As Shane's Challenge Level steadily rose, Silver continued to play a crucial role.
This pet helped a lot as it was able to buy time for him and also allow him to obtain advantageous positions. It was capable of distracting the zombies and absorbing blows that would have otherwise disrupted Shane's momentum.
Shane actually didn't expect that Silver would be this great, even after knowing its abilities. He thought that Silver would remain a defensive pet. However, together, they whittled down the enemies, one by one.
Anyway, each subsequent level increased the number of Brute Zombies just like the previous levels.
By Level 45, Shane was faced against fifteen of them at once.
Nonetheless, his tactics remained the same. He would use Energy Wave, timing it to disrupt groups of Brute Zombies and create openings for counterattacks.
With his Shadow Hunt and Veiled Steps, his Silver Sword was able to cut through their tough skin and muscles.
Even if he gets grazed or injured by the Brute Zombies, his Aura Sentinel will protect and heal him.
[ Level 48 cleared. Preparing Level 49]
Shane stood in the center of the arena as he calmed his breath… It was such a tiring battle… Thankfully, when only one zombie was left, Shane took his time to kill it, so he wasn't too tired.
[ Level 49 initiated. Opponents: Fifty Brute Zombies. ]
Soon, the ground trembled as fifty Brute Zombies emerged, and their combined growls created an ominous echo within the arena.
"Fifty of you... This is going to be fun…" Shane muttered as he believed that this battle might be difficult, but it was still doable.
He activated Veiled Step and Predator's Edge simultaneously, vanishing from sight as he moved with incredible speed. As the horde spread out to find him, Shane used his Force Breaker and targeted the outermost zombies first. Then, used his Shadow Hunt to strike quickly and retreat before the others could react.
Just like that, Shane was able to kill one of the fifty Zombies... It was all thanks to his current speed, strength, and Survivor Skills.
This was especially true with his Force Breaker active.
[ Force Breaker: A potent attack that lets the user shatter defenses with a single, powerful strike. Force Breaker grants the user increased momentum to pierce light and medium armor or shields, followed by a burst of speed to deliver additional strikes against exposed vulnerabilities.
Cost: 30 Spirit Points per cast ]
This Skill that only costs 30 Spirit Points per cast was really great against these tough Zombies.
As the battle continued, the sharpness, bonus attack speed, and lightweight of the Silver Sword Silver came into play.
Together with his pet, which could use its spiked form to hold back entire groups, Shane was able to eliminate them steadily.
After all, the 50 Zombies couldn't attack him all at once. With their large bodies, he could only face four or five of them at once while being surrounded.
This was one of the reasons why he wasn't too afraid of facing them… Of course, he still had to continuously move if he didn't want to get crushed or tackled.
He knew very well that once he got slammed to the ground, it would be his end.
Anyway, despite the overwhelming numbers, Shane's continuous movements allowed him to position himself better and kill the Brute Zombies one by one.
He also relied on his Vortex Spin while he was in the midst of the horde since it allowed him to cover all of his sides, and with that, he could use the sharpness of his blade to cut off the legs of these Zombies.
As the last Brute Zombie fell, the system announcement rang out:
[ Level 49 cleared. Preparing Level 50 ]
Shane dropped to one knee, catching his breath… He then used his Spirit Stone to recover and changed his Silver Sword to another one that was also an Epic Grade.
"I wonder what kind of rewards I will get at this level." Shane mused as he looked at his pet beside him. He then fed it with some more Zombie Cores, hoping it could grow stronger.
Silver quivered in excitement after seeing the cores. Then, it expanded in size and absorbed all of them.
[ Level 50 initiated. Opponents: Five Armored Brute Leader Zombies. ]
Meanwhile, as Shane was continuing his battles in the Challenge Zone, in a chamber that seemed to be of a modern origin, the elf administrators observed the Zombie Challenge Event silently as they all seemed to have different people in their eyes…
However, as the Survivors were slowly being eliminated, they couldn't help but focus on the same person…
Anyway, this room was vast yet intimate, with rows of polished wooden desks covered in various books, glowing scrolls, and magical artifacts.
