Apocalypse Baby

Chapter 97 Nightmare Store

Alex didn't flinch as the flock of birds dove toward him, screeching with deadly intent.

"Annoying pests," he muttered, taking a deep breath.

With a sudden roar, Alex unleashed a sonic scream.

The air around him vibrated violently as waves of sound rippled outward.

The birds were hit mid-flight, their bodies convulsing as they crashed into the ground one by one.

Thew lifeless creatures piled up at his feet, their eerie glow extinguished.

"That's one problem handled," Alex said, brushing off his hands like it was nothing.

His attention shifted to the hulking figures emerging from the shadows of the forest.

More [Blight Bears] appeared, their rotting, grotesque forms illuminated faintly by the moonlight.

Their bloodshot eyes locked onto Alex with mindless fury as they lumbered closer.

Alex didn't move.

Hands casually tucked in his pockets, as he watched them with a smirk, completely unfazed.

To regular players, these corrupted beasts would have been terrifying—a deadly encounter requiring careful strategy.

But to Alex, they were just mobs.

The bears snarled, their roars echoing through the jungle as they broke into a full charge.

Alex sighed, looking almost bored.

He raised one hand lazily.

"Alright, let's heat things up a bit."

With a flick of his wrist, he activated [Black Flame].

A swirling mass of dark fire erupted from his palm, roaring to life as it streaked toward the oncoming bears.

The flames hit their mark, engulfing the creatures in a blaze of obsidian fire.

The fire clung to their rotting bodies, unyielding, burning endlessly until nothing but ashes remained.

One. Two. Three.

Alex moved with precision, striking the Blight Bears one after another, each attack fluid and effortless.

He barely broke a sweat as his [Black Flame] skill did the heavy lifting, engulfing the bears in relentless fire.

But something about them was… unsettling.

Even as their fur and flesh burned away, their movements remained eerily consistent.

Limbs charred to the bone, eyes liquefied in their sockets, and yet, they kept coming.

Some dragged themselves with missing limbs, others stumbled as their bodies crumbled piece by piece.

Alex's eyes narrowed, his posture shifting slightly as he observed their behavior.

The realization clicked.

These creatures weren't just monsters; they were undead-like—beings that didn't tire, didn't fear, and most importantly, didn't feel the agony of their own destruction.

It made them tenacious.

Relentless.

But even if they couldn't feel pain, their bodies were still falling apart.

And he was right.

The [Black Flame] was doing its job, eating away at their rotting forms.

For every step forward, the bears lost more of themselves, until their shambling movements slowed to a halt.

One by one, the bears collapsed, reduced to heaps of scorched flesh and brittle bones.

The flames continued to dance across the remains, a silent reminder of the skills' overwhelming power.

The last bear fell mere feet away from Alex, its clawed hand outstretched as if trying to grasp him. Its body twitched once, then stilled as the fire consumed it completely.

Alex stood over the smoldering carcass, his expression calm but focused.

Ding!

[You have defeated Blight Bear]

[You have received 10 Nightmare Points] Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

[You have received 1 Stat Point]

[Apocalypse Baby Kicking In]

[You have received an additional 10 Nightmare Points]

[You have received additional Stat Points]

Alex furrowed his brow, his thoughts racing as he reviewed the notifications.

The number of Nightmare Points he had earned from defeating the Blight Bears and Ravens was vastly different compared to what he got from slaying the Kraken.

"400 nightmare points," Alex muttered, glancing at the total.

It was more than he had earned from defeating the Kraken.

He scrolled through his notifications again, this time focusing on the Stat Points.

For defeating the pack of bears and birds, he had only gained 5 Stat Points. His title doubled the reward, making it 10 points.

A little small though.

In contrast, the Kraken had netted him 20 points, which the title boosted to a whopping 40 points.

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then decided to dig deeper.

He opened the kill notification logs, hoping for some clarity.

And he read through the details, it hit him.

"Oh… so that's it," Alex said to himself, his tone carrying a mix of understanding and mild irritation.

He realized that Stat Points weren't awarded for every single kill.

It depended on the monster's strength and value.

The Kraken, being a far more powerful and dangerous opponent, had naturally yielded a much greater reward.

The corrupted bears and ravens, though numerous, were much weaker by comparison.

Accepting the logic, Alex put the thought aside.

The forest ahead loomed darker and more mysterious, its canopy of twisted trees blocking out the moonlight.

But Alex moved forward without hesitation.

As he ventured deeper, something caught his eye—a faint glow to his left.

He turned his head and spotted a small store nestled at the corner of a clearing, its warm light a stark contrast to the eerie surroundings.

"A store? Here?"

Alex said, his curiosity piqued.

The store looked old but well-maintained, with a wooden sign swaying gently above the entrance.

Strange symbols were carved into its surface, glowing faintly in the dark.

A faint hum of magic seemed to emanate from it, beckoning him closer.

"Oh, this must be the store where we can spend Nightmare Points," Alex muttered to himself, curiosity pulling him forward.

Deciding it was worth investigating, he made his way toward the glowing shop. With each step, he wondered about the vendor.

"What's it going to be? Another zombie?" he thought, imagining some grotesque creature with rotting flesh.

But then his ears picked up something unexpected—a gruff voice singing.

The melody wasn't bad, either.

In fact, it was surprisingly catchy.

As he reached the front of the store, the figure behind the counter came into view.

Alex blinked once, then twice, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

The back of the figure looked like a bare skull, the bone smooth and polished, glinting under the shop's dim light.

"What the hell...?" Alex muttered, taking a cautious step closer.

As though sensing his presence, the figure stopped mid-chorus, and whipped around with lightning speed, its teeth clacking together like a drumbeat as it exclaimed in a shockingly enthusiastic tone.

"Hi there!" it greeted, throwing its bony hands up in a wave.

"The fuck?!"

Alex startled, took a step back, and instinctively pulled out his sword.

Standing before him was a freaking undead dressed like a cowboy.

A full skeleton, complete with a tattered hat, leather boots, and a vest that somehow looked both intimidating and ridiculous. Its eye sockets glowed faintly with green light, and its wide grin made it look almost comical.

"What the hell?"

Alex exclaimed, gripping his sword tightly, eyes locked on the strange figure.

But his confusion only deepened when he realized something bizarre.

How the hell did it sing so well without vocal cords?

"What are you?"

Alex demanded, his voice sharp, though his curiosity was starting to overtake his fear.

The undead casually tipped its hat, its bones clattering slightly as it moved.

Then, in a twangy, cheerful voice, it replied:

"Name's Jenkin. I run the Nightmare Store. As long as you've got the points, I can get you what you want!"