Chapter Eleven: Layers of Surprise

The lowest level of zombies were mindless; they knew neither fear nor pain. They crowded at the iron door, reaching their hands through, razor-sharp nails twitching as they tried to pierce Yang Fan’s flesh and assimilate him. Rest and suffering were foreign to them; all they knew was the urge to bite.

Yang Fan raised his fireman’s axe, a savage expression twisting his face as he began a furious slaughter. Blood spattered everywhere, white brains splattered sickeningly. Zhu Liang, suppressing his nausea, joined in the killing. Within two or three minutes, Yang Fan dispatched five zombies, and Zhu Liang killed three. Suddenly, Zhu Liang exclaimed in surprise, “I have the Apocalypse System too!”

“Good,” Yang Fan replied, surprised but calm. He continued shaking the blood-stained iron door, intent on drawing more zombies.

In this manner, Yang Fan spent an hour, and the entrance was soon blocked by a pile of corpses—dozens of them. Finally, he reached Level 1, First Tier.

At this point, Yang Fan instructed Zhu Liang to keep grinding monsters while he embarked on the path of job change. Without memories from a month into the future, no one would imagine that to change jobs, one must purchase a zero-priced Job Change Contract from the Apocalypse Merchant.

Now, Yang Fan took this item from his backpack—a crumpled yellow sheet inscribed with the words, “I willingly change my class to XX.” Just ten characters; one had to choose their class and sign. Of course, the signature had to be in blood. Yang Fan squeezed his healing finger until a drop of blood welled up, filled in “Martial Artist” in the blank, and signed his name. He could have chosen Mage, but accustomed to the martial path, he was unwilling to risk the unfamiliar.

“Contract effective. Congratulations on your successful class change. You are now officially a Martial Artist. Based on your physique, all attributes increase by three at your current level.”

“You have automatically learned the Martial Artist’s initial skill—Gang Qi.”

[Initial Skill]
Gang Qi: Increases sharpness by 5.
Current Level: F
Potential Level: SSS

Gang Qi was the most fundamental skill for martial artists. As one’s rank advanced, or through cultivating powerful inner techniques, it would grow stronger.

Generally, every level granted 1–5 points to all attributes. In his past life, Yang Fan knew that nearly everyone gained just one point. Occasionally, luck granted two; three was rare, and four or five were almost unheard of.

Now, a single level raised all his attributes by three—an unexpected joy. But soon, the system spoke again.

“Skill system and player virtual exchange system activated automatically.”

“Congratulations, you are among the first ten players to complete a class change. You have obtained a hidden class: Ancient Martial Artist. Would you like to inherit this class?”

Yang Fan wasn’t surprised; he’d been confident he would earn a hidden class. What astonished him was that his tireless effort only placed him in the top ten, not the top three or even first. He mused that some lucky souls must have drawn a class lottery.

As he pondered this, thousands of miles away, a pair of beautiful twin sisters hid in a basement surrounded by zombies. The elder sister radiated cold, shouting, “Ice Spell!” Instantly, a fierce chill swept out, freezing four zombies solid. With a crack, they shattered into icy shards.

The younger sister waved her hand, and a wave of scorching flames incinerated four or five zombies to ashes.

—

In America, a man crackling with electricity walked down the street, slicing everything in his path with a blade of lightning.

In Japan, a man in a red ninja suit hid within the void, appearing suddenly to decapitate a zombie in a flash.

Across many nations, a handful of unique individuals emerged, each with a hidden class…

—

Yang Fan quickly checked his own class talents.

[Class]
Ancient Martial Artist
Grade: A

Effect 1: All martial arts techniques deal 20% more damage.
Effect 2: Possesses automatic analysis and improvement of techniques.
Effect 3: Can initially resist zombie infection and corrosion; enhanced flesh.
Effect 4: ???

Description: Martial artists focus on tempering the body in the early stages, and in the late stages can shatter the void, prioritizing the physical form.

—

“First tier class skill unlocked. You may choose one of three skills: Taiji Fist, Nether Claw, or Grass Step. Please choose one.”

No hesitation—the answer was obviously Taiji Fist.

[Skill]
Taiji Fist
Current Grade: D
Potential Grade: SSS
Current Progress: Basic Mastery

Effect—Force Redirection: Reflects 20% of damage.
Description: Taiji Fist uses softness to overcome hardness, shifting great force with minimal effort; ideal for group combat.

—

Upon selecting Taiji Fist, Yang Fan’s mind was instantly illuminated. A shadowy figure in his consciousness demonstrated the forms over and over, as if he had practiced for years.

The skill system was designed for humans: one could automatically learn the basics, but mastery depended on oneself. This gave humanity a slim chance of survival.

“Because of your class talent, your Taiji Fist has been preliminarily analyzed and improved, advancing to Minor Achievement,” the system announced, surprising Yang Fan. He thus understood that his talent allowed him to refine flaws in basic techniques and deepen his understanding.

As for the SSS potential, nearly all skills had this notation. Any skill could theoretically reach the pinnacle, just as humans, though weak, could one day grow strong—everything starts from weakness. It was mostly for show; truly reaching SSS was likely impossible.

Upon upgrading the skill, Yang Fan checked its properties again.

[Skill]
Taiji Fist
Current Grade: C
Potential Grade: SSS
Current Progress: Minor Achievement

Effect—Force Redirection: Reflects 30% of damage.
Effect—Power: Increases strength by 20%
Effect: ???

Description: Taiji Fist uses softness to overcome hardness, shifting great force with minimal effort; ideal for group combat.

—

Yang Fan didn’t stop there. He opened his backpack and took out four small vials—red, blue, green, and purple.

The red was a stamina potion, the blue a strength potion, the green agility, and the purple intelligence. Yang Fan drank all four in one go. Each level-up allowed one use, boosting his attributes.

“Player has consumed a stamina potion: stamina +8.”
“Player has consumed a strength potion: strength +7.”
“Player has consumed an agility potion: agility +11.”
“Player has consumed an intelligence potion: intelligence +6.”

—

Yang Fan was elated once more.

The potions’ label claimed they could add 1–100 points, but in reality, ordinary people gained at most 1–5, with the lucky reaching 5, the unlucky getting two or three, and the truly unfortunate just one. It all came down to luck.

Thanks to his bloodline and profession, Yang Fan gained nearly 5 points in each, and agility reached 11. How could he not be delighted?

…

He opened his status screen.

Era: Apocalypse Era
Planet: Earth, Solar System MZ1001
Region: Southern China
Name: Yang Fan
Class Rank: Ancient Martial Artist, Tier 1 Level 1
Constitution: 26 (affects resistance and recovery; 260% of average human)
Strength: 25 (affects attack and carrying capacity; 250% of average human)
Agility: 28 (affects reaction and movement speed; 280% of average human)
Intelligence: 22 (affects special domains and calculation speed; 220% of average human)
Skill: Taiji Fist
Equipment: Physical—Desert Eagle
Combat Rating: C (ranks: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F)
Apocalypse Coins: 32
Talent: Save Point—God-level talent; allows saving at any point like in a single-player game. Seven-day cooldown; after seven days, the system randomly returns the player to 1–30 days prior. (Currently on cooldown for 6 days.)

This was a little weaker than his previous life, but after all, he was only level 1 now!

“Roar—”

Just then, a powerful presence surged. It was the aura of a Broodmother…