Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Outside the rift...

Ever since Ethan had gone in, everyone’s nerves had been stretched tight.

No matter how much faith they had in him, this was still an unknown space. And unknown meant danger.

As the minutes ticked by, the worry on their faces only deepened.

”You don’t think something really happened to him, do you?” Mia asked, her voice low.

”Relax,” Skinny Pete said, trying to sound reassuring. ”The rabbit’s still alive. That means it’s probably safe in there.”

”Probably,” Big Mike muttered. ”But what if the rabbit just got lucky?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake. Everyone turned to glare at him like he’d just jinxed the whole mission.

Mike shrank back, lowering his head. ”Right. Shutting up now.”

Just then, the air in front of them rippled.

A second later, Ethan’s figure popped into view—midair—falling fast toward the slope below.

”Shit—!”

He caught himself halfway down and blinked out with [Teleportation], reappearing safely at the cliff’s edge.

”Goddamn,” Ethan muttered, brushing himself off. ”Who the hell puts a portal floating sixty feet in the air? That’s just rude.”

If he hadn’t had [Teleportation], that fall would’ve wrecked him.

”Ethan! You’re back!”

Everyone rushed over, relief flooding their faces.

”Captain, what’s in there? Any treasure? Artifacts? Alien tech?” Big Mike asked, eyes wide with anticipation.

”Yeah, what’s it like?” the others chimed in, crowding around.

Ethan gave a half-smile. ”It’s probably not what you’re expecting. Come on, see for yourselves.”

”Hell yeah!” Big Mike whooped.

One by one, the group followed Ethan’s lead and jumped into the rift, barely able to contain their excitement.

Inside the dimensional space...

THUD. THUD. THUD.

A series of heavy impacts echoed across the ruined landscape.

”Ah, my ass!”

”Ethan! You could’ve warned us!”

The group groaned, rubbing their bruised backsides as they glared at Ethan—who, of course, had landed perfectly on his feet.

”Uh… slipped my mind,” Ethan said, scratching his head. ”Besides, you guys were a little slow on the reflexes.”

No way he was admitting he’d faceplanted too. Brothers in arms, sure—but some pain was better left unshared.

The complaints didn’t last long.

As soon as they looked up, the ruins around them stole their breath.

”Is this… a ruin?”

”This place… people used to live here, didn’t they?”

”Holy shit. Looks like it.”

”Aliens?” Big Mike asked, eyes wide.

”Doesn’t look like it,” Henry said, stepping forward. ”Those stone pillars—kinda resemble ancient human architecture. Maybe this was a private dimension created by some insanely powerful being.”

Chris rolled his eyes. ”You’ve been reading too many webnovels.”

”I’m telling you, this could be a secret realm,” Big Mike said, eyes gleaming. ”There could be treasure everywhere. We find one artifact, and boom—we’re gods.”

”Alright, enough guessing,” Ethan said, shaking his head. ”We’ll know more once we search the place.”

He turned to Skinny Pete. ”Pete, see if you can take control of that jaguar over there.”

Skinny Pete looked over at the jaguar lying on the ground, a mix of excitement and hesitation in his eyes.

”I can control it, sure,” he said slowly, ”but if I take on another mutant beast that’s way above my level, the energy drain’s gonna be brutal. I’ll probably have to live off crystal cores just to stay functional.”

”You’re already living off crystal cores, aren’t you?” Ethan replied. ”Just carry more with you. The point is, with this guy and Goldie, we’ll have way more mobility. No more worrying about vehicles.”

He paused, then added, ”And I’m guessing that as your power grows, the energy cost will drop. Eventually, your regen might even cover it. Then it won’t be a problem at all.”

”Yeah… that makes sense.”

Pete nodded, then walked over to the jaguar. He gave it a solid kick.

The jaguar’s eyes snapped open—and the moment they locked eyes, Pete activated his [Beast Control] ability.

Maybe it was the level-up. Maybe it was experience. Either way, this time it went way smoother than when he’d taken over Goldie. Within moments, the jaguar was under his control.

Henry stepped up without needing to be asked. A soft white glow flowed from his hand and settled over the jaguar’s neck. Its wounds began to close rapidly, and within seconds, it was fully healed.

”Alright,” Ethan said, scanning the group. ”Fan out and search the area. See if there’s anything worth finding. Stay alert—just because I didn’t see any threats doesn’t mean there aren’t any.”

”Got it!”

The group scattered, energized by the possibility of treasure.

Ethan activated [True Sight] again and began combing through the ruins himself.

Most of the place had been reduced to dust by time. Whatever had once stood here was long gone.

Still, everyone searched thoroughly, using rebar rods to pry up stones and dig through collapsed structures. They were practically excavating the place.

No one wanted to miss a thing in a space like this.

Then—Sean’s voice rang out.

”Ethan! Over here! I found something!”

Everyone rushed over, curiosity piqued.

”What is it?”

”Look!” Sean pointed to a spot he’d just cleared.

There, half-buried in the dirt, was a dagger.

The group’s eyes lit up.

In a place where everything else had crumbled to dust, this dagger looked untouched—pristine. That alone screamed it wasn’t ordinary.

Ethan crouched down and picked it up. It was cold to the touch, and noticeably heavier than a normal blade.

He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it closely. The material was unfamiliar—definitely not standard steel.

Despite the age of the ruins, the dagger’s edge looked razor-sharp, like it had just been forged.

Curious, Ethan drew his machete and brought the two blades together.

With barely any resistance, the machete split clean in half.

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

”Holy shit,” Chris breathed. ”That thing’s sharper than my weapon even after I buff it with black-edge energy.”

”Yeah. It’s insanely sharp,” Ethan agreed. He tried bending it with his hands—nothing. The dagger didn’t budge. Even with his strength, he couldn’t make it flex.

”This is a damn good find,” he said, impressed. ”Sean, mind if I take this one? My [Telekinesis] could really use a proper weapon.”

Sean waved him off. ”Come on, Captain. You don’t need to ask. If you want it, it’s yours.”

”You sure? You were the one who found it. Feels a little wrong just taking it.”

”Dude…”

Ethan chuckled, then stood up, dagger in hand.

”Looks like this place really does have treasure. Keep searching. If we each find a weapon like this, this trip’s already a massive win.”

”Hell yeah!”

With morale sky-high, the group dove back into the ruins, more determined than ever to uncover what secrets this place still held.