Reborn in the Apocalypse :The son In-law's revenge

Chapter 2: The First Plunder

The street outside the mansion was chaos.

Cars had been flipped over. Fires raged from broken gas lines. And the sky—the sky was a bleeding wound of crimson and black.

Leo stepped over the shattered glass of the front door, the silver letter opener still dripping black blood. He didn't make it three steps before he heard the familiar, arrogant voice.

"Leo! You useless piece of trash, where is Sophia?!"

Mark was standing by his luxury sedan, dressed in a white designer suit that was now splattered with mud. His bodyguard, a mountain of a man with a shaved head, stood in front of him, holding a pistol.

Behind Leo, Sophia and Eleanor stumbled out of the ruined mansion.

"Mark!" Sophia cried, running toward him. "Thank God you're okay!"

Mark shoved her behind him, his eyes darting nervously to the burning buildings around them. "Get in the car. We're leaving. The city is going to hell."

"Wait," Eleanor gasped, pointing a trembling finger at Leo. "What about him? He has a weapon! He killed one of those... those things!"

Mark finally looked at Leo. His lip curled into a sneer. "Him? He probably got lucky. A real man would have protected the women instead of hiding behind a desk."

Leo said nothing. He just watched.

That was when the growl came.

It wasn't a goblin. It was something bigger. A massive, four-legged beast with matted grey fur and tusks like a boar. It was the size of a small car, and it was charging straight down the street toward them.

[System Alert: Alpha Flesh-Hound detected. Level 5.]

"Shoot it!" Mark screamed at his bodyguard.

The bodyguard fired twice. The bullets bounced off the creature's thick hide. The Flesh-Hound didn't slow down. It lunged, its massive jaws clamping around the bodyguard's torso. The man didn't even have time to scream before he was tossed into a brick wall like a ragdoll.

Mark stumbled backward, falling onto the pavement. "No, no, no! Stay back!"

The Flesh-Hound turned its glowing red eyes toward Mark and Sophia.

"Leo!" Sophia shrieked. "Help us! Please!"

Leo felt a cold calm wash over him. The system had given him +1 Strength and +1 Agility. He was faster and stronger than he had been ten minutes ago. But was he strong enough for this?

He didn't have a choice.

Leo sprinted forward. The Flesh-Hound swiped a massive claw at him. Leo ducked, feeling the wind shear past his face. He drove the letter opener into the beast's eye.

The creature roared in agony, thrashing wildly. Leo grabbed a chunk of its matted fur, climbed onto its back, and drove the letter opener into the back of its skull.

The Flesh-Hound collapsed.

[DEVOUR SUCCESSFUL.]

[+3 Strength, +2 Vitality, +1 Skill: Basic Beast Tracking.]

Leo pulled the letter opener free. He was covered in black blood, his shirt torn to shreds, but he was alive. He felt a new power humming in his veins.

He looked down at the dead bodyguard, then at the Flesh-Hound.

Trophy 1 (Immediate Use): He pried the pistol from the bodyguard's hand and checked the magazine. Half a clip left. He tucked it into his waistband.

Trophy 2 (Future Plot): Around the Flesh-Hound's neck was a strange, metallic collar. Embedded in the collar was a glowing blue keycard. Leo pried it loose and put it in his pocket. He didn't know what it was for yet, but it felt important.

Trophy 3 (Give Away/Sell): He searched the bodyguard's pockets and found a thick wallet. He pulled out the cash and a heavy gold watch. He tossed the empty wallet aside. This was wealth he could use later.

Mark was still on the ground, trembling. "You... you killed it..."

Leo walked over to him. He looked down at the billionaire heir, the man who had stolen his wife, the man who had mocked him for three years.

"You were saying something about a real man?" Leo asked quietly.

Mark's face paled. "I... I have money. I can pay you. Please, just get us out of here."

The system flickered in front of Leo's eyes.

[PLUNDER AVAILABLE: Target 'Mark Vance' has B-Rank Skill: 'Golden Tongue'. Do you wish to Plunder?]

Leo smiled coldly. "I don't want your money, Mark."

[PLUNDER SUCCESSFUL.]

[Gained Skill: Golden Tongue (B-Rank). Effect: Enhanced Charisma and Negotiation.]

Mark gasped, clutching his chest. He suddenly felt... smaller. He couldn't explain it, but the words that usually came so easily to him felt stuck in his throat. He looked up at Leo with hollow eyes.

Leo turned to Sophia. She was staring at him with a mix of horror and awe.

"You chose him," Leo said, his voice steady. "You chose a coward with a trust fund over the man who actually took care of you. You chose poorly."

He walked past them, heading toward the burning city.

"Wait!" Sophia called after him. "Where are you going? You can't just leave us here!"

Leo didn't look back.

"Watch me."

[System Alert: New Objective – Reach the closest Safe Zone. Reward: 100 System Points.]

It was time to build an empire.