Apocalypse Supermarket: My Four Overpowered Husbands Wontstop Hoarding

Chapter 81: Chapter 81 Death game V

Isaac was crying his eyes out. He had heard Melanie’s distressed scream, followed by the horrifying sound of something being crushed, and he already knew what had happened. He grabbed his hair in dismay, his fingers trembling as tears continued to roll down his face. "No... You can’t leave me. You don’t have the right to leave me in this horrible, cursed world to suffer all alone. Please come back. Please..." His voice cracked, but the creature didn’t care about his grief. It attacked.

The rock beneath Isaac suddenly gave way, and his body dropped. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" A loud, terrifying scream tore from his throat. He closed his eyes as he fell, fully expecting his body to smash against the ground. Then he felt it. His power erupted. Flames burst from beneath his feet, lifting his body into the air. For a brief moment, he floated like a rocket being launched into the sky, but there was nothing graceful about his descent.

He came crashing down onto the rocky ground. BOOM! The impact was ten times worse because of the speed at which the flames had carried him. His stomach twisted violently, and every organ inside him felt like it had been turned inside out. Blood immediately spilled from the corners of his lips. He wasn’t supposed to use his powers anymore. His body had already been drained from the battle, but there had been no other choice.

Awakened weren’t immortal. They were still humans, and every ability they used consumed a portion of their physical strength and magical essence. The more powerful the ability, the greater the strain placed on the body. Normally, their systems would find ways to recover that lost energy naturally. But there were limits. If an awakened continued fighting without replenishing their strength, their body would eventually begin to break down. Their muscles would weaken, their senses would become dull, and their magical essence would become unstable.

That was one of the reasons Luna had been so careful with her men. The leveling crystals she provided didn’t simply make them stronger. They also supplied a soothing energy that helped regulate their bodies and gave their abilities a steady source of energy to draw from. With Luna’s support and the supermarket’s resources, they could fight for far longer than ordinary awakened. But these people didn’t have that advantage. Isaac didn’t have anything. And now he was paying the price.

His essence was leaking rapidly, and he could already feel his body becoming weaker. Worse, the monsters could sense it. The first creature they had encountered was already coming after him. Although it couldn’t fly, its legs moved with horrifying speed. Isaac looked back and immediately began running. "Fuck..." His breathing was ragged as he pushed himself forward. He had to escape. He had to find somewhere to hide. The mansion was too far away now. He had already moved away from the fortified area and was heading toward the main mountain. There was nothing around him except rocks, trees, and patches of overgrown vegetation.

"Help!" His voice cracked. "Someone help me! If anyone is around, please!" He almost laughed at himself. Who was he even calling? There was nobody here. If he had stayed closer to the mansion, there might have been a chance that someone would hear him. But now he was heading toward the mountain, where there was nothing but wilderness.

His legs were becoming heavier. His vision blurred. His stomach twisted painfully from hunger, and his body felt like it was running on nothing. Then he spotted something. Long grass. Isaac immediately threw himself toward it. He forced his body into the thick vegetation and lay flat against the ground, desperately trying to control his breathing. His chest rose and fell rapidly. He pressed a hand against his mouth. Don’t make a sound. Don’t move. Maybe the creature would pass him. Maybe he could survive.

But as he lay there, his mind returned to everything that had happened. Astrid had warned them. He remembered it clearly. "This place is unmanned. That’s suspicious. The entire island and sea around it are practically abandoned. Even the official patrols haven’t come here. Something isn’t right." Astrid had been right. He had known something felt wrong about the island. But Isaac had ignored him. He had been too desperate.

The government had given them a mission to locate the dungeons and investigate the source of the creatures. Isaac had seen it as his opportunity to prove himself. If he could find something important, perhaps he could earn a higher position. Maybe the government would finally recognize his abilities. That had been his plan. Now, that plan was nothing but ashes.

"Going somewhere unmanned is foolish." Astrid’s voice echoed through his memory. Isaac had laughed at him at the time. Even the pilot hadn’t paid much attention. They had continued anyway. And now Melanie was dead. Astrid had disappeared. And he was hiding in the grass like prey.

A low growl suddenly echoed nearby. Isaac’s body went rigid. His breathing stopped. Slowly, he lowered himself further. Don’t find me. Please don’t find me. For several seconds, there was silence. Then he felt something wet touch his back. A thick drop of saliva slid down his clothing. Isaac froze. His eyes widened. No. It couldn’t be behind him. Slowly, painfully, he turned his head. A monstrous face stared directly at him.

"Ah—!" The creature slammed him into the ground before he could scream properly. One of its sharp limbs pierced straight through his chest. Isaac’s eyes went glassy. His mouth opened, but no words came out at first. The pain was unbearable. His fingers clawed weakly at the ground as blood poured from his mouth. The creature leaned closer. Then it tore into him. Isaac’s scream echoed across the mountain. It was a horrible, desperate sound filled with terror and pain.

***

Astrid nearly lost his grip on the hose when he heard that scream. His entire body jolted. "That was Isaac..." His breathing became frantic. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t even decide whether he wanted to go back. His arms were already burning from holding onto the hose, his palms torn and bleeding from the climb. But Isaac’s scream kept replaying in his head.

He gritted his teeth. "Almost there..." His voice came out weak. He pulled himself upward again. His muscles screamed in protest, but he continued. He had to reach the switch. That was his only chance. If he could activate whatever system was controlling these traps, perhaps he could survive. Perhaps he could stop the monsters. His fingers stretched toward the strange control box beneath the opening. Just a little more. His fingertips were almost there.

Then—CRACK! The pillar holding the hose fractured. Astrid’s eyes widened. "No..." The hose suddenly snapped loose. His entire body dropped. "AAAAAH!" He fell toward the dark opening beneath him.

For one terrifying second, there was nothing he could do. Then his eyes began to glow. A dark red light spread through his pupils. The blood dripping from his hands suddenly moved. Astrid stared in shock as the blood twisted around his wrists and transformed into thin, rope-like strands. "What...?" The blood shot outward. It wrapped around a section of the wall and immediately hardened, sticking firmly against the surface.

Astrid swung violently from the blood rope. His body slammed against the wall, but he didn’t care. The control box was right there. He reached for it. Almost... Almost... His fingers stretched toward the button. Then something bit into his leg. "AAAAAAHHHH!" Astrid screamed as sharp teeth clamped around his calf. The creature had reached him. Its weight dragged him downward. Astrid’s fingers slipped. His vision blurred. His blood poured from his hands, but the red strands responded to him as though they were alive.

He forced himself forward. "I... won’t..." The creature bit harder. Astrid’s face twisted in agony. "I WON’T DIE HERE!" His hand finally struck the button. CLICK.

Everything changed. The entire area went silent. The heat beneath him vanished. The strange mechanisms hidden around the mountain suddenly came alive. A deep mechanical hum spread through the ground. The creatures froze. Astrid’s body was suddenly pulled away from the opening as a violent wave of energy swept through the area. For a moment, his vision became completely black.

Then a voice echoed directly inside his consciousness. Not a human voice. Not the voice he had heard when he first awakened. This one felt different, Older, Heavier and almost as though something had recognized him.

[Congratulations.]

Astrid’s eyes widened.

[You have awakened an SSS-Rank Ability.]

[Blood Sovereign.]