The elves wore robes of deep green and gold. These robes weren't simple as they showed their intricate embroidery denoting their scholarly ranks.
Anastasia, a tall elf with silver hair tied in a bun and mesmerizing emerald eyes, sat in front of the central viewing station.
Unlike the other elves around, her robes glowed faintly with magic, and her pendant, which was shaped like a crescent moon, was priced at about 100,000 Spirit Stones. Obviously, she was the elf with the highest position here.
She leaned forward as he watched Shane's battle. She showed an expression of both surprise and admiration as the screens displayed Shane effortlessly defeating five Armored Brute Leader Zombies with two Silver Swords in his hands.
"Unbelievable," she muttered, brushing a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "He passed Level 50 with barely a scratch."
Another administrator, a shorter elf with golden hair and a thoughtful expression adjusted his monocle as he scrutinized Shane's performance. "The last five challengers barely managed to crawl past Level 48, and look at him. It seems he's not showing everything yet. Right, Turret was still inside his Inventory. He can still use it later."
Anastasia nodded as they all watched Shane continue with the challenge.
Of course, all the elves within this chamber were talking about this.
"This guy is really good. I wonder how many Legendary Talents he has right now…"
"He must be really lucky…"
"Maybe he's some sort of trained mercenary in his original world?"
"That would not be surprising…"
The discussion of the Elves was interrupted as the screen shifted to Level 51, where Shane faced three Armored Tyrant Zombies.
This was all happening while the remaining Survivors were still challenging Level 49.
These hulking monstrosities had towering frames encased in thick, spiked armor. Their glowing red eyes were filled with malice, and their feet left craters in the ground with every step.
"Look at him," Anastasia murmured as Shane deftly avoided a devastating strike. His Silver Sword moved swiftly, slashing between the Armored Tyrants' armor plates as his Metal Slime pet together with his Barrier deflected incoming blows.
The Tyrants' roars shook the arena, but Shane remained composed… Within minutes, the three Tyrants collapsed, defeated.
One of the elves leaned back, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "He's the only one left now. The other strong survivors were eliminated in Level 49. Even the best of them didn't last this long."
Indeed, the other challengers had fallen swiftly to Five Armored Brute Leader Zombies. It was because those Zombies had overwhelming strength that could shatter almost any form of defense.
It was simply because Shane's strength was too high that he managed to win against them.
"Asad, Alexander, and Travis all fell at Level 49. They were formidable, but Shane… he's different. His adaptability is extraordinary."
All the Elves Admin agreed on this…
Soon, the room fell silent as the screens transitioned to Level 59. Thirty Armored Tyrant Zombies now awaited Shane.
These creatures moved in coordinated waves, their brute strength combined with tactical prowess, making them near-impossible to outmaneuver.
"This should be a level that only Survivors with at least two years of experience should reach." Anastasia muttered as she couldn't help but feel genuinely surprised at Shane's tenacity.
The golden-haired elf gasped softly. "Thirty of them? Even for him, this is—"
"—insurmountable," another elf finished. "Or so we thought."
The battle began, and Shane immediately sprang into action. His Silver Sword ignited with Silver Flare and crescent-shaped wave of energy cut through the horde…
He then used his Survivor Skills to ride the momentum. Veiled Steps allowed him to reposition undetected, Adrenaline Surge amplified his speed and reflexes, and Energy Wave sent shockwaves through the advancing Tyrants. Silver, on the other hand, stuck around Shane's body as it could absorb or deflect attacks that would have overwhelmed even Shane.
As the minutes passed, Shane's continuous assault began to turn the tide. He fought with Cloud's guidance, isolating and eliminating Tyrants one by one.
"He's doing it," Anastasia whispered, her voice was filled with awe. "He's actually doing it."
By the time the last Tyrant fell, the room was abuzz with murmurs of astonishment.
"He has to be using something beyond our understanding," one elf speculated.
"Or he's simply that skilled," another elf whispered.