Chapitre 7: Potential Supreme Being

The dim forest echoed constantly with the sounds of battle.

Even though it was technically the boss chasing Mike down, Mike clearly had the upper hand while running.

"Grrr—!"

An enormous figure roared, thrusting its body forward. Its thick, pitch-black arms, bulging with corded muscles, swung in a massive arc. The terrifying blow shattered dirt and rocks… and completely missed.

"Tch."

Mike appeared some distance away, shaking his head slightly.

The zombie boss, its eyes blood-red, seemed barely sentient—only murderous instinct remained. Its repeated failed attacks left it simmering with rage. In that state, it wanted nothing more than to tear Mike, that darting target, to pieces.

Too bad its arms and legs were each caught up doing their own thing—never mind whatever rotten mess was left of its brain.

Meanwhile, Mike was cruising. He'd pull back a few steps, create some space, then fling a dart at the boss.

The boss was agonizingly slow—slower even than a regular zombie—its wounded thigh a major liability.

While hammering away with ranged shots, Mike kept an eye on the surroundings, luring the boss in one particular direction. He wanted to keep them as far from the forest's center as possible.

He couldn't risk that enraged howling attracting more zombies. At his current strength, dealing with a boss plus a swarm of the undead would be suicide.

Luckily, the worst-case scenario never happened. That huge pack of zombie villagers had all scrambled off for the wolf meat, which should be pretty far away by now.

"Great. That'll give me plenty of time to slowly whittle it down… unless the white fog magically disappears."

Inside, Mike was ice-cold and focused. He knew he probably only had one shot at this—he needed to make it count.

Keeping just the right distance, making sure he stayed on the boss's hate list but never within grabbing range—he played it like a pro, just barely out of reach. The poor boss was as frustrated as a lovestruck kid chasing after a total tease.

Thirty minutes later, the boss's HP finally dropped to 50%.

Mike straightened in sudden excitement. He knew an opening when he saw one.

Sure enough, the boss stopped moving, its body sagging.

Then a burst of purple lightning crackled across its skin. The zombie boss's bloodshot eyes turned an eerie violet, widening in rage.

"Rrraaaah!!!"

It raised both arms and slammed them down hard.

BOOM!

A deafening crash echoed through the forest, and a shockwave blasted out, ripping up the ground and sending shards of earth flying like bullets.

Caught off guard, Mike was hurled by the blast.

[You were hit by "Tremor Surge" and took 73 damage!]

"Fuck, it went berserk!"

Mike struggled to his feet, none of his earlier ease left in his eyes.

He was at only 7 HP…

He'd never underestimated this boss, but he seriously hadn't expected anything this crazy—an AOE skill that punched like a truck. Even brushing it was almost fatal.

Wiping the blood off his lip, Mike muttered, "What a pain. If it were too easy, I guess I wouldn't really be showing off my true strength anyway."

He got up, weapon in hand, stepping close enough for the boss to see him. "Ready for me to get serious?"

In its berserk state, the zombie boss's mind seemed to sharpen a bit. Its eerie violet eyes gleamed with a sneer as electricity once again crackled around its arms, smashing hard into the ground.

Same trick—Tremor Surge!

But Mike made his move right as the boss lifted its arms. He lunged left, rolling in a half-circle to the side. A split second later, he felt the thunderous shockwave skim past him.

MISS!

Tremor Surge had failed to connect!

Impossible… Shock flickered in the boss's gaze—an oddly human moment.

"At close range, it's a full-coverage blast. At longer range, it fans out. One look, and I got your pattern." Mike dusted off his clothes as he came around on the boss's left. "And frankly, a creature of your level shouldn't be packing such an overpowered AOE skill in the first place."

He eyed the boss, his gaze abruptly turning contemplative. "Who created you? Or rather, who turned you into this?"

"Rraaa—"

The zombie boss didn't answer, but its demeanor shifted. A weird noise came from deep within its body, followed by a nauseating crack of bones rearranging.

Its skin split open, its torso ballooning outward. Sickly pale muscle swelled over the ruptures, sealing its arms in place, then expanding rapidly!

In an instant, its shape morphed from a tall, broad man into a super-sized monster well over 20 feet tall.

It glared down at the puny human, now resolved to bury him for good in this miserable place.

But Mike showed not a trace of fear. If anything, the sheer force of that towering presence seemed to excite him.

"Oh, your legs are all better? But just being bigger doesn't help much. Let's be real—unless you wanna join the NBA, being that tall is kind of a drag." Mike gestured at the beast. "Don't say I picked on you without warning. Come on, let me show you what real power looks like."

Enraged, the zombie boss slammed its foot into the ground and lunged!

Mike dropped into a forward crouch and rolled aside, slicing upward with his blade, then tossed out a dart mid-move.

-1

-3

…

The blow whiffed. The boss whipped around in fury, but its arm moved faster than its brain, swinging blindly at where Mike landed.

Mike never stopped moving. With heightened battle instincts from partial hints provided by the Eye of Truth, he always dodged at the crucial moments. His body flattened against the ground to evade the swing, then he flipped over to slash the monster's arm again.

It was a flawless display—almost superhuman reflexes and perfect spacing. No crowd was there to cheer for him, but the fight was still a dazzling spectacle.

…

Twenty minutes later.

"Rraaagh!"

At last, the zombie boss's HP bar ran empty. It let out one final, agonized howl, and its massive body collapsed in thunderous defeat.

[You killed the Zombie Boss. You gained 55 days of lifespan!]

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 81 days 14 hours 11 minutes]

[Supreme being Legacy Activation: 81%]

[Congratulations on slaying a Hidden Boss. You have been granted an extra attribute: +10 Luck.]

[Significant lifespan increase detected. Moderate Weakness lifted, upgraded to Mild Weakness.]

Right as the boss hit the ground, Mike slumped down too, the mental strain of the fight finally washing over him. He leaned against a tree, sighing in exhaustion as system prompts chimed around him.

…

Afterward, while the white fog still lingered, Mike began hunting the other zombie bosses in the forest.

Compared to that area boss, smaller elites or sub-bosses posed way less pressure. Mike could handle three or four with no problem.

Three hours later, Mike's lifespan finally reached the 100-day mark.

A series of thrilling notifications popped up:

[You killed Zombie Quinn. You gained 22 hours of lifespan!]

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 100 days 3 hours 13 minutes]

[Supreme being Legacy Activation: 100%]

[You have been acknowledged by other supreme beings. Your new status: Potential Supreme Being.]

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