The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Inside the lab, the Nerds, Lucil, Nari, and Queenie continued watching Klaus's intense battle with the Mecha Zombie, each with a different expression on their face.

"That Mecha Zombie is developing faster than we anticipated," Joon said, his eyes glued to the streams of data pouring in every second.

"You kids really outdid yourselves this time," Nari chimed in, leaning forward.

"This is going to change everything when Oracle goes public." Her eyes followed the Mecha Zombie as it adapted to Klaus's attack patterns after only one or two repetitions.

She knew Klaus could end the fight whenever he wanted, but she couldn't help being impressed by the machine's rapid improvement.

Lucil had already filled her in on the goals of the project. If this progress continued for a few more days, the results would exceed even their loftiest expectations.

As an Overlord who had fought countless monsters and zombies, Nari understood the brutal dynamics of battle. The system Klaus and the Nerds were creating aligned perfectly with her battlefield experiences, replicating the unpredictable nature of true combat.

Queenie shared that same thought, though what truly shocked both of them was Klaus's keen ability to break down even the smallest details.

Throughout his week-long training, he had highlighted subtle nuances they hadn't even considered were something that could make a difference in combat.

Even them who had been fighting zombies for fifty years hadn't noticed some of the intricacies Klaus pointed out.

From Klaus's battling this single Mecha Zombie, they'd learned more than they thought possible. Klaus wasn't just fighting—he was analyzing, absorbing, and refining every element of the experience.

His mind was like a machine picking up on even the smallest details.

"At this rate, Klaus is going to have to start getting serious if he wants to keep up with the Mecha Zombie learning regimen," Nari said, watching as the machine adapted once more.

"Well, he's training too, so I think he's taking it step by step for now," Queenie added, her eyes narrowing in thought as Klaus landed another precise strike on the Zombie's leg.

The Mecha Zombie countered immediately, a burst of flames erupting from its body as it tapped into its fire element, sending Klaus skidding back across the battlefield.

He smiled, and then without holding back, he slashed his sword dozens of times, sending sharp crescent ice arcs at the Zombie. The arcs were sharp and lethal, yet the Zombie simply stood on the floor, raising an ice wall.

In response, the disc flew at a terrifying angle, appearing at Klaus from an unexpected direction. Klaus smirked and sent the Void Piercing Needle to counter.

The two weapons met with a resounding clang. Meanwhile, the Zombie defended against his fire arcs and now charged at him with its sword glowing red. Klaus also channeled fire essence into his sword, meeting the Zombie's attack and sending sparks flying.

Six hours later, Klaus began to see that the Zombie had improved greatly. For the next two hours, he cranked up the battle even more, putting about 80% of his strength into it.

For the last 2 hours, the battle intensified to the point where Klaus had to crank up his strength to 90 percent. By the time they were done, they had managed to gather enough data that they would need the next three days to work on.

This meant there wouldn't be any training for the next three days, and Klaus was happy to hear that. At least after they were finished, he could have his first true battle, where he knew he would have to use all his focus and strength.

"Let's go grab a bite," Nari said after Klaus came out of the console. He had been using it for 8 hours a day for the past week, so he had grown used to it. Though there was some pain here and there, he didn't need that much rest now, especially with Queenie around.

"Sounds good to me!" Klaus replied, a grin spreading across his face. He was looking forward to some time away from training and the chance to unwind with friends—specifically, Queenie.

"So Klaus, what is your story?" Nari suddenly asked immediately they were seated and began eating.

"Uhm, what do you mean?" Klaus asked, puzzled.

"You know, one moment the world was calm and peaceful, and the next, a white-haired young man appeared, and the whole world went wild. I want to hear your story," Nari looked around and then added, "We all do."

Lucil was the first to nod. This was like a golden opportunity for her to gather close-up information on Klaus for the Knights of House Klaus. As a die-hard fan, moments like this were what she needed the most to learn more about the person she was fanning over.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I'm an only child. My dad went missing—possibly dead—when I was ten, so my mom pretty much raised me. She is an amazing woman, by the way—the best mom. I dropped out of school and worked as a janitor at Ross Academy for a few years.

"Pretty much everything I know about the world of cultivation and swordsmanship was learned from sneaking around and spying on lectures whenever I got the chance. Don't tell anyone, by the way," he added with a grin.

They all laughed despite the heavy impact of Klaus's story.

"Long story short, I awakened, and thankfully, I didn't get a tomato class and talent. From then on, I started working hard to make sure my mom and I never had to go through any hardship ever again.

"Yeah, that about covers everything," Klaus said, sensing that his story had dampened the mood, so he didn't go into further details.

"Lucil, come on, no need to cry!" Klaus said, noticing that Lucil had already started welling up before he could even finish his narrative.

"That is one hell of a story, but at least you're making it right now; that's all that matters," Nari said, but Klaus could tell her previous enthusiastic nature had dampened a little.

"If you guys are like this, I won't hang out with you anymore," Klaus said with a small smile, noticing their expressions.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about happy stuff," Nari said, bringing her carefree charm back again.

"So, Klaus, what do you think about Big Sister Queenie here? Do you think you can handle her?" Nari suddenly asked.

Cough! Both Klaus and Queenie, who were in the process of taking a sip of their drinks, coughed upon hearing that question.

"Nari," Queenie said, gritting her teeth. What kind of shameless question was that?

"What? Don't act like I didn't notice how you were sneaking glances at him," Nari said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. Joon, Logan, Ryan, and Lucil looked on with smiles of their own.

"Oh really? Glances?" Klaus quickly recovered and joined in with Nari to tease Queenie.

Klaus leaned back in his chair, a playful grin on his face. "I mean, can you blame her? I'm a pretty impressive guy," he teased, shooting a wink in Queenie's direction.

Queenie crossed her arms, trying to maintain her composure, but a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Very subtle, but it appeared alright

"Please, Klaus, don't flatter yourself too much. You're not that charming," Queenie said, realizing she had no way to weave her way out of this.

Well, she could have disappeared into thin air, but that would be cowardly. So for now, she could only thicken her skin and endure. Later, she would drag Nari into the Void and beat the shit out of her.

"Charming or not, at least I managed to make the almighty Overlord of all Overlords blush, even if it's just a slight one," Klaus grinned, his smile infectious.

Queenie shot a look at Nari, who was grinning at her predicament with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Lucil, on the other hand, was busy capturing the moment, knowing that when made public, it would cause the whole internet to explode.

"We're going back to the lab now," Joon announced, standing up and leaving with Ryan and Logan.

Lucil followed suit shortly after, and soon Nari also left, leaving only Klaus and Queenie alone. The air around them thickened with awkwardness as they stared at each other.

"Wanna model a monastery with me?" Klaus asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Queenie answered without even thinking about it.

Klaus's eyes lit up. "Great! Let's go"

And ladies and gentlemen, that is how Klaus picked the strongest person on earth into his room. That is badass.