THE VARIANT: ZERO HOUR
The apocalypse didn’t fall from the sky. It was born from a needle in a quiet hospital hallway.
Kang Jaemin was just a brother trying to keep his younger sibling safe when the world suddenly ended. But that one good deed cost him everything when a monster's teeth tore into his arm. Waiting for the end, Jaemin didn’t die. Instead, something else took root. He became "Specimen Alpha" a new breed of predator, half-man, half-monster, with the power to crush steel and an instinct for the hunt that was second to none.
But in a shattered world, the living are far more rotten than the dead. So when the world’s corrupt elite the billionaires and military commanders try to crush what little family he has left and turn him into their weapon, they make the biggest mistake of their lives.
They woke the wrong devil.
Alongside a handful of hardened survivors, with his brother as the only anchor to his sanity, Jaemin begins his warpath. He’s not just surviving. He's hunting. He will tear down their high-tech fortresses and shatter their hubris with his bare hands.
"You thought you were gods in this new world? Let me show you how a god can die."
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Chapter: 23. KESALAHAN SI TUAN TUATeng neng neng neng. Teng neng neng neng.Melodi alarm klasik bernada ceria itu mengalun nyaring memecah kesunyian lobi utama Rumah Sakit Metropolitan. Di ruang seluas lapangan bola yang dipenuhi ribuan mayat hidup tersebut suara sekecil apa pun akan terdengar seperti petir. Apalagi suara alarm ponsel yang disetel pada volume maksimal.Waktu terasa berhenti. Darah di sekujur tubuh Jaemin membeku seketika.Krak. Krotak. Srek.Suara ribuan tulang leher yang bergeser secara bersamaan menciptakan gema menjijikkan yang memantul mantul di dinding kaca lobi. Ribuan kepala zombie yang tadinya menunduk dalam fase pasif kini tersentak naik secara serempak. Mata mata putih keruh yang kosong dan mematikan itu langsung mengunci target ke arah titik tengah lobi. Tepat di mana kelompok Jaemin berdiri membeku."Oh bangsat," umpat Jaemin dengan keputusasaan murni. Pemuda itu mencengkeram erat tangan Jihoon."Graaaaaargghh."Satu auman parau meledak dari arah depan. Auman itu langsung memicu reaksi ber
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: 22. Arriving at the LobbyThe gargantuan, heavily muscled carcass collapsed, crashing face-first onto the concrete landing floor. Its body, weighing hundreds of kilograms, rolled slowly down the steps with wet, heavy thuds, leaving behind a thick, pitch-black trail of blood that reeked unimaginably of death.The emergency stairwell returned to a dead silence. Only the sound of the five of them panting heavily, desperately gasping for oxygen, could be heard.Jaemin sat slouched against the bent iron railing. He clutched his neck, which was now decorated with a severely dark purple bruise. The monster's crushing grip had nearly pulverized his trachea. He coughed softly, spitting out the remaining blood from his mouth."You still breathing, Jaem?" Jinwoo asked from the corner of the room. The police officer clutched his left ribcage while wincing in severe agony. Jinwoo's face was completely pale, yet he forced a crooked, cynical smile. "I genuinely thought your head had popped right off.""Almost, you bastard,"
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: 21. Fighting Without BreathThe oxygen supply to Jaemin's lungs was completely cut off. The giant hand gripping his neck felt exactly like a hydraulic press prepared to sever his head straight from his spine. Jaemin's vision began to blur rapidly. Black dots danced wildly across his retinas. The young man's legs kicked helplessly in the empty air, searching for a foothold he would never find. Directly beneath his boots gaped a dark abyss dropping dozens of meters down to the ground floor of the hospital. If he fell from this height, his head would absolutely shatter to pieces exactly like a rotten watermelon smashed onto the asphalt."Let go, you dog," Jaemin muttered, the words caught in his throat. His voice did not even come out at all. Only the sickening creak of his neck bones could be heard.His blood-coated fingers fought desperately to pry the monster's thick fingers away. He scratched and punched the giant's wrist repeatedly. But it was completely useless. This steroid mutant's strength existed entirely
