Chapter 10

"Arise." Ashburn's eyes stayed locked on the dragon's corpse, determination burning within him. Darkness surged… and fizzled out.

His heart sank. No… I need this one. Losing the tiger was one thing, but the dragon? That was too much. Without it, he'd be missing out on a massive advantage.

"Arise!" Ashburn roared, frustration and desperation lacing his voice. Darkness exploded around the corpse. And this time, it worked. A massive shadow dragon rose, letting out a deafening roar as its form solidified, dark and menacing.

Ashburn almost jumped for joy, but instead, he sank to the ground, exhaling in pure relief. "Forty-three mutants down… fifty-seven to go."

Ashburn pushed himself up, eyes sweeping across his gathered shadows. "Who here has hacking skills?" With over 15,000 shadows under his command, at least one had to know something, right?

"My mutant ability allows me to see hacking like a video game," one of the newly summoned shadow mutants spoke, stepping forward.

Ashburn's gaze settled on the mutant, noting its strange ears—log-shaped, almost like they were meant to connect to something. Several others stepped forward, each claiming skills in hacking. Without hesitation, Ashburn sent them into the secret lab, ordering them to dig through the system and find the locations of other mutant research facilities.

Since Wi-Fi was down, they had to manually access what remained of the local networks, sifting through whatever data caches were still intact.

Thankfully, they succeeded. The system revealed several lab locations, each one a potential goldmine of mutants. But now Ashburn faced a new problem, 'How the hell do I get there without GPS?'

Luckily, with 15,000 shadows under his command, many had traveled extensively before death. They remembered routes, landmarks, and enough details to guide Ashburn close to each site. Still, he wanted to speed things up.

Mounting the shadow dragon, Ashburn took to the skies, soaring over the wastelands. His goal? Slaughter every zombie-infested city in his path. Ashburn chose to lead the charge himself, driven by more than just conquest. 

With his boosted Intelligence stat, learning had become effortless. This was more than just a massacre, It was training. And by the time he was done, Ashburn was confident he'd master dual-wielding daggers.

And master it he did. In just two days, Ashburn's dagger mastery had advanced by leaps and bounds, his skill sharp enough to complete the mission.

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[Mission Complete: Dagger Mastery]

Objective: Master dual-wielding daggers.

Reward: [2x Dagger Skills], [+5 to all Stats], [Food Generation Bag]

Punishment: [None]

[New Skills Acquired!]

[Critical Attack]- A dagger-exclusive skill that allows the user to inflict critical damage by striking an opponent's vital points.

Mana Cost: 70 MP per use.

Effect: Critical damage equals twice your peak damage output.

[Dagger Throw]- Allows the user to throw a dagger with increased damage and accuracy, scaling with the skill's level.

Mana Cost: 30 MP per use.

[Food Generation Bag]- By channeling MP into the bag, the user can generate any food they picture. The more MP invested, the higher the food quality.

[STATUS SCREEN]

Name: Ashburn Blackheart

Race: Human

Age: 6 days and 12 hours old

Level: 14

Title(s): [Undead Slayer]

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[STATS]

HP: 700/700

MP: 825/825

HP Regen: 4 per minute

MP Regen: 19 per minute

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[ATTRIBUTES]

Power: 60

Speed: 45

Durability: 40

Intelligence: 60

Charm: 35

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[CLASS & SKILLS]

Job Class: Shadow Monarch

Skills: [Stealth], [Flash Step], [Shadow Inventory], [Bloodlust], [Critical Attack], [Dagger Throw]

Job-Specific Skills: [Shadow Extraction], [Shadow Preservation (Lvl 1)], 

'Now… time to hunt down the rest of those mutants and finish that mission'. Ashburn leaned back, exhaling slowly. Finally, he could eat something besides fruits and water.

"Let's go hunt down mutants." With that, he mounted the shadow dragon, its massive form unfurling its wings as they took to the skies.

Three days passed.

During that time, Ashburn made steady progress. At one of the highway rest stops, he stumbled upon a detailed road map. With the help of the lab locations his hackers uncovered, he was able to pinpoint several target zones scattered across the region.

But Ashburn didn't just meet the 100-mutant quota. He exceeded it. By the end of the third day, he had turned a total of 150 mutant zombies into shadow soldiers. And, of course, the system rewards followed.

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[Mission Complete: Mutant Hunt]

Objective: Hunt down 100 mutants and turn them into shadow soldiers.

Result: 150/100

Reward: [6th Sense], [Will to Recover], [Mana Manipulation]

Punishment: [None]

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[New Skills Acquired!]

[6th Sense]

A unique perception that transcends the five traditional senses, allowing the user to perceive the world without physical limitations.

Range: (Intelligence + Charm) × 1 km.

Clarity: The further the range, the harder it becomes to distinguish details.

Mana Cost: 10 MP to activate, 1 MP per second to maintain.

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[Will to Recover]

Enhances regeneration, allowing the user to recover from any non-fatal damage, including the regrowth of lost limbs.

HP Boost: ×2 to Max HP.

Regeneration Speed: ×5 to HP Recovery.

(Fatal wounds—such as damage to the heart or brain—remain lethal.)

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[Mana Manipulation]

Enables one to control their mana, enhancing both physical performance and energy efficiency. This mana is somewhat different from the Mana found in Solo Leveling.

Stat Boost: Channeling mana into the body, 2.5x to Power, Speed, and Durability at the cost of MP. 

MP Boost: ×2 to Max MP.

Regeneration Speed: ×5 to MP Recovery.

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[Mana Manipulation] quickly proved to be Ashburn's most valuable skill. By channeling his MP, he could enhance nearly anything—his daggers cut sharper, his movements flowed smoother, and every strike landed with greater impact.

Even more impressive, attacks infused with mana didn't just hit harder—they were harder to heal from like the wounds were burned into existence.

Ashburn had even started experimenting with mana constructs, shaping solid forms from raw energy.

Costly? Absolutely. Worth it? Definitely. After all, every attempt refined his control, pushing his efficiency higher with each success.

"That's New York City," Ashburn spoke aloud, his eyes narrowing as the iconic skyline appeared on the horizon. He exhaled slowly, the weight of the task ahead settling on his shoulders.

The zombies here had devoured Galactus and left Earth, venturing into the cosmos to hunt across the universe.

That meant his main goal should be, Wait… Ashburn froze, a forgotten detail flashing in his mind. Didn't all the zombies leave Earth to hunt across the universe?

The thought hit like a shockwave. In the comics, the handful of surviving humans eventually returned to find Earth completely emptied of zombies.

The infection had moved on, leaving the planet eerily deserted. And the ending? Ashburn remembered it clearly, The story closed with a handful of zombified heroes appearing on a distant planet, continuing their endless hunger.

Ashburn shrugged after a moment of thought. It didn't really matter. What did matter was the horde of zombies he could now sense throughout New York, their presence clear thanks to [6th Sense].

"Don't act just yet," Ashburn muttered, eyes narrowing as he scanned the sprawling city. "We need to find five people—Franklin Richards, Scarlet Witch, Jean Grey, Professor X, and Nate Grey."

Those names weren't random. They were Omega-level threats, powerhouses capable of warping reality, shattering minds, or rewriting existence itself. If they'd been zombified, they'd be catastrophic. But if he could kill them and raise them as shadows? He'd be unstoppable.

Ashburn leaped off the shadow dragon, his daggers gleaming as he descended toward the city streets. Destination? The Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four.