The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse
Chapter 21: The Zombie Hunter (1)

After leveling up to Level 7, Klaus felt a massive surge of power. His spiritual qi pool had grown several times larger, filling him with more than enough energy to unleash his attacks. He'd only just started tapping into the ice element, mainly because Klaus had always had a thing for ice.

Ever since he was a kid, he was fascinated by anything related to ice, so it was only natural that he instinctively started using it as soon as he awakened. Now, his Moon Slash skill was on a whole new level. Klaus went on a rampage, taking down Tier 2 monsters left and right.

He needed 38,400 points to hit Level 8, so he knew he had to go all out. The stronger he got, the better his chances of taking on Tier 3 monsters. Last time, he got lucky and caught a Tier 3 monster off guard, but he wasn't sure he'd get that same stroke of luck again.

Even if he did get lucky again, it would only work once. But to make 40 million gold in three days, he'd need that kind of luck hundreds of times over. This time, he planned on staying out in the field for a few days before heading back.

Even though he'd awakened, Klaus knew almost nothing about cultivating. To really get a grip on the intricacies of the cultivation world, he knew he'd have to move to the city, where he could gather the knowledge he needed to navigate this new life.

Right now, Klaus's top priority was getting several times stronger so he could gather the funds needed to move his small family to the city.

Slash!

A sword light flashed, sending a sharp ice arc slicing through the air. The arc struck a Tier 2 Hound, killing it instantly.

"I still don't have that sharpness and effortlessness I crave," Klaus muttered, staring at his sword with a puzzled expression. For the past five hours, he'd been hunting and honing his sword skills, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't break through to the next level.

Sure, he could take down a Tier 2 monster with a single strike now, but it still didn't have that razor-sharp precision he wanted. There was always some dullness to his attacks. It was frustrating. With a sacred class like his, he couldn't help but get a little obsessed, hoping to fix it before moving forward.

"I guess I'll have to keep killing more monsters—maybe I'll figure it out," Klaus sighed as he stored the body and continued his rampage.

"A zombie," Klaus muttered, stopping in his tracks. He narrowed his gaze at the figure standing over a monster's lifeless body, its mouth smeared with blood and chunks of meat. It was clear the zombie had killed the creature and was now devouring it.

The zombie's head jerked up as it caught sight of Klaus. Its eyes, empty and lifeless, locked onto him. The creature growled a low, menacing sound that sent a chill down Klaus's spine. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, his focus sharpening as he prepared for the fight.

Klaus didn't flinch. He took a deep breath, centering himself. He wasn't going to use any fancy skills or elements this time. This was about pure speed and precision. His agility had been honed to the point where he could strike before most enemies even realized he'd moved.

The zombie lunged at him with surprising speed, but Klaus was faster. In a single fluid motion, he sidestepped the attack and swung his sword in a wide arc. The blade cut through the air with a sharp hiss, aimed directly at the zombie's neck.

The strike was clean and precise. Klaus's sword sliced through the zombie's neck with one swift slash, beheading it instantly. The creature's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, while its head rolled away, the dead eyes still staring blankly.

"Slower than I thought," Klaus muttered as he stared at the Tier 2 Zombie lying on the ground. His sword flashed again, slicing cleanly through the monster's head, cutting it in half. As the pieces fell apart, a small stone, about the size of a grape, tumbled out. It was white in color.

"Low-Grade Zombie Stone. I'm emotional, y'all. Who would've thought my first kill would produce a stone?" Klaus grinned as he picked up the small white stone, turning it over in his hand.

"It's just a Tier 2 low grade, meaning this Zombie was one of the weakest. But hey, this little thing is worth about 1,000 gold coins—that's more than enough." Klaus tucked the stone away in his space ring and began moving deeper into the forest.

He had finally entered the part of the forest where the Zombies roamed. As he walked, he noticed several Zombie corpses along the path, indicating that others had already been through here.

A rustling sound caught his attention. Klaus glanced to the side and spotted another Zombie stumbling out from behind a tree. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and lunged forward. The blade sliced through the air, and with one clean strike, the Zombie's head separated from its body, collapsing in a heap. No stone this time.

