Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

Chapter 278: Alchemy Unlocked

The guards at the entrance of the Raider's arena did not even notice as Zane and Gwen covertly passed by them. It wasn't even a slow and stealthy movement. They quite literally just ran by. But their stealth rating was so high because of their advanced gear that they were quite literally invisible to the naked eye.

Inside the Arena's walls were dark, electricity had long since faded away from the world. And those who could discharge electricity from their hands were few and far in between. You would either need to come up with some new way to create power, or be immensely lucky to have such an awakened individual in your settlement.

For Zane and Gwen darkness was not an enemy, no it was a friend to them. They were Horde Kings through and through. Which mean they did not just have natural night vision, but also thermal overlays. They could very clearly make out everything that was happening in the darkness.

Whether it was the butchering of human flesh to be fed to the slaves. Or it was immoral acts taken against those who had ended up in bondage. Regardless, it was clear that the Raiders, who appeared themselves to abusing their own drug supply really had no concerns about engaging in evil within the open.

However, Zane was not the sentimental type. Even before the apocalypse began he would never lift a finger to help another human being in trouble unless it benefited him in some way. So why would he do so now that he was no longer human?

These were the thoughts that flashed through his mind as he gazed coldly at what was happening around him. But there was something in the darkness that caught his attention. A shout from a nearby raider echoed through the corridors. A warning to those in the hallways that someone or something had gotten loose.

"Fuck! It's out! It's out of its damn cage! Somebody catch that fucking monster quickly before it kills us all!"

Curious about what exactly the raiders were talking about Zane rounded the corner and followed the sounds of screams.

"My fucking leg! That fucking thing stung my leg! Somebody help me!"

But in the next moment the screaming subsided. Whatever had struck this man had clearly killed him. And after rounding another corner, Zane saw it standing there, feasting on its fresh kill. At first he didn't believe his eyes. But there was no doubt about it.

That was a giant fucking scorpion. One that appeared to be covered in a steel like chitin. What the fuck? What the hell was this thing? Where did it come from? Why was it attacking people?

Weren't these things the realm of video games? Why was it here in the real world.

Then Zane saw the system display information about it.

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[Steelshell Scorpion]

[Monster Type: Mutated Beast]

[Level: 25]

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Hold on, level 25? Wasn't that the level of a bottom ranking Tier I Horde King? Zane was incredibly interested in this creature. Not only what level its strength actually was, where it had come from, why he was only now encountering mutated beasts, but also in what it would drop for him.

Before he could give Gwen the order, she very swiftly attacked. Cutting through the Scorpion's steel shell and killing it with a single blow. But that was to be expected. Gwen was level 49, and her abilities were even more terrifying with her new gear.

Because Gwen killed the scorpion, and she was his companion, its loot was immediately transferred to Zane's inventory. Where he gazed upon its contents in awe.

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[Steel Chitin]

[Material Type]

[Description: Tougher than Stygian Iron, but lighter weight than Aluminum, steel chitin is valuable crafting material for those armor and weapons above level 25.]

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It wasn't just the steel chitin that Zane retrieved from the scorpion's corpse. He also got a very valuable item, which he did not know was a thing before. Along with a new feature to the system.

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[Neurotoxic Extract]

[Material Type: Alchemy]

[Description: A deadly neurotoxin from extracted from a venomous mutated beast. By itself it can be used as a poison, however through alchemy this material can be further refined into something far more deadly, and covert.]

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[New Feature Unlocked: Alchemy]

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The alchemy feature was used to craft all kinds of things, from medicines, to potions, to poisons and everything in between. From the looks it Neurotoxin Extract was use in a variety of different poisons.

Some of them could be applied to weapons and could kill an opponent in seconds. While others could be used more covertly, and were both flavorless and odorless best wielded by assassin archetypes.]

In addition to this, many alchemical ingredients appeared to be herbs that Zane had never heard of before, in addition to materials extracted from mutated beasts. He had no idea where such creatures had come from all of a sudden. Or why he had never seen them before.

But wait… That wasn't fully right, now was it? I mean, didn't Lily's power to grant her the ability to tame and evolve wild animals? Wait a second, did that mean that animals had the ability to evolve in to terrifying monsters in this new world, in addition to humans and undead?

Just what the hell was going on right now? Ultimately, Zane was snapped out of his daze by the words that Gwen spoke shortly after examining the corpse of the mutated scorpion. She had no idea what it was, where it had come from, or why it came to be. But she didn't see too concerned, instead she rather nonchalantly expressed her ideas aloud.

"Huh… It looks like we have new competition? I mean, if it's not just humans who are evolving, but the beasts of the land as well? Then our stranglehold on this world may not be as secure as we once thought it was."

When Gwen said this, Zane fully realized what this meant. Why by his mother's design, or something else? The war that was being fought for control of the earth was no longer just between the living and dead, but the beasts who walked among its surface had finally entered the fray. And by the looks of it, they had quite the advantage.