C4 CHAPTER4

In the desolate wilderness, a young couple was scavenging the remains of a four-star zombie they had just defeated. Their laughter was abruptly cut off by the growl of a new threat.

"Damn, a seven-star zombie," Ivan muttered, still bundled up in his large fur coat.

Initially, they had planned to take down some zombies and collect their crystal cores. Ivan was a six-star Awakened, one level below the newly arrived zombie. Worse still, Chloe was only a five-star Water-type Awakened, and they were both exhausted from hunting for so long.

"Chloe, even if I have to go to hell to save you, it'll be worth it. I won't let anything happen to you," Ivan said, gritting his teeth at the thought of dying today.

"Ivan, don't get all dramatic on me now. Didn't you win me over with tales of your heroic deeds?" Chloe replied. "Besides, we still have those powerful pills we just bought."

With a brave smile, Chloe took out an energizing pill and swallowed it without hesitation, tossing another to Ivan.

Ivan caught the pill, inwardly questioning how a pill, which seemed like a scam, could possibly save them.

"What are you waiting for, Ivan? Take the damn pill," Chloe insisted.

Reluctantly, he swallowed the pill, hoping for a miracle. Before he could express his feelings or say goodbye, he felt a surge of strength.

"I feel like my strength has increased... and my fists are stronger too?"

As he marveled at the changes, Chloe exclaimed, "This pill is incredible! My mental energy is fully restored. I can use my Water-type skills again!"

"Heavenly Water Curtain, Water Bullet Strike!" she shouted, launching an attack on the zombie while Ivan watched in disbelief.

"Is this really happening?"

"Stop daydreaming, you coward! You're not a genius, so wake up and attack the zombie already... If we survive, I'll make you happy tonight."

"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Ivan replied.

Spurred by Chloe's mix of reprimand and flirtation, he took a deep breath, charged at the seven-star zombie, and punched it square in the face.

The blow was simple and didn't involve any special abilities, yet it managed to knock away an enemy that was a whole level above him.

"Hahaha, Chloe, your man is a real powerhouse, isn't he?" he boasted, just before getting hit in the back by the zombie that had quickly gotten back up.

"Powerful, maybe, but a beast... I'm not so sure," Chloe replied with a smile, feeling calm thanks to the strength they had gained from the pills.

From a distance, someone watching the young couple fight and defeat a zombie that was a level above them remarked, "Isn't that Ivan and Chloe? Since when did they become so strong?"

"Yeah, he's only at a six-star Awakened level and she's even lower. They should be running away..."

Seeing the young couple defeat the seven-star zombie and claim the crystal core from its destroyed body, someone asked, "Ivan, when did you get so strong? You're even taking down seven-star zombies; maybe we'll see you become a level 3 mercenary soon."

"By the way, what was that you both took before the fight?"

Faced with this question, Ivan could only think of the greedy boss, making him smile. "A thousand bucks for my life—guess it's not such a bad deal," he thought.

"What my man took was the strength-enhancing pill. Apparently, it lives up to its name."

"The pill I took is called the Energizing Pill. Amazingly, it restored my energy; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to use my skills again so quickly."

"What kind of high-level genetic medicine is that?"

"These are medicinal pills. Do you know what that means?" Chloe said, euphoric after surviving a seven-star zombie.

Meanwhile, Ivan was annoyed that Chloe couldn't keep a secret; he wanted to keep the information to himself and maybe make a deal with the loan shark owner.

"Chloe, what medicinal pill are you talking about? Tell me quickly, where can I get them?"

"Please, Chloe, share the secret. Remember, we've been friends for years."

Due to the shouts and commotion the women caused while talking, more people became interested in these miraculous pills.

"Er... the truth is, this information cost me a thousand bucks. I shouldn't just give it away..."

"Only a thousand spiritual coins? We can pool our resources and buy the information," someone suggested, and soon enough, they had collected the coins.

"Hurry up, Chloe, tell us where we can get this new spiritual pill."

"Okay, okay, calm down," she replied with a smile. "In the most remote street of the common district, right before you head out to the wasteland, there's a small, old, and neglected-looking shop..."