The trio arrived at the building it seemed to be empty. It was a fairly old and small apartment building, 6 stories to be exact. On the metal door was the message "Please knock the door" written with white paint and all the windows were barricaded.

Michi: I think it would be wise not to knock on the door, it may be a trap.

Gabriel: Maybe, but we need more people so I'm going to take the risk. But just in case, Yeni can you do me a favor?

Yeni: Fine! motherfucker if that kill me I will kick your ass.

Oscar: Remember not to eat or drink anything offered, they could take the opportunity to poison you guys.

It was logical to send the toughest of the group to see if it was a trap, it was certainly risky but one had to understand how important people were. Other survivors were the most valuable treasure in the apocalypse as they could become killing machines thanks to the hell crystals. Having a larger group make the final goal of saving humanity and rebuilding civilization much easier. When Yeni knocked on the door, several seconds passed before she had an answer. On the other side of the door a female voice could be heard.

???: Hi! I don't wanna be rude but who are you? You don't look like the army or the police. Are you part of any cult or sect? cannibals maybe?

Michi: Now that you mention eating the Hell Crystals is cannibalism? I mean they were body parts of another human being.

Gabriel: Even if it's a good question, it's not time for this!

Yeni: I'm Lieutenant Yeni Gomez of the Main Defense Forces of the Argentine Army. Due to the new threat we had to redesign our uniform in order to deal with it. Please open the door so we can check your safety.

The woman's voice was totally different from her normal tone, she had a kind and gentle tone exactly the same she had used when she first met the team.

???: That make sense but that cat just talk ?.

Michi: Yes. . .cats can talk now, believe me all this makes perfect sense when you know the context.

???: Okay. . . Do you have a safe place to stay? This building is quite safe.

Gabriel: We have an underground bunker, extremely safe and full of food.

???: That sound too good to be true. . . Well I will open the door for you to talk face to face.

Michi:Wait how did you know it was a cat?.

???: Look at the top left of the door frame and you will see a small camera.

After a few seconds they could hear the noise of several locks and the door opened revealing the occupant of that building.The girl was quite petite but due to the development of her body it could be deduced that she was in her 20s. Her skin white as a sheet of paper made her makeup and long black hair stand out more. Surprisingly this one didn't have any type of armor or protection and its clothes were quite clean, this was a typical black leather outfit. The general aesthetic shouted goth girl but there was something that Gabriel didn't understand.

The weapon she had chosen was a fire ax she had found in the building. The woman had taken the job of cleaning it but that specific type of weapon is usually quite messy. Because of that suspicion he began to look around to find some clue and realized something unusual.

Behind her was what would be the lobby of the building but with unusual detail, that room was plagued by traps. A human could detect them without problems but an infected person would easily fall into them. Most seem to be the typical pits with spikes at the bottom but there were also alarms made with cans located in each window and even at the door.

At that moment Gabriel realized something, there are three main characteristics that define a survivor in the end of times. First was the experience, this includes knowledge, practice in combat, etc. Second was your body , the physical state of your body was fundamental and in this category all mutations could be included. Finally was talent, think of it as a multiplier of the other two factors, if your body is super human or your mind is prodigious progress in the other fields will be absurdly easy. Talent also influences your creativity and your ability to solve problems, after all there weren't mutations that made you smarter. The problem was that a person can gain experience and body over time but natural talent is something that one is born with.

So how this woman could have cleaned her entire building as Gabriel did without having the knowledge of the Hell Crystal? with the physicist she had there was two logical conclusion. This woman was pure natural talent or she had reincarnated like Gabriel.

???: Hi I am Lucia delighted to meet you.

Gabriel: My name is Gabriel and by chance of life do you know what Gehenna is?

Lucia: What? no idea.

Gabriel: Doesn't matter, is the name of the virus that create all this mess.

Yeni: I am Yeni and this ball of hair is Michi.

The steel titan had returned to his common voice after seeing the woman, the negotiations were over and she no longer needed to use her alternative voice.

