The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

When he woke up, it was already the next day. With a refreshed and clear mind, he was ready to start day two of testing, which promised to be fun.

"Good morning, Klaus! I hope you had a good night\'s sleep," Lucil greeted him at the door as he stepped out of his room.

"I did," Klaus replied.

"Good! So, I stayed up all night yesterday working on the zombie for the test. Come on, let me show you what we\'ll be working with today." Klaus nodded and followed her. The look on her face said it all—she was proud of what she had created after their brainstorming session.

"Hi, guys," Klaus greeted Joon, Ryan, and Logan before heading to Lucil\'s workspace. He noticed Queenie wasn\'t around—not that he minded; he just wanted to get through the day so he could work on his side project.

"So, before you ask, I named it Mecha Zombie. Yes, I\'ve added some concepts from a game I\'m developing, which makes it even more exciting to see what I came up with," Lucil said, pressing a button on the tablet she was holding. A projection appeared of a grotesque figure clad in metal-like armor, wielding a terrifying dark broadsword.

"Like you suggested, I combined the Voltox Zombies and the Darkblood Demon Zombies. But I also added some extra features, like their skin armor and adaptable weapons. The sword can transform into a spear or even a dagger, depending on the situation.

"Since we\'re focusing on adaptability, I figured it should have a range of weapons. Besides that, it has both Ice and Fire elements, just like you. I\'ve given it three Ice and three Fire-type skills to enhance its abilities.

"I also increased its stats to be 20% higher than usual, and Logan will ensure the learning algorithm it runs on enables it to adapt quickly to your movements and techniques.

"In other words, the longer you fight it, the faster it learns. We\'re not sure exactly how rapid the learning process will be, but after an hour of combat, you\'ll have to start going all out. It\'s a machine, so as it learns, it becomes more formidable.

"But for now, all you need to do is keep it engaged while we gather data on its instinctive responses." Klaus was impressed with what she cooked up.

Lucil went on about all the cool features she\'d added, but to Klaus, it was simply the perfect target he needed to sharpen his combat training. It was as if he\'d be training a version of himself, helping him refine his fighting skills.

"When can we get started?" Klaus asked after reviewing all there was to know about the Mecha Zombie.

"We can start now." With that, Lucil led him to the console room, and soon, Klaus stood on a battleground, wielding only his sword. He wouldn\'t be using his Needles just yet.

A split second later, a 3-meter-tall, dark, metal-clad zombie with a massive broadsword appeared across from him, its eyes filled with a battle-hungry intensity.

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"It\'s lacking that menacing presence that makes you feel real danger, but we\'ll work on that later," Klaus said, getting into a battle stance.

The Mecha Zombie glanced at him and, with a sudden dash, charged, its sword radiating Ice Qi. Klaus smirked, channeling Ice into his own sword before dashing forward to meet it head-on.

The two swords clashed, sending sparks flying. Klaus\'s eyes gleamed as he felt the force behind the impact, realizing he was in for a good fight. They separated, and within seconds, they exchanged dozens of blows, each aimed to kill.

The broadsword in the zombie\'s hands was slightly longer than Klaus\'s longsword, yet he held his ground. Though many strikes targeted his neck with lethal precision, Klaus was always a step ahead with a counter.

Suddenly, the zombie stomped on the floor, raising an ice ramp. It was high enough to run across and leap, and that was what it did aiming a stabbing strike down at Klaus.

In response, Klaus stomped on the ground, raising an ice barrier. The zombie crashed into it, shattering the defense, but the barrier had successfully blocked the attack. This move was called the Overhead Stab; it involved creating a ramp for a high, forward leap with a downward thrust.

Lucil came up with that for a video game she was developing, so she implemented it into the Mecha Zombie.

After a few more minutes of exchanging blows, the zombie tried the same pattern again, and Klaus blocked it using the same tactic.

The third time, the outcome was the same, but Klaus could see the zombie was adapting—small improvements, but noticeable to him. This made him smile, knowing that within a few hours, this zombie would become a truly worthy opponent.

Three hours later, the zombie started showing remarkable development. Its adaptability kicked in, and Klaus noticed its sword attack patterns becoming more refined. This prompted him to increase his own attack speed.

Beyond that, the zombie was becoming more attuned to the shifting dynamics of the battlefield. Its Overhead Stab skill had also improved; now, just before using it, it would unleash a skill called \'Lethal Flame Slash\'—a fiery, destructive attack designed to break through Klaus\'s defenses before following up with the Overhead Stab.

But Klaus, being human, had adaptability as his natural advantage. He managed to stay a step ahead, always finding ways to counter the evolving tactics.

Another three hours passed, and the zombie\'s combat strength grew even more, showing significant progress. However, it still wasn\'t enough to overwhelm Klaus. Like the zombie, the longer Klaus fought, the more he improved.

"Okay, that\'s a wrap for today," Klaus said, slashing his sword diagonally, sending a sharp fire arc that sliced the zombie in half.

He sighed.

Klaus watched as the zombie tried to raise a defense but it detected his attack just a moment too late. Still, he saw the attempt, proof they were on the right track.

The day Klaus could fight toe-to-toe or even struggle against the zombie would mark the success of their plan to add realism to Oracle. As for the aura and the natural imposing will that monsters exude, Lucil had already found a fix for that.

With only hyperawareness and adaptability left to perfect, they were making solid progress.

The fire arc Klaus sent sliced the zombie cleanly in two, causing it to dissipate into nothingness. He was ejected from the console, feeling less drowsy this time.

After a quick recap with the Nerds on the day\'s work, Klaus headed to his room for some well-deserved sleep. Sleep was something he cherished more than anything.

A few hours later, feeling refreshed, he climbed up to the roof to catch some cool air. Enjoying the fresh weather, he began to discuss with the senior his plan to start using the Ice Lotus and Fire Dragon to absorb the golden energy from the Pentaface bead within his soul sea.

Things were progressing well, but they took an unexpected turn when another presence appeared on the roof. Queenie materialized out of thin air, catching Klaus off guard.

"Hello, Big Sister Queenie," Klaus greeted her with a small smile.