Chapter 7

The words Leon spoke and the expression on his face stirred a sharp sense of déjà vu.

This was him. In his last life, he had risked everything to cross zombie-infested streets just to bring her food. Camilla had not cared. She had barely opened the door, leaving it less than two feet ajar when she came to take what he carried.

Then, once she learned he had nothing left, and after seeing how ghastly he had looked following his ordeal, she had chosen to abandon him. Worse, she had deliberately made noise to draw zombies in and let them finish him off.

"Leon, I'm sorry, but I can't let you in," she said, head lowered, her tone sickeningly sweet and meek. "I'm a conservative girl. You're not my boyfriend, so I don't feel comfortable letting you into my place."

Leon had believed her back then. Camilla always relied on the same claims of prudish modesty to make him accept even the most absurd excuses. He had believed her so completely that he had ignored his friends' warnings.

"Jean and I have been hungry for days, Leon. I'm afraid this isn't enough for us… I know. How about you go find more food for us? If you manage that… I'll be happy to date you!"

With that, she closed the steel door.

Camilla had been so certain Leon would do anything for her that she did not even stay to watch his reaction. In her mind, it would be better if zombies turned him into their next meal. After all, she had Logan with her now.

Even if Leon survived long enough to return, she could simply invent another excuse, wear the same innocent expression, and fool him again. The cycle would continue.

And if Leon ever tried to force his way in, Camilla wouldn't hesitate to drop the act and confront him outright. Logan had already promised to protect her.

But the door would not close.

Camilla strained against it with all her strength, yet it refused to budge. "Leon? Are you blocking the door? What's gotten into you? I told you, you can't come in!"

Leon held the door in place. Anger and exhilaration surged through him at once. He had every reason to be furious. Camilla was cold and selfish beyond redemption. At the same time, he felt a thrill at his newfound strength after awakening.

As a Low Tier 1 Awakened human, his Strength stat stood at only 10 points. To an Unawakened person like Camilla, however, he might as well have twice her strength.

"Oh, really? Then who's that guy in your room, Miss Modesty?" he shot back, done playing along. He pushed harder and forced the door wide open.

Leon and Logan locked eyes.

Logan was merely Reunis U's so-called dreamboat. Seeing him in person confirmed that he was the same man who would become the mayor of Reunis City in Leon's past life.

Awakened Logan and "Normie Logan" did not share many similarities, but both carried the same hint of conceit in their eyes, as if they stood above everyone else.

Leon had little personal interaction with Logan in his past life. He had been an ordinary Awakened human trying to survive the apocalypse. There had been no reason for him to associate with the high and mighty mayor and Six-Winged Fallen Angel. In fact, Leon only had a chance to meet him after a series of major feats and life-altering events.

Even so, Logan had left a poor impression on him.

In that life…

Normal humans and the Awakened eventually joined forces to clear Reunis of zombies. As the strongest among them, Logan was elected mayor.

At first, he seemed committed. He made an effort to be a capable ruler, but that resolve faded within half a year. He stopped placing the city's welfare first.

He began to oppress normal humans and looked down on low-ranking Awakened humans with low-grade Callings. He also suppressed dissent among stronger Awakened, even going so far as to eliminate newcomers whose powers might one day surpass his own.

In less than two years, Reunis became Logan's personal domain. He was, in every sense, its despot. Under his tyranny and incompetence, many Awakened abandoned the city in droves.

Logan then refused to cooperate with other city-states. By that point, he had reached Mythic Tier 4, and very few individuals could still command his attention.

Then, one day, a Zombie King emerged. It rallied the zombies beyond Reunis and laid siege to the city. With its people divided and fearful, its defenses poorly maintained, and no reinforcements from other cities, Reunis became the first major city to fall.

Logan found himself trapped in a hopeless battle against several low-tier Mythic zombies and the Zombie King. He lost and paid with his life.

Logan might have been the city's first savior, but he also brought about its downfall. His failures outweighed his achievements.

…

"God, so this is the simp you were talking about? He looks like a total jobber. Holy shit, he's the most typical beta male I've ever seen," Logan called out mockingly.

"He's the guy who keeps bothering me, Loggy. I have no relationship with that creep at all. I only said those things because he might get violent when he's enraged. I would never have said such disgusting stuff otherwise," Camilla said, her voice strained.

She had made her choice. She had to cut Leon off right now.

"Did you hear that, dipshit? She's not into you. Not ever," Logan sneered. He took the bag of food from Camilla's hand and added, "I'll let you leave in peace as thanks for the food. You have ten seconds to get out of my sight."

Leon did not budge.

"Did you hear me, or are you deaf? I don't think your puny face can handle my punches, tough guy, so you should leave," Logan roared, his expression darkening.

Leon looked up at him without fear. "Come at me, bro. I'd love to see a pretty boy like you try."

This was not the Logan Leon had known in his past life. This was just an Unawakened normie.

"Piece of shit!" Logan lunged, his punch hurtling toward Leon's face.

Leon read the attack and caught his fist mid-strike.

Logan clenched his jaw, shock and rage flashing across his face. He had not expected the so-called beta male to stop his attack.

"So you're not complete trash after all," he snarled.

Leon, however, was even more surprised by his own strength. As a low-rank Tier 1 fighter, he should have been at least twice as strong as a normal human. He had expected to overpower Logan with ease. Instead, their strength felt evenly matched.

It made sense. Even among normal humans, strength varied widely. A baby could not compare to a seasoned boxer.

Leon thought about his past life, when he had spent three years as Camilla's simp. The shock and frustration began to settle. He came from a normal family, and the food and gifts he bought for her came from his own savings. With limited resources, he had never trained in a gym.

Logan was different. Women chased after him, which left him with more time and money to pursue his interests. Leon had heard that he even trained in professional mixed martial arts.

'No wonder Logan lived so long and earned so much respect. He had all the makings of a main character, a hero,' Leon thought. 'Too bad everything has changed this time. His fate now depends entirely on me.'