[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312396,4518,"Chapter 14: Hunting Zombies, About to Level Up","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>After continuous use, you have mastered the Rope Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi waited a while but heard no second notification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed involuntarily, stepped forward, and retracted the rope wrapped around the bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since he discovered that first achievements came with rewards, he had been pondering how to farm them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If mastering a specialty grants a reward, what about mastering a skill?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably yes, but forming a skill isn’t simple—it requires at least reaching proficiency in that skill before the panel recognizes it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, lockpicking: you must open a door within three minutes, not spend hours fiddling with tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then is it recognized as a skill by the panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s difficulty lay precisely here: the skills he was familiar with in his past life had come with him through rebirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them were skills he could quickly pick up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much deliberation, he finally settled on the Rope Technique, hoping to leverage his high base attributes to rapidly train and improve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by the time he succeeded, he was no longer the first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Fang Shi slightly frustrated, yet given the global population, it wasn’t surprising that others had achieved it first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They might not even be exceptional—many people’s skills were just one step away from daily life recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the panel might acknowledge them; it was purely luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t something Fang Shi could simply claim for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, not receiving a reward didn’t matter—based on his own experience, he deduced:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you were the first globally to master a skill, the reward would merely raise that skill’s level, similar to a specialty’s reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a reward held no appeal for Fang Shi; his main skill level already exceeded the upper limit of his personal level-up points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To improve further, he must train himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, future level-ups would likely allocate excess skill points to secondary skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no shortage of skill points; whether he received a reward or not made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi chose the Rope Technique for another reason: his upcoming escape might require climbing with ropes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mastering some techniques in advance might one day save his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, after a night’s rest and the effect of [Fang’s Breathing Method III], his exhausted body had fully recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fully equipped, he prepared to begin today’s hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s first target today was the supermarket; his strengthened body meant enormous energy consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no food at home and his stomach fully digested overnight, it was now empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for [Resilience I], his strength would have dropped by at least a third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The residential compound was utterly silent, devoid of any human presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the apocalypse, this compound had never been this quiet—even without visible people, you’d hear TV, cooking, or washing machines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accompanied by pet barks, children crying, and couples arguing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now all of it was gone. The summer sun shone on Fang Shi, and he felt a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a night of suffering, those still alive had learned to be cautious, avoiding any noise to prevent unforeseen dangers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As undead corpses, zombies wandered aimlessly until encountering the living, making no sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Fang Shi arrived at the small supermarket around the corner from his home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing sideways, he saw a female zombie pacing inside, her clothes still fresh and stylishly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the zombie had cared deeply about her appearance in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, paired with her decaying body and foul odor, it was bitterly ironic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Fang Shi wasn’t much better; after global game deployment, water and electricity were cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing and transformation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t bathed—his stench was unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure safety, he had deliberately smeared zombie bodily fluids on himself to mask his living scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now his body reeked of every foul odor imaginable—rot and decay all combined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for his normal appearance, any living person smelling him would think he was a zombie on the move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited briefly until the female zombie turned her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using stealth techniques, Fang Shi crept silently toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was one meter away, the zombie seemed to catch a scent and began to turn around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi lunged forward, swung his cleaver with force, and in one swift motion, severed her rotting head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Decapitation attack triggered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Decapitation successfully executed. You dealt 22.5 points of fatal damage to the target [((Strength 15-10)\u002F2 + Cleaver 6 (1d6) - Natural Armor 1) × 3].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target deceased.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Extracting target’s soul energy. You gain 10 experience points, 1 Survival Point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was easy, Fang Shi thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Level 1 zombies had only 16 HP; his attack killed them instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boost from 15 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution was immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>15 Agility allowed silent stealth; 15 Strength let him sever a zombie’s head cleanly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the weak zombies at the start of the apocalypse game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a Level 1 challenge: Strength 12, Agility 10, Natural Armor 1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people trying to copy Fang Shi would likely be spotted three meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they swung hard, their insufficient strength would leave the blade stuck halfway, leaving them vulnerable to counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As undead creatures, zombies felt no pain; even with a knife stuck in their neck, they could calmly retaliate if movement wasn’t impeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, did I choose the wrong class? So far, all my attacks have used weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every fight ends in decapitation—I’ve completely neglected my Warrior’s specialty: Hand-to-Hand Combat I.