Boundless Cultivation-Chapter 86 - Abominations

Inside the Grey Terminal - One Week Later

The books brimming with ancient knowledge inside The Codex Vault were invaluable and prepared him well. Alaric wasn’t sure he could’ve comprehended even half of what he witnessed inside the Grey Terminal otherwise.

But they hadn’t prepared him for the jolt of shock he received when he stepped foot inside this zone for the first time.

Colossal structures - an amalgamation of concrete, metal, and glass - stood like tired sentinels, blotting the skyline. These once-proud marvels of technology were nothing but crumbling monoliths now - draped in vines and moss.

Streets devoid of any life - their asphalt cracked and broken - stretched between skyscrapers, forming a complicated maze of highways and bridges. Twisted roots and long grass peeked behind rusted-over abandoned vehicles and rubble.

As he navigated the zone, the shattered glass facades of the skyscrapers glistened under the dim light filtering through the dense canopy of trees that rooted themselves deep into the concrete.

The final zone was a ghost town - a grim reminder that no matter how powerful a civilization had grown, a simple twist of fate could reduce it into a lifeless wreck.

Standing on top of one of the larger skyscrapers, he observed the sea of lifeless metal structures draped in an eerie silence. No monster lurked behind the corners, attempting to silently observe him as well.

In fact, he hadn’t detected the presence of a single monster in the last week. At that moment, Alaric was struck by a heavy dose of loneliness.

How could a civilization become so advanced to be able to create such awe-inspiring structures? He thought in silence. And, what catastrophe had ruined all of it?

A shrill noise snapped his attention to the side where the ocean hugged the city - shipyard. A perpetual mist clung to that section, reducing his visibility from this distance.

Perhaps, I’m not as alone as it seems. A smile spread across his face as a bubble of elation burst in his chest. Empowering his limbs with mana, he descended through the building and bolted towards the shipyard.

Even from this distance, he had finally detected a new presence. After a week of inactivity, he was itching to bash some heads and get some answers.

***

A chilling wind howled through the half-sunken shipyard as he reached the premises. The mist congealed into a thick fog, shrouding the haphazardly strewn cargo containers all across.

Cranes and half-completed ships ground somewhere hidden, but he paid them no mind. A light drizzle began showering the region, followed by the distant rumbling of thunder that briefly illuminated the thick, grey clouds above.

Alaric waded through foot-deep water, his senses on high alert as he burned mana to keep himself warm. He didn’t have to wait long.

The silhouette of a humanoid cut through the thick fog a few moments after he had detected its presence. What in the…His face turned grim as he inspected the creature.

Subject Z - #9267 - A vile abomination resurrected through forbidden experiments and sustained by corrupt energy. Mindless and devoid of reason, it exists only to hunt the living, its twisted body a grotesque fusion of discarded flesh and failed science. Relentless, unfeeling, and unstoppable.

The creature shuffling towards him was a mockery of life. Although it was advancing - barely - he couldn’t detect any signs of life. There was no warm blood flowing through its veins, nor had its heart pulsed for a single second.

As soon as it sensed Alaric, the zombie shrieked, saliva dripping from its jaws, and launched itself at him. The mindless husk was barely faster than a dog. And no wonder - its malformed body was a crudely stitched-together collection of necrotic body parts.

It was effortless for him to drive an empowered fist into the chest of the zombie, shredding its innards in a shower of blood and gore. Yes, zombie - that’s what he intended to call it instead of the system-designated name.

It had been a long time since he had felt as disgusted. Not by the creature’s appearance - no, but by what it represented.

The creature was a collection of rotting human parts - a product of failed experimentation in the name of science by heartless, unfeeling people with no empathy or moral sense.

Were the body parts harvested while the subjects were dead or alive? That very thought disgusted him and made him shiver. How could people stoop so low? He closed his eyes and shook his head.

The zombie wasn’t dead - or rather, neutralized yet. Whatever corrupt energy that sustained the creature didn’t function like vital energy or mana, and it hadn’t been extinguished yet.

It struggled to raise itself, even with a gaping cavity in its torso. He released a sigh. At least the creature is unfeeling. Pointing a finger at its head, Alaric unleashed a mana bullet. The zombie finally ceased moving as its head exploded like a smashed watermelon.

The zombie wasn’t a challenge at all. Surprising, considering it was a monster in the final zone. Perhaps he had grown too powerful, but it was still too early to tell.

The designated number of the subject didn’t escape his notice. If his hunch was correct, the enemies would only grow stronger as their rank increased.

Electricity crackled through the shipyard as numerous presences manifested around him, dispelling the thick fog. Alaric grinned as he perceived a small crowd of zombies racing toward him to devour his flesh.

