I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities-Chapter 62: Ch 61.Surrounded
Zombiland was a world unlike anything Ethan had faced before.
Where Zone One: The Riftborn Expanse had been a chaotic stretch of warped flatlands— with darkened skies, and unnatural terrain—Zombiland was something far more haunting:
It was a post-apocalyptic nightmare.
Abandoned houses and decaying buildings stood in twisted silence, half-swallowed by the forest that had reclaimed them.
Vines crept up over rusted cars and shattered windows, while nature and urban ruin mingled in eerie harmony.
The world was perpetually bathed in darkness, lit only by the blood-red moon nailed to the sky—unmoving and eternal.
The air carried the stench of rot and stagnant fear.
Zombies, grotesque in form, wandered the forest-streets in droves.
They weren't mindless—at least not all of them.
Zombies here were ranked from Rank 6 (the weakest) to Rank 1, with intelligence, strength, and mobility increasing with each tier.
Above them were the Primes, elite variants ruling over different city regions, each with their own horde.
But Ethan and Gray had adapted fast.
The duo spent days hunting, their teamwork razor-sharp. Gray's Stormpiercer Horn would blast through clustered zombies with arcs of lightning, while Ethan—unable to use Force Might or Void—returned to his roots.
His old sidearm, Predator's Fang, had been reliable but now felt outclassed.
So when his point count hit the mark, he upgraded—purchasing a twin-pistol set.
Twin Devourers: Grimhollow & Revenant
Short-barreled, shotgun-powered handguns with brutal stopping power.
They could blow through a zombie's skull at point-blank and still punch through another behind it.
Every shot was thunder.
Boom!
"One down."
Crack! "Two."
Zombies fell like dominoes.
And now—after countless battles and well-placed headshots—Ethan and Gray returned to the forest cabin, their safe haven, the only sanctuary within this hell.
Ethan's interface blinked open.
[Sanctum Points: 150,000,000]
He turned to Gray, who stood tall, muscles taut and fur sparking with residual energy. Their bond had grown tighter through every hunt.
Ethan grinned.
"Looks like it's time for you to evolve, buddy."
Gray gave a low, satisfied yelp, tail wagging, eyes burning with anticipation.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
He navigated the interface and allocated 100,000,000 points into Gray's Evolution Pathway.
[Confirm Evolution of Companion: Gray?]
Warning: Evolution is irreversible. Proceed?
[Confirm]
The air grew still.
A radiant pillar of light erupted around Gray, engulfing the Stormborn Lupir in glowing arcs of wind and lightning.
The cabin's protective barrier shimmered faintly, its power keeping intruders out. Even if they were attacked, Ethan wasn't worried—death wasn't the end, not for him. And Gray was safe here.
Ethan stepped back, shielding his eyes from the brilliance.
"Let's see what you become…"
As the evolution began, the sanctum itself seemed to hold its breath.
As the blinding light of evolution began to recede, the cabin slowly returned to a dim calm. Ethan squinted into the fading glow, watching as Gray's new form was revealed.
And what a transformation it was.
The once massive, two-meter wolf had shrunk down to the size of a normal wolf, but paradoxically, his presence had grown heavier—it was more imposing.
His fur had turned a pure, radiant white, shimmering faintly with golden markings that pulsed like etched runes.
His eyes remained golden, but they now carried a wisdom and awareness that hadn't been there before.
His single Stormpiercer Horn had transformed into a sleeker, more regal structure, crackling with quiet arcs of lightning, its design almost ceremonial—less wild, more divine.
Gray stood tall, elegant, and noble.
Ethan stared, stunned.
"Damn… you don't even look like a beast anymore. You look like royalty," he muttered. "I really should've picked a better name for you…"
He scratched the back of his head, half-laughing, half-regretful. Now that Gray was no longer, well, gray, the name felt hilariously unfitting.
"Too late now," Ethan sighed with a smile. "Maybe your new improvements will make me feel better too."
He pulled up the interface.
---
[Companion Information]
Name: Gray
Species: Aetherborne Lupirion
Age: 1 Year frёeωebɳovel.com
Current Strength: Stable
Position in Food Chain: 2nd out of 6
[Evolution Pathway Available]
> Next Requirement: 0 / 400,000,000 Points
(Points must be manually allocated to evolution.)
Unique Traits may manifest upon evolution.
Bond Strength directly affects Growth Potential.
---
[Traits]
Predator's Dominion – Locks enemies in place with sheer presence.
Windrazor Fang – Launches wind blades with every bite.
Stormpiercer Horn – Channels lightning through the horn to fire devastating arcs.
Lightning Step – Allows Gray to teleport short distances using arcs of lightning, disorienting enemies and repositioning instantly.