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cleaver”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hardness: 5”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sharpness: 5”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Durability: 4”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damage Type: Slashing”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damage Range: 1d6”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Critical Range: 19-20\u002F×2”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weight: 900 grams”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Type: One-handed use.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evaluation: A cleaver used to chop many pig bones—now seemingly repurposed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm… If I’m using weapons, I should’ve chosen Warrior; that class grants Weapon Specialization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, Fang Shi chose Warrior precisely because it looked cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, he was still childish, believing in the way of iron fists ruling the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down on Warriors clad in heavy armor, wielding shield and sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He aspired to be a Warrior in fitted attire, moving with graceful agility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though reality eventually humbled him, that didn’t mean Warriors were weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among past-life masters were martial immortals whose fist intent reached heaven and earth, sensing sun and stars—this was the ultimate goal of all Warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi now possessed rich post-apocalypse survival experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had no aspirations at all, it wouldn’t make sense—after all, Warriors also had weapon-based paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he couldn’t just abandon the advantages of his familiar class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing a class isn’t a one-time fix; you must develop it, or you’ll remain weak within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now came mealtime; Fang Shi gathered a pile of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hid in a corner of the store, using shelves to conceal his body while constantly peering through gaps to monitor the outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he gorged on chocolate bars, biscuits, instant noodles, bread, along with milk and cola.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His current appetite was at least one and a half times what it used to be; last night’s meal hadn’t even filled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s better!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi patted his stomach contentedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief rest, he picked up his cleaver and began his leveling session.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he would clear the zombies in every shop along the pedestrian street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shops had open entrances, few zombies, and usually only one or two per store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Fang Shi moved quickly, he didn’t need to fear other zombies hearing the noise and rushing over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was curious: with so few customers, how did these shops keep operating?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Plop”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another zombie with white hair fell to Fang Shi’s blade; he gently supported its body as it slowly leaned against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he was merciful, but he had learned his lesson after a small mishap before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a corpse collapsing drew the attention of its neighbors nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was ambushed by three corpses at once, though he dispatched them easily, it served as a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His current hunting behavior is equivalent to assassination—never be so conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi did not possess the power to go on a rampage after being discovered, like in some assassin game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running away in panic would be anything but pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, this time I expended even more strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi panted heavily, staring at the chipped cleaver, feeling helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who chopped off dozens of heads with this weapon would end up like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now exhausted, his face flushed, sweat dripping continuously from his forehead—he needed rest badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi first placed several metal bottles by the door, serving as sound alarms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he hid in the shop’s restroom, carefully planning his next move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he must prioritize locating the regional treasure chest—without a proper weapon, his strength would be severely hampered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the apocalypse, each region spawns a certain number of treasure chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside are weapons, food, medicine—all of which can aid humans in surviving the hardest initial period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why the treasure chest was Fang Shi’s target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But treasure chests weren’t easy to claim; they were usually guarded by Level 2 Elite Corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes they even had a dozen or so Corpse minions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he could easily handle an Elite Corpse alone, adding minions made it extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at his status panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Experience: 890.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost there—if he killed eleven more Corpses, he’d have enough experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he leveled up to Level 2, his strength would surge, and the risk of claiming the chest would drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hope the cleaver holds out until then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it was strange—he’d wandered outside for so long without seeing any unusual clusters of Corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were the survivors in this neighborhood so timid? Weren’t the survivors last night quite active?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled bitterly at himself—hadn’t he been the same once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had stayed indoors for a day, finally unable to bear the hunger, devised a plan to kill the Corpse blocking the door, then ventured out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those survivors who had fought before, having witnessed the horror of Full-Form Corpses, were even more terrified than those hiding in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The apocalypse had utterly destroyed modern civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humanity seemed to have regressed to a primitive era—advanced modern weapons were all useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Industrial facilities could not be restarted; all high-precision devices had failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the initial shock, the expansion of Blue Star turned city after city into isolated islands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting for rescue was pointless—only by taking the initiative could one find a sliver of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, Fang Shi had understood this truth—but he understood it far too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had missed the critical window, falling behind everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This life, by fortune, he had been given a second chance—he would never repeat his mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>",1782,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","910f731205964e427a5b3762c4fdad9648ceaffa24d3fcda7589c3c9566e48dd","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-15","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-13",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]