Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

"So those items helped you to reach Level 30?"

"Incredible… Your Eclipse Revenant Clan sounds great…"

"Wait… Isn't that Clan in the top 5 or something?"

As one of the members of the Sapphire Syndicate said this, they immediately checked the leaderboard.

Well, they were all at least level 21, so they had access to both Survivor and Clan Leaderboards.

Then, they were all surprised and couldn't help but look at Diana once more.

"Incredible... It's really a powerful clan..."

"Awesome..."

Diana wryly smiled at this. Experience new tales on empire

"Yes… I used all the talismans, elixirs, tokens, and high-grade ammunition given by the clan. Of course, I also have a Legendary hammer, but honestly, I relied more on potions than the weapon. My elixirs saved me more than a dozen times when my stamina was gone."

The young boy within the group perked up at this. "An elixir that helps with stamina and not Spirit Points and Vitality? That sounds incredible! No wonder you made it to Level 30."

Everyone agreed, as most of them don't have plenty of elixirs prepared for stamina recovery. Indeed, they still do have some of them, but they are more like side effects of the other elixirs they have.

The heavily armored man grinned at this. "It's all about preparation. I stocked up on Resistance Talismans and Rockskin Elixirs for my run. They didn't help with the Screamers, but they saved me a ton of grief earlier on with the Spitter Zombies."

The group continued to swap tips and recount their tormenting experiences.

This was all being done while glancing at the Survivors fighting against the Fire Zombies from time to time…

Diana listened attentively as she somehow made friends with these unknown Survivors. Anyway, they probably will not meet up in the real world, so she was just enjoying the moment.

This moment was also a small comfort for her since it wasn't every day that she could just sit back and chat with other people. She was always busy crafting or helping improve the Silver Mind Camp, after all.

Anyway, while they were sharing various thoughts about this event, the live feed displayed Shane's name steadily at the top of the leaderboard. Of course, this elicited murmurs of awe and curiosity.

After all, Shane's start wasn't fast… The ones who were able to swiftly pass through the first 20 levels were Natalie, Raze, Travis, Asad, Lesley, Alexander, and a few others.

However, after reaching level 25 onwards, it was Shane who was able to maintain his ranking position.

"He's still going at such a fast pace?" the young boy asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "How is he handling those Fire Zombies?"

The woman with the crossbow shook her head. "That guy's a machine. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it to the next milestone."

Diana remained quiet, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

'Of course, he's still in.' she thought, leaning back against the bench. "That's Shane for you."

Although she wasn't the one fighting against the Fire Zombies, she was still very proud of her older brother.

***

In the meantime, as the countdown for Level 40 began, Shane took a deep breath as he found a spot near the center to wait for the next Zombies…

At this time, he couldn't help but glance at his set of clothes, his Tier 5 Python Set. They were already a bit damaged after fighting those Fire Zombies from up to level 39.

It wasn't easy at all.

Thankfully, the effects of the Scrolls of Vitality, Precision, and Insight he had used earlier were still active.

The boosts had been truly helpful… It would've been amazing if he was able to obtain more of them.

'Ugh… This armor should be able to last a few more levels.' Shane thought.

[ Level 40 initiated. Opponents: five Fire Leader Zombies. ]

"Here they are…"

Facing five Fire Leader Zombies, he knew this wouldn't just test his skills but also his weaponry.

The Fire Leader Zombies emerged accompanied by a cloud of smoke as their surroundings sizzled…

They were all about four meters tall making them really difficult to deal with.

Anyway, their bodies were encased in molten, blackened flesh that glowed faintly with streaks of bright orange flame. It felt like their bodies were made of magma itself.

This level of human mutation seemed impossible. If it had been true that the government had created the virus, it felt as if it was just too much. After all, the government just wanted to create some Super Soldiers.

Shane couldn't imagine how they somehow developed or mutated the virus to the point of creating such monsters at this point.