Lucia: Follow me upstairs and we can talk in peace.

Gabriel: We have a couple of hours until it gets dark so why not?.

The trio followed the stranger cautiously trying not to step on any trap. Going up the stairs Yeni and Gabriel started to whisper.

Yeni: So you noticed Quickshot?

Gabriel: Yes. . . .

Yeni: That ass is a 4/10 but her tits are an easy 9/10

Gabriel: What? what the fuck are you talking about?

Yeni:I am not a carpet muncher but I can recognize a good pair of magumbos when I see them.

Gabriel: I don't know, that sound really gay. . .

Yeni: Come on is not gay.

Lucia: Hey, can I hear you! and yeah i know, they were the cornerstone of my career as a streamer. I could say that they basically paid for my rent.

Gabriel: Lucia. . streamer . .. I think I remember you, you didn't have a problem with that video of you . . .

Lucia: OK lets change topic!.

Finally they arrived at Lucia's apartment that looked like the set of a horror movie, without a doubt the young woman was a fan of that kind of cinema and different metal bands. The duo took off their helmets, sat down and started talking. After the typical speech that Gabriel had memorized at this point the woman remained with her mouth open for a few seconds and said.

Lucia: That would explain the pretty crystals that were left in the ashes of the bodies I incinerated.

Gabriel: What?

Lucia: I thought it was something like a common virus so I didn't want to risk getting infected. That's why I use the old incinerator of this building to cremate the corpses but from the remains I found this.

The woman went to a corner and took out a bag full of Hell Crystals, there was even an abnormal one like the one Gabriel had gotten from a Brute. The man took it to examine it but couldn't identify it, in his life he had seen one like this.

Acheron Crystal

Gives a special mutation, useful only in the first stage of evolution.

Gabriel: Where did you get this one?

Lucia: I think this one came out of one of those who ran fast, it almost killed me.

Before they could continue the group noticed something weird, it was getting dark even though they had about 2 hours before sunset. Gradually the light was disappearing in an unnatural way, as if something was swallowing the sun.

Yeni: What the fuck is going on?

Lucia: Right! today was the solar eclipse, it should last 5 minutes. . maybe?.

Gabriel: Good thing that it happen now, if this had grabbed us with our pants down in a couple of weeks we would be in trouble.

Michi: Right. . That variant of infected that worried you, Isn't it a nocturnal creature?

Gabriel: It depends more on ultraviolet light, it has a natural aversion to it but yes, for now we are safe.

The conversation was cut off by the noise created by the alarms. Something wasn't break into but stealthily infiltrating the building. Michi for a second thought that was another human since he didn't detect any infected but then remembered what Gabriel had said, there are abominations that his radar cannot detect.

Gabriel: You must be shitting me !.

Yeni: Looks like some fuckers want to dance.

Gabriel: Get ready to fight, we need to last until the eclipse ends.

Lucia: I don't understand, the building and the surrounding streets were clean where they came from?

Gabriel: Probably from some dark place where sunlight doesn't reach.

Oscar: Fuck! I just saw it but there are dozens of infected coming out of the sewers.

Suddenly the group could hear how the traps on all floors began to activate one by one. The battle had begun even before the survivors could see this new threat. Gabriel and Yeni prepared and grabbed their weapons ready to face this new enemy. Without making a sound or breaking a single lock the horde of infected began to invade the room.

These things were extremely aberrant creatures even by the standards of the infected. His body seemed to have lost every bone, organ and muscle becoming only a walking mass of skin that retained a humanoid shape. The empty gaps that replaced the mouth and eyes seemed to be windows to the void. This creeping terror dripped through the spaces in the door, windows and floor demonstrating an elasticity that could give the impression that these things were semi-liquid. These infected were called Hollows for obvious reasons but the most lethal characteristic was they couldn't be detected.

