Two weeks had passed since Sylvia left Sofia’s base.
In the middle of a once-bustling city now eerily quiet, she sat leisurely atop a cracked skyscraper rooftop. The cool spring wind blew gently, brushing aside strands of her jet-black hair.
She stared at the pale blue sky without emotion.
The sun shone brightly. But it brought no warmth.
She crossed her legs, her back resting lazily, while down below—the city streets were filled with zombies marching in organized formations. Each group was led by one of the ten evolved zombies Sylvia had raised with her own.
Those special zombies... were unlike the rest.
They were smart, strategic, and able to communicate silently with Sylvia.
Their levels were nearing Rank 3.
"So boring," Sylvia thought, tilting her head, her gaze empty as she watched the city under her control.
"Only Rank 0 or 1 zombies... even if I kill them, I get zero EXP."
"The arrogant humans who tried to survive, I crushed them all in the first week... now not even one dares to show up."
"...I kind of miss Sofia."
She let out a long sigh.
"My skills have improved... even [Shadows Piercing] and [Razor Toxic Claws] evolved. But level? Still stuck at 24."
Her expression remained calm, but a flash of frustration flickered in her eyes.
Meanwhile, at the Military Headquarters – Alpha Protection Zone
Several individuals in military attire sat around a round metal table in the headquarters’ basement. They were listening to a report on the Queen from the surviving high-ranking officers who had escaped on the eighth helicopter during Sylvia’s attack.
On a holographic screen, chaotic footage from one of the branch bases under attack by the Queen played out.
Lieutenant General Mahesa, a silver-haired man with a scar across his face, stared at the images with a heavy gaze.
"Should we attack her now?" one staff member whispered.
"And send who?" Mahesa replied, his voice cold."If we send our elite forces and they’re wiped out, we’re finished."
"She’s too dangerous, yet not... because she doesn’t attack without reason."
They then discussed another entity recently detected by military satellites:
Unlike Sylvia, who was brutal and openly dominant, the Zombie King seemed cowardly—hiding behind massive hordes of regular zombies and avoiding direct conflict.
However, his movements were strategic and cunning, making it nearly impossible to track him. Small towns in the northern outskirts were vanishing... one after another.
The military also tried to contact the southern branch that had been destroyed by the Queen but was now occupied by Sofia’s team.
Only one firm voice answered the transmission:
"We are no longer under central command."
Sofia appeared on screen, standing in front of the repurposed military building, now transformed into a civilian defense base with a new emblem above the gate: "New Dawn."
"We will protect the people here in our own way. We will not surrender anyone to you."
The transmission cut off.
The central military... ran out of options. They thought they could control everything—but they couldn’t.
Midnight – The Beginning of a New World
As the sky darkened and stars began to appear, a massive tremor shook the world.
It wasn’t a normal earthquake—but rather the heartbeat of the world awakening from a long slumber.
The earth trembled for a full ten minutes.
The sky darkened, buildings crumbled, roads split open, and the air was saturated with pure magical energy.
Sylvia, who had been lounging in a luxurious apartment bed, was abruptly thrown as the entire building began to collapse.
"Hey—HEY! This is a high-class apartment! It’s supposed to be earthquake-proof, right?!"
Ceilings fell, pillars snapped, and walls exploded from pressure.
"Don’t tell me... this was built with corruption?!"
Her irritation peaked, and with a single strong punch, she shattered the debris crushing her.
A massive blast cleared the wreckage around her as she leapt out of the ruins. Her hair was a mess, her face annoyed.
The air around her had changed.
More... alive with energy.
Sylvia looked at her hand.
"...something feels different, Has the world changed?"
Before she could analyze further, something appeared in the middle of the city.
A massive purple portal opened with the sound of dimensional fabric tearing apart.
Light and lightning surged out from within, and an indescribable magical pressure spread out.
Standing atop the ruined building, Sylvia looked up at the sky.
"Finally... something interesting."