Chapter 5: True Colors

"Beep..."

Suddenly, a brilliant screen popped up before Luffy's eyes, displaying information about the swallow.

Swallow - Wild Beast

Level: Stage Two

Attribute: Mutant

Strength: Thirty-seven times that of a human.

“Damn…”

Luffy was taken aback. He hadn’t expected a stage two mutant wild beast to appear, let alone a mutated swallow. It was utterly astonishing.

Everyone else turned pale with fright, quickly retreating into the classroom, not daring even to step into the corridor.

To Luffy, however, this mutated swallow looked like a veritable pile of crystal cores. This was a real treasure—a stage two wild beast's crystal core was worth ten times that of a stage one. The thought made his heart race.

Without hesitation, he gripped the Azure Sword and charged at the mutant swallow.

With a metallic clang, the Azure Sword collided with the swallow’s beak, sending up a shower of sparks. The impact forced Luffy back several steps, his sword hand trembling from the fierce shock.

He was genuinely surprised by the swallow’s power—thirty-seven times human strength, twice his own. No wonder he’d been knocked back so easily.

The monstrous swallow smashed through the corridor railing, shrieking horribly as it was sent tumbling backwards, earth scattering around it.

Luffy saw that the vice class monitor, Su Ningxue, had raised a steel crossbow and was firing at the mutant swallow.

Three bolts in rapid succession—all hit their mark.

But the swallow wasn’t cowed; instead, it grew enraged and flew straight at Luffy, its jaws gaping in a savage snarl.

Luffy’s gaze turned cold as he charged forward, then abruptly stopped and twisted aside, narrowly dodging the swallow’s attack.

The beast crashed in, half its body slamming into the corridor, bricks and stones flying as its head rammed into the classroom wall. Wedged on the third floor, it could not extricate itself.

Luffy broke into a grin and brought his sword down on the mutant swallow.

With a wet squelch, the blade lodged in the creature’s neck.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation, then kicked the swallow’s head aside and struck again. The swallow thrashed violently, causing the entire building to tremble.

Not wanting to draw more monsters with the commotion, Luffy swiftly raised his sword and brought it down a dozen times before finally severing the beast’s head.

He dug the crystal core from the swallow’s skull—a core slightly larger than the ones before. Delighted, Luffy tucked it away.

“All right, swallow meat for dinner tonight. Find some fire and a pot; let’s roast or stew this mutant swallow.”

He turned to head for the adjacent room.

“Wow… Boss, you’re amazing! That giant swallow nearly scared us to death, and you took it down single-handedly!” Zeng Hongseng grinned, flattering him as he followed.

“Save your flattery. Learn from Su Ningxue—she can even make a steel crossbow. Impressive.” Luffy said, then turned and entered his room.

He exchanged all his crystal cores for Dragon Blood Elixirs and consumed them.

Strength surged through his body.

The first pill gave him fivefold strength. The second, another fivefold increase. The third and fourth, the same. Starting from the fifth, each added only threefold.

Now, Luffy possessed the power of sixty-five men.

He rose and stepped out into the classroom, drawn by the delicious aroma of meat. Having not eaten all day, he found many classmates gathered together, cheerfully sharing the meal.

“Boss, you’re here.” Zeng Hongseng respectfully greeted him, tearing off a chunk of meat and handing it to Luffy.

“You eat; I’ll help myself.” Luffy took a piece, sat down, and started eating.

“We really have to thank you, Boss. Without you, we wouldn’t have survived, nor tasted such delicious meat,” Su Yuxue said gratefully.

“It’s nothing. I just used everyone’s help to kill zombies, and you all got weapons and body-tempering elixirs in return. Each gets what they need. By the way, does anyone know where Qin Bailing went? I haven’t seen her.”

Luffy looked at his classmates, worry evident in his eyes.

“No idea. I don’t think she came to class,” Su Ningxue replied, munching on her meat.

Night fell, shrouding everything in a dim haze. The power lines were still intact, but no one dared switch on the lights, for fear of attracting zombies.

After eating his fill, Luffy stood: “If you want to survive longer in this apocalypse, listen to me and finish roasting the swallow meat. Otherwise, it’ll spoil by tomorrow.”

With that, he turned and left the classroom, walking to the railing. Below, hordes of zombies shuffled aimlessly, lifeless and grotesque.

Some zombies stood aside, raising their heads as if drinking in the moonlight.

Luffy was astonished—were these zombies defying nature itself?

There were over three thousand people in the school. The teachers on the third floor were all dead.

If he cleared out all the zombies in the school, he’d gain more than three thousand crystal cores—enough to exchange for over three hundred Dragon Blood Elixirs. The thought filled him with anticipation.

The apocalypse inspired both dread and fear, yet it also forged people into something stronger, forcing them to confront a world gone mad.

The next day.

A pale morning light crept in. Luffy woke to find the school building outside blocked by giant leaves, sunlight barely filtering through.

The trees had grown towering high, their shadows flickering. Even the flowers, grass, and trees had mutated—an unnerving prospect.

Luffy felt a sense of helplessness. The world had become unrecognizable. The trees now dwarfed buildings, and the grass grew taller than a man.

“Ding! Today’s apocalypse red packets have refreshed. Quantity: 4. Find them within forty meters. If not found within an hour, they will disappear.”

“Hmm… The red packets have refreshed, and the search radius has expanded. This is unexpected,” Luffy muttered, excitement mounting. What treasures would today’s red packets hold?

“Wow… The trees are enormous!” Many classmates had noticed the changes.

In this apocalyptic world, humanity seemed more insignificant than ever.

“Everyone, get ready. After breakfast, we’ll clear out all the zombies in this building,” Luffy announced as he entered the classroom, scanning the area for any red packets. None were present on the third floor; they must be on other levels.

“Yes, sir…” his classmates replied, chewing on their meat.

They survived in such harsh conditions. None of the girls bothered with makeup anymore; they simply tied their hair back into ponytails, eating meat to keep up their strength for the coming battles.

Luffy planned to give each of them a Dragon Blood Elixir; otherwise, they’d be doomed against stage two or higher zombies and wild beasts. The faster their strength grew, the better they could serve him.

They ascended to the fourth floor.

Cries and screams echoed through the corridor. Several dead zombies lay on the ground.

One classroom door was tightly shut. Inside, ten girls cowered naked in a corner, sobbing.

Meanwhile, a dozen boys sat apart, watching as one of them raped a female teacher.

Disgusted by the scene, Luffy’s eyes turned icy cold. With a swift kick, he smashed the door open.