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

Chapter 4: The Dungeon and the Face-Slap

Three days passed.

Leo spent them hunting. Every night, he slipped out of the safe zone and cleared the surrounding streets. Goblins, Flesh-Hounds, and a new type of monster—thin, skeletal creatures the system called Bone Stalkers—fell to his blade. Each kill fed the Apex Plunder System.

[Level Up! You are now Level 7.]

[Strength: 15 | Agility: 12 | Vitality: 10 | Intelligence: 6]

He was getting stronger. Faster. But he still hadn't reached Level 10. The deadline was four days away.

On the fourth morning, Leo gathered Lily and two other survivors—a former construction worker named Bruiser and a college student named Kevin—near the gymnasium entrance.

"There's a dungeon three blocks east," Leo said, pointing at a crumbling map he had sketched on a piece of cardboard. "An old hospital. The system marked it as a Tier 2 dungeon. We clear it, we get loot, we level up."

Bruiser crossed his thick arms. "And why should we follow you?"

Leo didn't answer. He simply drew his Tier 2 knife and held it up. The blue glow along the blade reflected in Bruiser's eyes.

"Because I'm the only one here who can keep you alive," Leo said. "You can stay and die when the next horde hits, or you can come with me and get stronger. Choose."

Bruiser grunted. "Fine. But if things go bad, I'm running."

"Noted."

---

The hospital was a nightmare.

The hallways were dark, lit only by the emergency lights flickering overhead. Blood smeared the walls. The further they went, the colder it got. Leo could hear scratching sounds from behind closed doors.

[System Alert: Tier 2 Dungeon – St. Mary's Hospital. Recommended Level: 8. Boss: The Matron. Level 12.]

"Stay close," Leo whispered. "Lily, stay behind Bruiser. Kevin, watch our backs."

They moved through the first floor without incident. Leo found a supply closet filled with medical kits and canned food. He tossed them into his inventory—a feature the system had unlocked at Level 5.

Then they reached the second floor.

A group of Bone Stalkers ambushed them from the ceiling. Leo reacted instantly. He sliced through two of them with his knife, feeling their essence flow into him.

[Devour Successful. +2 Strength, +1 Agility.]

Bruiser swung a fire axe, crushing a third Stalker's skull. Kevin screamed and stabbed wildly at a fourth. Lily raised her hand, and a soft golden light enveloped Bruiser's wounded arm. The gash healed instantly.

[Lily Chen's Healer Class activated: Minor Heal. Loyalty: 25%.]

"Good," Leo said. "Keep that up."

They cleared the rest of the floor without casualties. Leo found a locked chest in the nurse's station. Inside was a Tier 2 ring that boosted Vitality by +3. He equipped it immediately.

But when they reached the stairwell to the third floor, they heard voices.

"Get back! I said get back!"

Leo held up his hand. They crept forward.

On the third floor, a group of five survivors were cornered by a massive, bloated creature—a grotesque, humanoid thing with stretched skin and too many arms. The system identified it as The Matron's Assistant. Level 10.

And standing in front of the group, holding a fire poker like a sword, was a woman.

She was tall, with short-cropped black hair and a scar running down her left cheek. She wore military-style cargo pants and a tight black tank top that showed off muscular arms. She was bleeding from a wound on her shoulder, but she didn't back down.

"Come on, you ugly bastard," she growled. "I'll take you with me."

Leo watched for a moment. The system flickered.

[System Alert: NPC detected – Natasha "Nova" Volkov. Class: Vanguard (B-Rank). Loyalty: 0%. Status: Critical injury.]

A Vanguard. A front-line fighter. That was exactly what he needed.

"Lily," Leo said. "Heal her."

Lily hesitated. "But she's not—"

"Do it."

Lily raised her hand. A golden beam shot across the room and struck Natasha's shoulder. The wound closed instantly. Natasha spun around, her eyes wide.

"What the—"

Leo stepped out of the shadows. The Matron's Assistant roared and charged at him.

Leo didn't run. He activated his newest skill—Basic Beast Tracking—and analyzed the creature's movements. It was slow. Heavy. Its left side was exposed.

