Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Romelus backed away from the stairwell upon hearing faint, descending footsteps. Ivan cautiously descended with his sword in hand. Romelus positioned himself at the centre of the chamber. Ivan stepped out of the stairwell into the chamber, finally facing the so-called 'King of Zombies'.

He meticulously observed this grotesque zombie's details; unlike the other mindless creatures, Ivan could perceive that Romelus was in full control of his own body. This chilling fact was supported by Romelus's remarkably intact attire. The zombie's attire was characterised by a distinct punk aesthetic, featuring a heavily customised leather jacket adorned with rebellious patches and sharp studs, along with patched and distressed trousers and sturdy combat boots.

The chamber in which they stood was starkly plain and uninteresting. It was merely a hollow, empty space, secretly tucked away within the lab's depths. The very atmosphere in the chamber subtly shifted. To Ivan, it felt as if the air itself had come alive, holding him captive and waiting to dictate his next move.

'Is this unsettling sensation a direct manifestation of Romelus' formidable power?' Ivan wondered.

The profound change in atmosphere was, in fact, a manifestation of the Gamers' Realm's innate mechanics.

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New Mission.

Info: One thing leads to another. Before you knew what was happening, you were standing face to face with the formidable Romelus who is ranked at the Supreme Crusader rank. You have reached the source of the zombie origins. A popular saying says that all problems have a solution. Resolve the issue connected to the zombie origins.

Description: Battle Romelus and hold on for seven minutes [In other words, don't die before seven minutes of battle are over].

<<<

Ivan desperately wanted to flee the chamber, but he couldn't. He was held rigidly in place by an unseen, intangible force. It felt as if he were trapped in an inescapable cutscene from a game. As if to validate this unsettling hypothesis, Romelus rambled on, meticulously explaining his tragic backstory, his love for Nova, and his profound hatred for humanity.

"I wish I could see my dad, Nova, and tell him what I have accomplished with his virus." Romelus gazed wistfully at the chamber's ceiling.

Ivan dared not speak to Romelus, but his coordination suddenly failed him. "No shit, you idiot. Your father was caught in the ground zero of your zombie outbreak. He witnessed the utter shitstorm you unleashed upon the world. But somehow you still believe he would be proud of the shit you have done."

Ivan clamped his mouth shut, biting his lips hard. He couldn't believe those words had escaped his lips.

"Damn you! I will teach you a harsh lesson!" Romelus barked, his voice filled with fury.

A solid, horizontal shin kick landed squarely on Ivan's abdomen, launching him violently into a wall. Ivan's impact left a deep, cracking dent on the wall. Ivan fell heavily to the floor, his abdomen searing with pain. Romelus paced menacingly over to him. He was grabbed by the neck and violently thrown to another end of the chamber like a mere rag doll. His landing was brutally rough. All he could feel was searing, excruciating pain from the previous attack. For the second time, Romelus seized him by the neck and hurled him like a helpless rag doll.

Ivan decided he had endured enough of the monstrous zombie's assault. Romelus approached, but Ivan moved quicker, seizing the hand that the zombie reached out with. Holding this hand, he deftly flipped Romelus away. However, Romelus did not suffer a rough landing. He controlled his body with surprising grace and landed in a half-kneeling position.

"Oh no!" Ivan instinctively raised his forearms to block the impending counterattack.

A heavy, bone-jarring blow landed squarely on his raised forearms. Ivan heard his forearm bones faintly crack beneath the impact. His sword lay frustratingly far from him. He desperately wished he possessed the skill to summon his sword to his side. Ivan blocked two consecutive attacks with his forearms, but the third relentless strike broke through his defences and landed squarely on his face.

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Your armour has taken a serious hit.

Durability: 98%

Defense: 99

<<<

The direct hit to his face disoriented Ivan's coordination, granting Romelus the brutal opportunity to launch a relentless barrage of fist attacks on his head. Notification upon notification flashed incessantly in Ivan's perception, but he couldn't possibly read them. Perceiving that Ivan wasn't fighting back, Romelus allowed him to be, stepping away to savour his complete domination. For him, this experience was about definitively stamping his authority on the world.

Ivan slowly recovered his coordination. His face beneath the helmet was a gruesome mess of swelling and blood. Beneath the helmet, it felt stiflingly humid and intensely discomforting. But he couldn't risk taking off the helmet. It was the only thing saving him from a truly brutal death.

"I am at the pinnacle. I doubt anyone can possibly attain my power," Romelus declared to himself with supreme arrogance. He turned to gaze at Ivan and then suddenly recalled where he had previously seen the armoured martial artist. "I just recalled where I have seen you before. You and your friends ambushed one of my life-stealing monsters. The creatures managed to kill a few of you before they all went down, thanks to you using the bio-weapon on one of them. No wonder you ventured all the way to this chamber. You sought revenge for your lost friends. You thought you were coming here to be a hero, not knowing that you were walking to your inevitable death."

Romelus bellowed with derisive laughter, amused by the sheer 'guts' of this seemingly weaker human before him.

Ivan inspected his armour and defence attributes.

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Item: Riot Full Body armour

Durability: 50%

Defence: 67

<<<

'I have to learn to be more evasive. This mission is not making things easier,' Ivan mused.

The intangible force prompted Ivan to speak, his voice cutting through the tense air:

"I don't know what you consider yourself to be. To me, you are no better than a fully-fledged zombie. Your thinking scope is as myopic as a zombie's. You believe your power is at its absolute peak, but the truth is that you have merely scratched the very bottom of the power scale."

"What do you know about power? You are the one being beaten, and that means I'm powerful. Show me what is more powerful than this?"

Ivan moved at the peak of his speed limit, narrowly dodging the infuriated, relentless attacks from Romelus. He successfully evaded for thirty agonising seconds before one of the monster's attacks caught him on the side of his hip. Romelus rushed in and pinned Ivan to the floor with his left hand. Then he drove a powerful right-hand punch into Ivan's abdomen, winding him severely.

Ivan did not give up. He saw a crucial opportunity in the monster's recent attack. He coiled around the outstretched right arm and used his momentum and weight to violently toss the monster to the left. He didn't let Romelus get a breather; he followed up by locking the monster's head with his legs and arms. He was aware that the grapple lock couldn't truly take down the monster. He just wanted to hold this position to limit his attacks and, most importantly, to buy time.