novelraw Chapter 1167: The Aftermath and Travis’ Big Announcement
Chapter 1167: The Aftermath and Travis’ Big Announcement
Shane laughed, shaking his head.
"You’re right, Tris. It really does feel like I won the lottery." The grin on his face was rare, but genuine.
Well, the System’s notifications felt like a reward worth celebrating.
Still, his curiosity got the better of him. He pulled up the details of the serums, one by one, letting the glowing text hover before his eyes.
[ Vampiric Blood Serum: A refined serum distilled from Vampire Blood Crystals. Grants the user temporary or permanent Vampiric Traits like heightened reflexes, night vision, accelerated regeneration, and blood affinity. Safe for high-level Survivors.
Mutation Risk: 20% chance of permanent vampiric mutation for users below Level 50.
Usage: Inject to gain traits guaranteed for at least 24 hours. Multiple doses may stack but increase mutation risk. ]
Shane rubbed his chin. "Enhanced reflexes and regeneration... tempting. But the mutation risk is real. For low‑levels, this could be a death sentence."
Nonetheless, this confirmed his guess that only low-level Survivors would mutate when this item was used. It might be a good idea for some others who didn’t have great fighting skills but wanted to improve quickly.
Or perhaps, those injured people who could no longer recover or level up with their own strength.
In any case, Shane continued.
[ Draconic Gene Serum: A serum infused with Draconic Core Shards. Grants the user temporary or permanent Draconic Traits like elemental resistance, hardened scales, increased vitality, and partial mana affinity. Safe for high-level Survivors.
Mutation Risk: 40% chance of permanent draconic mutation for users below Level 50.
Usage: Inject to gain traits for at least 48 hours. Multiple doses may stack, but increase mutation risk. ]
The effect was quite similar... However, this one had a higher chance, probably because of its higher effect duration.
Shane’s eyes gleamed.
"Elemental resistance... scales... this one’s even better. But again, the risk. If someone weak tries it, they might not like the change." He smiled faintly.
"Still, for some others... this could be a real edge."
Satisfied, Shane closed off all the notifications.
There was still work to do. Survivors were already moving across the battlefield, clearing corpses and salvaging what they could.
Shane joined them, lending his strength where needed.
Tris approached and reminded him of their deal...
"Ahemm... Please, don’t touch the wyverns. I need their cores and materials for our own safety. In exchange, you can loot the Dragonkin and the Fire Salamanders. Fair?"
Shane nodded. "Yep... Fair enough. I’ll take what I can from them."
Just like that, Shane went with the others...
He moved toward the fallen Dragonoids first. Their bodies were larger than Super Soldiers and armored with scales that seemed really tough even after their death.
Soon, the System prompt appeared before him.
[ Do you want to retrieve the loot? ]
"Yes."
[ You have earned 1,200 Experience Points. ]
[ You have earned 5 Reputation Points. ]
[ Loots obtained: Draconic Core Shard x5, Dragonbone Fragment x20, Scale of the Flamekin x10, Spirit Enhancement Bottle x5, Vitality Enhancement Bottle x5, Agility Enhancement Bottle x5, Flamekin Cloak x1, Flamekin Plate Armor x1, Flamekin Gauntlets x1, Flamekin Greaves x1, Flamekin Boots x1, Dragonkin Fang Dagger x1, Unknown Meat (Safe) x15, Unknown Meat (Unsafe) x5 ]
Thanks to his Talent, he was able to get all the possible loot.
It was quite an amazing result...
"Not bad... Flamekin Set?... The armor set alone could outfit one of the Super Soldiers. And those core shards... priceless." He then closed the notifications, already imagining how the dragonbone fragments could be reforged into weapons.
Of course, he looted more of these Dragonoids so he could equip most of his Super Soldiers.
Next, he turned to the Fire Salamanders.
Their charred bodies still radiated faint heat... It seemed as if they were really made of fire...
Again, the System prompt appeared after approaching them.
[ Do you want to retrieve the loot? ]
"Yes."
[ You have earned 800 Experience Points. ]
[ You have earned 2 Reputation Points. ]
[ Loots obtained: Salamander Core x3, Fire Essence Crystal x5, Spirit Enhancement Bottle x3, Vitality Enhancement Bottle x3, Agility Enhancement Bottle x3, Flame Tongue Sword x1, Ember Scale Shield x1, Salamander Hide x10, Unknown Meat (Safe) x10, Unknown Meat (Unsafe) x3 ]
Shane’s eyes lit up at the sight of the Flame Tongue Sword.
Almost immediately, he drew it from his inventory...
Whoosh~
The blade was glowing faintly with residual fire energy!
"This... this will be useful." He gave it a few test swings and the air was already sizzling as the edge cut through.
The Salamander Hides were another treasure.
Durable, heat‑resistant, perfect for crafting cloaks or armor.
"I guess they already have a lot of these..." Shane muttered. He noticed that the enhanced warriors under Tris were actually wearing similar to these...
