his bitch out from underneath him. If he was cool, then Andrew would join his Clan and then he would move on to greater things!

    Like the entire world!

    It gets a little hard to understand the situation since both Andrew and Ron are indeed very similar. However, Ron was alone and Andrew had friends and loved ones. They were there during his most difficult time.

    Ron, however, had no one. He was alone and with a power that was easy to inflate his ego with. Too much power and authority was quick to corrupt Ron while Andrew was held back by his friends.

    There was more to Ron¡¯s army than he realized. His soldiers were like really powerful Skeletons, not intelligent warriors. The Avatars needed commands to move while Andrew¡¯s Units and allies could think for themselves.

    Plus, because he was busy trying to get all of his Units to a strong enough Level, Andrew¡¯s forces were actually stronger because of the ability to work at all times. They could be intuitive and come up with new ideas while Ron had to specifically tell the Avatars what he wanted them to do.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Ron was in over his head, just like the military, but he was blind to his naivet¨¦. Probably his worse mistake was to come up with plans based on if Andrew was like Ron. He expected Andrew to just sit inside the castle and wait while Ron laid siege to his friends.

    He didn¡¯t know that Andrew had a slight bloodlust. If an actual battle happened, Andrew was sure to participate. The whole Four Towers to find the Four Keys was to stall for assassins that somehow made it in the Castle.

    In fact, back at the Castle¡­

    ¡°Damn, he just had to show up now of all times?! Fine. Let¡¯s go, everyone. Rebecca, stay here with the Four Towers. You and the girls should be safe.¡±

    Riding atop Ribcage, while Scratch also remaining behind, Andrew and his Super Skeletons left. The Super Skeletons were all Level 4 with several Level 5s to lead. He had been in the process of creating Level 5s, but he could only go so far.

    The Mimics were quick to move, as were the other forces. Rather than letting Ron just sweep through the Domain, Andrew decided to meet him on open ground, full army versus full army.

    The sight of it all scared Ron to his soul. He expected Andrew to not be bothered as if it was of no concern if his towns got attacked.

    Why?

    Because he had trust in his allies and Units, right? If it were Ron, he would have proudly placed his trust in his Units to protect him. That was their job, after all.

    But then what were these guys¡¯ jobs?

    Ron¡¯s 500 something army versus the Undead Clan¡¯s over 1,000 of people was not a good sign. Sure, the numbers weren¡¯t very big, but the apocalypse had spread out the people. If Andrew had instead gathered all the people from the other Clans and the civilians, they would have actually gotten almost 5,000 people there. Of course, these 1,000 were all soldiers that were willing to die in battle.

    Soon, Andrew himself approached on a massive bone white wolf as big as a horse. Ribcage had gotten to Level 5 as well, making him look like an actual wolf again. However, he was completely white.

    Andrew dismounted and Ron¡¯s carriage was lowered, letting him out. Andrew saw the few girls inside and his lip curled in disgust. For that little moment, Ron saw no way of the two of them to talk things over. It was kill or be killed.

    Ron motioned for his strongest Avatar to stand before Andrew, a Champion, so to speak.

    Instead of calling his own Champion, Andrew walked forward, saying a few words.

    ¡°I can feel it, your Tragedy. I can feel all of your Tragedies.¡±

    Even though they were dead, the air around the Avatars seemed to vibrate or hum, freaking Ron out.

    ¡°It is like a curse you cannot lift. Have no fear, I shall help you move on. Let¡¯s start with you, my friend.¡±

    He casually pulled out his cane sword that was a strange red color, the color of a Greater Skeleton. But to Ron, it looked like it was covered in blood.

    In his other hand, a small little pebble flew at the Champion before Andrew dashed forward with a sudden speed. The blade swished, creating a shing sound as it found its way into the Champion¡¯s throat. Unfortunately, the body did not fall over. It was still a corpse, after all, but if the Avatar had taken enough damage, the machine on the back would shatter, leaving a useless corpse behind. And Ron couldn¡¯t have that!

    The Champion waved around its huge war ax as it burst into flames, scorching the air around it. Instead of getting scared, Andrew once again walked forward with purpose as he pulled out a small gun with his free left hand. A small black circle formed and got launched at the Champion, where it started to rot in seconds.

    Surprised, Ron started to use his Amplify and Trainer Skill and abilities. The Champion stopped rotting, its muscles growing to look like tree trunks and its veins nearly popping out of its skin. The Champion rushed forward, swinging the ax around at high speeds.

    Just as Andrew was about to get hit, he moved with an extreme quickness that seemed almost fake. He must have had someone help him!

    No, Andrew had gotten better at figuring out how Tragedy worked. He could now sense Tragedy. He had found the ability useful when he stopped a crime before it happened. He made use of the Tragedy to boost himself at the last possible moment, taking his opponent by surprise.

    It really helped to know where the attack was coming from.

    When he dodged around, Andrew saw the little device on the back of the Champion¡¯s neck. He stepped up, slicing the device and some of the Avatar¡¯s neck off. He stepped on the device, breaking the connection to the Champion, where it collapsed forever. Not even Andrew¡¯s Necromancy could help.

    The people of the Undead Clan cheered as they rushed forward, splitting around Andrew and Ribcage. Ron ran back to his carriage and ordered his Avatars to carry him away and had his other Avatars try and stall for time.

    It would seem that there would be no mercy for Ronald Royce, the Gamer.

 Ending...Beginning...Continuation

    Chaos spread throughout the battlefield, but there was no doubt who belonged to which side. Like when dealing with the Undead, the people of Andrew¡¯s Clan cut the heads off of the Avatars. Since every single Avatar had a Skill, people were getting stronger left and right.

