Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

”That was slower than I can remember…” Shane muttered as he recalled that the Acid Spit of the Spitter Zombies weren’t this slow before.

However, from the Zombie’s tense of muscles and how it gathered the acid up until it was thrown in his direction, Shane was able to clearly observe it!

’This is it… My Agility is really on a different level now.’ Shane thought as he realized that it wasn’t just his speed that was affected by his high Agility, it was also his reaction speed!

With this in mind, his confidence rose up as he drew his hatchet with a fluid motion.

No matter what, the Spitter Zombie was slow but dangerous at a distance, especially if it started releasing acid everywhere.

Shane needed to close the gap to avoid any dangers... He then sprinted forward, just narrowly dodging another spit of acid, feeling the heat of it on his skin.

However, he didn’t mind this heat since it was a deliberate move to quickly shorten his distance from the Spitter Zombie.

In a blink of an eye, Shane was now within striking distance. The Zombie reared back, preparing another acidic attack, but Shane was faster.

He swung his hatchet, the blade humming as it sliced through the extremely unpleasant air.

Whooshh~

The hatchet bit into the Zombie’s flesh, carving a deep wound!

If his hatchet was only a Common or Uncommon Grade, it would probably be melted by the Spitter Zombie’s acid already. However, since it was a Master Grade, it wasn’t even showing any signs of being heated at all!

Aaaauuu~

The Spitter Zombie howled, a sound that echoed off the walls, and retaliated with a desperate flurry of spits.

It was unfortunate, but Shane only managed to cleave a huge part of its flesh and it wasn’t enough to kill it. It still had plenty of energy to retaliate!

However, Shane already knew that killing the Zombie in one strike was impossible.

Since he was ready, he easily ducked and weaved through the spits that were thrown by the Zombie. His enhanced Agility allowed him to move like a specter.

He didn’t bother using his hatchet’s special effect and struck again and again, each hit reducing the Zombie’s ability to fight back!

He was doing all of this to get used to his current Agility!

Finally, after removing most of his flesh from the Zombie’s upper body, Shane struck with a decisive chop. Shane severed the creature’s head from its body!

Thud!

Nonetheless, with his experience with so many Spitter Zombies, he knew very well that this wasn’t over yet. He swiftly ran away and hid behind a huge rock…

As soon as he did this, Shane heard the Spitter Zombie’s flesh expanding. It was such a familiar grotesque sound that Shane knew his hunch was right.

Boom!

Just like that, the Spitter Zombie exploded with flesh and acid everywhere. The smell was disgusting, but Shane didn’t mind it. He was starting to get used to it.

Instead, he was simply happy that the chamber didn’t collapse because of that explosion.

Shane then waited for a few seconds to recover from the dizziness caused by that shockwave. No matter what, they were still in a closed space, and that explosion created a shockwave that assaulted Shane.

Well, he was lucky enough that he had damage resistance in his equipment, so he still quickly recovered.

After that, he finally approached the remains of the Spitter Zombie.

[ Do you want to retrieve the loot? ]

”Yes.” He answered.

[ You have earned 33 Experience Points. ]

[ Loots obtained: Item Upgrade Crystal x2, Zombie Cores x2, 500mL Water, 100mL Spitter Zombie Blood, Acid Pouch x1, 2 Spirit Enhancement Bottles, Crossbow x1 ]

”Crossbow!” Shane exclaimed at the unexpected loot.

It seems that his Luck or perhaps this abandoned mine itself was a treasure trove!

’This is awesome...’ Shane thought...

At the very least, this mining site was a treasure trove for him, who had a legendary Complete Loot Talent.

Perhaps, if he could see the drop rate of this weapon, it would probably be 1% or 5% at the highest.

After a moment of celebration, Shane then opened his inventory just to check the description of the Crossbow.

[ Crossbow ( Uncommon ): A ranged weapon that fires bolts with a high velocity and accuracy. It is made of treated wood and special alloy. It can be loaded with different types of bolts. It can kill a zombie with a headshot, but requires good aim and patience. It is a silent and stealthy weapon, but has a slow reload time and a limited ammo capacity.

