Awakening SSS-Rank Ability in Apocalypse

I wanted to clear the rest of the apartment quickly, but with no weapon, I decided to wait.

I needed to find strong equipment. I wasn't about to rush in barehanded.

Meanwhile, I heard a door creak open. Two girls stepped out of an apartment room. They looked slightly older than me.

"Did you kill them?" one of them asked. She had black hair and stood around 175 cm—just a bit shorter than me. The other girl, also with black hair, was shorter, maybe 165 cm.

"You two should stay inside and hide," I told them. "It's not safe out here."

I didn't want any unnecessary casualties.

"But first—do you have anything strong inside? Like a metal bar or shovel" I asked.

"No, but we have a knife," the taller one replied.

I nodded. She went back inside and soon returned with it. It was larger than a regular kitchen knife.

Not much… but it'll make do.

I took the knife from her and told both of them to go back into their room.

It was time for me to clear this place.

---

SECOND FLOOR

I climbed the stairs to the next floor.

This one was different.

Fighting sounds echoed through the hallway. Peeking from behind the stair wall, I spotted a man—around 30—engaged with two zombies. He had a metal pipe and was trying to push them off, barely holding his ground.

It wasn't a fight. More like a desperate shoving match.

What caught my eye was the green hue surrounding the man. I followed the glow and saw a girl, about my age, her hands extended and glowing the same color.

A healer? I wondered.

I didn't waste time. This was the perfect opportunity to strike.

Silently, I moved toward the closest zombie. The man noticed me and nodded, pushing one of the zombies in my direction.

Already anticipating it, I plunged the knife into the zombie's neck. I rotated it and pushed it sideways—decapitating it cleanly.

The second zombie tackled the man, pinning him to the floor and going straight for his neck.

He managed to block it with the pipe, shoving it between its jaws.

The zombie, frustrated by the blocked bite, raised its claws to scratch.

Before it could move, its head rolled to the side.

---

[Congratulations! You've killed 2 low-tier zombies.]

[+40 EXP]

[You've met the requirements to level up to 2. Would you like to level up?]

Yes.

[Congratulations! You've leveled up.]

[+4 Random Stat Points]

I allocated the points quickly:

+1 Endurance (now 10)

+2 Strength (now 12)

+1 Agility (now 11)

A calm, warm sensation flowed through me.

I checked my stats:

---

Name: Sam

Level: 2

Ability: Conqueror's Genome

EXP: 30 / 200

HP: 300 / 300

Mana: None

Strength: 12

Agility: 11

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Vitality: 10

Stat Points: 0

---

Nice. Progress wasn't bad. I still had one attempt left to activate my skill.

But I was still bothered… What exactly was my ability capable of? And why was there a Mana section if I had none?

Too many questions. No one to answer.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I saw the girl step out, rushing toward the man to check on him.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for the support," the man replied, the green hue around him now gone. "I don't know if I could've won without you."

"Are you the only survivors here?" I asked, glancing at the destroyed doors around the floor. Only the last door remained intact.

"Unfortunately, yeah. We didn't know what was happening outside. By the time we realized, these zombies were already banging on our door," he explained.

"I'm Adam, and this is my sister, Alice," he added.

Adam was the same height as me, with black hair and a bulky frame—probably someone who went to the gym regularly. His sister was short, also with black hair.

"I'm Sam," I introduced myself.

"This is the first time I've seen you here. Which room do you live in?" Adam asked.

"I don't," I replied. "I was wandering, helping people survive the zombies. I saw this apartment and decided to clear it."

"That's a noble thing to do. I'll help too," Adam said. "I think the upper floors have more zombies. We'll try to clear them and save whoever's left."

"That depends… what type of ability do you have?" I asked. They had to be Awakened.

"I have [F]-rank Skin Hardening. My sister's got an [E]-rank buffing ability," Adam explained.

They asked about mine.

"I have a [D]-rank ability. It gives me strength and speed boosts," I answered.

"D-rank? That's pretty high. No wonder you handled those zombies so easily," Alice said, speaking for the first time.

"I guess. Anyway, let's keep going. We need to clear the rest."

---

THIRD FLOOR

The three of us moved to the next floor.

The scene here was completely different.

The zombies had already killed the residents—and were eating them.

Yes. Eating them.

I thought people only turned into zombies after being bitten. But this… this was something else.

Do zombies need nutrition? I wondered.

The sight was horrifying. Gore and blood covered everything. Both siblings instinctively covered their mouths, their faces pale.

They were terrified. Understandably so. Most people wouldn't be able to stomach this.

Not wanting to see more, I sprang into action.

I borrowed the metal pipe from Adam.

The zombies turned to me. I didn't care.

Running at full speed, I rammed the pipe straight into the skull of the first zombie. The force burst it open.

The second lunged with a scratch, but I stepped back and swung the pipe at its head. It dropped, unmoving.

A green glow surrounded me.

A buff? Alice.

---

[You've been buffed!]

Strength +5%

Agility +5%

Vitality +5%

---

The boost wasn't much—but it helped.

I looked back. Alice was clearly horrified, yet she still used her buff on me.

That deserved respect.

Adam, however, was frozen in place—mouth slightly open. Looks like he couldn't bring himself to move.

Well, I did take his pipe. Not like he could complain.

But I had no time to dwell on that. The third zombie was already on me—hands almost at my neck.

I twisted the pipe sideways, using it to deflect the attack and shove the zombie back.

Zombies four and five came at me together. I kicked one away and slammed the pipe into the other's head.

The pipe bent. One end hung loose, a blow away from snapping in half.

Damn. I need a proper weapon soon. If this had been a fresh metal rod, it would've lasted longer.

I dropped the pipe and grabbed the knife again. Without wasting time, I decapitated the one I had kicked.

Two left.

I couldn't use [Cellular Overdrive] in front of the others. I needed to know how I fared without it.

Both lunged at once. I sidestepped, letting them miss, then plunged the knife into one's neck, slicing sideways until the head dropped.

The final one tackled me, pinning me down.

Before it could strike, a blow struck its head—a broken pipe.

It turned its head to see who'd hit it.

Too late.

I sliced its neck cleanly, sending the head tumbling.

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