Klaus continued onward, his senses on high alert. It wasn't long before he encountered a pair of Zombies, shambling toward him with slow, unsteady steps. He didn't waste any time. With two quick slashes, both Zombies were down, their heads rolling on the ground. This time, one of them dropped a small gray stone.

"Another one," Klaus said, pocketing the stone. "This one's worth a bit less, but it all adds up." Zombie stones come in different grades. There is the Low Grade which is white. Then there is the Medium grade which comes in brown. Then there is the black high grade.

However, aside from these three, there is a grey zombie stone which is less than the low grade but also valuable. It's mostly dropped from zombies that have just advanced to Tier 2. But although its worth is less, it's still better than none.

As he moved deeper into the forest, the number of Zombies began to increase. Some came at him in small groups, others alone. But it didn't matter; Klaus cut them down with ease, his movements quick and precise.

Every so often, a Zombie would drop a stone, either white or gray. Klaus collected each one, stashing them in his space ring. The thrill of replaceing these stones kept him going, pushing him to take down as many Zombies as possible.

After dispatching another small group, Klaus found himself standing in a clearing. He took a moment to catch his breath, looking around at the fallen bodies. "Not bad," he thought, "but I need more if I want to buy a house," Klaus said with a small smile.

A sudden noise behind him made Klaus spin around, sword at the ready. A larger Zombie, clearly stronger than the others, was lumbering toward him. Its eyes glowed with a dull, eerie light, and it moved with more purpose than the weaker ones.

Klaus tightened his grip on his sword. This one might be more of a challenge, however, he quickly dismissed that though when he saw the Zombie move. The Zombie lunged at him, but Klaus was quicker. He sidestepped the attack and brought his sword down in a powerful arc, severing the creature's head in a single blow.

As the body fell, a bright white stone rolled out. Klaus picked it up, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Low grade but worth more than the plain white, I guess there is some luck following be after all."

He pocketed the stone and pressed on, his confidence growing with each kill. The deeper he went, the more Zombies he encountered. But none of them could stand up to his speed and skill.

In a few hours, Klaus had gathered several more stones, but he wasn't satisfied yet. He wanted more. In fact, he wanted so many that even if he took a break from hunting for a while, he'd still be in good shape financially.

"This place is good," Klaus thought to himself. "The deeper I go, the stronger the zombies I encounter. If I can manage to get a few Medium-grade stones, that would be great."

He wasn't aiming for the Higher-grade stones—those were found in Tier 3 Zombies, and he knew he wasn't ready for that yet. He still had to ensure he had the strength to take them on. But now wasn't the time to push his limits recklessly.

Klaus continued to press forward, his eyes sharp and his sword ready. He encountered another group of Tier 2 Zombies, slightly stronger than the ones he had fought before. They moved with a bit more coordination, their growls louder and more menacing. Klaus didn't hesitate. With swift, precise movements, he cut them down one by one, his sword flashing in the dim light of the forest.

When the last Zombie fell, Klaus quickly searched the bodies, hoping for a Medium-grade stone. His heart skipped a beat when he found one—a dull blue stone, larger than the others he had collected. It wasn't a High-grade, but it was better than the Low-grade stones he had been gathering.

"Perfect," Klaus murmured, storing the stone in his space ring. "Just a few more like this, and I'll be set. But these Zombies are becoming stronger, I have to test my limit and distribute the points accordingly."

He continued his hunt, slaughtering more Zombies along the way. The deeper he ventured, the stronger the Zombies became. Their numbers grew, but so did his determination. Klaus was relentless, cutting them down with precision, collecting stones, and moving on without hesitation.

Finally, after heading even deeper into the forest, Klaus encountered a different kind of Zombie. This one was unlike the others. It still had the rotting appearance of a Zombie, but its eyes were sharp, not dull and lifeless like the rest. In its hands, it held a bone sword, gripped tightly as if it knew how to use it.