I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities-Chapter 64: Ch 63. Payback

Ethan stared blankly at the glowing message in front of him, tension crawling down his spine like ice water.

> [System Notification]

Warning: User’s corpse is approaching critical reanimation threshold…

His jaw clenched.

"If that Prime reanimates my body, everything’s going to spiral. Fast."

He paced across the cabin, mind racing. The thought alone chilled him—his body, moving around with undead instincts, possibly remembering fragments of his own life.

Would it still think like him? Would it know about Gray? About the altar?

He didn’t want to take the risk and find out it was better to find a solution.

"Damn it… I don’t even know what a reanimated me could do. But I don’t want to take that risk."

He looked at the barrier shielding the cabin, knowing the safety was temporary. His mind screamed for a solution.

"Why does the Sanctum even leave my corpse behind?! This wouldn’t be happening if I just poofed entirely after dying!"

As if on cue, the system responded with another ding.

---

[System Notification]

> Reanimation threshold critical. Detected: Corpse nearing necrotic activation.

---

Ethan’s eyes flared in panic as he cut the system off.

"Fuck, I already know that!"

But the system continued in its cold, neutral tone.

>User now has three options available for corpse management in the event of reanimation.

Ethan froze mid-step.

"…What?" he said slowly. "I have options?"

His voice rose an octave in disbelief.

"Why didn’t you start with that?!"

The system said nothing. Just that same ominous silence.

Ethan scowled and muttered under his breath.

"Helpful as always…"

Gray tilted his head from the side of the room, ears twitching as he watched his master speak to thin air again.

To the wolf, it looked worse than usual this time. There was no one around. No battle. Just Ethan pacing and talking to nothing like a man turning mad.

Is he okay…? Gray thought with concern.

Ethan, oblivious to Gray’s stare, focused back on the glowing interface as the system finally displayed the three mysterious options.

He read through them in silence, one eyebrow raising.

Then both. His expression shifted—first disbelief, then intrigue. And then… a grin crept across his face.

"Heh… This’ll work just fine," he said, eyes locked on a particular choice. "Let’s see how you like this, you smug corpse-hugging bastard."

And with a single motion, Ethan selected the option.

****

Dark clouds loomed overhead as the Prime knelt beside the cold, lifeless corpse of Ethan, dark energy seeping from its hands like tendrils of corrupted mist.

A ring of silent zombies watched with glassy, motionless eyes. The Prime’s focus never wavered.

"I am almost there… I can feel it… the link is establishing," it muttered, more to itself than to its silent horde.

A shudder ran through Ethan’s corpse. Then another. Muscles twitched. Fingers spasmed. The Prime’s cleaver dug into the ground as it stood straighter, voice sharp and commanding.

"You shall obey your master," it declared. "As I say to you… Arise!"

A deep tremor pulsed through the earth as Ethan’s corpse began to jerk violently, limbs snapping in stiff, unnatural angles.

Flesh began to crack. His skin decayed with terrifying speed, paling and tearing as patches sloughed away.

Strands of hair drifted into the air like ash from a dying flame.

Then, silence.

The corpse floated—unnaturally—upward, feet never bending, body stiff as it was lifted to stand. It hung midair for a moment, then lowered gently to the ground, standing tall.

Its head tilted forward, and slowly, its eyelids peeled open, revealing dim, glassy eyes… locked directly on the Prime.

The Prime’s lips curled into a satisfied grin.

"Perfect. It worked," it said with smug satisfaction. "Not that I doubted I would fail."

It took a step forward, savoring its success.

"Kneel."

The corpse obeyed, falling to one knee without resistance.

The Prime’s grin widened in ecstasy. Power hummed through its rotting veins. It felt in control. This was more than a success—this was a prize.

"Now… tell me," the Prime said, eyes gleaming. "Where are you from, and why do you carry the scent of death?"

The zombie remained silent for a moment, unmoving.

The Prime’s brow twitched with irritation as its tone darkened.

"Speak."

The reanimated Ethan opened his mouth. His voice was hoarse, like gravel grinding beneath rusted steel.

"I… came… from another world…"

The Prime’s smile faded into a look of surprise.

"Another world…?" it echoed, intrigued. "What world?"

"A new world…" the zombie rasped, voice lifeless.

For a moment, the Prime was captivated. But it quickly shoved the thought aside.

Curiosity could come later.

"Why did you come here?" it asked.

The zombie’s brow twitched faintly. It looked like it was thinking.

"I… can’t remember."

The Prime’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

That shouldn’t be possible… the reanimation preserves memory unless tampered with… it thought, cold realization creeping in. Did he seal his memories while alive?

Was he… that cautious?

A flicker of regret passed over the Prime’s face.

"I should have captured him alive. But… it’s too late to regret now."

It exhaled through gritted teeth and continued, voice low. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"So you have no idea why you came?"

The zombie stared forward. Then slowly, it nodded.

"Only… a place. I don’t know what’s there… but I remember the road."

The Prime’s interest reignited.

"A place?"

Hope returned. Perhaps it wasn’t a waste after all. Perhaps something valuable remained.

"Then lead the way."

The Prime’s tone turned colder, almost out of habit.

"But if it’s something useless… I’ll make sure you suffer eternally."

It knew it didn’t have to threaten—its control over the corpse was absolute. Or so it believed. But the habits from its living days still lingered, especially when frustrated.

Zombie Ethan rose to his feet and began walking.

The Prime followed, signaling a handful of elite zombies to stay and guard its territory. It didn’t want to be gone long—its domain was valuable, and the other Primes were vultures, always circling.

And so they moved, the undead Ethan leading the way… down a path etched in memory.

****

The barren stretch of land was silent as the wind whispered across dead grass and cracked earth. The zombie Ethan stood still, vacant-eyed, as the Prime surveyed the empty field.

His rotting lips curled in frustration, the decaying tendons in his neck twitching as his voice rumbled out, sharp and cold.

"There is nothing here," the Prime hissed, aura beginning to ripple with barely restrained fury. "You made me leave my territory for a patch of dirt?"

The ground beneath him trembled as his presence distorted the air, the surrounding undead backing away instinctively.

His cleaver scraped against the ground as his grip tightened.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

The zombie Ethan’s head tilted, and with a strange twitch of his cracked mouth, he replied in a dry, rasping tone:

"Yes. I do."

The Prime’s eyes widened in disbelief—he hadn’t commanded that reply.

But before he could react, the zombie Ethan’s form shimmered with flickering distortion and vanished like static through thin air, leaving behind only a fading trail of black mist.

The Prime stood frozen for a heartbeat, realization crashing into him like a hammer.

"I was… deceived?"

His aura erupted in a violent storm, flaring with crimson fury. With an enraged roar, the Prime swung his cleaver, cleaving through the earth and shattering boulders.

Black energy rippled outward as he tore into the land, screaming in maddened rage, his plans crumbling before his eyes.

Meanwhile, back in the safety of the cabin protected by the sanctum’s barrier, the real Ethan stood facing the now-docile zombie version of himself, who had just reappeared.

Ethan blinked at the sight, then broke into a stunned laugh.

"I can’t believe that actually worked."

Gray stood nearby, head tilted in confusion as Ethan shook his head and said, "Guess I still have some tricks left after all."

Outside, the Prime continued his rampage—obliterating everything in sight.