Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Continued Challenge_1

Wan’an dared not be careless and slowly raised his shotgun.

A zombie with 3 points in Constitution was already enough to make him use his main weapon; after all, close-quarters combat could easily lead to accidents.

Wan’an’s eyes locked onto the sprinting zombie as the distance between them rapidly decreased. When only three meters separated them, Wan’an firmly pulled the trigger.

His F-Class skill, Precision, activated. This greatly increased the hit rate of ranged weapons.

At a distance of just three meters, combined with the skill, missing was virtually impossible.

BOOM. The deafening roar of the Homemade Shotgun vibrated Wan’an’s eardrums. He sidestepped, avoiding the lunging zombie.

After falling, the zombie struggled violently, seemingly disoriented by the shotgun’s powerful blast.

The modified Homemade Shotgun was clearly powerful; its blast struck the zombie’s head directly. Although it wasn’t an instant kill, the zombie’s face was blown to pieces.

Wan’an quickly reloaded, walked up to the zombie, and fired another shot into the back of its head.

The zombie twitched on the ground a couple of times, then lay still.

Seeing Wan’an succeed, his teammates below the arena sighed in relief. Wanping hollered at his younger brother on the platform, ”Wan’an, come down!”

”Challenge successful. Reward: one Basic Healing Potion. Do you wish to challenge the next round?”

Without hesitation, Wan’an yelled, ”Forfeit!” A flash of light later, Wan’an reappeared beside his companions.

Handing the newly acquired protective suit to Lin Li, Wan’an said, ”That was close. If that zombie had pounced on me, I’d be dead. I can’t handle the next round.”

”Yes, and the challenges will only get harder. To be safe, Brother Tao can challenge the fourth round, while Lin Li and I should stop at the third. Moreover, the fourth round likely isn’t even the final one. For us, the ultimate treasure seems out of reach,” Wanping analyzed calmly, then shook his head in disappointment.

”Friend, if you’re not challenging, we’ll continue,” Guan Tao said to Wen Yu. Since the ultimate treasure was likely unattainable, waiting longer made no difference.

”You guys go on, don’t worry about me.”

Wen Yu shook his head in disappointment upon seeing the meager rewards for the first three rounds.

The only thing of worth is the Basic Healing Potion. These people are too weak; their haul is too small.

After some discussion, Guan Tao and the others decided Lin Li would be next.

As a Mage, Lin Li had acquired the F-Class skill Swift after his class change. It could temporarily increase a target’s movement speed, but only for three seconds.

Lin Li challenged two rounds and then stepped down from the platform. Clearly, he was timid and cherished his life, afraid of any accidents.

Wen Yu watched as Wanping, just like Wan’an, challenged three rounds and then stepped down from the arena. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed.

These few people are hardly enough to gauge the true difficulty of these challenges.

Guan Tao nodded solemnly at his teammates. ”I’m up.”

”With your strength, Brother Tao, you should manage a few more rounds, but don’t be reckless. Once a challenge starts, failure means death,” one of his teammates warned.

”Yeah, I know.” Guan Tao, for once, wasn’t joking.

Wen Yu felt some interest in the strongest member of this small team. This individual’s level represented the high-end combat power among current human survivors. He couldn’t help but turn his gaze to the arena.

Guan Tao had 4 points in physical attributes. Judging by his physique, he had clearly been an athletic fanatic with well-developed motor skills even before the apocalypse.

Guan Tao entered the arena and breezed through three rounds. After receiving the Basic Healing Potion, he relaxed slightly, picked up the rewarded steel saber, and wielded it with both hands.

”Do you wish to proceed to the next round?”

”Yes,” Guan Tao replied without hesitation.

”The challenge begins. Fourth round: three Early Stage Level one Zombies.”

A flash of white light, and the challenge targets slowly materialized before everyone: three Early Stage Level one Zombies.

