The two of them walked… or rather, staggered toward him with their hands stretched out.

Their movements were erratic as each step they took seemed to threaten their balance.

Marlon's gaze then lingered on their bodies; their skin had turned from the normal healthy hue to a pale green one.

It was all too familiar.

Zombies.

They had turned to zombies.

It was impossible!

"The mode of apocalypse changed!"

The only explanation.

"Damn system!"

He was pissed.

"Just when I have everything in place! Just when I succeeded in stacking up protections against the usual meteor!"

Frustration and rage vibrated in his tone.

While he cussed, his zombified parents did not halt their pace as they staggered toward him.

He could hear their bestial growls.

He could see their mindless eyes that were now filled with animalistic bloodlust.

They were only a few meters away from him, but Marlon did not seem to care.

He was not afraid of zombies; he could easily kill ten thousand of them without getting a scratch, and at the same time, he was not scared of dying.

This level of supernatural confidence could only be grasped by those who died a couple of times—those who knew there was a second chance.

—Population: 6,789,627,522

The rate at which the population fell was pretty sluggish.

It was at least ten times slower than with the meteor.

But at the moment, he also ignored the panel.

Why?

Because he knew everything was bound to fail no matter what.

All he had to do was wait for the population to strike a certain point.

And before then—

He had to vent his anger on someone, or rather, something.

His gaze turned cold as he gazed at his parents who were now a few steps away.

He clenched his fist and dug his feet into the ground for a brief second before shooting toward them.

He arrived before the two of them, faster than their eyes could move, and then with a single sweeping punch and the rotten sound of slamming through flesh, the two were decapitated.

But it still wasn't enough to quench his thirst for violence at that moment.

Fortunately, fate sent him more specimens as a group of up to twelve suited zombies, formerly guards of his parents, poured out from the same door the two had walked out from.

But they still were not enough. He needed hundreds… thousands even.

Nonetheless, he had to manage what was in his reach, so he sprang toward them and slaughtered all twelve in barely three seconds.

Wiping the bloodstain on his fist on the body of a corpse, he observed the apocalypse panel.

—Population: 5,998,779,780

"Why is this shit moving so fucking slow!"

He grew impatient…

Time crept slowly as the smell of the corpse gradually filled the hall.

More than two minutes eventlessly went by.

And then—

—Population: 3,999,783,000

[ You've failed ]

The message he was looking for appeared.

And right at that moment—

BOOM!

A massive figure suddenly burst through the windows and appeared inside the hall.

It was a zombie, but this one was a lot different from the others.

Its body was covered in a powerful green aura. It was muscular—more muscular than bodybuilders. Each fibre of its being brimmed with power beyond comprehension.

And it had a face—

A familiar face.

Black hair, blue eyes, and a confident smirk he could never miss.

It was too familiar because it was no other person but… himself!

"Wha—"

Before he could exclaim to display his surprise—

The figure flashed, teleporting right behind him.

Marlon was not slow, as he had unlocked his agility stats, but at this moment, he could not even follow the trail of the supernatural being standing behind him.

And it was then that he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

Gazing down, he saw a bloodied clenched fist protruding out of his stomach.

And that was when his vision blackened and he died.

=====

Crimson was discussing with Gigaman and Maddox when she suddenly saw a purple flash.

It was very brief, lasting for only a small fragment of a second, but she still saw it clearly because of her special vision.

She knew very well that a purple light was the color of the glow that wrapped anyone who attempted the five-star breakthrough trial.

A deep frown immediately crept onto her face.

"What happened, my lady?" Gigaman asked, noticing the quick change in her expression and speaking with worry.

"Have you guys been seeing purple flashes lately?" Crimson asked the two of them.

Gigaman shook his head, then continued in a confused voice, "Although… Maddox claimed he saw a brief purple flash about twenty minutes ago, but he was the only one who saw it, so we concluded he was just seeing things."

Maddox did not respond, but a frown crept onto his face.

A few minutes ago—precisely twenty-four minutes ago—he had seen a purple flash from within the room. But it was incredibly brief—so brief that he had to force himself to believe he was imagining it.

But now that Crimson Sterling, the hunter known for possessing one of the strongest visions in the entire world, was asking about the same thing, he could no longer convince himself that his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Something is happening," Crimson said with clear worry in her voice.

"Why would purple flashes appear?" Maddox asked, curious.

"It is unheard of," Crimson responded, her hand moving to her jaw as she entered a contemplating pose. "Although hunters rarely attempt the five-star breakthrough trial, the few ones that have attempted were properly observed, and there had never been any cases of flashes. Including the other four levels of breakthrough trials, no cases of flashes have been reported."

It was the first time in history.

If it were another hunter who claimed to see those flashes, their claim would be ignored—but not Crimson's.

"Could it be…" Maddox spoke up, dread lighting up his eyes.

Gigaman and Crimson turned to him, awaiting his complete statement.

Alternating his gaze between the two, Maddox revealed his suspicions.

"No… that can't be," Crimson responded immediately.

"Impossible!" Gigaman exclaimed.

But Maddox was certain.

The only explanation for everything was that his brother was experiencing death within the breakthrough trial.

But not actual death.

A loop.

Lifting his gaze, he said with confidence, "We should observe closely for the next twenty-four minutes. If nothing happens, then I am wrong."

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