Effects: +15% damage against Low-Tier Zombies, +5% Knockback Rate ]

Shane smiled after seeing the description. He finally had a decent long-range weapon.

Furthermore, because of this crossbow, Shane finally recalled to build a watchtower. With their current set of tools, they could easily cut down trees and make watchtowers!

They might be surrounded by hills and forest, and Cloud may be capable of detecting Zombies, but once a crossbow expert manned these towers, they would have another layer of protection.

Nonetheless, he had to ask Leo if he was capable of making bolts for the crossbow… He wasn’t sure, but it shouldn’t have been that difficult compared to what Leo makes.

***

With the Spitter Zombie vanquished, Shane pressed onward, his boots echoing in the tunnel.

As he continued, he could tell that the air was cool and damp as the walls glistened with mineral deposits that caught the light from his ’Light Scepter’, casting eerie shadows.

The tunnel stretched on, a seemingly endless artery carved into the earth’s depths. After a steady eight-minute trek, Shane concluded the passage was barren, save for the occasional drip of water from stalactites overhead.

Apparently, from the manmade tunnel that he passed through, he had already entered the area that seemed to be a natural cave.

As he contemplated retracing his steps to explore the path where he had encountered the Walker Zombies, something caught his eye—a chest, its aged wood and metal bindings a stark contrast to the rough stone. It sat quietly in a nook, as if waiting for decades to be discovered.

[ You have discovered a Wooden Treasure Chest. ]

[ You have earned 1 Experience Point. ]

’Treasure Chest?’ Shane’s eyes widened as he saw this.

Although he knew that the Apocalypse he entered had game elements in it, he didn’t expect that a random treasure chest would also appear here!

This proves that exploring the region was truly important! He believed that the ”Main Quest” had something to do with Sofia, who was somehow immune to the virus. There was no way he would find clues about her in his territory.

Furthermore, Treasure Chests provided by the system should be in various places that were difficult to find. There shouldn’t be that many places like that around his estate. In short, if he wanted to find more of these, he should consider roaming as well.

’I should think about that once I’m stable and strong enough…’ Shane mused.

He then approached the chest, noting the intricate lock that guarded its contents.

Drawing upon his Lockpicking Skill, he deftly manipulated a slender wire within the mechanism. With a satisfying click, the lock yielded, and the chest creaked open, revealing its treasures.

Inside, nestled among velvet lining, lay an array of ores, each radiating its own unique allure. Then, before he could even pick them up, they all disappeared from his sight, and he received a notification instead.

[ You have received Starlight Silver Ore x5 ]

[ You have received Abyssal Iron Ore x5 ]

[ You have received Phoenix Copper Ore x5 ]

[ You have received Power Core x5 ]

[ You have received Zombie Core x50 ]

Just like that, all of them were transferred to his Inventory System! It was very convenient since he knew very well that they’re going to be very heavy!

Nonetheless, he still checked what kind of items they were. Obviously, aside from the Power Core and Zombie Core, he had no idea about the three types of Ores that were mentioned.

[ Starlight Silver Ore: A luminescent metal that seemed to twinkle with captured starlight. Only an experienced eye could see its true value. ]

[ Abyssal Iron Ore: Dark as the deepest chasms, with a weight that spoke of its density. Only an experienced eye could see its true value. ]

[ Phoenix Copper Ore: Warm to the touch, its surface shimmering with a faint, flame-like glow. Only an experienced eye could see its true value. ]

It appears that he couldn’t find out anything more than this basic description unless he gained more experience or an expert; perhaps a veteran blacksmith would look into it.

’Well, I was hoping to get some explosives… I guess this is good too.’ Shane mused. Although he was only a casual gamer in his previous life, he recalled that abandoned mines like this would typically have some dynamite that could be looted in several games he played.

He wasn’t too sure, but he vaguely recalled that it applies to real life as well.

He could somehow remember that dynamites were used to blast or break up large pieces of ore.

Shane shook his head after reaching this random thought... After confirming that there was nothing else to see here, he decided to retrace his steps and check the other tunnel with four Walker Zombies.