Short, tall, thick, fat - they came in all forms and sizes. Every single one of them had hollow, lifeless eyes, devoid of thought. Only a flicker of corrupt, vile energy pulsed through them.

Surprisingly, the corrupt energy felt familiar - yet unstable, incomplete.

With a single mana blast, he disintegrated half of the crowd. The rest he dispatched by exploding their heads with mana bullets.

The faint scent of charred matter greeted him. He was only grateful that he wasn’t subjected to the stench of rotting flesh - thanks to his lung reforging.

As he ventured deeper into the area, more creatures emerged out of the shadowy corners of the cargo containers - all ranging from #7,000 to #9,000. He exterminated them in two minutes.

I’m wasting my time here. Annihilating these creatures didn’t feel like a challenge. In fact, he was pretty sure it didn't reward him with many experience points. At this rate, I’ll have to slaughter thousands of zombies.

Instead of focusing on the next batch of zombies that emerged, he left the region, hoping to track down stronger variants.

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The streets were teeming with dead creatures, but no zombie managed to rouse his interest. Caving the head of zombie #3219 - a little more powerful than the previous batches - he entered a flooded stadium.

Wading through the stagnant water in the half-sunken stadium, he finally smiled. Numerous zombie alpha predators clashed with each other while a few silently lurked for their next victim.

Big wild cats, crocodiles, sharks, anacondas, and more - their forms grotesque and devoid of life energy - felt much more menacing than the previous ones. All of these variants were ranked under 1100 but triggered the same description.

As soon as he entered the fray, all hell broke loose. He evaded vicious bites, razor-sharp claws, and tremendous body slams as he delivered blow after blow - ripping jaws apart, smashing heads, severing limbs - slaughtering tens of zombie monsters.

Their large bodies made killing them a little less efficient, but at least it was fun to exercise his strength a little bit. Still, these creatures were not a match for him.

Concluding his test of power, Alaric decided to end the show. He concentrated on sensing the corrupt energy flowing through their necrotic bodies. This energy was akin to an impure, unrefined version of mana.

The stronger the variant, the more tainted this energy felt. Due to this, he felt a little resistance in seizing control of it. But in the end, all resistance crumbled beneath his willpower.

He clutched at the air, yanking all the zombie animals together like a strong magnet.

The force of the pull crushed their bodies together, turning them into a massive lump of necrotic flesh, now suspended in the air. Rivulets of blood showered from it, turning the stagnant water into a bloody sea.

A cacophony of roars and shrieks pierced the air as he ended the lives of the zombies by the dozens - all of them helpless against his overwhelming might. It took barely a fraction of his power to put an end to the show.

A few zombies still twitched here and there - their heads still half intact - but he took care of them by firing mana bullets.

No matter how efficient, the only reason he had utilized such a cruel killing method was because he was certain that the zombies were unfeeling abominations. After all, his object was not to inflict suffering - only to defend himself and improve his power.

A massive roar pulled his attention to one of the stadium exits. He whipped around to spot two figures entering inside.

One appeared to be a bald, humanoid zombie, except it possessed a whole, singular body - not stitched together with different body parts. It was also taller and leaner, with well-defined, preserved muscles.

The new variant stopped in its tracks, its face twisted in a scowl as it seemed to be inspecting him as well.

The other variant was a towering, humanoid chimera - at least 8 feet tall. Although it was assembled from multiple human parts, there was something inherently different about it.

Unlike the standard zombies, Alaric felt the chimera had been constructed from superior-quality body parts - given their well-preserved muscle mass and definition.

The chimera was itching for a fight, its veins building at the temples. However, even through its unrestrained anger, he perceived a sliver of intelligence in its eyes. It didn’t charge at him recklessly, instead opting to asses him

Alaric decided to follow their strategy and inspect the lean zombie.

Subject Delta - #987 - An evolved nightmare, Subject Deltas are a superior variant of the standard abomination, reforged into a more durable and lethal form. Their limbs, strengthened through grotesque experimentation, grant them enhanced resilience, raw power, and heightened aggression. Unlike lesser husks, these creatures exhibit primitive tactical awareness, making them deadlier in combat.

Some Delta variants manifest unstable mutations such as extra limbs, reinforced bone plating, or grotesque, weaponized flesh. While still mindless, they are faster, stronger, and far harder to destroy. A true refinement of horror, built to endure and kill.

Alaric whistled. The chimera had the same description, except for its designated rank - #764. Judging by its appearance, he decided the chimera might be a mutated delta variant.

“I really hope you guys prove to be a challenge,” he muttered with a smirk. As if the monsters understood his speech, both of them sprang into action.

Alaric had no desire to engage both the zombies at once. He intended to analyze the individual capabilities to gauge the power disparity between the ranks and variants.