Anyway, Shane used his Spectral Tracker once again and confirmed that their heads and abdomens were their weakest points because of their cores.

Indeed, they don't have brains at this point but cores. It was similar to other unique Zombies he had defeated before.

Soon, their burning eyes locked onto Shane.

Just their presence alone carried an aura of intense heat that warped the air around them, causing beads of sweat to form on Shane's forehead even from a distance.

One of them roared, and the sound reverberated like a volcanic eruption, sending a shockwave of hot air toward Shane.

'They all look really strong…' Shane thought.

"Alright, Silver, this is going to be tough. Let's go!" Shane called out.

Silver, Shane's Metal Slime pet, quivered beside him before leaping forward, its liquid-metal form glowed faintly as it started to transform.

Silver expanded, forming a second armor around Shane, blocking the ambient heat and preparing for the assault.

Soon, the Fire Leader Zombies moved with surprising speed for their size. Their steps left scorched imprints on the ground as they closed in on Shane.

'So they're not long-range type of Zombies.' Shane thought as he expected them to just stay where they were while flinging balls of fire at him. Of course, this felt a lot more dangerous.

Then, as they reached about 15 meters of him, flames began to swirl around their hands, forming fireballs the size of cannonballs, which they hurled toward him.

'I see… They have short range… Alright…' Shane analyzed as he quickly moved.

Boom!

Shane dodged the first projectile with a quick Five-Meter Jump, propelling himself to the side just as the fireball exploded, leaving a fiery crater where he had stood.

"Time to see if we can cool you off a bit," Shane muttered, activating Energy Wave with a slash of his Light Flameblade. This time, it wasn't just to stumble his targets…

He decided to use more than 300 Spirit Points on this!

Whoosh~

Because of the large Spirit Points, the Energy Wave seemed visible to the naked eye!

A crescent-shaped burst of pure energy, infused with the blade's fiery aura, shot toward the nearest zombie.

The attack struck perfectly, slicing into its molten chest, but instead of staggering, the zombie retaliated with another explosion, forcing Shane to retreat.

Boom!

Silver, understanding the danger, shifted its form into a sphere, and they moved at high speed toward another Fire Leader Zombie.

With a metallic clang, they collided with the zombie's legs, tripping it momentarily. Silver then extended its spikes, stabbing into the creature's molten flesh, and it even seemed to be absorbing some of the heat to strengthen itself!

"Good job, buddy! Keep them distracted!" Shane shouted.

As the Fire Leader Zombies cornered him, Shane activated Veiled Steps, cloaking himself in a shroud of invisibility. He moved silently behind one of the leaders and launched Shadow Hunt, a skill that allowed him to strike with additional force, accuracy, and power from stealth.

"Haaa!"

With a powerful slash of the Light Flameblade, Shane severed one of the zombie's arms, causing it to erupt in a small explosion of flames. The creature roared in pain, its remaining arm swinging wildly to fend off the invisible attacker.

Two Fire Leader Zombies began launching coordinated fireball barrages, forcing Shane to make some evasive movements.

"Ugh… I can't keep up…" The barrage was just too much, so he had to do something or he'd get burned to crisp.

He activated Adrenaline Surge, which boosted his speed and reaction time, allowing him to dodge and weave between the fiery projectiles. However, the heat was relentless, and he could feel his stamina draining.

Silver, meanwhile, was somehow able to cut off one of the legs of the Fire Leader Zombies!

This gave Shane the opening he needed.

He leaped into the air, activating Vortex Spin, spinning with his Light Flameblade!

The attack struck two zombies simultaneously, carving deep into their molten bodies and leaving them staggered!

They didn't die, but their cores were already exposed!

Without hesitation, Shane used Armored Dash to arrive next to them to give the finishing blow!

Boom! Boom!

The last uninjured Fire Leader Zombies, unleashed a Fire Energy that made him really cower… After all, it was just too hot!

He barely had time to react and could only throw up Silver as a barrier!