He ducked under its swinging claw, drove his knife into its left knee, and then leaped onto its back. With a single, brutal motion, he drove the blade into the base of its skull.

The creature collapsed.

[Devour Successful. +5 Strength, +3 Vitality.]

[Level Up! You are now Level 8.]

Natasha stared at him. "Who the hell are you?"

Before Leo could answer, the rest of the survivors—five men in matching leather jackets—stepped forward. Their leader, a bald man with a snake tattoo on his neck, sneered at Leo.

"Well, well. Looks like we found ourselves a hero. You just killed our monster. That means the loot belongs to us."

Leo looked at him. "Your monster?"

"Yeah," the bald man said, stepping closer. "We softened it up for you. So why don't you hand over that knife and whatever else you've got in your pockets, and we'll call it even."

Natasha's jaw tightened. "Derek, you coward. He just saved our lives."

"Shut up, Nova," Derek snapped. "You're only here because you're useful. Don't forget your place."

Leo felt the cold calm settle over him again. He glanced at the system.

[Plunder Available: Target 'Derek Shaw' has C-Rank Skill: 'Intimidation'. Do you wish to Plunder?]

Leo smiled. "You want my knife?"

Derek grinned. "Smart man."

Leo tossed the knife on the ground between them. Derek's eyes lit up. He bent down to pick it up.

Leo moved.

He closed the distance in half a second, grabbed Derek by the throat, and slammed him against the wall. The five men behind him froze.

"I've killed more monsters in the last three days than you've probably seen in your entire life," Leo said quietly. "You think you can intimidate me?"

[Plunder Successful.]

[Gained Skill: Intimidation (C-Rank). Effect: Instill fear in weaker opponents.]

Derek's face went pale. He suddenly felt a wave of terror wash over him. His hands trembled. He couldn't speak.

Leo released him. Derek collapsed to the floor, gasping.

"Your group works for me now," Leo said, turning to the other men. "Or you can leave and take your chances out there. What's it going to be?"

The five men exchanged nervous glances. Then, one by one, they lowered their heads.

Natasha watched the entire scene with sharp, calculating eyes. She walked over to Leo, wiping blood from her cheek.

"You're not like the others," she said. "You're not just surviving. You're building something."

Leo met her gaze. "I'm building an army."

Natasha smirked. "Good. Because I've been looking for someone worth following."

[Natasha Volkov's Loyalty has increased: 0% → 20%.]

---

They cleared the rest of the hospital without resistance. The Matron—a massive, spider-like creature that had once been the hospital's head nurse—was waiting in the operating room. Leo and Natasha fought it together, with Lily providing support from the back. It took ten minutes, but they killed it.

[Devour Successful. +10 Strength, +5 Agility, +5 Vitality.]

[Level Up! You are now Level 10.]

[System Shop Unlocked!]

Trophy 1 (Immediate Use): The Matron dropped a Tier 3 weapon—a longsword called Mercy's Edge. Leo equipped it immediately, replacing his knife.

Trophy 2 (Future Plot): In the Matron's nest, Leo found a second keycard. Identical to the first. Same Tier 4. Same unknown origin. The two cards pulsed when held together.

Trophy 3 (Give Away/Sell): A crate of Tier 2 potions and gear. Leo distributed them to his team, solidifying their loyalty.

As they left the hospital, Leo opened his status screen.

[Name: Leo Vance]

[Class: Apex Plunder (SSS-Rank)]

[Level: 10]

[Strength: 32 | Agility: 24 | Vitality: 23 | Intelligence: 10]

[Skills: Basic Beast Tracking, Golden Tongue, Intimidation, Devour, Plunder, Synthesize]

[System Points: 500]

He had made it. The System Shop was open.

And then, a new notification appeared.

[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The First Wave will begin in 72 hours. All survivors must reach Level 15 or face annihilation. Safe zones will be purged. Good luck.]

Leo's eyes narrowed. Three days. The next wave was coming. And this time, they wouldn't just be fighting monsters.

"Leo," Natasha said, walking up beside him. "What is it?"

He showed her the screen.

She read it in silence, her jaw tightening. "So we go to war."

"No," Leo said. "We win a war."