During the afternoon
The rain fell, and the sand revealed the trails of raindrops that faded with each wave of the sea that reached the shore.
Matthew watched the sea churning in the storm.
"Nature truly is fierce," he thought as he sat in a palm tree he had felled.
He gazed at the land on the horizon.
A whole month had passed since he began walking the perimeter of the beach, traversing different types of terrain: some rocky, some wooded, some swampy, and others high with rocky cliffs. Now he stood observing the imposing and tempestuous landscape under the constant rain accompanied by strong winds.
Beside him lay the two zombie dogs.
"I haven't seen many aquatic animals. I wonder if some have turned into zombies. I can't even estimate what kind of wildlife is in these seas."
Matthew turned his gaze toward an island located between the two continents.
"That zombie had no reason to lie. Besides, I sense a strange danger looking at the continent on the horizon. How did he get here? He built a raft. It's too risky to cross the sea on a raft made by an amateur. At least during the rainy season, perhaps I should try exploring the continent I'm currently on and enter some dimensional portal where I can gain benefits for myself and my zombie dogs."
Matthew and his dogs remained there for hours until the sun reappeared, though its light was only visible through the storm clouds. Afterward, he and his dogs moved away from the sea and ventured into the undergrowth, among some palm trees, heading for unexplored territories far from the coast.
...
Several days later, under a clear night sky, zombie dogs roared among the trees of a mountain, arriving at the sight of three zombie wolves.
[Zombie Wolf: Rank D-]
[Zombie Wolf: Rank E+]
[Zombie Wolf: Rank E]
Matthew surveyed his surroundings and realized that these zombies weren't the greatest threat.
"A stronger energy is emanating from the deepest part of the mountain," Matthew said, popping the "monster" pill into his mouth.
The zombie dogs attacked.
The Rank E+ zombie dog charged at the enormous, nearly two-meter-tall Rank D- zombie wolf.
The other dog charged at the Rank E+ zombie wolf.
And Matthew swung one of his swords, piercing the Rank E zombie wolf's body.
Cut!
Blood!
Matthew swung his bone sword and decapitated the zombie wolf.
The Rank E zombie dog had lost a leg, which the Rank E+ zombie wolf ripped off with a bite, but they were still engaged in a fierce fight until Matthew jumped on the zombie wolf and stabbed it in the head, killing it instantly.
Matthew ordered his Rank E dog to assist the Rank E+ dog, who was already subdued on the ground after a bite from the Rank D- zombie wolf had shattered its spine.
The Rank E zombie dog leaped toward the zombie wolf.
The zombie wolf opened its jaws, revealing sharp teeth, and bit the zombie dog's neck. Almost simultaneously, Matthew positioned himself in front of the zombie wolf and, with an upward thrust, pierced its head with a "bone sword."
Matthew, who still had the pill in his mouth, sensed the appearance of nearly six forms of energy, in addition to the powerful energy hidden deep within the mountain.
Matthew looked in the direction of the powerful energy, and then both that energy and the rest of the zombie wolves vanished after a chilling howl was heard.
"Rank C+ or higher. That zombie must have regained a large part of the skills it possessed in life," thought Matthew as he used his bone sword to cut off his own left arm and handed it to the rank E zombie dog.
Matthew's arm regenerated, and at that moment, Matthew sat near the badly wounded E+ rank zombie dog.
With his power to control bones, Matthew ripped out his own spine, and then it regenerated.
The E+ rank zombie dog devoured the bloody spine that Matthew had ordered it to eat.
[Zombie: Rank B-]
"This time my power within Rank B decreased a bit," Matthew looked at his zombie dogs and ordered them to devour the zombie wolves.
Before eating the zombie wolves, the E+ rank zombie dog had reached Rank D- after eating the spine that Matthew offered it, and the E rank zombie dog whose leg regenerated after eating Matthew's left arm had reached Rank E+. The next day, Matthew and his zombie dogs continued deeper into the mountain and a few days later they reached a valley after which they climbed another mountain and after several days they came out when they reached the foot of the mountain and saw in front of them a vast plain in which in the distance they could see the ruins of a city.