Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The compounds moved fast.

Partly because their efficiency had improved… and partly because the order came from Ethan. Nobody dared treat it like a ”maybe later” task.

In less than two days, every compound finished screening.

And the result hit Ethan like a bucket of ice water.

Out of the Atlas Federation’s thirty-something million survivors… not a single person had awakened a seal-breaking type skill.

Ethan was furious.

He’d genuinely believed that with numbers like that, he’d find at least one or two. Then they could break Abyron’s seal, drag Dopey back to Blackpine Wilds, settle the Titan Bull score, and maybe even hunt a few more Stage SS beasts while they were at it.

Stage SS crystal cores would’ve been the kind of jackpot that could send their strength rocketing again.

Instead, nothing.

Zero.

Every plan he’d been building off that idea died on the spot.

Ethan rubbed his forehead, expression dark. If this ”Dopey shortcut” didn’t work, then what came in a month really could be catastrophic.

Chris tried to steady the room. ”It’s fine. If the Atlas Federation doesn’t have it, we’ll search other countries. I refuse to believe out of all humanity, not one person has a skill like that.”

Ethan shook his head.

”If thirty million people don’t have it, this isn’t just ’bad luck.’” He exhaled. ”If I had to guess, seal-breaking is a higher-tier skill. You probably only start seeing it at higher Stages.”

He glanced around.

”And our average strength is already higher than the rest of the world. If it didn’t appear here, it’s even less likely it appeared elsewhere.”

Chris opened his mouth… then had to close it.

”…Yeah. That tracks.”

Miles looked at Ethan, still puzzled. ”Captain… why are you pushing so hard to find a seal-breaking skill?”

Ethan’s voice dropped. ”Because if we find one, we might be able to gain one more Stage SSS combat power.”

”—What?”

The room exploded.

”Stage SSS!?”

”Are you serious!?”

Ethan nodded once. ”Yes.”

”Dopey—Abyron—was Stage SSS when he was alive. His power is sealed. We were all wrong about why his body is so ridiculous. It’s not some special creation method, and it’s not because of the bones.”

”It’s because his body was already Stage SSS.”

He looked around, making sure everyone understood.

”That’s why all those ’strong’ enemies couldn’t hurt him. To him, they were nothing.”

”And the reason he can’t use skills is the seal.”

The room went dead silent.

”If we can break it,” Ethan continued, ”Abyron returns to Stage SSS. When the dimensional rifts reopen in a month, we at least have a real trump card.”

Big Mike swallowed hard. ”I… damn. Dopey was Stage SSS?”

He looked like his worldview had been hit by a truck. ”I always knew Dopey wasn’t normal, but—Stage SSS is just…”

Miles’s expression turned heavy. ”Then no matter what it takes, we have to find a way to undo that seal. If we’re talking about a month from now, that might be the biggest card we have.”

Ethan nodded. ”Right now we’ve got two options.”

”First: wait. Everyone’s strength is still climbing fast. Maybe when someone breaks through at Stage A or Stage S, they’ll roll a seal-breaking skill.”

”Second: I reach Stage SS, pick skills, and deliberately choose something that can break seals.”

Sean didn’t hesitate. ”Option two sounds more reliable.”

Chris immediately pushed back. ”Reliable, sure—but the cost is insane. Every skill selection is precious. Ethan’s self-selection advantage is our biggest cheat code. Look at his kit—every one of his skills is god-tier. Burning a pick on a utility skill like that… it hurts.”

Miles nodded in agreement. ”Chris is right. Breaking Dopey’s seal could give us a Stage SSS ally, but Captain is the core. Captain’s whole path is stacking the strongest abilities and forging an unbeatable build.”

Mia’s voice was quiet, but firm. ”And you’ll reach Stage SSS yourself eventually. You shouldn’t throw away one of your rare choices on something like that.”

The others all nodded along.

Then Garrick asked the question nobody wanted to answer.

”But… a month from now, when the rifts open again—if we don’t have Stage SSS, how do we stop whatever comes through?”

”….”

No one spoke.

Because for once, there wasn’t an obvious solution sitting on the table.

Dopey really was the fastest shortcut.

But if it cost their boss one of his self-selected skill slots, everyone felt like it was a waste. And if they didn’t do it, then what exactly were they supposed to use to withstand the disaster a month from now?

It was a loop. A dead end either way.

”Boss,” Chris asked quietly, ”what do you think?”

Ethan exhaled. ”We’ll see when we get there. I’m not even Stage SS yet. Maybe someone will roll a seal-breaking skill before I reach it.”

”…Fair,” Sean admitted.

Ethan looked at Miles. ”Miles, make this your top priority. Tell the other compounds too—during this period, the moment anyone breaks into a higher Stage, we need to know immediately what skill they got.”

”Yes,” Miles said firmly.

Ethan nodded once. ”Good.”

Then his tone shifted.

”And since Abyron’s seal can’t be undone for now, and there’s no quick way to spike our power here… I’m taking you guys into other Void Realm worlds.”

He glanced around the circle. ”Two reasons. One—learn what we’re really up against. Two—see if there’s any chance to find opportunities to grow stronger.”

”Seriously!?” Big Mike’s face lit up. ”Finally!”

”I’ve been waiting for that,” he said, practically bouncing.

The others were excited too. Curiosity, anticipation, the hunger for the unknown—no one here was the type to be content staying behind walls.

Miles kept it practical. ”Captain, how many people are you taking?”

”Just us,” Ethan said. ”Void Realm races aren’t friendly to humans. Too many people will just get in the way.”

Then Ethan’s expression turned serious again as he stepped closer to Miles.

”Miles—once we leave, Earth is on you. Phones, satellites, all of that won’t help us over there. If something happens here, you’ll have to handle it yourself.”

Miles didn’t flinch. ”Don’t worry, Captain. I’ve got this.”

Ethan nodded. He believed him.

And even though they’d been forced out of Rivermark State this time, they’d still brought back a huge amount of crystal cores—enough to push Fallen Star City even higher.

On top of that, Fallen Star City had Miles’s warding circle… and the Glacial Bear.

Unless a high-tier Stage SS—or a Stage SSS—showed up to attack, the city’s defense was rock-solid.

Miles asked, ”Have you decided which Void Realm to go to?”

Ethan thought for a moment, then said, ”Eldoria Continent.”

He looked around, voice steady.

”It’s the closest to us, which also means it’s the biggest threat.”

”And we’ve heard a lot about Eldoria from Nerissa already, so we won’t be going in completely blind.”

Miles nodded. ”Agreed. Eldoria makes sense. And I suggest you take Nerissa and her people with you—at least you’ll have somewhere to land first, in Azure Nereids territory.”

”Alright,” Ethan said. ”We rest tonight. We leave tomorrow morning.”

”Hell yeah,” Big Mike said, grinning.

”Good,” Chris murmured, eyes bright.

Tomorrow.

A new world.