Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System Chapter 23: Stage Two - A Moment of Terror!

The danger sense skill would not only teach of incoming danger through a prick or tingling sensation in my mind. It would also slow my sense of ti for a short duration from the mont this effect started.

To give ti to think.

I could feel Yin's fear, his thoughts of regret flowing between our link. It seed he noticed the strange zombie but didn't understand its danger.

'How could I bla a cat?'

Tk-Tk!

A brittle, unsettling click scraped from its throat—as if sothing was lodged inside, like cracked joints grinding together, wet and uneven. Its dark grey skin stretched over a deford and emaciated body.

The mont I blinked, a huge mouth appeared in the air... less than a tre from .

It jumped with a twisting motion, lashing at with its tongue.

"Shit!"

I cursed and threw myself to the side, not caring if I damaged or hurt myself.

A cold feeling ran through my body.

Bang!

Crack!

My head crashed onto the pavent, but I survived with minimal damage, a slight ache and blood oozing down my cheek.

But now the zombies were behind, and that thing ahead of , buried in a car after smashing through its window.

I surrounded myself like a cat caught in its own trap.

Dragging the spear from the ground, I shifted back, trying to get to a safer position.

The image of its pale white eyes and huge mouth filled with teeth, too realistic and unsettling, different from gas and dia.

Even Mu Qinglan looked spooked—and she was in her zombie phase!

"Qinglan, that thing is dangerous!" I called out, stabbing another zombie, hearing the creak of tal as that monster stretched and bent it with ease.

'I need more strength. If I survive... I will pour my money into POWER!'

Honestly, speed was also cool, but right now I couldn't win in speed or strength!

Dodging would only tire out.

I couldn't abandon Qinglan.

The others...

'Hah!'

My mind raced because of nerves and fear. I thought too much, speaking to myself, trying to weaken the ntal breakdown that was impending from this monster.

But it taught what I wanted to know.

I was STILL human.

Qinglan didn't reply but lunged forward as I started moving. Her tal bat swung recklessly at zombies that moved towards , as if in a daze.

All of their eyes glowing with a slight yellow hue.

She's like a hurricane.

A song started playing in my head at that mont.

The system didn't speak, and I realised that a Stage Two might be above the limit or threshold of a Tutorial.

So I tried to cheat...

'System, is there anything that can boost my attributes, permanently and temporarily, with my 4000 points?'

Mu Qinglan started steamrolling the zombies, my points and experience increasing greatly, while Shen Yifei and Jiang Roulan snapped out of their terror from seeing that Stage Two zombie.

Crreeeeak!

The car roof started to deform.

Its long, deford arms were so powerful despite being nothing but bone and atrophied muscle—its lean physique likely why it moved so fast.

With each smash, the tal dented, and I lost confidence.

'Tell you shit system, or your host will die forever!'

[Tutorial Hint: Please don't threaten the System... I will help!]

For a mont, it seed to be sentient.

Though that didn't matter, the zombies down to roughly twenty started to wane, but within seconds, that bastard would be back.

▼ Suggested Items!

Hero Tonic: 3000 ZKP

Temporarily triple all Attributes and gain a temporary level boost to all skills. However, the extre side effects will leave the host weakened for 10 hours.

Power Elixir: 1000 ZKP

Increases Strength permanently—each usage decreases the effects and increases the cost.

Speed Elixir: 1000 ZKP

Increases Agility permanently—each usage decreases the effects and increases the cost.

[Tutorial Hint: The Hero Tonic is a Rank 5 Item and isn't normally for use at Rank 3!]

I see...

The system was giving a significant hint here.

Because I wanted to get the inventory upgrade for one thousand, I was subconsciously limiting my money from five to four thousand... like a fool.

'GIVE THEM ALL!'

[Purchase Complete!]

Poof!

Two small vials appeared in mid-air, and one can of a popular brand of energy drink.

