Investing in My Harem in the Apocalypse Makes Me Stronger

The ground cracked beneath his foot.

The lance vanished from his hand.

A crimson-gold streak tore across the distance so quickly that several people behind Cain failed to follow it.

The 2nd Echelon zombie barely had enough time to brace itself as the Solar Lance struck, shattering its weapon immediately.

Broken metal scattered outward as the lance tore straight through the failed defense and entered the zombie’s head.

Solar Fire erupted.

Its skull disappeared completely.

The lance continued beyond the falling corpse before striking the ground farther inside the outpost.

BOOM!

Heat swept across the entrance.

The headless body had not even touched the ground when the other two 2nd Echelons stopped and immediately turned toward Cain.

Whatever plan they had intended to follow disappeared the moment they saw their companion die from a single attack.

The spear wielder shouted sharply.

The armored zombie abandoned the group it had been approaching and rushed toward Cain instead.

The other followed without hesitation.

Cain watched them change direction with a smile.

”Changing your mind?”

Crimson-gold Mana gathered beside his shoulder and another lance immediately formed.

The armored zombie accelerated first, closing the distance with surprising speed.

Cain merely remained where he was as he shot the lance forward with a thought.

The zombie reacted immediately and brought both arms across its chest.

The defense accomplished almost nothing.

The Solar Lance smashed into its armor.

The dark material resisted for less than a second before breaking apart.

The lance punched straight through its body.

Fire burst from the zombie’s back.

The force lifted it from the ground and sent it crashing several meters away.

It rolled across the black-gray soil before coming to a stop.

Cain barely looked at the corpse as the last 2nd Echelon was already upon him.

Its spear shot toward his throat.

Cain saw the attack clearly.

Dragon’s Eyes caught the subtle movement of its shoulder before the thrust had fully begun, while the Mana flowing through its arm revealed exactly where the force was being directed.

Cain casually shifted his head.

The spearhead passed beside his neck.

The zombie’s crimson eyes widened.

Another Solar Lance had already begun forming near Cain.

At such a short distance, avoiding it completely was almost impossible.

The lance shot forward.

The zombie twisted desperately.

Instead of piercing the center of its chest, the attack struck its side.

BOOM!

Solar Fire erupted through its body.

A large section of its body disappeared.

The zombie staggered several steps away as black blood poured from the ruined flesh.

Cain raised an eyebrow when he found that it was still standing strong.

The creature tightened its grip around the spear despite the terrible wound along its side.

Even after suffering that much damage, it still intended to fight.

Cain’s lips curved slightly.

”Still alive?”

The zombie answered with a furious roar and forced itself forward.

Cain raised one finger.

A final Solar Lance appeared beside him.

The zombie had barely taken another step when Cain flicked his finger.

The lance crossed the short distance.

Its head instantly disappeared.

The body continued forward from its remaining momentum before finally collapsing onto the black-gray ground.

The entire fight had lasted only a few seconds.

Cain looked at the corpses.

Their original decision had not been unreasonable.

They were 2nd Echelon beings facing a group composed mostly of 1st Echelons. Sending one of their own to deal with Cain while the others attacked his companions should have been more than enough under normal circumstances.

Unfortunately for them, Cain was anything but normal.

Even after realizing their mistake and turning on him together, the outcome had not changed.

After his battle with the Zombie King, Cain’s perception of ordinary 2nd Echelon strength had clearly become distorted.

These soldiers were not weak.

It was just that Cain had simply grown far stronger since then.

The System’s voice began sounding inside his mind.

[Ding! You have killed a Level 62 2nd Echelon Zombie Race Soldier.]

[Ding! You have obtained Strength +4, Agility +3, Physique +3, and Sense +3.]

[Ding! You have killed a Level 65 2nd Echelon Zombie Race Soldier.]

[Ding! You have obtained Strength +3, Agility +5, Physique +3, and Sense +2.]

[Ding! You have killed a Level 70 2nd Echelon Zombie Race Soldier.]

[Ding! You have obtained Strength +2, Agility +5, Physique +3, and Sense +2.]

Cain’s eyes lit up slightly.

The notifications continued right away.

[World-Class Mission Zone Bonus applied.]

[Experience gained: 200%.]

[Ding! You have leveled up to Level 42, obtaining 6 Free Stat Points.]

[Ding! You have leveled up to Level 43, obtaining 6 Free Stat Points.]

[Ding! You have leveled up to Level 44, obtaining 6 Free Stat Points.]

[...]

[Ding! You have leveled up to Level 50, obtaining 6 Free Stat Points.]

[Ding! You have obtained 1,130,000 System Points in total.]

Cain’s expression immediately brightened.

”Level 50...”

That was much faster than he had expected.

He had entered this outpost at Level 41, yet killing the three 2nd Echelon soldiers inside the World-Class Mission Zone had pushed him through nine Levels at once.

Cain could feel the improvements throughout his body.

The additional Stats obtained directly from the kills had already strengthened him noticeably, while leveling nine times had increased every one of his base Stats even further.

On top of that, he had gained another 54 Free Stat Points.

Cain had deliberately kept the 96 Free Stat Points he obtained earlier untouched.

Now he had even more available.

He had no reason to distribute them immediately.

Having a large number of unused points available could become extremely valuable if he encountered an enemy whose abilities demanded a sudden increase in a particular Stat.

More importantly, Level 50 was the limit of the 1st Echelon.

Cain smiled in satisfaction.

Only a short while ago, the World Announcement about Heavenly Demon reaching the 2nd Echelon had made him want to close the distance as quickly as possible.

Now the Level requirement was already finished.

His smile slowly faded as another thought appeared.

’What Advancement Mission am I going to get this time?’