The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Name: Klaus Hanson

Age: 16

Talent: Celestial Elemental Overlord

Class: Weapons Overlord

Bloodline: Dormant

Physique: Nine Reincarnation Divine Body

Realm: Master - Lvl: 1/12

Strength: 1,030 | Agility: 1,070 |Stamina: 1,040 |Defense:900 | Intelligence: 900| Health: 4000

Star Qi: 65,986,200

Stat Points: 400

[Next Level up: 200,000/23,228,800]

"Looks like 200 points have been added to all attributes and 2,000 to health," Klaus muttered, gazing at his status window. Since becoming a Master, he hadn't bothered to check it—until now.

"This is going to be a wild ride. Twenty-three million points before I level up to level two." He scratched the back of his head, eyeing the huge number. Klaus knew it would take a serious effort to keep leveling up, but he wasn't too worried.

"Well, when the time comes, I'll deal with it," he said quietly to himself. For now, there was something more pressing—he needed to figure out what was happening with his eyes.

---

A week passed, and Klaus had been in seclusion the entire time. He had already told his mother not to let anyone disturb him. After the duel with Max a week ago, he felt an odd heat from the back of his eyes. Something was definitely changing, and Klaus was determined to understand it before facing his next challenge.

The next stage of the Celestial Mountain Academy selection was approaching fast, only three months away. According to the War Goddess, Klaus needed to be at least a Level 4 Master stage warrior by then. While it wasn't a strict requirement, it would give him a significant edge, and Klaus didn't plan to fall behind.

But before he could focus on leveling up, he had to deal with the strange hot sensation that had been bothering him since his duel with Max. He had already received the Blank Card promised as his reward for winning the duel. Now, all that remained was figuring out what was happening with his eyes.

For some reason, the Senior, the guide within his soul sea, wasn't in the mood to help. No matter how much Klaus asked, the Senior stayed silent. So, for the past seven days, Klaus had been working on it alone, trying to unlock whatever was plaguing him.

He could feel he was getting closer with each passing moment, his focus sharpening, but the answer still eluded him even after a week in seclusion. The heat from his eyes persisted, a reminder that something deeper was happening—something he had yet to fully grasp.

But Klaus wasn't the type to give up easily. He knew that once he understood this strange sensation, it would bring him one step closer to becoming much more powerful.

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Far from Ross City, hundreds of warriors could be seen standing guard atop a towering, lighthouse-like structure. It rose high above thick walls that stretched for miles in every direction. From a higher vantage point, one could spot more lighthouses scattered along the walls, each manned with vigilant soldiers.

This place is the infamous Arcadian Mines—a peculiar region home to a rare and powerful mineral known as Humium. Before and during the apocalypse, Humium was an invaluable resource, used to power cannons and other heavy artillery.

Highly explosive in its raw form, it became a sought-after mineral long before the world fell into chaos. But when refined, Humium could generate electricity on a massive scale, making it even more essential as the world crumbled.

The Arcadian Mines were a hub of activity, with hundreds of thousands of workers toiling daily to extract this precious resource. However, when the apocalypse hit, disaster struck. One day, the mines collapsed, trapping thousands of workers beneath the rubble. The event was a national tragedy.

But twenty years into the apocalypse, a horrifying discovery was made. The people buried in the mines weren't dead. They had transformed into a new, terrifying variant of zombies known as Voltox Zombies.

These creatures were unlike anything seen before. They are resistant to the very weapons powered by Humium. Guns and cannons crafted from the mineral were useless against them. Whenever they are struck, they absorb the energy from the blast, which further makes them stronger.

Fighting them using such weapons was like feeding them. The weapons were infective against them. The military fought desperately to fend off these new zombies, but the Voltox proved to be far stronger than the other Zombies.

Their regenerative abilities were beyond anything the world had encountered. It was only through the relentless efforts of brave warriors that Arcadian City and the nearby towns were spared from being completely overrun by the zombie tide.

After managing to repel the Voltox Zombies, the military and the Arcadian Great Family constructed massive fortresses, sealing off the mine for good. However, they knew that as humans grew stronger, so did the monsters. So to ensure the mine remained secure, they stationed several powerful warriors there, guarding against any potential surprises.

For the past 30 years, this strategy worked. But on this fateful day, when everything seemed normal, a sudden explosion rocked the Arcadian Mine. The blast was so powerful that the towers closest to it cracked and collapsed, killing most of the guards stationed on them.

From the heart of the explosion emerged a towering figure, standing three meters tall with glowing purple skin. Its veins pulsed with an unstable mix of fiery red and luminescent green, radiating from beneath its cracked, fractured body. Through the fissures, vivid purple energy leaked out, glowing ominously.

A dark crystal could be seen embedded in its chest exuding faint, dark energy while its bulging arms radiated a terrifying aura of power. It stood menacingly, and before long, more of the same figures started to appear, pouring out of the mine.

The guards around the area were instantly thrown into a state of panic. Alarms blared, and distress signals went out across every emergency channel.

"THE ARCADIAN MINE HAS BEEN BREACHED! SEND REINFORCEMENTS IMMEDIATELY!" echoed over the radio waves.

But the worst was yet to come. After the purple zombies appeared, another wave followed—this time with figures glowing in violet.

The warriors around the mine immediately started launching desperate attacks, bombarding the creatures in a bid to hold them off. They knew they had a slight advantage; the protective seal around the mine would take a few minutes to fully break. Reinforcements might arrive in time—if they were lucky. But if not, they were prepared for the worst.

Everyone knew a great disaster was about to descend on Arcadian City. But despite being fully aware that they stood little chance against the horrors emerging from the mine, the warriors gave everything they had to hold the monsters back, even if just for a while.

They were prepared to die, taking solace in the fact that they had done their part to protect the innocent in the cities surrounding the Arcadian Mine.

---

Meanwhile, back in Ross City, life carried on as usual. People went about their business—the rich getting richer, the poor doing their best to survive. That was until, without warning, every screen in the city flashed with a single urgent message.

EMERGENCY: THE ARCADIAN MINE HAS BEEN BREACHED. ALL WARRIORS ACROSS THE EASTERN REGION ARE BEING CALLED TO ARCADIAN CITY TO DEFEND IT.

For a moment, it felt as if time had frozen. Then, chaos erupted. Panic spread like wildfire as people rushed home to be with their loved ones. The memory of the Voltox Zombie invasion from 30 years ago haunted everyone's minds. Back then, they knew that the neighboring cities would also be destroyed if the zombies overrun Arcadian City.

With the emergency broadcast playing across the city, tension filled the air. Warriors scrambled into action, rushing to fulfill their duty. The brave among them immediately set off for Arcadian City, ready to fight and defend. Meanwhile, a few cowardly souls chose to flee, hoping to save themselves from the looming threat.

But it wasn't just warriors who rushed to Arcadian City. News crews and medical teams also scrambled to the scene, each preparing to play their part in the crisis. Across the Eastern Region of the Northern Union, warriors of all kinds mobilized, heading toward Arcadian City to offer their aid.

It wasn't long before a new update flashed across every screen:

UPDATE: THE ARCADIAN MINE HAS BEEN OVERRUN. VOLTOX ZOMBIES ARE ADVANCING TOWARD ARCADIAN CITY.

ETA: 3:30 Minutes