Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 158: Grim Lord

"How… how can you do this kind of thing without even batting an eye?"

Alex looked down at her.

Then, with a casual shrug, he replied:

"I don’t know. I guess I’m just done with hesitating."

His voice was eerily calm.

"They tried to kill me, and that wasn’t forgivable. Simple as that."

Freya’s fingers tightened into fists.

"But you spared Kyiv…" she said weakly.

At this, Alex turned toward her.

His face was unreadable.

His gaze, cold.

Then he spoke—

"Did I...?"

Freya’s brow furrowed, her mind racing.

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Her eyes locked onto Alex, searching his expression, trying to pry the truth from him.

But his face remained unreadable.

His words weren’t a lie.

A cold, sinking feeling twisted in her gut.

Her heartbeat quickened. He wasn’t lying.

When…? When did this happen?

Alex’s voice was eerily calm as he answered:

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"I snapped right before the exit pulled us into the next trial. There was no way you would have known."

Freya’s breath hitched.

Her hands pressed against the cold ground as she instinctively crawled backward.

She couldn’t comprehend how he could be so ruthless, so completely unbothered by the things he had done.

Her body shuddered.

Her voice trembled as she whispered:

"How… how did you get to this point?"

Alex’s gaze didn’t waver.

"I dunno," he said, voice flat. "Like everyone else, I’m just doing what it takes to survive."

Then, his expression darkened, his next words sending a chill down her spine:

"And thinking of the threats I’ll have to face… I’d say what I’ve done so far is just the bare minimum of what it’ll take."

Freya stood frozen, her mind swirling with a storm of emotions.

What threat was he talking about?

She let out a slow sigh, her gaze dropping to the ground.

There was so much she didn’t understand about this tutorial.

Too much.

Alex had been right about one thing—she was too naive. She lacked the sheer brutality needed to survive.

If this place had taught her anything, it was that becoming a monster was the only way to make it out alive.

And not just here—but in the real world too.

People like her? People who still clung to morals and hesitation?

They didn’t live long.

But… was it so wrong for her to refuse to become like him?

Freya clenched her fists, her heart aching with the weight of that thought.

Alex watched her for a moment, his gaze unreadable.

Then, without another word, he turned away.

He wasn’t going to waste time convincing her.

Instead, he dropped to the ground, crossing his legs.

He wasn’t moving on to the next trial just yet.

His mana was drained. And he knew better than to rush in recklessly—not when the next trial could be even worse.

As he sat, he swiped his hand in the air, pulling up his system interface.

Kill notifications and rewards flooded his screen.

A dozen. Maybe more.

A small smirk touched his lips.

"Not bad."

A series of blue system notifications flooded Alex’s vision, each one appearing in rapid succession.

[You have killed Kieran Darcel.][You have received 5,200 Nightmare Points.][You have received 150 Stat Points.]

[You have killed Jon Evergreen.][You have received 5,000 Nightmare Points.][You have received 95 Stat Points.]

[You have killed...]

The messages kept coming, one after another, a grim tally of his victims.

Then, the final notification appeared.

[You have killed Ella Sundown.][You have received 12,000 Nightmare Points.][You have received 400 Stat Points.]

Alex’s breath hitched ever so slightly.

Twelve thousand?

His brows furrowed. That was more than anyone else he had killed.

For a moment, he was surprised.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Ella wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be.

She had attacked him without hesitation.

She had tried to kill Freya without remorse.

There was no way she had gathered that many Nightmare Points just from hunting monsters.

No. She had targeted other players.

Naive ones. Like Freya.

Alex’s eyes darkened.

The irony of it all was almost amusing.

He dismissed the other notifications about his title boosting his abilities—he already knew what they said.

Instead, he checked his updated total.

[Total Nightmare Points: 275,000][Total Stat Points: 7,850]

Alex’s eyes widened slightly as he scanned the numbers.

A slow smirk played on his lips.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

His points had skyrocketed.

Compared to what he had before, the increase was massive.

Killing fellow players paid far more than killing monsters. As sick as it was, it was the truth.

The tutorial had it backward.

Instead of rewarding teamwork or survival, it favored betrayal.

