Apocalypse Baby

Alex was completely unbothered by Kato's simmering rage.

He could feel the lingering resentment from the rest of the clan—the silent stares drilling into his back—but he didn't care.

None of them mattered.

Only Onigi caught his attention.

Then, Freya's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Look! A vendor's shop."

Alex turned, his eyes narrowing as he spotted it—a small framed stall, eerily familiar in both shape and design.

It looked just like the one he had visited before.

The one he had dismantled.

Before he could say a word, Freya muttered under her breath and suddenly dashed forward.

"I'm going to see if I can get something useful!"

Alex's frown deepened.

His gaze flicked back to the vendor.

He remembered.

That unsettling cackle.

Those eyes—wild, unhinged, almost possessed.

The way it had spoken of his dead parents as if it had read its mind.

At shiver ran down his spine and nothing but rage.

Clearly, this thing was not to be trusted.

Nothing from it should be bought.

But he couldn't stop others.

People would do whatever it took to survive.

Even if it meant making deals with the devil.

As Alex moved closer, he noticed more and more players flocking toward the vendor.

His eyes narrowed.

Now that he was up close, he could see it clearly.

The vendor wasn't just similar to the one he had destroyed before—it was nearly identical.

Almost the exact same undead.

Then...

The skeleton vendor lifted its head.

Its hollow eye sockets seemed to glow as its grin stretched wider.

A shiver of unease crept up Alex's spine, then rage and he balled his fist.

About to charge at the damned skeleton not minding others.

But then it hit.

A searing, burning pain flared at the back of his neck.

The cursed mark.

It felt like fire licking at his skin.

"Tsk—!" Alex groaned, instinctively clutching the back of his neck.

The pain was intense like a brand pressing into his flesh, but not enough to make him collapse.

Still—he was pissed.

If it weren't for the sheer number of players gathered around the vendor, he would have obliterated the damn thing—just like he did the last one.

Just then, movement caught his eye.

Freya was storming back toward him.

Her expression? Pure irritation.

She muttered under her breath, grumbling about something as she stomped his way.

Alex smirked. He already had a good guess about what was bothering her, but he decided to ask anyway.

"What happened?"

Freya let out a frustrated huff before launching into an angry rant.

"I tried to buy the same health potion—but the price was tripled!"

Her hands balled into fists.

"Then that damned skeleton made me an offer. Said I could buy it for the same price as before if I sacrificed 50% of any two of my attribute points."

She crossed her arms, fuming.

"Isn't that ridiculous?!"

Alex barely reacted, his expression unreadable.

Not as ridiculous as half your entire attributes and some of your skills.

That thought still made his blood boil.

Freya continued her rant, her voice laced with frustration.

"It's daylight robbery!" she snapped.

He crossed his arms and shrugged.

"Well, it could've been worse. It might've asked you to sacrifice a vital organ or a limb."

Freya blinked.

"What...?"

Alex simply lifted a finger and pointed toward the crowd.

"Looks like it does that too."

Freya turned her head, following his gaze—

And her stomach dropped.

A man was walking away from the vendor, his left sleeve empty.

His entire arm was gone.

But what made it worse?

He was clutching a single boot in his remaining hand.

Like it was the most valuable thing in the world.

As he disappeared into the crowd, Freya felt a chill creep up her spine.

She winced, swallowing hard.

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Her voice came out quieter this time.

"...People are actually that desperate?"

She knew things were bad. But this?

This was a whole different level.

"Oh my God!"

A sharp gasp suddenly cut through the air.

One of the players practically shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

Freya's head snapped toward the commotion.

Without hesitation, she moved to see what was happening.

Alex took a step forward to follow her—but the moment he did, the pain in his neck exploded.

A searing, burning agony.

His entire body tensed as he instinctively grabbed the back of his neck.

Motherf....!

He gritted his teeth.

The cursed mark.

The pain had gotten more intensifying.

And then he realized something.

The closer he got to the vendor, the worse it became.

Like an invisible force, pushing him back.

A defense mechanism.

A twisted little trick to keep him away.

Alex exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing as he glared at the skeleton vendor.