The flood of living skin attacked with Gehenna's typical ferocity, Yeni tried to crush them with her mace but it proved useless. One quickly curled around his neck and completely covered the head of that titan. Gabriel meanwhile was trying to slash the Hollows but his speed wasn't enough to hold a defensive line and the small space in the room played against him.

In this situation Gabriel knew that he only had one solution, it would cost him dearly but if he wanted to protect his future he should do it. Meanwhile, Yeni was dealing with the one who had curled around her head. No matter how much armor ,strength o weapons one has if he cuts off his access to oxygen, the deadliest warriors will die as if he were the most pathetic weakling. The mace was ineffective and she had to think about how to remove that bag of skin that was suffocating her. It took a few seconds but she finally realized that what to do, she threw her weapons on the ground, grab the creature and as if it were a sheet of paper try to rip in two. Showing off her colossal strength, the woman tore that abomination. Now that Yeni didn't have a layer of living skin covering his eyes, she could see what had happened and was unable to understand what was in front of her. Lucia however was shaking corner in a holding Michi tightly, she is in a trembling voice exclaimed.

Lucia: What the hell are you?

Gabriel was surrounded by an ocean of mutilated infected, his black armor was completely covered by a dense layer of fresh blood. The survivor was completely still giving the impression that he was observing the unilateral massacre he had committed. The reality was totally different, because of the helmet that covered his face they couldn't see the expression of absolute terror he had.

Gabriel had spent years fighting the infected and reached a point where nothing affected him, eventually became a totally hollow person. He knew he had no future and that the only thing that awaited him was death, for the only reason he was still fighting was resentment against Gehena and his puppets. However, when he return to the pass his body was infected by a fairly dangerous disease: Hope. Now that he had a chance to get a bright future, the idea of being alone again was unbearable. Keeping that in mind, it was logical that the moment they were cornered, he put the security of the group before his without doubt.

Yeni: Holy shit dude! how did you do that?

Gabriel: Well I can use multiple Explosive Mutation at the same time on top of. . .

The survivor could not finish his words due to the immense stabbing pain he felt throughout his body. Having used all his explosive mutations at the same time plus Explosive Mode he had achieved quite absurd power, however the damage he had received in return was lethal. Even with his current mutations the recoil of that maneuver caused lethal injuries to his internal organs. Luckily Gabriel had Damage Relocation a life saver in this case. Collapsing on the floor Gabriel realize that he had to take advantage of the few minutes of consciousness left in this body. He had to use his unique ability now that the situation had calmed down and the eclipse was ending.

Yeni: Fuck! Gabriel are you alright?

Lucia: Is something wrong?

Michi: I think so, but we must not let our guard down, there may be more of these creatures nearby!

Oscar: Relax people, I'm not seeing more infected near your area. Remember anyway that the images I receive are one minute late.

Gabriel's hair hadn't grown enough yet, he just had a little fluff on his body. So he had to look for something else to sacrifice and without much thought he chose the ring finger form his left hand. The least important finger for him and thinking about this issue when each of your internal organs were failing one by one wasn't very intelligent. He guided all the damage from his body to this part and the finger simply melts leaving a bloody hole instead. Gabriel sat down quickly and took off his glove to treat his wound between gasps of fatigue.

Lucia: What the hell just happened ?.

Yeni: Honestly no fucking idea, magic maybe?

Gabriel: Close enough. . . Do me in favor and start taking out the hell crystals before they revive.

Lucia: But how do you lose your finger?

Gabriel: Relax it will grow again, some mutations can return lost or damaged parts of your body. The problem is that they are quite useful and strong.

Yeni: Are you retarded? that sound the opposite to a problem.

Michi: Look at it this way, do you want that super mutation now or wait to receive a serious wound and then fix you body? It is a difficult decision.

Lucia: Can we leave the conversation for another time? I think we're short on time now.

After that Gabriel finally sutured his wound and went to work to remove all the hell crystals, luckily he had several analgesics on hand to treat the pain. Lucia had packed all her things in a huge backpack and was ready to move to her new shelter. The problem was that most of the things she had put there were makeup and clothes, something not very useful to survive in the middle of a global zombie epidemic. With everything ready and a considerable amount of crystals on hand, the group began the journey back to the bunker.

