Chapter 77: You’re One To Say
"I want to... live more... can’t die virgin..."
No one had expected to hear Charlie’s gruff voice after everything he had endured.
For a few seconds, silence settled over the group.
Their eyes shifted toward him.
Max let out a quiet sigh, staring at Charlie with a strange mixture of respect and resignation. The teenager was clearly stubborn enough to cling onto life even when death was already standing at his doorstep.
Aadav, meanwhile, was barely holding back his tears. His emotions had finally begun catching up to him—not only because of Charlie, but also because of Eddie and the ridiculous amount of pain radiating through his own battered body.
Jenny remained quiet.
Her hands were folded tightly together, her head lowered as she refused to speak. Her mind was already overwhelmed by everything that had happened within the last few hours.
Fredrinn, however, simply stared at Charlie for a few moments before a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Would anyone even agree to do it with you after you turn into a half zombie, hmm? No one’s gonna want your zombie stds." Fredrinn joked lightly, trying to diffuse the suffocating atmosphere as he squatted next to Charlie.
He placed a hand against the muscular teenager’s shoulder.
Charlie coughed out more blood, his chest rising and falling with difficulty. Yet despite his condition, a helpless and slightly amused expression appeared on his face.
"Who... said... I can’t do... it with... zombies?" he managed to wheeze out.
Fredrinn blinked before chuckling.
"Necrophilia, is it? Damn."
Charlie laughed.
Unfortunately, the laugh quickly transformed into another painful coughing fit. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to catch his breath.
When the coughing finally subsided, he stared at Fredrinn with a weak scoff.
"You... are the one... to say."
His gaze shifted toward Rose.
The demoness stood silently nearby, her crimson hair swaying gently in the wind. Her expression remained completely blank as she looked down at Charlie.
Fredrinn shook his head, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.
"Be serious now. Do you really want Rose to go ahead with it? I can give you a swift end right now, because I respect you."
His expression gradually became more solemn.
"I don’t think it’s a worthy exchange to suffer so much pain just to extend this misery for a few more days, Charlie. Make a wise choice, would you?"
The humor disappeared from Fredrinn’s voice.
Charlie closed his eyes.
His fingers slowly curled into fists as blood continued oozing from his wounds. Every breath felt like knives scraping against his lungs, yet somewhere beneath all that pain, there was still a stubborn desire to keep living.
He let his head rest against the cold wall behind him.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then, quietly—
"Y... Yeah. Let me... live. I... won’t lose hope."
Fredrinn nodded.
He understood.
There was nothing more to discuss.
Pushing himself back onto his feet, Fredrinn turned toward Rose.
"Save him, Rose." he sighed.
"Oki." Rose shrugged with a sweet smile.
The moment her gaze fell onto Charlie, however, that smile disappeared.
She crouched beside him and placed her hand over the gruesome bite mark on his forearm.
Mana immediately surged from her palm.
A strange pulse traveled through Charlie’s veins.
Dark lines began spreading beneath his skin, twisting and branching like black roots growing beneath the surface. His already pale complexion became even whiter, as though something was slowly draining the life from his body.
Charlie’s muscles tensed.
His fingers dug into the dirt.
Then—
"AAAHHHHHHH!"
A scream tore from his throat.
The sound echoed through the ruined street, bouncing between abandoned buildings and overturned vehicles.
Even the frozen zombies surrounding them seemed to tremble at the sheer agony in his voice, though none dared move against Rose’s command.
Jenny immediately turned her head away.
She couldn’t bear to watch.
Her stomach churned as she listened to Charlie’s screams growing louder, her hands tightening into fists at her sides.
Max forced himself to keep watching.
Aadav couldn’t.
He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly as he tried to block out the sound.
Fredrinn remained where he was.
He watched Rose carefully, his expression calm despite the gruesome scene unfolding before him.
Charlie’s body convulsed violently.
The veins across his arms became darker, his muscles tightening as his bones began shifting beneath his skin. His complexion continued to lose its natural color, while faint cracks appeared along his skin.
"STOP!"
Charlie screamed.
His voice cracked halfway through the word.
"STOP! PLEASE!"
Rose didn’t react.
Her expression remained emotionless as she continued pouring mana into his body.
Fredrinn sighed quietly and turned away.
His gaze traveled toward the enormous horde of zombies frozen across the road.
There were hundreds of them.
Maybe more.
Their rotting bodies stood motionless, trapped in the middle of their attacks. Some had their mouths open, filthy teeth exposed. Others were frozen halfway through a lunge.
Fredrinn’s eyes narrowed.
"While Rose is busy, you three should go and kill as many of these zombies as you can. Level up. Grow stronger. Who knows what else lies outside?"
He bent down and picked up a long metallic object that appeared to have broken off from one of the nearby cars.
It was heavy enough to be useful as a weapon.
Fredrinn casually extended it toward Jenny.
She stared at the makeshift weapon for a moment before reluctantly taking it.
Her fingers wrapped around the cold metal.
She nodded stiffly.
Her mind was already a complete mess, and she didn’t have the energy to question Fredrinn’s orders.
Max and Aadav quickly followed.
The suggestion made sense.
If they were going to survive this apocalypse, standing around wasn’t going to help them.
They needed strength.
They needed levels.
The three awakeners scattered across the road, immediately beginning to slaughter the immobilized zombies.
Jenny swung her weapon with both hands, crushing skull after skull.
Max relied on his overwhelming strength, while Aadav desperately searched for openings and finished off weakened zombies with decisive blows.
Blood splattered across the asphalt.
The smell of rotten flesh became almost unbearable.
Yet none of them stopped.
Fredrinn remained behind.
He stood beside Rose, silently watching as she continued pouring mana into Charlie’s body.
Minutes passed.
Charlie’s screams gradually became weaker.
His voice had already grown hoarse, reduced to strained cries and painful grunts.
His body trembled violently as the transformation continued.
His skin burned.
His bones cracked.
His muscles spasmed.
The entire process was brutal, exactly as Rose had warned.
And it didn’t end quickly.
Five minutes passed before Rose finally stopped.
The moment her hand left Charlie’s arm, his body collapsed against the ground.
His eyes rolled backward.
He passed out instantly.
Rose looked down at him for a moment.
She didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Instead, she turned around, her crimson hair swaying behind her as a bright smile appeared across her beautiful face.
"Hubby! It’s done!" she cheered.