He let out a small exhale, shaking his head. It didn’t matter. He had adapted.

A few more minutes passed as he sat in silence, feeling the familiar energy return to his body.

His mana was full.

Time to move.

He pushed himself to his feet, stretching his arms briefly before turning his gaze to Freya.

What would she do now?

She had seen everything. His ruthlessness. His lack of hesitation.

Would she stay away, now that she understood what he was?

Freya slowly rose as well, her movements stiff, her expression unreadable.

Then, to his surprise—she walked toward him.

Alex tilted his head, watching her approach before speaking in a calm, almost amused tone:

"Seeing as how you looked at me like I was a demon, I don’t think you’d still want to associate with me. Would you?"

For a moment, she said nothing.

The silence stretched between them.

Then, with a deep sigh, Freya finally spoke:

"I mean… at this point, I’d be a fool not to follow you."

She met his gaze, determination flickering behind her exhaustion.

"Things are only going to get harder from here. And if I can rely on your strength—even for a little while—then I will."

"Even if that puts you in dangerous situations?" Alex asked, his tone unreadable.

Freya met his gaze, her expression steady. "Nothing’s more dangerous than being alone. Naive as I am."

Alex chuckled, low and amused. "You’re not afraid I’ll kill you, just like I did the others?"

Freya didn’t flinch. "Unlike them, I wouldn’t dream of attacking you."

Alex’s lips curled into a grin. "I guess you’re not as big of a fool as I thought."

Freya bit her lip, eyes narrowing slightly. "I’d rather you not call me that."

Alex smirked. "Freya the Fool. Kinda has a ring to it."

"Don’t."

Alex let out another chuckle, shaking his head before turning toward the exit. The swirling energy pulsed, waiting.

"Alright..." He stretched his arms behind his head, his posture relaxed, completely at ease.

"Let’s go, then."

With his hands resting at the back of his neck, he walked toward the portal like he had all the time in the world.

Freya hesitated for a second before following him, her decision made.

Only three people had entered the gate.

Dorion, Onigi, and Ezekiel--who had abandoned the others.

Alex shook his head.

Then he noticed an emerald gaze on him watching.

He stopped:

"Thats right...I almost forgot."

Freya covered her ears.

Alex snapped and the undead vendor along with his stall exploded.

BOOM!

They continued and Freya who had covered her ears shook her head.

Alex’s action didn’t surprise her anymore.

The moment they reached the exit, they slammed their hands against the portal.

And just like that—they vanished.

No notification. No warning.

Alex narrowed his eyes. That was different. Usually, the system would confirm their transition. But this time? Nothing.

Then, in the blink of an eye—they reappeared.

A rocky plain stretched endlessly around them, rough and cracked like the remnants of an ancient battlefield.

Above them, two moons glowed ominously in the sky.

The air was heavy and unnatural. It felt like they were no longer inside the trial mountain—or maybe… they had reached its peak.

Alex frowned. Something was off.

Then, he saw it.

Them.

Ahead, an army of monsters stood in formation—waiting.

And at the front of them all—a massive beast.

It towered over everything else, its presence suffocating. A skull-shaped mask covered its face, hiding its true features. In its hand, it clutched a long, rusted chain that clanked as it moved.

Just then, a system notification flashed before his eyes.

[Welcome to the Final Trial of the Nightmare]

[Due to an anomaly, all previous trials have been scrapped.][You have been transported to the mountain’s peak at the cost of all the Nightmare Points you possessed.][Prepare to face the final boss—Grim Lord—and his army.]

Freya’s voice trembled as she took a step back.

"Is that... the Grim Lord?"

Alex’s gaze locked onto the towering figure ahead.

Yeah… the description fits the name perfectly.

He then let out a small, amused chuckle, feeling a rush of pride.

His actions had forced the system’s hand.

So much so that the Beast Lord had decided to speed things up.

He lifted his head, smirking as he locked eyes with the monstrous entity before him.

The Grim Lord let out a guttural growl, his massive frame steaming like a furnace. Green light flickered in the sockets of his skull-shaped mask, a telltale sign of possession.

Alex’s grin widened:

The Beast Lord wanted to end this now?

"Good."