    Skeletons were changing and Zombies were evolving. The BOSSes stayed out of the fight but sent in their personal forces instead of their army.

    Because Ron did not know of the whereabouts of the Undead Clan members, he had no idea they were moving to intercept him. What he should have done was wait for a bit, try and tag team with some of Andrew¡¯s enemies, maybe get some information.

    Instead, he recklessly charged forward, overconfident in himself.

    Unfortunately, he did manage to run away, but most of his army was destroyed, almost 450 people were found from the enemy side. Ron had to give detailed orders and he wasn¡¯t even in his right mind. Because of this, the Avatars were not being put to good use.

    Ron went into hiding and was almost never heard from again. Andrew and the Undead Clan went on and fought the allied forces of Ron and the old military, winning but losing several people in the process.

    This was over the course of several years, and by that point, Andrew and Rebecca¡¯s daughter Leah was born. They had a son named Bartholomew, or Barry. Sarah became a Healer and Lucy became a Hunter. Spot and Jane had twins, both a son and a daughter, while John and Clara got together. Unfortunately, Clara suffered complications and could not have children.

    Instead, they helped take care of Sam who ended up taking control of the entire Castle.

    Many decades passed, and Andrew had taken control of everything above the Panama Canal, as long as it was connected by land.

    Leah and Barry were born as Demons and Undead, so they could live for a while, however, Lucy was getting old. The others had long since passed, with many of them wishing to become Undead and stand beside Andrew on his quest to take over unite the world.

    But¡­when Lucy passed, she wanted to rest with her parents. Andrew held a magnificent burial for her and vowed to never raise her from the dead. But, he couldn¡¯t bear to burn her, so he built a beautiful garden and had a crystalline coffin built for her.

    It reminded the old people of Snow White, as Lucy looked as if she were merely sleeping.

    Throughout the next week, a massive celebration went on and on.

    After that, Andrew and his crew set out to dominate South America. Sarah passed as well, but she decided to come back to her mother and stepfather.

    Several more decades passed and the entirety of the Americas belonged to the Undead Clan. They set up communication to the eastern hemisphere, finally, and produced trade. Over time, the Humans grew old and died, their offspring changing their viewpoints.

    Gradually, the Eastern Lands that belonged to the Humans stopped trading with the Western Lands that belonged to all manner of Monsters, Beasts, and Undead.

    The islands were usually populated by creatures and Monsters as well, but large islands like Australia became the Waste, a lawless place filled with criminals and all sorts of ruffians.

    The Eastern Lands forgot about the Western Lands and set out to discover more land, as after several hundreds of years, Humanity was back on track.

    The System had created separate Guilds for both sides and split them into different Factions. When the newbies set foot on the Western Lands, they saw the Monsters, Beasts, and Demons for the first time. War had come back to the peaceful Western Lands, as they tried to convince the Eastern Lands to stand down.

    A large source of Tragedy was on its way.

    ======================================

    Ah yes, we have finally reached the end of the first ¡®BOOK¡¯, if you want to call it that. If it felt rushed, it was meant to be. When I come back to the point of Ron and the military joining up, I will try my best to let you guys understand.

    However, we have the alternate future. I debated for a long time about this and decided on a sufficient enough plot device that I liked that would leave room for a second path. Why?

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Try on this Preview of what the next BOOK has to offer.

    =======================================

    A cloaked figure stood atop a mountain overlooking a valley that had a massive spider walking around. On its back was a masterpiece of a Castle, like a beacon in the night.

    ¡®Come in, Spacer, are in you in position?¡¯

    ¡°Affirmative, HQ. Proceeding with the Quest.¡±

    ¡®Good luck.¡¯

    In the next moment, the figure disappeared, reappearing in a beautiful garden filled with colorful flowers. When he entered, a large oppressive force immediately targeted him, covering him in perspiration. He rushed over to the glass like box and touched it before disappearing away again. The glass coffin was taken as well.

    A large hideous wail could be heard all the way from the Castle, and that night was what sparked the Great World War.

    >>>>><<<<<

    Several people in large white coats stood around the body of what appeared to be a corpse of an elderly lady. She was preserved using magic so her body was as it was when she died.

    One of the white-coated figures spoke to another.

    ¡°Is the process going smoothly?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. She should not remember her past.¡±

    ¡°Good. And how old are we going to make her? An adult?¡±

    ¡°No, we need to have the current Heroes led by someone their own age. We shall make her sixteen.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then that¡¯s too bad. We can¡¯t have her getting into any relationships. Who knows what might trigger her memory?¡±

    ¡°Nothing should, I told you already. The Moderators gave us this Quest and we will complete it. Those Monsters shall finally learn their place under the Gods.¡±

    ¡°Yes. They shouldn¡¯t have thought to stand against us, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re rambling again, focus. If you slip, the magic may weaken.¡±

    ¡°I know. Here, she¡¯s waking up.¡±

    The pretty dirty blonde haired girl slowly opened her eyes, as if she was waking from a dream.

    ¡°Where¡­where am I?¡±

    The two figures looked at each other and nodded as if it was a cue for their part to act.

    ¡°Damn, it seems she lost her memory. You are here, in our lab. We worked hard to bring you back. How are you feeling, Aralia?¡±

    ¡°Aralia? Is that my name?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. You are our Hero.¡±

    ¡°That¡­that doesn¡¯t sound like me.¡±

    ¡°Trust us, you are amazing. You have what it takes to defeat the Lich King!¡±

    ===================================

    Sorry for how short this is. I suck really badly at this sort of thing¡­

    I also thank you for reading my novel! See you later~!