Facing the three Level one zombies, Guan Tao adopted a defensive stance.

The zombies smelled the scent of flesh and blood. Their eyes, corroded by Demonic Qi, were already of little use. Their pale, ghastly pupils fixed on Guan Tao.

The three zombies growled and rushed toward Guan Tao.

Two with 3 attribute points, one with 4, Wen Yu thought, immediately assessing the zombies’ movements.

Guan Tao roared. The steel saber, held horizontally across his chest, was brought down in a swift chop by his right hand towards the head of the fastest-rushing Level one zombie. Simultaneously, he used his left hand on the saber to parry the zombie’s grab.

This Level one zombie, with 4 attribute points, had already awakened some of its instincts. As the powerfully swung steel saber approached, the zombie jerked its head aside. The blade swept across its cheek, slicing off a piece of rotten flesh and one of its ears.

However, for a zombie, these injuries didn’t even count as superficial wounds. The zombie roared, its wide mouth, full of sharp teeth, snapping at the nearby Guan Tao. The other two zombies were also closing in.

Instantly, Guan Tao was surrounded by the three zombies.

”Brother Tao!!” his teammates shouted in panic from below the stage, seeing him surrounded.

Guan Tao saw the foul-smelling maw approaching his face. The corner of his eye caught the other two zombies clawing at him. A surge of ruthlessness welled up within him.

This man had a desperate fighting spirit ingrained in his bones. In times of peace, such a person might be called a desperado; in the apocalypse, however, this was the mark of a potential powerhouse.

Guan Tao simply ignored the two zombies behind him. He swiftly disengaged his left hand that was helping to block the zombie’s claws with the steel saber. Allowing the zombie in front to tear a deep gash across his chest, he quickly thrust the steel saber, now guided primarily by his left hand, into the zombie’s chest.

The powerful impact and the blade lodging in its chest created enough resistance to push its gaping maw, which had been about to bite his neck, back a crucial few inches.

Then, his right hand, still gripping the saber, sliced it directly through the zombie’s skull, beheading the creature in front of him.

Next, Guan Tao felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. The zombie to his left had swiftly bitten into it.

The immense biting force allowed the zombie’s teeth to tear through the protective suit and lodge firmly in Guan Tao’s bone. He could even hear the sound of his bones grinding against the zombie’s teeth.

Ignoring the intense pain, Guan Tao kicked out at the other zombie that was about to attack. His superior physical attributes, roughly double the zombie’s, meant his kick directly caved in the Level one zombie’s chest, sending it flying back three meters.

”ARGH!” Guan Tao threw away the steel saber. His freed right hand fiercely grabbed the biting zombie’s neck, yanking it away with great force, tearing off a large handful of blood and flesh. Then, he violently flung the zombie away and stomped on its head until it exploded.

His left arm was injured, but Guan Tao’s tactic of trading injury for injury had swiftly changed the tide of battle.

His only remaining opponent was a Level one zombie with 3 attribute points.

ROAR.

The last zombie charged again. In the zombie’s eyes, there was no concept of fallen comrades or differences in combat strength—only the scent of fresh flesh and blood.

Guan Tao didn’t even bother with the weapon on the ground. He kicked the zombie flying again. This single kick burst open the zombie’s chest, and its foul-smelling innards spilled onto the ground.

Guan Tao followed up, kicking the downed zombie far away.

Then he advanced and kicked it again.

Wen Yu watched Guan Tao’s brutal actions. The battle was clearly over; Guan Tao was now just indulging in a massacre.

I didn’t expect this person to have such a sadistic side. On the arena, Guan Tao’s combat power didn’t particularly impress Wen Yu.

However, Guan Tao’s reckless, death-defying fighting spirit and the combat instincts hidden beneath his frenzied exterior intrigued Wen Yu.

This squad is somewhat interesting, Wen Yu thought. If they hadn’t died in my previous life, they likely would have become people I couldn’t even get close to.