Virus King [Translation]

There were still seven days, fourteen hours, fifty-three minutes, and six seconds remaining until the outbreak.

Novak returned to the bedroom, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the coming apocalypse. On Aria's side, he had done everything he could. Whether she would surprise him with her own abilities would now depend on the beautiful nurse herself.

As for why he hadn't gone into more detail about his plans, Novak knew he was only offering vague reassurances and sweet talk. An experimental research excuse was enough to satisfy her curiosity. But could he really explain more? What would he even say?

That he was a researcher of bacteria and viruses? That his "project" was essentially labeled as "in progress"? Or that it was self-study at this point?

Aria wasn't completely naïve—her IQ wasn't below 60, so she knew well enough not to dig further. Sure, they say a woman in love loses all rational thought, but it's not as if her IQ had dropped to zero.

A few ambiguous explanations would suffice for now.

Besides, Novak didn't want to visit the hospital anymore, to face the curious stares of elderly nurses and doctors. And with the looming threat of a zombie outbreak, should he even keep trying?

Even if the response from the police station was slow, if he were to fight zombies again, it would raise too many suspicions. The authorities would soon realize there was something off about him.

Sure, the temptation to gain experience points and gold coins from the zombie outbreak was great—especially with a tenfold increase in rewards—but Novak was content. He'd already secured a valuable blueprint for crafting weapons and equipment, something that would be invaluable when the apocalypse struck.

He had absorbed a lot from the zombie virus, and his evolution points were steadily rising. It wouldn't be an issue when the outbreak occurred.

But these were just low-level zombies. What about the mutated ones, or even the Zombie Lords?

Even ten years into the future, there were the infamous undead zombies who developed intelligence, ruling over their domains in the Gods and Demons Trial Field. Those were the real sources of evolution points.

The thought of constantly dealing with zombies during the next doomsday filled Novak with exhaustion. But when he remembered the gods of the future—aloof entities who would manifest in various forms and seek out emissaries on Earth—his determination was reignited.

The Gods and Demons Trial Field was a battleground for cosmic beings. Every time it emerged, new gods were born, and old gods fell. Why couldn't he be one of them?

With renewed focus, Novak glanced at the empty bedroom before pulling out his phone. He navigated to the Forerunner of Cosmic Will Evolution forum post he had created the day before.

The forum wasn't completely deserted. In addition to Novak's pinned greeting post, there were a few guest replies.

A typical scenario for internet forums—never underestimate the persistence of online keyboard warriors!

One post read:

'[Is this a new game? Cosmic Will Evolution!? I searched, and there's no such game or guild!]'

Another joked:

'[Meet the White Emperor! I, the Red Emperor, have returned to my throne! Lol!]'

Novak skimmed through the posts, noting the lighthearted comments, but he wasn't concerned. After all, if someone had unknowingly completed an early awakening and became an evolutionary pioneer, they wouldn't publicly ask for help on a forum like this.

His attention was drawn to a private message notification, the red dot blinking at the corner of the screen.

He barely remembered his old account password on X-Ta, and he certainly didn't have any friends on the platform. But now, there was a new private message, timestamped only a short while ago.

The message read:

'[I'm not a troll: Um... big brother, what is the meaning of your post? Is this about a new disease? Because... I think I've seen it.]'

Novak smirked at the message. He checked the IP location—it was from Capital City, a distant place from where he was. Could this person be an early awakened individual from his past life? Or had they failed to survive long enough to make a mark?

Novak didn't know, but he didn't mind engaging. After all, that was the purpose of creating the post in the first place.

He typed back:

'[White Emperor: What talent do you have?]'

In later generations, asking such a direct question would either get you ignored or punched. Talents were closely guarded secrets, crucial to one's strength, and not something people shared lightly. 

Well, unless your talent was something unremarkable like Novak's virus resistance from his previous life. 

But for talents with combat potential or scouting abilities, competition was fierce. 

Novak guessed that anyone who awakened early like this person would have an S-rank or higher talent.

Sure enough, almost two minutes later, a reply came in:

'[I'm not a troll: S-rank talent—Mental Mastery!]'

Novak raised an eyebrow. This was related to the development of the mind and spiritual attributes—a potent ability in the right hands, especially for someone who could transition into a mage-like class.

But Novak was now certain this person wasn't a famous figure from his past life. There hadn't been any powerful individuals with mental talents who had risen to prominence in the capital city.

Moreover, mental abilities were tricky to master in the early stages. Without corresponding mental damage skills, surviving the initial zombie attacks would be a challenge.

For someone like Novak, with his SSS-rank talent as the Virus King, he could evolve in multiple directions and enhance his abilities across the board. But this individual had potential, and Novak saw value in cultivating them.

He replied, keeping the conversation going.

'[I'm not a troll: So the countdown to the apocalypse is real...]'

'[I'm not a troll: That's amazing...]'

'[I'm not a troll: Thank you, brother...]'

'[I'm not a troll: Brother, do you know...]'

The individual on the other end was clearly young, energetic, and eager to share their newfound abilities.

Just as the conversation was getting interesting, Novak's phone rang unexpectedly. 

The caller ID showed it was Aria, the little nurse he hadn't seen all day.

Novak's eyes narrowed as he answered the call. On the other end, Aria's voice was frantic and panicked.

"Novak, where are you? Help me..."

Novak's expression turned cold.