Last Updated: 2026-07-23
Chapter: 20. Muscle Giant in the Narrow StairwellThe deep, bass-heavy roar that violently shook the concrete walls still rang deafeningly in Jaemin's ears. Standing directly in front of them was a living nightmare that completely defied every known law of normal human biology.The colossal zombie took a single heavy step forward. The entire landing violently shuddered. The man who had morphed into this abomination must have been a heavyweight bodybuilder or a professional athlete admitted to the second-floor VIP ward. But now, his body had swelled to twice its normal mass due to the mutation. The muscles in his biceps and chest had grotesquely hypertrophied, completely shredding his hospital patient uniform. Scraps of pale green fabric fluttered to the floor. The monster's pale skin was heavily laced with thick, bulging, pitch-black veins that writhed like overheated worms."Oh, what the fuck. Look at his damn muscles," Jinwoo cursed, his face completely drained of color. His hands trembled violently as he gripped his revolver. "Wha
Last Updated: 2026-07-22
Chapter: 19. Screams in the Echo Chamber"Aaaarggh. Jaemin, what the fuck, help! Something is grabbing my leg!"Jihoon's piercing scream bounced wildly, deafeningly loud inside the narrow emergency stairwell. The long, blackened nails of the male zombie hiding beneath the pile of corpses dug deep, clamping viciously around the twelve-year-old boy's right ankle.Jihoon crashed face-first onto the pile. His face nearly slammed into the torn-open stomach of a dead nurse. He thrashed hysterically, desperately trying to kick the face of the monster that was actively dragging him down into the sea of rotting flesh."Jihoon, what the fuck! Hold on, kid!" Jaemin shouted in sheer panic.The young man instantly threw his wooden stick onto the pile of corpses. Jaemin crawled brutally forward, completely ignoring the sickening snaps of human bones breaking beneath his knees.Right in front of Jihoon, Min-Ji struggled to turn around. The former fixer raised her broom spear, preparing to stab the zombie straight in the eye. However, their
Last Updated: 2026-07-22
Chapter: 18. The Barricade of Human Flesh"Keep pushing, you bastards. Do not let up, what the fuck!" Jaemin shouted through tightly clenched teeth.The muscles in his shoulders and back screamed in protest. He completely ignored the searing pain radiating from his sprained wrist. Right beside him, Jinwoo groaned loudly, violently throwing his entire body weight against the heavy steel door.Thud. Screeeeeech.The screech of metal grinding against the floor grew piercingly loud. Whatever massive object was barricading the door from the inside finally began to slide, completely overwhelmed by the desperate strength of the two young men. The gap in the doorway slowly widened from ten centimeters to twenty.The putrid stench of death that blasted through the gap grew incredibly thick and utterly unbearable. It smelled like a horrific combination of sacrificial meat left to rot for a full month under a blistering sun, drenched in a massive pool of fermented blood."Ugh. Damn it. I am seriously going to vomit," Jinwoo gagged. The
Last Updated: 2026-07-22
Supreme Demon Emperor Returns
Betrayal was shattered and discarded like trash into the depths of a ravine. Xavier Aristhos rose from death through a blood contract with the demon Morax. He returned to New York not to claim his inheritance, but to demand lives, with hell's power throbbing in his veins.
By day, he was the elegant CEO of Umbra Capital, dominating Wall Street with icy precision. But by night, he was the Supreme Demon, harvesting the souls of sinners. Without mercy, Xavier dismantled the Aristhos dynasty from within, forcing his stepmother and stepbrother to crawl and beg for forgiveness before dragging their filthy souls into the grave.
To protect Livia, the only light remaining to him, Xavier willingly cast aside his humanity. He became a lonely guardian god lurking in the shadows of New York's glass towers. He would not stop until all his enemies knelt and felt the sting of the betrayal he had endured.
"Your style may be elite, but before me, your soul is nothing but cheap trash."