Red for strength,

No, it was the sa design, but the system shop stole it for their off-brand "HERO TONIC!"

[High in caffeine, dangerous to consu more than once a month!]

VWOOSH!

With both its legs swinging like a hamr, the State Two Zombie kicked the entire roof off the Sedan like it was plywood.

Pssssh!

I opened the can and two vials and poured them into my mouth...

The mixture of three flavours made want to vomit.

A Spicy Cinnamon & Smoked Pepper flavour from the red Power elixir, followed by the Sharp Citrus & Cool Mint of the silver Speed Elixir and, to finish... the carbonated taste cherry and dragon fruit that tasted more like motor oil.

Ba-Dum!!!!

My heart scread in agony, slamming against my chest, before all the muscles in my body felt like they bulged and doubled in size. It felt as if my veins expanded, and I could clearly feel the flow of my blood.

Like a chemical reaction...

Suddenly, the world turned into slow motion, but it wasn't my Danger Sense.

I turned to the car and saw the Tier Two once again, but its movent wasn't slow... but normal speed. Its face twisted, pale and ghostly, with a wide smile and glowing white eyes.

Tk-Tk!

Once again, it made that unsettling click, but this ti, I could react.

The way it leaned to the side, almost touching the ground with its head, made feel disgusted—a very inhuman sight.

But it wasn't an issue for anymore.

The creature flicked from the ground and lunged toward like a spring.

A low thud echoed in my enhanced eyes as I grabbed a nearby zombie, tossing it with ease at the zombie in mid-air, unable to dodge with its vile maw wide open.

Crunch!

I winced.

The stage one zombie's torso practically evaporated as the sharp teeth and force of the stage two devoured it as it continued flying towards .

I lowered my hips, grasping the light black spear with a grin pasted on my lips.

The sound of zombies around was so detailed and accurate, I could pinpoint their locations able to avoid them with a slight step, without breaking my posture.

Once the slow motion faded, the zombie launched at like a bolt of lighting.

Yet I moved faster... and I stabbed out.

Shlick!

My black spear pierced through the air, slicing the zombie's chest, but its leg kicked off the concrete and pushed away from the deadly strike, able to react and counter my blow in an instant.

Thud!

Tk-Tk!

"Haa..."

With a deep breath, I could feel the slight ache from surpassing my body's limits.

No wonder this was for Rank 5—at that level, I should be able to handle this kind of monster with little effort.

THUNK!

What shocked most was that when the zombie avoided , its body landed in range of Qinglan, who wound up her swing and slamd her tal bat into its thick skull...

The resounding crack of the impact reverberated through the air.

My eyes opened wide as it stumbled to the ground, bleeding from its ears and mouth.

Before I let out a breath, Qinglan jumped on the zombie, using her bat to pin its neck to the ground, locking it between a fallen pillar and car chassis and started to puml it with a violent, crazed assault.

Crack!

Crunch!

Her lips parted, releasing a rumbling growl as her fang-like canines shone in the setting sun.

"Qinglan...?" I whispered, astonished as the red-eyed beauty beat its head into a bloody ss, even after its flesh stopped twitching and writhing underneath her.

THUNK!

With a final hit, she stood up and gave a bloodthirsty smile, her face filled with an insane expression, a wide, distorted grin like a cat that brought a mouse to its owner.

She bounced with light steps approaching , dragging the zombie's corpse.

▼ Mu Qinglan has killed a Stage Two Zombie!

1000 ZKP First-ti Bonus!

500 EXP

50 Affection for giving her the last blow!

I wanted to thank her and tried to step forward, but a sudden burning pain shot up my throat, and a sweet yet coppery taste filled my mouth. A sudden pressure grew, and I vomited a lot of bright red blood onto Qinglan's face.

However, as my vision beca hazy she didn't seem to look unhappy, and instead...

'Was that a look of elation?' I thought... but no answer ca.

I blacked out.