All the evolutionaries had gone numb.
Even Anthony, Lorca, the head of the Holy See's Trial Knights, and the elite evolutionaries from various countries—those who had initially sought to prove their strength—
They were all numb.
At this moment, they shared a single thought.
That damned man from the Faeloria Country... He's definitely cheating!
More than two days had passed.
In that time, Novak had plundered and laid waste to an entire city—and then another—and then another.
Zombies?
He wasn't even interested in using the Blacklight Virus to assimilate them anymore.
There were simply too many of the same genetic strain. Devouring them wouldn't yield enough evolution points to be worth his time.
And so, he killed numbly.
Even the hidden X Company facilities scattered throughout the secret world had lost their appeal.
He had already obtained over a dozen bottles of genetic modification serums, along with a stash of advanced technological equipment.
But his biggest gain?
Points.
A terrifying number of them.
Right now, Novak's points in the zombie secret realm were so absurdly high that it made all others seem insignificant.
Leaderboard: Zombie Secret Realm
[1st Place: White Emperor (Faeloria Country) – Current Points: 2,056,392]
Even Novak himself wasn't sure what to spend them on.
The only minor regret he had was that, despite clearing out more than ten cities, he hadn't encountered a single other evolutionary.
Although camp-based rewards weren't particularly special, they were group-oriented—and Novak wouldn't have minded using the opportunity to weaken the other factions.
Anyone capable of entering the biochemical zombie world at this stage was undoubtedly among the strongest of their nations. Eliminating them now would cripple the opposition.
But unfortunately, whether it was sheer luck for the other evolutionaries or Novak's own misfortune, he hadn't run into a single one.
What did concern him, however, was something else.
In every biochemical zombie city, there existed an X Company headquarters.
However, unlike the original Sandworm City, not every one of these facilities contained a Company ID card.
The ID card was the key.
And in just two days, the final opportunity to enter X Company's headquarters would arise.
Needless to say, this wasn't an exploration mission that just anyone could access.
Despite this, Novak did not hoard the secret.
Upon returning to White Emperor City, he immediately shared the location of X ID card with Group 001.
After all, this mission wasn't meant to be a solo effort.
Strengthening Group 001 as much as possible would only work in his favor.
But for now—
Before Novak's eyes, amidst the mountain of corpses, only one last figure remained.
A massive ape, standing over three meters tall.
Its entire body was covered in a blue-black chitinous exoskeleton.
A special mutant zombie beast.
Novak had encountered dozens of these mutations before.
And now—finally—
This was the last one.
Even an executioner gets weary of killing the same thing over and over again.
And Novak?
He was done.
Killing had always been a means to an end, never a pleasure.
He had no interest in mindless slaughter.
Among the Biochemical Disaster's requirements, the 100,000 ordinary zombie kills had long been completed.
But one final task remained.
Eliminate 100 mutants.
And he was still one short.
This one.
The mutated ape locked eyes with him.
Within its gaze, there was madness.
And yet—
Beneath the bloodlust and primal instincts of the undead, something unexpected flickered within its expression.
An emotion zombies rarely possessed.
Fear.
At this moment, fear flickered in the mutated ape's eyes.
A rare breakthrough.
If left to evolve, this mutated zombie ape might one day reach immense potential—
A true force among the undead.
But potential meant nothing if it was killed before it could grow.
And Novak—
He was here to crush that possibility with his own hands.
For these creatures, neither human nor ghost, who had no understanding of life or death, the best mercy he could offer was complete destruction.
The Biochemical Disaster's massive claws gleamed under the dim light.
Each razor-sharp talon extended half a meter long, pulsating with a bewitching red glow.
That crimson light reflected a killing intent far stronger than ever before.
As if the weapon itself could sense the imminent moment of evolution—
As if it yearned to become something far greater than just a tool.
A weapon with a will of its own.
A weapon meant to pierce through everything.
Puchi!
Blood splattered—
Black and red. Thick and pungent.
Brain matter spilled as the zombie ape's skull was ripped open.
Its body thudded to the ground, motionless.
Dead.
So utterly dead that even undeath would not bring it back.
Novak exhaled.
For a brief moment, there was a flicker of relief in his gaze.
But more than that, he was captivated by what was happening to his own hand.
The massive, bloodstained claws of Biochemical Disaster pulsed—
A red glow spread across the surface, shifting like a living pupil, an ever-turning eye, constantly evolving, constantly growing stronger.
And then, he felt it.
The power surging through him.
Novak watched in silence as the massive claw began to shrink.
From a towering weapon of carnage—
To something more refined, more compact.
Soon, it had shrunk back to the size of a normal zombie's claw.
No longer a grotesque blade, but—
A glove.
Yet, the transformation wasn't over.
The claw continued to shrink, twisting, reforming—
Until, finally, Novak's palm was fully exposed.
Dark red veins pulsed beneath his skin, so vividly visible that they looked like etched markings of power.
And then, with a final flicker of crimson light—
The transformation was complete.
Where once there were gargantuan claws, there were now black-red nails—
A seemingly small, subtle change—but Novak knew better.
He had succeeded.
In his previous life, El Anouk's Horcrux, the so-called Twin Fangs, had dyed his teeth emerald green.
But this—
This was different.
This wasn't just a weapon.
It was a part of him now.
And as the realization sank in, a new notification echoed in his mind—
[Your special equipment 'Biochemical Disaster' meets the requirements and has evolved into a special growth-type Horcrux: Doomsday Judgment!]