Well, since they were from the Dragon Awakening Apocalypse, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.
In any case, he continued looting for more...
By the time he finished, his inventory was brimming with new materials and equipment.
The battlefield was slowly being stripped of its treasures, each corpse was yielding something valuable to the survivors.
Shane looked around, watching his allies work.
Despite the exhaustion and casualties they suffered, there was a sense of triumph in the air. They had survived, and now they were reaping the rewards.
***
Later at the same day, Shane thought of checking the World Chat...
By now, the people should’ve cleared up their shelters and started resting... He knew that the Global Chat users would be active by now.
[ Kaelen (Sector 7): Damn... I still can’t believe it’s over. First time fighting vampires and dragons together. My shelter barely survived. ]
[ Rina (Sector 14): Same here. We had silver weapons ready for the vampires, but the dragon army? That was insane. Their wyverns tore through our defenses like paper. ]
[ Joren (Sector 3): Lol, welcome to the new world. We thought we picked "Zombie Apocalypse" to avoid dragons. Guess the System doesn’t care anymore. ]
[ Lyra (Sector 10): It was expected. I think the shitty admin already hinted that multiple apocalypses would merge eventually. Still... 42% shelters destroyed? That’s brutal. ]
[ Dax (Sector 6): My clan lost two shelters. We evacuated, but the Shelter Crystals were shattered. We’re looking for allies to migrate. Anyone willing to take us in? ]
[ Mira (Sector 19): Depends. How many survivors do you have left? Resources are tight. ]
[ Dax (Sector 6): About 300. We can contribute silver weapons and some Spirit Stones. ]
[ Selene (Sector 13): That’s not bad. If you can bring silver, you’ll be useful against vampires. But dragons... you’ll need more than stones. ]
[ Toren (Sector 20): Dragons were the worst part. My shelter faced a Flood Dragon. We barely drove it away. Lost half our warriors. ]
[ Kaelen (Sector 7): Flood Dragon? Damn. I only saw wyverns and salamanders. That’s bad luck. ]
[ Toren (Sector 20): Bad luck? More like the System testing us. It’s obvious now... every event will escalate. ]
[ Rina (Sector 14): True. And the vampires weren’t even at full strength. Imagine if more Vampire Lords had shown up. ]
[ Joren (Sector 3): Don’t remind me. One Vampire Lord almost possessed our commander. If not for a talisman, we’d be done. ]
[ Lyra (Sector 10): Anyone else notice the rewards? Recruitment Stones, serums, hybrid materials... The System is pushing us to evolve. ]
[ Mira (Sector 19): Yeah, but at what cost? Those serums have mutation risks. I don’t want to wake up with scales or bloodlust. ]
[ Dax (Sector 6): Better scales than being dead. I’d take draconic resistance any day. ]
[ Selene (Sector 13): Careful. Mutations aren’t reversible. Once you change, you’re stuck. ]
[ Kaelen (Sector 7): Still, it’s tempting. Vampiric reflexes or draconic vitality... some survivors here are already experimenting. ]
[ Joren (Sector 3): My neighbor injected a Vampiric Serum. He’s faster now, but he can’t stand sunlight. He will have to hide during the day. ]
[ Rina (Sector 14): That’s terrifying. Imagine half your shelter turning nocturnal. ]
[ Toren (Sector 20): Better nocturnal than dead. Don’t forget... 42% shelters gone. Mutation might be the only way forward. ]
[ Lyra (Sector 10): Speaking of forward... anyone know which shelters ranked top? I’m guessing that Shane’s shelters were the safest... ]
[ Mira (Sector 19): Yeah... For sure. Don’t doubt their forces. They have freaking Mechs! They also have Floating Fortress? They probably got the highest rewards out there. ]
[ Marky (Sector 6): That’s life Smaller shelters can’t compete. ]
[ Maylene (Sector 13): Not unfair. They earned it. Bigger shelters faced stronger bosses. ]
[ Kaelen (Sector 7): True, but it still feels like the System favors the strong. ]
[ Joren (Sector 3): Of course it does. Survival of the fittest. ]
[ Rina (Sector 14): Enough philosophy. Anyone willing to trade? I need silver weapons. We burned through everything fighting vampires. ]
[ Mira (Sector 19): I can trade. Got spare silver daggers. Looking for Fire Essence Crystals. ]
[ Rina (Sector 14): Deal. DM me. ]
[ Toren (Sector 20): Anyone else migrating? My shelter is too damaged. We’re considering joining Eclipse Domain. ]
[ Travis (Sector 13): Guys... we’re hosting a wedding in our shelter in Sector 13, four days from now. Our Vice Leader Momo and First Battalion Commander Ross will be tying the knot! Everyone who attends will get free food and a two‑day stay in our shelter. ]
[ Shane (Sector X): ... ]
[ Natalie (Sector X): ??? ]