Virus King [Translation]

Novak sat up, feeling refreshed. He glanced at Emaly, who was still rolling her eyes, foaming at the mouth. 

One thing you could say about foreign women—they definitely had their perks. Take their physique, for example. Well-developed in all the right places, leaving nothing to the imagination. Front, back, top, and bottom, Novak could see it all clearly. 

Especially after the enhancements brought by the Blacklight Virus, his combat senses had sharpened, and his muscles could stretch, expand, and even twitch on their own. From their recent "experience," Novak had learned quite a bit, using what he observed to further understand his own strength. 

The downside? Even someone as experienced as Emaly had been pushed to her limits, teetering between life and death without realizing it. Thankfully, after becoming an evolutionary, her body's resilience had improved dramatically along with her digitized physical stats.

It didn't take long before Emaly, staggering, finally stood up, her gaze fixed on Novak. She seemed dazed and, as if on instinct, blurted out, "Oh, Novak! You're incredible! You're a god! If you could just—"

"Enough with the nonsense." Novak quickly cut her off. If she continued any further, things might cross a line—not only in real life but in the narrative as well.

Seeing Novak's indifferent expression, Emaly felt a bit disappointed but realized that if they kept going, she might actually die. Not from zombies or starvation, nor from exhaustion—but from pleasure? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Unhurried, Novak took the moment to check on the chat group, Group 001, which he hadn't paid attention to for a while. Sure enough, the group had exploded into a frenzy.

[Whiplash of the Skies: @White Emperor, boss! Hurry up and tell us—where did you find this stuff?!]

[Zezelia: Do you still have S-grade firearms? Aren't firearms supposed to be useless now?!]

[Overlord: @White Emperor, Brother White, where did you find the S-grade 'God of War Charge'?]

[Anouk: @White Emperor, big bro, please! That dragon bloodline of yours is insane!]

[...]

"Don't these guys watch video announcements?" Novak thought as he scrolled through the chat logs. His latest post had clearly shaken them up, but that was to be expected. Even he, a reborn person, couldn't help feeling a sense of greed toward the listed items

Still, he couldn't help but smile. At this stage of the game, with drop rates as terrible as they were, their desperation made perfect sense.

[I'm Not Really a Sword Fairy: Damn it! It takes 100 XP to level up from 1 to 2, but 1,000 XP to go from 2 to 3? What kind of grind is this?! How many zombies do I need to kill just to hit level 10!?]

[Water Bender: And don't even get me started on the experience points! Why does killing zombies only give 0.1 XP now after reaching level 2?! I'll need to slaughter thousands of them just to level up again!]

[Dahen: Don't even talk to me. My character is still naked! Can anyone donate some gear? I'll take even F-grade equipment at this point! I'll cover the 1 gold coin postage fee in the group. I can even... repay you in other ways...]

[Anouk: Sis, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I'm broke too.]

[Whiplash of the Skies: Hahaha! I just killed a zombie and got a copper coin! So, let's see... if the Thunderwalker class scroll costs a million gold coins, and 100 copper coins equals 1 silver coin, then 100 silver coins equals 1 gold coin. Meaning I only need to kill ten billion zombies to afford it!]

[Crow: @Whiplash of the Skies, you're off. Based on the 33% drop rate, you'll need to kill over 30 billion zombies!]

[Truth Teller: @Crow, don't bother with the math, Whiplash's already lost it.]

[...]

Even Novak, who had seen it all, couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd banter filling the chat.

Even in the apocalypse, these guys still managed to bring out some pure, wholesome entertainment.

But if they were relying solely on zombie hunting to rack up gold coins, they were in for a long grind. The real wealth came from quests, secret realms, selling guides, and drops from mutant beasts and high-level zombies. Especially the secret realms—those were gold mines. It's no wonder that, in the future, owning a stable secret realm would be considered insanely valuable.

With that in mind, Novak sent a message to the group:

[White Emperor: The list I posted earlier comes from a Goblin Merchant. Gods And Demons have started to appear in the trial grounds. Some can project themselves into this world, and I've met the God of Trade. I've already posted a video explanation, so make sure you watch it carefully.]

[Overlord: Got it!]

[Whiplash of the Skies: Brother White! My idol! I need a picture with you, to hang it up as my badge of honor!]

Novak shook his head, wondering how this so-called "Whiplash of the Skies" , a Saint level from his previous life, had managed to reach such heights.

Then, with a quick thought, he pulled out an E-grade skill book and tossed it into the group chat:

[White Emperor: Here's an E-grade skill book, "Muscle Growth." Feel free to check the details. Make an offer if you're interested.]

The chat group had grown too focused on trivial matters lately, and Novak needed to get the atmosphere back on track. 

Little did he expect that his seemingly insignificant skill book would cause a wave of excitement among these future emperors, saints, and pioneers.

[The Group's Trash: @White Emperor, 2 gold coins, and I'll cover the postage!]

[Whiplash of the Skies: !!!!? What the hell? The God King is that loaded? You've been pretending to be weak this whole time, haven't you, with those big eyes and innocent look?!]

[Overlord: @White Emperor, 3 gold coins.]

[Heaven Wings: @White Emperor, boss, 4 gold coins and 10 silver coins, plus I'll cover the postage!]

[Dahen: Wait, didn't someone just say they were broke?]

In no time, the price had reached 5 gold coins! Even Novak hadn't expected this outcome.

What the hell? Was a low-level passive skill really this popular? It had practically turned into a mini-auction!