The zombies moved faster than the usual ones - especially the lean, bald one. But not fast enough to escape him. Alaric lunged at the bald zombie, grabbed it by the throat, and bolted out of the stadium.

It struggled in his grasp, flailing its limbs haphazardly with a shocked expression as its partner followed suit. Alaric chuckled, amused by the oversized zombie struggling to keep pace, its too-small pants comically restricting its movement.

I guess this is far enough. Rounding a deserted corner, he released zombie #987. Before the zombie could take a single step, he planted a mana-empowered fist into its gut and immediately felt the difference.

The zombie buckled under the impact of the strike, spurting blood, but its torso remained intact. Alaric hadn’t unleashed his full strength, but his fist contained enough power to crush an animal zombie.

Within moments, it regained its composure and landed a blow that Alaric had allowed to judge its strength. The impact failed to stagger him, but it was still impressive.

Now, I’m certain. This creature has reforged muscles. Dodging another blow, he unleashed a mana pulse to carefully scan the muscle fibers of subject #987.

If he had to guess, the lean zombie had reforged its muscles with approximately 20 percent mana potency. Below average when compared to cultivators with reforged bodies and yet more potent than most monsters.

Now, let’s see. The corrupt energy coursing through it was stronger, amplifying the resistance he faced in seizing control of its body.

Before he could take complete control, Subject #764 smashed through a brick wall and slammed into him, launching him a few feet backward.

Alaric had sensed the chimera's approach. However, it burned corrupt energy to massively improve its speed at the last second, catching him off guard.

Wiping the blood off his mouth, he scanned the chimera’s form. According to his estimates, the chimera had reforged both muscles and bones - each exceeding 30 percent mana potency.

Alaric grinned, realizing that, based purely on raw strength, the chimera could rival his physical power. No, even with a comparable mana potency level, it was vastly stronger due to its sheer muscle mass and bulk.

Still, it wasn’t like he couldn’t defeat them. The problem was the reserve of corrupt energy flowing through its veins. It was so dense - so unlike traditional mana- that he couldn’t gain control of his energy system even with his superior mana control.

He could’ve ended the fight with a few mana blasts. But where was the fun in that? A primal desire erupted in his chest, urging him to slug it out.

But he curbed that impulse. It is inefficient. Extending a palm toward the lean zombie, he fired a mana blast. Besides, I don’t need to fight two opponents at once.

Something unexpected happened. For a split second, he thought he saw a flicker of terror on subject #987’s face.

The chimera intercepted the mana blast, shielding the lean zombie with his massive body. The mana blast detonated on impact, scattering blood and flesh in all directions.

Why did it protect him? Alaric was baffled. Weren't these creatures mindless husks devoid of emotions? If anything, the two looked like two friends in his eyes.

Once the dust had settled, he witnessed the chimera - its body wracked with minor wounds - clutching the lean zombie. There was no doubt, it was protecting a friend.

“Damn, you guys make me feel like a villain,” he muttered with a scowl. “But more importantly, how did you survive that?”

It left a bad taste in his mouth to launch another mana blast at them, but it had to be done. The creatures were zombies, not humans. And he had to figure out how they had survived.

The answer became evident upon closer scrutiny. Just before impact, the chimera had unleashed a surge of corrupt energy that dampened the blast’s force.

However, he sensed the chimera weakening with each use of that energy. It couldn’t maintain this defense for long.

That made him wonder. If the higher-ranked monsters possessed more potent reforged bodies and denser corrupt energy, the challenge of this zone would rise dramatically.

Unless he augmented the mana potency of his reforged body, he would be at a disadvantage against the strongest enemies. And it would take months to improve his mana potency levels.

But that was a dilemma to solve for another time. Buried beneath the wretched forms of the two delta variants, he had glimpsed a sliver of humanity. Would killing them be right?

He formed a tight fist and released a sigh. No, perhaps this is also a test. The creatures were already dead. With newfound resolve, he resolved to end the fight with a powerful attack.

Even if a trace of humanity was left within these grotesque flesh bodies, it was no way to live. He would release them from their misery. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Something strange happened next. Both of them wailed in a chilling voice, raising the hairs on his body. It was a desperate plea for mercy, a raw expression of their desire to survive.

Alaric hesitated. It was too late when he realized that the cry was also a call for help.

The side street erupted in a crackle of electricity, shattering the ground and flinging debris — rock fragments, grass, and uprooted trees — through the air. Alaric detected a new presence — a crouched silhouette rising from within the dust cloud.

All he managed to glimpse was — Subject Beta - #91 — before the enemy vanished. He immediately raised his shield.

The next instant, something hard punctured his shield and slammed into his chin, launching him through a brick wall and a row of houses, leaving havoc in his wake.