Chapter 5: A Divine Gift—Choose One of Three Rewards!

Ao Xin’s baseball bat, wreathed in crackling electricity, struck with the force of a thunderous blow. Before him, zombies were dispatched in a single strike, one after another.

He did not succumb to the thrill of the slaughter; instead, he fought his way toward the lower floors with singular focus. Two priorities demanded his immediate attention: first, he had to find a way home—in this life, he would not allow his parents or his younger sister to be bullied ever again. The second priority was to slay one hundred zombies as quickly as possible.

For once a single individual reached one hundred kills, the Divine Gift Space would unlock. Only then could he exchange points for the cultivation methods of the Three Color Haki, accelerating the growth of his strength. While the Azure Dragon form granted him the power of flight, his current stamina would never hold out long enough to reach home by air.

Swinging his iron rod, Ao Xin moved like an avatar of the Azure Dragon, invincible and unstoppable. A large crowd of students gathered behind him, hoping to shadow his path out of the building. They were oblivious to the truth of this apocalypse: there was no safe place left. Hiding behind a locked door in the dormitories would only have bought them a little more time. But he didn't care; to him, they were nothing more than disposable NPCs.

As he burst out of the stairwell, his eyes narrowed. The situation outside was even more horrific than within. The university was a medical school; the cadavers used for anatomical study and the preserved specimens in the laboratories—those that hadn't been dismembered—had all risen as zombies and surged out.

What was even more chilling was the history of the school itself. It had once been a mass burial ground. Many had perished here during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Campus legends claimed the site was thick with malevolent, baleful energy, causing frequent illness among the residents of the housing blocks that once stood there. It was only after a Feng Shui master suggested building a school—utilizing the pure, vibrant vitality of the youth to suppress the local darkness—that this medical academy came into being. Now, the long-dead skeletons, reanimated by the viral infection, clawed their way out from beneath the earth, attacking every living soul they encountered.

"Help!"
"Someone, save me!"

Chaos engulfed the campus. People fled in a blind panic, colliding with one another in their desperation. Many weaker students were trampled to the ground, the stampede nearly ending them before they could even draw breath, only for them to be set upon by zombies and torn apart.

Ao Xin ignored them all, fixing his gaze on the school gates and marching forward with steady, powerful strides. His ferocious, blood-soaked aura was enough to keep the others from daring to approach him.

***

Suddenly, two familiar figures caught his eye. A man and a woman, both clad in designer labels, now looked as wretched as the rest. The girl, beautiful and fair-skinned, clearly lacked the stamina of her companion; she was Wu Manman, Ao Xin’s ex-girlfriend.

Without warning, a skeletal hand burst from the ground, clamping onto the man’s ankle. He shrieked in terror, but it was only through the girl’s help in yanking off his shoe that he managed to break free. Yet, this momentary delay allowed the pursuing zombies to close in. The man, without a second thought, shoved the girl to the ground and fled on his own, limping on one foot.

The girl fell into despair. As she watched a zombie lunge for her throat, she caught sight of Ao Xin carving a path of destruction nearby.

"Help! Big brother over there, please, save me! I’ll do anything you want!"

She did not recognize Ao Xin in his current form, but felt a vague sense of familiarity. Seeing the group of students trailing behind the dragon-like figure, she assumed he was someone significant and screamed for salvation.

Ao Xin caught a glimpse of Wu Manman from the corner of his eye, but his pace never faltered. College romances and being cheated on—it was a tale as old as time, and he wouldn't stoop to petty revenge. But they were strangers now; the idea of him saving her was a delusion. He turned his back on the scene and continued his rampage.

Seeing the "big brother" ignore her, a crushing despair gripped Wu Manman. A moment later, a zombie’s hand tore into her chest. She closed her eyes in defeat, not even managing a final scream.

Her gruesome end did not move Ao Xin. Countless others were dying just as she had. He continued to clear the way with his heavy bat. Whether zombie or skeleton, their fatal weakness remained the head. One solid blow to shatter the skull, and they became nothing more than corpses.

Finally, just as he reached the school gates, his body suddenly froze. Not just him, but everyone—including the zombies—ground to a halt, as if the entire world had been struck by a time-stop command. A majestic, booming voice resonated in every mind:

"The first Divine Gift, [Devil Fruit], has descended. The Divine Gift Space is now open!"

Then, Ao Xin’s vision went black. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange, otherworldly void. There was no space, no time—only two floating light screens, one large and one small.

The large screen bore the words "Divine Gift Shop," while the small one displayed "Personal Panel." Ao Xin was well-versed in these from his previous life; they were boons bestowed by an unknown existence. One could exchange points—earned by hunting zombies—for cultivation methods, combat techniques, equipment, and potions.

Just as he prepared to enter the shop, that grand, booming voice returned:

"Because you are the first to reach one hundred points by hunting zombies, you have earned a Divine Gift reward!"
"Furthermore, because you achieved one hundred points within ten minutes of the apocalypse's arrival, the grade of the Divine Gift reward has been elevated!"
"You may choose one of the following three rewards!"

Ao Xin was stunned; this was something he had never experienced in his past life. But rewards were inherently beneficial, so he focused his attention on the options:

Reward 1: [Perfect Fruit] – Elevates your current Azure Dragon Fruit to a perfect state, completely eliminating its side effects. Once eliminated, you can ignore the weaknesses of Seastone and seawater, and you may consume a second Devil Fruit without your body exploding. Note: If a second fruit is consumed, you will remain vulnerable to Seastone and seawater until the side effects of that second fruit are also eliminated, and you cannot consume a third.

Reward 2: [Haki Prodigy] – No points required, no cultivation needed; immediately awaken all three forms of Haki. Even without active practice, your Haki will slowly grow on its own. If you train actively, your cultivation speed will be doubled!

Reward 3: [Zombie-Slaying Artifact] – Receive a custom-made weapon of the Supreme Grade, and any damage this weapon inflicts upon zombies will be doubled!

Fruit, Haki, or Weapon—a choice between three.

If he chose the first, he still had a Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his inventory; gaining dual-fruit abilities would at least double his combat power. If he chose the second, his Haki growth would far outstrip everyone else, which, in the long run, might prove even more formidable than dual fruits. If he chose the third, he would instantly acquire a powerful weapon, and the bonus damage against zombies would allow him to farm points even faster.

What should he choose? Rewards one and three offered immediate boosts to combat power, while reward two offered slower growth but a much higher ceiling. Based on his experience from his past life, Haki remained relevant even late into the game. As for whether it would ever become obsolete, he could not say.