It seemed that life wasn't going so well for these guys after all.

But what really left Novak at a loss for words was how many gold coins they were offering for postage alone!

The final result surprised not only Novak but everyone else too. The winner? None other than the 'God King,' the guy with the lowest rank in the group, treated like the group's mascot.

This self-proclaimed "The Group Trash" of the group offered a total of six gold coins—postage included!

When Novak mentioned the skill's minor side effect—overly large muscles that might look unappealing—the 'God King' brushed it off, claiming that big muscles were exactly what he wanted. Novak was speechless.

How did he do it? Novak had no clue.

But now, Novak understood a little better how these people had reached such heights in their previous lives.

With that thought, Novak sent another message to the group:

[White Emperor: If you can, help me gather some materials. Have you seen the Roshan mutant zombie? I also need a few others—Tyrant's Claw, Heretic Heart, and Lord's Brain. I'll pay you well for them.]

[Overlord: Got it!]

[I'm I'm Not Really a Sword Fairy: Don't worry, boss! I spotted a fast mutant earlier. It should be a Tyrant—I'll take care of it for you!]

[White Emperor: @I'm Not Really a Sword Fairy, be careful. Mutants are incredibly strong. Don't engage them unless you're sure you can handle it!]

[I'm Not Really a Sword Fairy: Got it!]

[...]

With that settled, Novak felt relieved. He'd finally made progress in tracking down the advanced blueprint materials for the Zombie Claw.

If he had to gather all the materials on his own, it would've been a major hassle. After all, the apocalypse had only just begun, and finding these mutants was almost impossible at this stage.

But with the help of his group, things would get much easier.

Closing the chat with satisfaction, Novak stood up slowly, turning to look at Emaly, who had just finished putting on her clothes. His brow furrowed slightly.

"Go change your clothes. If you've got nothing else to wear, then go out naked."

Emaly froze.

Her clothes were soaked in blood, and the stench was overpowering. Even though Novak wasn't worried about zombies swarming them, he was counting on her to guide him through the medical school.

If anything happened to her, navigating the massive building on his own would be nearly impossible.

Seemingly understanding his point, Emaly quickly dashed into the dressing room nearby.

Moments later, she emerged, looking like a different woman. But this time, something was different in Novak's eyes.

Her previous outfit—shorts and a tank top—had at least been somewhat practical. But now, she looked like a cheerleader, and Novak couldn't help but be reminded of cheerleading uniforms.

Still, this wasn't the time to get distracted. The gym doors swung open again, and Emaly, pale as a ghost, clung tightly to Novak's clothes.

"Does the medical school have any labs focused on viruses or bacteria?" Novak asked suddenly.

Emaly thought for a moment before responding, "There are a few professors with labs in the medical school, but I'm not sure what research they focus on. All their labs are in the teaching building. I can lead you there!"

"Let's go."

Emaly stared at the man in front of her, dazed. 

Before coming to the Faeloria Country, she never would have imagined becoming so enamored with a Faeloria man.

With zombies everywhere, they were living in constant fear. Yet this man's strength was beyond anything she had imagined. 

It was like something out of a Hollywood superhero movie. She'd gone from panic and fear to walking through a campus swarming with zombies as if it were a peaceful stroll in the park.

Despite the dangers surrounding them, Emaly couldn't help but feel a strange sense of romance in the air.

Women's thought processes, especially someone like Emaly, seemed to work in mysterious ways.

But she wasn't lying. Before long, a six-story building appeared in front of them:

'Institute of Biomedical Engineering'

Novak exhaled slowly.

He didn't think he was invincible against these low-level, mindless zombies—especially after the trading god's earlier warning. Glancing at Emaly, who had grown visibly tense, he whispered:

"Stay close to me."

Emaly quickly nodded. She didn't need Novak to tell her twice; she'd do the same without him asking.

There was no way she could survive a second in a place like this on her own.

"Roar!" 

A terrifying roar echoed, nearly deafening them. But that was the only sound they heard. The moment the door to the first research lab opened, a group of zombies charged at them—only for Novak to kick them away, reducing them to a bloody mist within seconds.

His cold gaze swept across the lab.

The research institute looked exactly like what he had imagined. Precision instruments, strange liquids, all piled up everywhere—though Novak had no idea what they were for.

But then his eyes lit up.

He extended his hand, and the Blacklight Virus tendrils shot out, instantly inserting themselves into several bottles of liquid.

In the next moment, a series of notifications echoed in Novak's mind:

[Absorbed Bird Flu Virus, gained 0.3 evolution points!]

Sure enough!

Novak's eyes gleamed. Evolution points were incredibly precious and could be used to enhance any virus awakening.

Compared to the hospital, this place stored even more viruses—who would have thought the University had such a stockpile!?

Novak's interest was immediately piqued. The task of finding the entrance to the secret realm suddenly didn't seem so tedious anymore.

[Absorbed Coxsackie virus, gained 0.5 evolution points!]

[Absorbed dengue virus, gained 0.7 evolution points!]

[Absorbed measles virus, gained 0.2 evolution points!]

[Absorbed cytomegalovirus, gained 1.5 evolution points!]

[Absorbed a fluid-borne virus, and the evolution points required for this type of evolution have decreased!]

[...]

Where on Kepler was this virus lab? 

It felt like a paradise for Novak to further hone his abilities!

For a brief moment, Novak even forgot about his mission to find the secret realm entrance. He was completely lost in the euphoria of harvesting an abundance of evolution points!