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Chapter: 138. The Throne of SilenceXavier withdrew his finger from the glass surface.The freezing temperature of his skin left a frosted smudge in the shape of a fingerprint upon the monitor. Within the screen, Livia turned around. She ran back to her friends beneath the white tent, her laughter once again merging with the rhythmic flow of the party music.Xavier watched her smile for several seconds. He then pressed the power button at the edge of his desk.The massive monitor died instantly. The office on the one hundredth floor was plunged back into a dense, suffocating darkness.Xavier turned slowly. He walked away from his desk, his footsteps clicking with measured precision against the concrete floor. He moved toward the panoramic window that looked out over the sprawling New York City skyline.Outside, the snowstorm grew more intense. White flakes battered the glass with a faint, rustling sound.Xavier pressed the communication button on his collar. He opened a four-way radio channel for the very first time."L
Last Updated: 2026-08-31
Chapter: 137. The Perfect DistanceFive years passed in the blink of an eye.The seasons turned, repeatedly altering the face of New York City. Yet the office on the one hundredth floor of the Umbra Capital building remained unchanged. Absolute darkness and silence always shrouded the room.Xavier sat back in his imposing leather chair. His aristocratic features had not aged a single day. His skin remained pale and flawless. His jawline was as sharp as ever. His mortal frame had been frozen in eternity. The form of the Supreme Demon had halted the aging process of his cells entirely. He would live forever.A click sounded from the intercom speaker on his desk."Boss," Lyra’s voice came through the encrypted underground channel. "Are you busy this afternoon?""I have no standing appointments," Xavier answered with an air of profound elegance and calm. "Report on the status of the city, Lyra.""Everything is pristine," Lyra reported. The sound of rapid typing accompanied her voice. "Elise Moreau just sent over the annual
Last Updated: 2026-08-31
Chapter: 136. Loyalty in the ShadowsOne month passed in the blink of an eye.Winter blanketed New York City in a thick layer of snow. Yet the biting cold did not penetrate the interior of the Umbra Capital skyscraper. The primary hundredth-floor penthouse office had undergone a complete renovation, all remnants of the previous infernal invasion erased without a trace.Audrey Vance sat perfectly erect before the marble desk.Clad in an elegant ivory-white suit, she set a thick folder stamped with the Umbra Capital crest onto the desk. Her countenance projected a quiet, sharp authority. She was now officially operating under her new identity: Elise Moreau."The first-quarter report is complete, Mr. Xavier," Audrey stated in a thoroughly professional tone.Xavier sat back in his leather chair, his aristocratic features impassive as stone. He observed the folder without opening it."Summarize the key points," Xavier instructed softly."Umbra Capital operates with total public transparency starting today," Audrey detailed, t
Last Updated: 2026-08-30
Chapter: 135. The Sole RulerA sharp, pungent reek of sulfur saturated the air.Xavier stood motionless at the edge of the shattered concrete crater, his gaze fixed straight into the depths of the dimensional rift. The blood-red energy vortex swirled violently as the deafening growls of thousands of subterranean entities echoed upward."Descend into this pit!" a harsh voice roared from the bottom of the portal. "You have some nerve executing three of our collectors!""I will tear your heart out, you fool!" another demonic voice chimed in, sounding like grinding rusted metal. "You think you can challenge the High Council?! We are coming up there!"Xavier did not step back. His features remained carved in ice."You bark far too much down there," Xavier remarked softly, his voice cutting through the portal's deafening noise."Shut your mouth, fledgling!" a third voice threatened from the gloom. "We will send millions of legions tonight! We will level your city! We will drag your sister to hell!"At the threat agains
Last Updated: 2026-08-30
Chapter: 134. Absolute GravityThe three lethal attacks halted an inch from Xavier's face. The black flames froze instantly. The bloody claws remained suspended in mid-air. The rusted iron chains hovered stiffly, devoid of momentum.The three elite demons floated over the desk, their bodies immobilized. They could not move forward or retreat a single centimeter. Time itself seemed to cease around their forms."What the hell is this?!" the first demon screamed, his eyes bulging as the flames in his hand abruptly extinguished. "Why can I not move?!""What kind of magic is this, you fool?!" the second demon roared, struggling against the invisible restraint. He attempted to pull his claws back in vain. "My body is completely paralyzed!""Put us down right now!" the third demon cursed, frantically pulling at his suspended chains. "What cheap trick are you using?!"Xavier did not even blink, remaining seated casually in his leather chair.He held a glass of water in his left hand. The surface of the liquid remained perf
Last Updated: 2026-08-29
Chapter: 133. Invasion Above the CloudsHeavy snow fell in a blinding whiteout. Howling gale-force winds slammed into the glass facade of the Umbra Capital skyscraper. The hundred-story tower stood firm like a colossal fortress amidst the white storm.In his penthouse office on the top floor, Xavier leaned back in his leather chair. He held a heavy crystal decanter, pouring cold water into a tumbler with slow, deliberate grace. His aristocratic face reflected no panic whatsoever.Suddenly, emergency red warning lights flickered across the room. An ear-splitting siren shrieked through the office."Boss!" Lyra called over the earpiece, her voice tight with panic. "Our primary defense grid was just breached by force!"Xavier set the decanter back onto his desk. "State the situation.""Three dimensional rifts opened simultaneously in the ground floor lobby," Lyra reported, her fingers blurring across her keyboard. "Satellites picked up a massive cosmic energy spike. Their power levels far exceed Valerius.""The High Council of
Last Updated: 2026-08-29
