Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Shane raised an eyebrow after hearing their offer.

"Gold? I don't need gold, Vin. It's not worth much out here anymore. Spirit Stones, on the other hand..."

Vin grimaced after hearing Shane's hint…

"Spirit Stones are harder to come by these days, but..." He paused, thinking carefully. "I have some authority to negotiate. They had a way of obtaining these stones, but they also had to spend some of them, especially with the explosives that they were making.

"How about 50 low-grade Spirit Stones per Crypt Crawler?"

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Shane folded his arms, considering the offer. Fifty Spirit Stones was a decent amount, but the task would be risky, and the value of those creatures was higher than Vin was letting on. "Make it 55 per Crypt Crawler," Shane said, his tone firm.

Shane had no idea that this stone was an ingredient in their explosives, but if he knew, he would surely make a higher offer.

He then added, "And I'll deliver them within a week. I can't promise it'll be easy, but I'll get it done after the next Zombie Wave hits."

Vin stared at him for a moment, weighing his options. Then he sighed and nodded. "Alright, 55 it is. I'll relay the terms back to Lord Han Zhuo. You'll have your Spirit Stones once the delivery is made."

Shane extended a hand, sealing the deal with a firm handshake. "Good. Now rest up for the night. You and your men look like you need it."

Vin gave a grateful nod. "Thank you. I'll make sure to report back how... impressive your camp has become. I doubt anyone at Long Lodge expected you to turn this place into what it is now."

As the messengers left, Shane sat back down, his mind already turning over the logistics of capturing a dozen Crypt Crawlers. It wouldn't be easy, but with the camp's improved defenses, the upcoming wave, and his growing workforce, he knew they could handle it.

As for the Juggernaut Zombie, he'd probably only see that Zombie during the Zombie Wave. They weren't easy to come by, after all.

***

Meanwhile, as Shane was considering how to improve the defenses of his shelter before the third Zombie Wave came, the other top-ranking Survivors were also finishing their preparations in hopes of achieving a higher rank.

Every surviving person up until now had received a significant boost in their strengths and level recently. After all, they received some level-up rewards as well after the event ended.

It may not be as high as Shane's reward, but many of them still level up twice or thrice.

One of them was Asad. He was known to the survivors as the Raven Guard. At this time, he sat cross-legged at the center of his simple yet heavily fortified desert shelter.

He had occupied a small oasis amidst the scorching sands.

Though this seemed to be the worst place to build a shelter, the harsh environment didn't bother him; it was the perfect place for someone with his Talent.

His shelter was protected by a wall of bone and stone, a fortress that had risen with the help of his Necromancy Talent.

The sun may be unforgiving outside the shelter, but the chill of the undead lingered within the walls, keeping the heat at bay.

"They should be coming soon…" Asad whispered. Apparently, there was a specific type of zombie that dominated this region. He was expecting them to arrive soon, just like every other day.

At this time, his Dark Magician Set had already been enhanced to Tier 5.

The enchanted robe of deep, midnight black absorbed the sun's rays, creating a deathly aura around him.

His hood covered his face in shadow, though his sharp eyes glowed faintly with spiritual energy.

After making it a Tier 5 set, it boosted his Spirit Points by 300, making him a better caster.

He was now level 28, a point he had reached through many battles and lucky encounters. The journey hadn't been easy, but he had been persistent. He had consumed enough Spirit Breakthrough Potions to push his maximum Spirit Points past 1,000 points and reach 3,000, with a recovery rate of 2 Spirit Points per hour.

However, even that hadn't been fast enough for Asad. Thankfully, he had found a way to speed up his growth further by purchasing Enhanced Spirit Recovery Pills from the Marketplace. At 75 Zombie Cores each, they weren't cheap, but they were worth every single core as it grants 50% of his maximum Spirit points.

With the pills in his possession, he was able to summon some of the most powerful undead creatures in existence several times.

With just his 3,000 points, he could now summon a Lich for 1,000 Spirit Points—an undead mage capable of raising an army of skeletal warriors—and a Doom Knight for 1,500 Spirit Points.

The Doom Knight, clad in blackened armor and wielding a greatsword, was a force to be reckoned with. Just one could equal the strength of five Tyrant Zombies. He could also summon Ghouls for 30 Spirit Points each, which, though weaker, were fast and vicious in combat.

If he consumes the Enhanced Spirit Recovery Pill, he could do it once more.

"Hmmm? Someone must be buying plenty of them… I should buy a few more." Asad muttered after realizing that the spirit recovery pills seemed to have become really popular, and only about 15% of them were left in just a couple of days.

It seemed that everyone was stacking up.

Standing up from his meditation, Asad gazed across his desert fortress. His shelter was well-guarded, not by human hands, but by the endless ranks of the undead.

Skeletons marched in perfect formation, Ghouls prowled in the shadows, and within the inner chambers, the Lich he had summoned stood silently, awaiting orders. Asad's army was powerful, and he was excited to face the next Zombie Wave…

His shelter might have seemed isolated to others, but Asad liked it that way. It was his domain, and soon, it would be the staging ground for his ascension to the top of the Zombie Wave leaderboard.

"I'll definitely reach the Top Rank this time. Shadow Strider, you'll be very surprised…" Asad muttered as he grinned to himself.