Yeni: Holy shit girl do you really need that much makeup? zombies don't care about your looks. If you are thinking of getting me a man Quickshot is the only one unless you like old men.

Lucia: Being honest I do it for myself, feeling pretty is what keeps the existential horror in which we live at bay. After all you can have a mental breakdown if you don't think about all the consequences that this catastrophe has had. Just ignore your problems until you can't ignore them anymore, that is my motto.

Michi: That sound extremely unhealthy.

Gabriel: I don't have the skills to deal with that now.

Yeni: Don't be a pair of little bitches , as long as you're not a cannibal or psycho killer you can hang with us.

After a quick bike trip they finally reached the bunker, Lucia was quite surprised by the facilities but above all by the workshop. After a brief tour the group met in the dining room where Oscar was waiting for them.

Oscar: Hi newbie, I am Oscar.

Lucia: Hello I am Lucia. Well now what are we supposed to do?

Gabriel: First you have to assimilate the weird Hell Crystal you have, it was you who killed the zombie so it seems fair to me. Besides, it is easier to plan a build from scratch if you know what rare mutation you will have. I will guide you through the whole process and teach you how to choose your mutations.

Lucia: Ok I have done acid before so this isn't my first psychotropic trip.

Yeni: You're sure you don't want a more private place to do it? even I could guide you through the process if you feel uncomfortable in front of Quickshot.

Lucia: No thanks, I'm quite proud of my body and I have no problem showing it.

Then they started the ritual in the middle of the dining room. Lucia's method of absorption was inhalation like Gabriel as it was the least disgusting. With the help of him she was able to form his book of mutations and choose her special mutation

Lucia evolved

Glorious Suffering: The more damage you take your speed and strength increases. Being barely injured gives a multiplier of 30, injured 50%, badly injured 70% and near death 100%.

After this the woman told her companions the details about that strange ability that her body had achieved.

Gabriel: That is an interesting mutations.

Lucia: I've played enough video games to know where this is going and the answer is no. I am not thought like you guy! I am soft like a bunny. I hate pain so please don't make me do a kamikaze masochistic things.

Gabriel: Ok, I'll be totally honest. . . I fuck it up. This rare mutation would have been ideal for me or even Yeni who can endure a lot of punishment could have taken advantage. In this new world we must sacrifice things to survive. I leave it to your choice, you can take this power or reject it but it will be a wasted.

Oscar: Listen girl, the only thing that kept me alive in my career was to constantly think what will I do tomorrow? Thinking about your future is what allows you to become old in a profession where most die young. Physical wounds heal easily but mentally. . . Those never heal completely.

Gabriel: There is another alternative, you could sacrifice mutations and get Pain Tolerance, this reduce the pain until eventually you don't feel it. The downside is that not only do you lose three mutations, but living without pain is quite dangerous. Basically you will get something similar to Congenital insensitivity to pain or CIP, since you can't feel your wounds burns, poisoning or even cuts could kill you for not being treated.Even having a perfect and instant regeneration you could die of exhaustion since you would notice the pain of physical fatigue.

Michi: Those medicine lessons that you downloaded are being useful.

Lucia: Let's compromise, I will take Pain Tolerance but I will not raise it to the point where I feel no pain. I think it's the best of both worlds, I don't have to suffer but I could still feel if something is very wrong in my body.

Gabriel: That sound right if you agree now is time to other mutations. I have something quite special in mind for you.

Lucia evolved

Explosive Strength 1: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 100 kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.

Explosive Speed 1: For 6 second you can have extra speed, you can run at 80 km / h. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.

Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average human.

Regeneration 2: Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.

Regeneration 3: Your body heals eight times as fast as an average human.

Pain Tolerance 1:You only feel half the pain that a normal person would feel.

Enchant Stamina 1: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run a marathon.