---
Ethan's eyes widened in satisfaction.
"Gray… you're now a total unit," he said with a grin. "Lightning Step? We're gonna be nightmares on the battlefield."
He gently patted Gray's side, who let out a soft huff, sparks crackling faintly across his fur.
With Gray's power skyrocketing and his presence growing more refined, Ethan knew they could now take on tougher enemies.
"Let's go after those Rank 3s tomorrow. We've been playing it safe long enough."
Truthfully, Ethan hadn't even touched the Altar of Rebirth yet. He hadn't needed to—Gray had handled every threat while Ethan supported, adapted, and evolved his tactics.
After all, just because you can die and come back doesn't mean you should.
"No need to make life harder than it has to be," he mumbled as he stretched, exhaustion settling into his bones.
He gave one last look at Gray—now curled in the corner, regal yet calm—and made his way to his sleeping mat.
Tomorrow, the real hunt would begin.
****
Zombies swarmed from the shadows like a rising tide, encircling Ethan and Gray as the cold wind carried the scent of rot and copper. Their snarls and dragging feet filled the ruined air of Zombiland's forested ruins.
Some were sluggish and mindless, while others twitched with unnatural speed. The moment felt like something had crawled straight out of a nightmare—and Ethan was in the center of it.
Some zombies resembled the classic shamblers, their flesh hanging in strips, eyes glazed over, teeth gnashing mindlessly. Others looked more twisted, their designs echoing horrors from different apocalyptic realms:
One was bulky and bloated it resembled a Boomer, with its distended belly sloshing with acidic bile that leaked from its mouth in hissing dribbles.
Another was unnervingly fast, crawling on all fours with elongated limbs and twitchy, erratic movements like a Hunter, muscles taut like coiled springs.
But at the center of them all—leading the horde with an aura that screamed dominance—was a Prime.
It was massive, easily three meters tall, its body layered in calcified muscle and sinew. Its skull was fused with a warped iron mask, with glowing red eyes burning beneath.
Chains hung from its back like torn banners, and from its hand dragged a rusted slab of metal shaped like a cleaver, large enough to bisect a car.
Its chest cavity was open, a swirling red mist pulsing within as if something alive stirred inside.
Ethan narrowed his eyes as he took in the sight, his fingers tightening around his pistols.
"I just had to jinx myself…" he muttered, lips pulling into a wry smile.
Gray growled low beside him, lightning cracking faintly around his horn.
It wasn't just a random encounter anymore—
This was a siege.
And the Prime had come to collect.
****
After Gray's evolution, Ethan had been filled with renewed confidence. With Gray now faster, stronger, and even capable of lightning-teleportation, it felt like the perfect time to aim higher.
Rank 3 zombies, while tougher, promised greater rewards—and Ethan was hungry for points.
So, they hunted.
The forest of ruin and shadow echoed with the sound of thunder and gunfire. Gray zipped from one zombie to another, a bolt of white and gold fury, ripping through undead like paper.
Ethan moved with precision behind him, dual pistols—"Howlers"—booming with every shot, each one a skull-cracking blast of force. They were an unstoppable pair.
But something was wrong.
No matter how many rank 3s they killed, more kept coming.
Too many with none of them attacking as desperately as they used to. Because Ethan and Gray were being herded—not by instinct, but by design.
But Ethan noticed it too late.
The next thing he knew, they'd broken through a derelict shopping district, its crumbling stores and wrecked streets leading into a sunken valley thick with fog—and there, the scent of decay grew so strong it was suffocating.
That's when the Prime appeared.
And now they stood surrounded.
Zombies ringed them in complete silence. Some were hunched and drooling, others grotesque and mutated, bearing the marks of dark alchemy and time. But not a single one moved. Their rotting eyes were all fixed on Ethan.
Because their master was watching him.
The Prime towered at the center of the circle like a war god carved from plague. Bones grew from its back like a broken crown, and chains clinked across the pavement as it took a step forward, each movement calm and controlled.
This was no mindless beast. It was intelligent. And worse—it was curious.
Ethan's breath hitched as he realized it.
"I've been played…" he thought grimly. "
And the moment he accepted that truth, he started thinking. He wouldn't escape—no, that wasn't the point.
He would test this Prime, learn from it. If he died, he'd be reborn—but he didn't want to die in vain. He wanted to die with insight.
Then a cold, guttural voice sliced through his thoughts like a blade.
"You have the same scent as us."
Ethan's heart skipped.
The voice didn't come from the air, or from inside his head—it came from the Prime.
It had spoken.
And for a moment, even Ethan was stunned.
A/N: I
plan to be releasing two chapters daily but the word count will be reduced also I hope you guys can continue supporting me it keeps me motivated.
