Twilight descended over São Paulo at 4:45 PM, October 11th, 2025, casting long, sinister shadows across the ruined streets.
The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh and the metallic clatter of bones scraping against asphalt.
Klaus — now Level 4 — felt adrenaline surging through his veins as he gripped the iron bar with calloused hands. His body, strengthened by the System, moved with agility he had never known before. The Endurance Potion pulsed in his inventory, but he hadn't used it yet — saving it for when it would truly matter.
Before him staggered a horde of over ten zombies, Levels 1 through 3, their guttural groans echoing through the desolate avenue like a macabre symphony. Their empty, ravenous eyes locked onto him like predators scenting prey.
Klaus gritted his teeth, his face smeared with the dried blood of earlier battles.
"You're not stopping me!" he roared, charging forward with a primal scream that reverberated through the ruins of the city.
The first zombie fell with a brutal strike — the iron bar smashed through its skull with a wet crack, splattering black blood across his face.
"10 XP, 8 Vital Essence," announced the System as the energy from Essence Devourer flowed through his body, sealing a small cut on his leg.
He spun, landing an upward swing that shattered the second zombie's jaw before crushing its chest.
"10 XP, 8 Essence."
The third and fourth lunged together, decayed hands reaching for him — Klaus sidestepped, moving with newfound agility, and spun the bar in a sweeping arc, taking both down in a single motion.
"20 XP, 16 Essence."
The horde didn't falter.
A Level 3 zombie, faster and less decayed than the rest, charged with a feral growl, its claws cutting through the air.
Klaus ducked on instinct and countered with a precise strike, snapping its neck with a crack.
"15 XP, 12 Essence."
Another lunged from behind, but he thrust the bar like a spear, impaling its head clean through.
"10 XP, 8 Essence."
His pace quickened; exhaustion crept in — but the energy he absorbed kept his body alive, moving, burning.
Five zombies remained, forming a deadly semicircle.
Klaus exhaled deeply, activating Player Appraisal to scan them — all Level 2, weak to head trauma.
With a battle cry, he charged in, spinning the bar in a whirlwind of steel.
One strike crushed a skull, another split a body, a third obliterated a ribcage.
The last one lunged, but Klaus shoved it back with his shoulder and slammed the bar down like a hammer.
"50 XP, 40 Essence," echoed the System as the ground turned slick with black blood.
Panting, Klaus dropped to his knees — when suddenly, a golden light shimmered amid the carnage.
A random chest materialized, runes pulsing along its edges.
Klaus's heartbeat quickened as he opened it with trembling hands.
Inside lay two items: a Luck Orb that radiated an unknown glow and a Steel Sword with a leather-wrapped hilt.
[Item Acquired: Luck Orb (Rank: Unknown)]
[Description: A mystical artifact that permanently amplifies the user's Luck when consumed.]
[Item Acquired: Steel Sword (Rank: F)]
[Description: A basic melee weapon with a sharp blade. Damage: +5–10%.]
Without hesitation, Klaus swallowed the orb.
A wave of heat surged through his body.
[Luck increased to maximum (20) — Permanent effect.]
Clarity filled his mind — as if the universe itself now tilted slightly in his favor.
He gripped the sword, feeling its perfect balance, and swung it experimentally.
[Weapon Mastery Unlocked: Sword (Level 1). Base Damage increased by 5%.]
Each motion felt natural, instinctive — like years of experience downloaded directly into his muscles.
A fierce smile spread across his face.
"This changes everything."
As Klaus admired the blade, the air around him trembled.
A new notification illuminated his vision at 5:10 PM — a fresh challenge from the System, testing his newfound strength.
[Main Quest Activated: Ascension to Power]
Description: Reach Level 10 and defeat 50 monsters (Levels 1–5) within a 5 km radius.
Includes zombies, goblins, skeletons, and new species that will appear.
Reward: 500 XP, 1x Random Class (Rank depends on performance).
Failure Penalty: –20% to all attributes for 48 hours and Skill Evolution Lock for 24 hours.
Time Limit: 72 hours.
Klaus's eyes widened.
"Level 10? That's going to take everything I've got," he muttered, opening his status screen.
Name: Klaus
Level: 4
XP: 5/120
Attributes:
Strength: 13
Agility: 13
Vitality: 13
Intelligence: 13
Dexterity: 13
Luck: 20 (Max)
Free Points: 1
Skills:
Essence Devourer (Lv. 1)
Player Appraisal (Rank F)
Weapon Mastery: Sword (Lv. 1)
He allocated his free point to Strength, raising it to 14, then tightened his grip on the blade.
"Let's hunt," he said to himself, striding into the darkened streets.
Portals continued to tear open around him — new enemies pouring through.
Level 4 goblins with makeshift armor, Level 5 skeletons wielding bone shields — all fell before him as his blade danced in the twilight.
The first goblin fell to a clean lateral strike, its armor splitting apart.
"15 XP, 12 Essence."
A skeleton blocked with its shield, but Klaus sidestepped and cleaved through its neck.
"20 XP, 15 Essence."
His swordsmanship improved with each swing — his mastery rising, his body learning faster than humanly possible.
After five more kills — three zombies, two goblins — his XP climbed to 75/120.
Night deepened.
The quest drove him beyond Avenida Paulista into the darker, broken heart of the city.
Waves of enemies crashed upon him — each fight fiercer than the last.
Four Level 3 zombies surrounded him, but with maxed-out Luck, he slipped between attacks with impossible precision, countering with deadly accuracy.
"60 XP, 48 Essence."
His inner core pulsed — 102 Pure Essence stored.
He converted 100 into 1 Evolution Point, saving it for his Essence Devourer.
When the tenth monster, a Level 5 skeleton, fell to a perfect spinning slash —
"20 XP, 15 Essence."
His XP reached 95/120, the edge of another breakthrough.
But he knew this was only the beginning — to reach Level 10 in 72 hours would be a marathon of blood and willpower.
Wiping the blood from his sword, Klaus gazed toward the horizon, where new rifts shimmered.
"I'll level up. I'll master my class. And I'll survive," he vowed, his voice steadier than ever — echoing louder than the groans of the undead.
The apocalypse was a battlefield.
And Klaus had just begun his ascent.