Then he grinned.

Oh, it was going to pay for this.

He may not be able to get close but he could still transfer an explosion.

Meanwhile, Freya had already reached the vendor.

She glanced around, catching snippets of conversation before one of the players finally pointed.

"Look at that!"

Freya followed their gaze—and there it was.

Sitting on the vendor's shelf, covered in dust and age, was an old, worn book.

Curious, she focused on it.

A glowing description instantly popped up in her vision.

[Trial Script: Provides useful, guaranteed hints and solutions for passing every trial in the Nightmare.]

Her breath caught.

"Oh!"

No wonder everyone was freaking out.

Freya's eyes widened as she took in the item.

Her shock lasted only a second—until she saw the price.

Her excitement instantly drained away.

With an annoyed huff, she turned on her heels and stalked away.

Yep. Ridiculous.

The glowing price tag hovered in the air:

[Price: 20,000 Nightmare Points]

[Or: 10,000 Points + 5 Skills of the Vendor's Choosing]

Absolute robbery.

She wasn't the only one who thought so.

The excitement in the crowd faded just as quickly.

One by one, players shook their heads and walked away, muttering curses under their breath.

Even some of Onigi's men hurried back to their leader, eager to report what they had found.

But Onigi barely reacted.

With a sharp wave of his hand, he dismissed them.

"Forget it. Do not approach that vendor again."

His tone was firm, brooking no argument.

His men exchanged uneasy glances but ultimately obeyed.

Meanwhile, Freya made her way back to Alex.

He didn't ask about the item.

Didn't even glance at her.

He simply turned away, uninterested.

That was when Freya finally noticed it.

Her eyes narrowed.

A mark.

Glowing. Searing hot. Right on the back of his neck.

Like it was burning into his skin.

Her brows furrowed.

"I wanted to ask..." she said slowly, pointing at his neck.

"...What is that mark?"

Alex casually placed his hand over the mark on his neck, feeling the lingering heat pulsing beneath his fingertips.

"Oh, this?" He said, his tone almost dismissive. "It's a cursed mark. I got it by killing a vendor."

Freya froze mid-step.

Her brain stalled for a second, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

Then, slowly, she turned to face him. "I'm sorry... what?"

"You killed one of them?"

Alex nodded. "Yes."

Freya blinked. "Why?"

"It pissed me off."

"How?" She asked, voice rising slightly.

"Can they even be killed?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Alex smirked.

"I cracked its skull."

Freya stared at him like he had just casually announced he had punched a god in the face.

"You say that like it's normal."

Alex tilted his head.

"It isn't?"

"NO!"

Alex shrugged.

"Well, it's quite normal to me. Look, I'll show you..."

Before she could process what he meant, Alex turned toward the skeletal vendor, raising his hand as if preparing to attack.

Freya's eyes widened in alarm.

"Hey—Wait! Stop!"

Without thinking, she lunged forward, reaching out to grab his arm before he could do something insane.

"Wait... don't—!"

Freya's warning came half a second too late.

Alex snapped his fingers.

BOOM!

The entire stall erupted in a massive explosion, flames and debris shooting skyward like a volcanic blast. The shockwave tore through the air, sending a powerful gust in all directions.

Players staggered back, shielding their faces from the sudden burst of heat and force.

"Cough, cough!"

Freya choked on the dust, her eyes watering as she turned to Alex.

He stood there, grinning like a madman, completely unfazed by the destruction he had just caused.

Freya could only shake her head.

She was seriously starting to question if sticking with him was a good idea.

Before anyone could even process what had just happened, a loud chime echoed through the air.

And a notification appeared before every player.

Ding!

[Players, the Second Nightmare Trial is about to begin.]

[Get ready]

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Authors Note:

Hey, readers! The book has been thriving, and it's all thanks to your incredible support—seriously, you guys keep me going! Every bit of love, from powerstones to gifts, fuels this journey. Huge shoutout to Hypnos_the1, Torque199823 and Phoenix_One, for dropping daily powerstones—you're the real MVPs! Let's keep this momentum rolling!@@novelbin@@