"What kind of ability is it?" Ethan asked.

"Earthen Armor," Garrick replied. "Covers my body in a layer of earth-element armor. It massively boosts my defense."

"Holy shit!"

Everyone who'd been teasing Garrick a second ago instantly shut up.

"That's a damn good ability!"

They all knew—defensive powers like that were basically a second life bar. Who wouldn't want one?

"How much can it take?" Ethan asked, curious.

"No idea. Gotta test it."

"Let me help with that," Sean said, already grinning.

"Go for it." Garrick stood up, and a layer of earthy, yellow-brown armor quickly formed over his body.

"Looks kinda ugly," Chris muttered.

"Don't care. If it keeps me alive, I'll take ugly all day," Big Mike said, eyes gleaming.

"Alright, here I come." Sean casually threw a punch.

Thud—

The hit landed with a dull thump. A bit of dust flaked off the armor, but not even a crack. Garrick didn't feel a thing.

"Holy shit, that's solid," Sean said, surprised. "Alright then, time to get serious."

He threw another punch, this one much harder.

Boom—

More dust flew off, but the armor still held. No break, no damage.

Everyone's eyes widened. This wasn't just "pretty good"—this was next-level.

Finally, Sean's arms shifted into full metal mode. He slammed a heavy punch straight into Garrick's chest.

CRACK—

The Earthen Armor finally shattered.

But Garrick? Barely flinched.

"Damn, that's badass," Sean said, impressed.

The others stared at Garrick like he'd just turned into a walking tank.

"Not bad," Ethan said with a grin. "Looks like regular Stage D zombies won't be able to do much to you. Anything below that? You could probably just stand there and let them hit you."

"Yeah, I'm thinking the same," Garrick said, patting his chest. "From now on, I'll tank the hits while you guys do the killing."

"Sounds good. What about your original ability—did it evolve too?" Ethan asked.

"I think so. Seems like I can reshape terrain now," Garrick said, a little unsure.

He placed a hand on the ground. A moment later, the earth beneath him rose up into a small mound.

This was different from the old dirt walls he used to make. Back then, if he stopped channeling energy, they'd collapse. But this? This mound looked solid—like real terrain.

Sean walked over and punched it. Dirt flew everywhere, and he left a big dent, but the mound stayed standing.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

This meant that even in bad terrain, they could now create their own cover or high ground on the fly.

"Hah! Knew giving the core to Garrick was the right call," Sean laughed.

"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "His ability's got serious utility."

"Oh, right—Garrick, the wall that zombie busted through earlier. Think you can fix it?"

"Easy."

Garrick walked over, placed his hand on the ground again, and in seconds, the broken section of the wall reformed—good as new. Actually, it looked even sturdier than before.

"Damn!" everyone said in unison.

"No more worrying about sleeping out in the open," Ethan said with a chuckle. "If we ever lose our shelter, Garrick can just build us a new one on the spot."

"Not a problem!"

"That's insane," someone muttered, and the rest nodded in agreement.

"Alright, today's been full of wins. Let's get some rest. Up at nine-thirty—we've got more zombies to kill," Ethan said.

"Got it!"

The group headed off to their rooms, buzzing with excitement. Whether they'd actually be able to sleep? That was another story.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, the group geared up and headed out, ready to continue their zombie hunt.

But just as they were about to descend the mountain, they froze.

Down below, a massive crowd had gathered—at least a thousand, maybe two. The hillside was crawling with people.

Everyone frowned. Since when did this place get so popular?

As they tried to figure out who these people were, a sudden whoosh cut through the air. Something trailing flames came flying straight toward them.

"Holy shit! What the hell is that?!"

"Shit—it's a rocket!"

The realization hit all at once.

Garrick reacted instantly. Earthen Armor snapped into place around him, and he threw himself in front of the group. A thick dirt wall rose up behind him, shielding everyone.

Even with most of them at Stage D, the sight of modern heavy weapons still sent a chill down their spines. This wasn't some zombie charging at them—this was military-grade firepower.

Ethan's eyes locked onto the incoming rocket. He knew damn well that wall wouldn't hold. If that thing landed, Big Mike and Skinny Pete—still below Stage D—would be dead on the spot.

He couldn't let it hit.

Ethan focused, channeling all his energy into his [Telekinesis] ability, pushing it to the limit.

The rocket's speed slowed.

Slowed more.

Then—stopped. Mid-air.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed.

Then the rocket spun around.

And shot back the way it came.

"Holy shit!!"

The group gaped in disbelief, then quickly realized who was behind it.

"Ethan, you beast!"

Down below, the attackers' smug expressions twisted into horror.

"What the hell?!" Caleb Harlan, the man leading this Harlan family operation, turned pale.

"Scatter!"

Panic erupted. The crowd broke and ran in every direction.

BOOM!

The rocket slammed into the ground, unleashing a thunderous explosion. A massive crater tore open the earth, and anyone who hadn't gotten far enough was instantly obliterated.

"Damn, that thing packs a punch," Chris muttered.

"Thank god Ethan was here," Big Mike said, patting his chest, still shaken. "That would've been the end of me."

"Some people just don't know when to quit," Ethan said coldly. "Let's go. We're heading down."

"Yeah!"

Fueled by anger, the group charged down the mountain.

Bang!

A sniper round cracked through the air, a high-velocity armor-piercing bullet streaking straight for Ethan.

At the last second, he jerked his head to the side, narrowly dodging it.

"Sniper!"

"Stay sharp!" Ethan warned, eyes narrowing.

The shooter was too far for him to teleport to. That distance was the only reason he'd had time to react—any closer, and that shot might've landed.

And just like that, the first shot became a signal.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted. More armor-piercing rounds tore through the air, all aimed at them.

Garrick raised another earth wall, shielding the group once again.

Thankfully, his Stage D upgrade had boosted his defenses. The bullets slammed into the wall but didn't punch through.

"What now?" Everyone turned to Ethan.

"Chris, go invisible and take out the sniper. I'll head down and destroy their heavy weapons. Garrick, keep your armor up and use the walls to protect everyone as you move. Once we're down there, they're finished."

Ethan's voice was calm, decisive.

"Got it!"

Everyone nodded.

Chris vanished on the spot, sprinting downhill under cover of stealth.

Ethan stepped out from behind the wall and took off at full speed, heading straight into the chaos.

...

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