Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System
Chapter 201: Level Zero

A quick glance back found the formed hole closed up completely. He had to set his gaze forward again as he found himself immediately pursued by the man.

The distance was crossed in that single moment as he leaned to the side, avoiding that knife that passed by like a spear.

At that moment, the system brought him an identification—

[

Special Entity Recognized.]

[Major Arcana: "The Devil"] [Level: 0]

'Zero?'

He repeated.

Maintaining his footing after leaning almost entirely onto his left foot, he pushed his right hand against the bare abdomen of the killer:

["

Touch of Rot

"]

–He sought to burn a hole through the nameless man's gut, though he only touched for a split-second before that knife came down on his wrist. Before he could be down a hand, he flipped back, landing with a nimble slide.

["

Phantom Flow

"]

Using the formless rotation of shadows beneath his foot, he drifted backwards while keeping his eyes on the "Devil."

'Rot won't work at all. He's too fast, too aggressive–if I try to push that too much, I'll lose a hand or worse,'

he decided.

Though he thought he had a clear idea of the nameless killer's path while in the rusted corridor, he found that idea intercepted as the shaggy-haired figure slipped into one of the doors to the side.

'A different room? Is he trying to draw me to him? I won't fall for obvious bait like that–'

Finn thought.

From the footsteps he heard, he realized it wasn't just a single room, but that they must've been interconnected, realizing the man returned from Hell was trying to use the walls to get closer.

'The left–'

Finn realized.

He pivoted around, surfing on the shadows as he faced the left wall, only to hear the one right behind him split open. Spinning around again, he found the repulsive figure rushing at him from the right side of the corridor, even though it made no logical sense.

'That's right–this entire place is his to manipulate as he sees fit. What a pain in the ass,'

he recalled.

Using the torrent of shadows, it was easy enough for him to slide to the side while ducking down, avoiding a slash that would've split his throat open. The fear that once paralyzed him wasn't completely gone, but it was manageable; he was able to move freely, undisturbed and focused.

Though he avoided the initial slash, he had to keep skating the darkness following under his boots as the man without an identity relentlessly pursued him. There wasn't an opportunity to go for an attack of his own, entirely focusing on protecting himself against that brutal knife.

Only a single blade; that's all he had to watch out for, but a single mistake would lead to his guts being strewn through the hall.

'He's like a damn beast–I don't know if this dude has taken a single breath, he just keeps pointing that blade for my vitals,'

Finn thought.

At times like this, being pressed relentlessly, he wished to have the wide-scale gifts of a brawler like Seung or Polaris. Rather, he was met with the worst possible matchup against a killer like the nameless one before him–

A persistent, stronger, faster, more ruthless opponent.

Yet, that only drove Finn to attempt to match and exceed those very same attributes.

The back of the corridor was closing in as he found himself being cornered quickly, having to slide to the side as the knife passed by his abdomen.

Just as he moved himself out of the way, out of the corner of his eye, the wall behind him underwent a dramatic shift. A pair of fangers jutted out before the texture of an open mouth blended through the rusted interior.

'A mouth–?'

He recognized.

There was barely enough space for him to duck down, trusting his instincts as a chomping mouth expanded from the wall. It resembled the maw of a man, slamming its teeth down with a grin, narrowly missing his body.

Another manipulation of the building; an ability limitless in scope that kept him on his toes.

'I have to watch every inch of this pla–'

He thought.

His own thinking was intercepted as he jumped to his feet with the retraction of the wall-mouth, replaceing the nameless man already in front of him. The knife already passed through his chest, piercing and skewering.

A feeling radiated through his body, causing his blood to heat up like magma yet turn to frost across a single moment. It was like a balloon popping in his chest, along with a deflation in strength–something that shouldn't be touched was so brutally trampled on.

'My heart–he stabbed my heart…!'

He realized, gasping out.

Being brought face-to-face with the stain on humanity, he could still hardly make out anything of his face beneath those messy, dark fringes; only a tired eye, devoid of kindness and swirled with animosity.

The only thing he could do was kick his foot against the man's abdomen, forcing the killer back as the knife was plucked from his chest. On the way out, the ridges of the blade cut him further as he stumbled back, clutching his chest as he spewed blood from his lips.

His entire body was in a panic, losing strength by the second as the corridor spun around him.

Death was approaching, though it wasn't inevitable.

Without much hesitation, knowing the sinister killer was watching him bleed out, he slashed his own dagger across his neck.

'Give me something to put this guy six-feet under with,'

he wished coldly as his neck sprayed crimson.

["

Finn Thorne defeated

."] Stay updated through M V L

Darkness; bitter cold, enveloping his body. A sensation he had become all too familiar with, like a far-removed relative, visited on holidays. As quickly as it came, the frost of death was cast away like dandelions by a breath.

Warmth filled his body as reality colored back in as though he had only blinked for a moment. The gash on his neck closed, his heart rebuilt itself; all anew.

Staring down at the emotionless killer down the hall, fear was absent from his heart upon his third return from death.

Something was different; the ability gifted to him to overcome the man foul enough to bear the title of "Devil" was one that tampered with his own humanity.

[Assimilated

ability from ["Finn Thorne"]

: "Zombie" | 3 / 5]

For the first time, he claimed the initiative against the relentless killer–

["

Spring Foot

"] [0:59] ["

Supercharge

"]

He pushed off of one foot, covering the distance of the corridor in an instant as he slashed at the taller man's throat. A makeshift Blink Slash; not quite as fast, but one with more momentum behind it.

The nameless man leaned away from the dagger's range, dropping low and sweeping for the leg. Finn glanced down as that leg closed in, flipping back though not before letting his weapon slip from his fingers.

It was a purposeful dismissal before–

["

Blade Warp

"] [Mana: -100] [3800/4500]

There wasn't a millisecond between the time he avoided having his leg swept and being right back there beside the killer as he warped to his blade, just a meter away from his position. For the first time, it seemed he truly got the upper hand in an exchange as the eye hidden beneath the hair of the killer was only just then glancing over at him–

["

Magenta

"]

A bolt of deep-purple lightning shot from his hand, striking it against the side of the nameless one's body. From such close proximity, having the thunder roar through the foul corridor, the impact sent the killer flying through the wall on the other side.

The recoil of it sent his shoulder cocking back, though the pain was dulled as he didn't so much as flinch at it.

'It still wears on me, but I can deal with this–I can handle this better now. This "Zombie" body–it can take a whole lot more punishment,'

he recognized.

The sound of rapid footsteps led him away from thinking he'd have any time to think even after sending a lightning bolt right against the man's body.

["

Mineral Armor

"]

When considering the various defensive options, rather than using the scale armor, he opted for the rigid one made of stone as it crawled over his body. Before the pale, stone suit could completely form, he found the blur of the killer swiftly cutting in from the corner of his eye.

Before his hands could move, he found the man with his gaze, instinctively flexing as his ocular organs heated up–

["

Ocular Blast

"] [Mana: -200] [3600/4500]

A release of fluctuating light pushed out of his eyes, burrowing through the stitched hallway and crashing against the nameless figure. With that blood-stained knife, the "Devil" blocked the ocular blast, though was slammed back several meters.

"Phew–"

Finn breathed out, having to close his eyes briefly, feeling as though he had just dunked them in chlorine. They were no doubt bloodshot, blurring his gaze for a moment as he began moving without wasting a moment.