NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 4: Chapter 4
With a simple command, shadows erupted from the corpses, consuming them in darkness. Moments later, his newly created shadow soldiers stood before him—silent, awaiting orders.
"Let's go. We're hunting a bear." With that, Ashburn surged forward, his body launching into motion at extreme speed. The power coursing through him was overwhelming—effortless. He leaped high into the air, landing smoothly on a tree branch before springing off to the next. The world blurred around him as he moved.
[New Mission: Zombie Killer]
Objective: Kill 1,000 zombies in 1 week. (Only Humans)
Reward: [Flash Step], [A New Title], [+5 to all stats]
Punishment: [-10 to all stats]
"Humans…" Ashburn frowned. That complicated things. He wasn't ready to step into the cities—not yet. Running into a superhuman now would be bad. He needed to build his army first. Only then would he stand a chance.
Ashburn's eyes locked onto the bear still chasing the shadow rabbit. By now, a good number of undead had joined in, forming a small hunting pack. Among them were smaller bears and various other animals, all moving in unison after their target.
He didn't waste time. With a burst of speed, he closed the gap, leaping from a tree branch and dropping straight onto the massive bear. His fist came down like a hammer, slamming into its skull with devastating force—bone cracked, and the bear collapsed instantly.
Before the other undead could react, Ashburn sprang off the fallen beast, landing back in the trees to avoid the incoming attacks. He perched on a branch, watching them scramble below.
"If I had to pick a role… I'd definitely be an assassin." The thought made him smirk. On top of being a necromancer, adding assassination techniques to his arsenal would make him ridiculously broken.
"Arise." At Ashburn's command, shadows surged over the fallen bear, twisting and reforming its body. Moments later, a massive shadow bear stood in its place, letting out a deafening roar that echoed through the forest.
Ashburn grinned. "Go. For the next three hours, we're slaughtering every undead in this forest." With the shadow bear leading the charge, the massacre began.
Two Days Later
The results spoke for themselves. Ashburn's shadow army had grown.
Bears, snakes, coyotes, moose, mountain lions—they formed the core of his forces. And unlike normal beasts, they were far stronger than their living counterparts. After all, shadow soldiers didn't just exist—they grew stronger through slaughter.
"It's going to be risky going there… but from what I remember, those zombified heroes left Earth after devouring Galactus. So, I shouldn't run into any of them here." Seated atop a massive shadow moose, Ashburn gazed at the city ahead. He exhaled in relief—it wasn't New York.
This wasn't DC, where heroes were spread evenly across the world. In Marvel, the vast majority of superheroes were concentrated in New York. If he had ended up there, survival would have been a nightmare.
"Go." At his command, the dozens of shadow soldiers behind him burst forward at extreme speed, charging toward the city like a relentless tide. Meanwhile, his moose moved at a steady pace, unbothered by the urgency. The others surged ahead, spreading out as they advanced. But it didn't take long, just a few dozen minutes, until something caught his attention.
'What the…?' Ashburn's eyes narrowed as he felt a massive drain on his MP. One of his shadow soldiers had just been one-shot, and a huge chunk of his energy had been consumed trying to restore it.
No hesitation. He leaped off the moose and vanished in an instant.
At his current speed, he was faster than any race car on Earth. In the blink of an eye, he was inside the city, his gaze immediately locking onto the battlefield.
There, amidst the chaos, his shadow soldiers were locked in combat against one zombie, one completely engulfed in flames, which was causing it to scream in pain.
A mutant. Ashburn's mind raced. In Marvel, mutants were the next step in human evolution, born with extraordinary abilities. Some were gifted with immense power… others, like this one, were cursed with it.
This mutant could produce flames—but ironically, it wasn't immune to them.
To make matters worse, the fire seemed to heal it. The more it burned, the more it regenerated. It was trapped in a constant cycle of agony, never truly dying as its own flames restored it.
"Fall back. I'll handle this." At Ashburn's command, the shadow soldiers immediately withdrew, forming a perimeter as he stepped forward.
The flaming zombie turned to face him, but before it could react… boom.
Ashburn's fist smashed into its head with devastating force, sending it flying right off its shoulders. The flames flickered and died out as the body collapsed.
Without hesitation, Ashburn raised a hand. "Arise."
Darkness erupted from the remains, swallowing the corpse whole. Given the sheer difference in power, resurrecting the mutant as his shadow soldier was effortless.
"Shadow soldiers don't feel pain, so you're free from that suffering now." Ashburn patted his first human shadow soldier on the shoulder, watching as the flames that once consumed him flickered darkly within his new form.
"I'll call you… Torch." The newly reborn shadow stood silently, awaiting orders.
"Your task is simple—find more like you. I don't care how weak they might seem; if they're mutants, bring them to me. This city will be my base. Kill any other zombies if you want, grow stronger."
With that, Ashburn summoned a moose from his army, motioning toward it.
"Take this as your mount." Torch bowed in silent acknowledgment before climbing onto the moose. Without another word, they raced off, disappearing into the city to begin their hunt.
Ashburn exhaled, turning his attention to the buildings around him. He needed weapons. Slipping inside one of the abandoned structures, he began his search. Daggers. If he was going to take on the role of an assassin, they would be the perfect fit.
'I should start picturing my ideal weapon…' Ashburn's mind drifted as he imagined the perfect fusion, adamantium for indestructibility, vibranium for absorption, uru for enchantment, and mysterium for the unknown potential it held.
'Yeah… that's going to be a pain to get my hands on.' He sighed, shaking his head. 'Might as well go for the Infinity Stones while I'm at it.'
His eyes landed on a pair of kitchen knives lying on the counter. They weren't ideal, but for now, they'd do. He picked them up, testing their weight in his hands before gripping them firmly.
Just then, the system flashed.
[New Mission: Dagger Mastery]
Objective: Master dual-wielding daggers.
Reward: [2x Dagger Skills], [+5 to all Stats], [Food Generation Bag]
Punishment: None
'Well… at least I won't have to keep eating fruit.' Ashburn sighed. For the past two days, his diet had consisted of nothing but fruit, and he was sick of it. With renewed focus, he stepped outside, ready to find some undead to train on.