Global Evolution: I Became A Zombie!-Chapter 30: A Festering Wound (2)

Through the dark halls of the reptile house, a strange figure limped away. The showcases, once filled with snakes, now laid bare.

The limping creature was the one who had broken into them, devouring what it could while giving the rest to its clan.

With each prey, it grew bigger and stronger. Over time, it became a king.

The king of amphibians who freed the amphibians.

In mere days, it established a kingdom of sorts. It protected its clanmates from outside danger. Unlike the serpents and reptiles, it didn’t like the taste of the undead. So it just killed them.

This day was going to be the same. Some new foes appeared, but it wasn’t anything the king couldn’t handle. Or so it thought.

At the start, everything went as the king wanted. The undead were quick to die.

Its victory was assured, but then everything changed, and it was reduced to a husk.

The king had to run away.

The taste of defeat was bitter, so much so its stomach was churning. It almost felt as if something was gnawing on his insides.

The frog felt its strength wane with each step. It used what little remained to destroy the path leading to its small kingdom. As a last act of protection for its kind.

The undead were stupid. Strong, but stupid. It should take them a while to find another path. It wanted to buy time for the next king to rise and defeat those its predecessor couldn’t.

The king collapsed after passing through the gate, watching little frogs bounce around. This kind of death wasn’t bad.

The little frogs, similar size to that of human toddlers, bounced towards the king. They knew something was off, but couldn’t place a finger on it. Right before their eyes, their king took its final breath, before going still.

The frogs tilted their heads in confusion, but then jumped back in fear.

They sensed something oozing out of the king’s corpse. A black miasma wafted out of its mouth. A brave frog leaped in to inspect the oddity, only to get pulled into the king’s mouth.

A moment later, the frog’s bare bones were thrown out, followed by more bones. Only this time, they didn’t scatter.

The bones held a firm, unfamiliar shape. The shape of a rat, only it had grown in size.

The small rat had grown into the size of a mastiff.

Fester had evolved.

***

Some time ago...

Blaze had a feeling the frog would try to escape.

No matter how strong a creature got, it retained its instinct of a prey.

The moment the frog knew it couldn’t win, it would try to escape.

That’s why he had his undead hold the frog’s tongue.

Unfortunately, Raven threw his brilliant plan into disarray, forcing Blaze to implement a backup plan.

In the split second before the frog’s takeoff, Blaze noticed the gaping wound in its torso and shoved Fester inside it.

Raven had ruined the plan, but his action also redeemed it, to some extent.

Blaze instructed the rat to feast on the frog from inside, all the while acting as a gps. That way, they wouldn’t lose an easy prey.

However, Fester felt a step further than Blaze had in mind. It ate so much that it evolved into an elite zombie!

The feeling the king had was real. Something was indeed chewing it from the inside. Now, it would chew what remained of the amphibian’s legacy.

*** freewebnøvel_com

Back in the present.

Fester growled, wondering whom to eat next. The frogs that appeared scared before suddenly became unafraid.

They realized whatever Fester was, it was responsible for the king’s death.

They swarmed Fester, planning to kill the rat. Fester didn’t back down and jumped in between them.

A few frogs tried getting closer, but the dense miasma around Fester pushed them back. Those few that dared to get close ended up dead.

Fester hadn’t just evolved. Its aura traits had evolved alongside it. So much so that long exposure could kill even the evolved frogs in seconds.

The frogs backed away, but then the king rose to its feet again. The frogs rejoiced! Their protector was alive!

Alive? Not at all.

Blaze stood beside the frog king, along with his horde.

Their king had already become a zombie’s pawn.

[Entry #10: Devourer-class has been added to the encyclopedia.]

The frogs were still hopeful, unaware of the powers that controlled their king. It wasn’t until their guardian grabbed a handful of frogs did they sensed something was off.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The devourer began chomping on the very creatures it once protected.

All the while, Blaze and his horde watched from the sidelines. Unlike the undead, who only saw the frogs as food, their master saw a piece of art.

A piece of art known as... Saturn devouring his son.

A gruesome, yet fascinating artwork by Francisco Goya, which depicted the roman god Saturn devouring one of his many sons.

Blaze had recreated the same, only the frog king was Saturn, and the small frogs were its sons.

What I wouldn’t give to recreate it in a more authentic way. With humans... of course.

Blaze sighed, or at least he tried to.

While the Devourer was busy exterminating the pests, Fester joined its master’s side, bowing its head.

Blaze was so preoccupied by his thoughts he forgot about his not-so-little pet.

It’s a shame you grew so big.

Blaze thought, patting Fester’s skull.

Fester’s small size had helped Blaze countless times. It was more than a horde member. Fester was a tactical tool which Blaze couldn’t use as intended anymore.

That didn’t mean the critter was useless. It would just take a little while to get used to the change.

Suddenly, Blaze realized something.

Fester was now an elite zombie like him. Yet, it acted friendly towards him, unlike Breaker, who was openly hostile to him, even though it wasn’t an elite zombie yet.

It seems even the undead have their version of loyalty.

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