Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 199: Nancy POV - Rewind

Nancy remained on her knees, her body frozen as her eyes stayed locked on Alex.

Chained. Restrained.

Her chest tightened. A storm of emotions churned inside her—guilt, pain, exhaustion.

It had all started the moment Alex left to go on his own.

Since then, she and her coworkers had been through hell.

After joining Ethan’s faction, their lives had changed. No longer just survivors—now they were soldiers.

Orders weren’t suggestions. They were law.

The moment they stepped into the faction, they had unknowingly signed a contract of submission.

20% of all tutorial points they earned—gone. Automatically taken.

In return?

A spot in the camp. Shelter. Food. Safety.

The amount of food you received depended entirely on the tutorial points you brought in.

That rule alone forced people to risk their lives—venturing into danger, hunting monsters, fighting desperately just to survive.

No one was spared.

If you couldn’t bring in enough points? No food.

If you failed to earn points for three consecutive days? You were kicked out. Thrown into the wild to fend for yourself—or worse, to die.

And any trace of rebellion? Crushed. Instantly.

Nancy had tried to intercede once.

Tried to reason with Ethan.

But he didn’t just threaten her. He threatened everyone she came with.

His words still echoed in her mind:

"The moment you joined, you forfeited the right to leave. You either stay until I die... or until the tutorial ends."

Killing Ethan?

Impossible.

Nancy had considered it. She’d thought about getting rid of him, freeing herself and the others from his grip.

But then she saw him fight.

Ethan wasn’t just strong—he was on another level.

He wielded some foreign power that allowed him to dominate foes that should have been unstoppable. Enemies that should have crushed him were instead torn apart like they were nothing.

Nancy realized then—she couldn’t win.

And to make things worse, Jonah, someone she once trusted, wasn’t on her side anymore.

Instead, he had become Ethan’s right-hand man. A close, trusted associate.

That left her with only one option.

She tried using her ability—[Eros Hold].

She pushed it to its limits, attempting to influence Ethan, to control him, to make him let his guard down.

But he saw through it instantly.

Before she could react, he nearly killed her.

If Jonah hadn’t stepped in, she’d be dead.

Instead, Ethan left her with a permanent lesson.

He cut off her arm.

She spent a week recovering. A week filled with pain.

And she only survived because Jonah convinced Ethan that she was too valuable to kill.

That she was a strong combatant.

That she could still be useful.

Nancy’s recovery came at the hands of Ethan’s woman.

And that woman?

Katie.

Alex’s ex-girlfriend.

Katie wasn’t just a healer—she was an incredible one. She could regenerate torn limbs, a rare and invaluable skill that made her one of the most important members of Ethan’s faction.

But that didn’t mean she was kind.

If anything, she was just as cruel as Ethan.

While she restored Nancy’s arm, she deliberately refused to regenerate her thumb.

Her reasoning?

"I think you look better this way," she had said with a smirk, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Nancy had clenched her teeth, but she could do nothing.

Katie held all the power in that moment.

After recovering, Nancy turned to Jonah—the only person she still had hope in.

She tried to convince him to help her get rid of Ethan.

But Jonah refused.

He had a loyalty to Ethan. Maybe it was because they were related, or maybe Jonah had simply become too entrenched in Ethan’s world.

Either way, Nancy’s plea went nowhere.

And to make matters worse, Jonah had also developed a resistance to her charm ability.

And it wasn’t just Jonah, but Ethan’s inner circle.

Her ability was now completely ineffective on the people who truly mattered.

And that sucked for her.

The rest of the faction, however, clung to her like flies to honey.

They sought reassurance, comfort, and someone to confide in.

At first, Nancy told herself it was just her ability at work.

They didn’t care about her, not really. It was just her charm making them feel safe.

But even knowing that… she couldn’t push them away.

She got attached.

Especially to Dorothy.

Dorothy was young, barely a teenager, but she was an incredible archer.

Over time, Nancy grew fond of her.

Dorothy—and the others who depended on her—became her reason for staying.

Jonah, to his credit, also looked out for the weaker members of the faction.

In fact, most people saw him as their true leader.

Ethan didn’t seem to care.

He needed someone to manage the "normies," and he’d rather it be Jonah than Nancy.

But deep down?

Ethan knew the truth.

No one in the faction had more influence than Nancy.

Even those who had resistance to Nancy’s ability weren’t completely immune.

They were still influenced—just a little.

And Ethan knew it.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say, that Ethan, not killing her, despite knowing she was dangerous, was because he too was somewhat influenced.

Nancy’s ability was just that powerful.

That’s why he kept sending her on dangerous missions. To rid of her.

Hunting for food.

Fighting monsters.

Battling rival factions that wanted to annex the guild.

The last was a constant struggle.

At the start, there were many factions and groups. Some were small, trying to survive on their own. Others were ambitious, aiming to dominate.

But one by one, they either got annexed or crushed.

Now, with the end of the tutorial approaching, only two major forces remained.

The Ethereal Faction – led by Ethan.The Highlanders – led by Darrel.

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And right now, both leaders were desperate.

They were aggressively recruiting players, trying to bolster their numbers.

It wasn’t just about strength anymore.

It felt like they were competing for something bigger.

Like there was a hidden quest they weren’t telling anyone about.

Then came what led to the raid on the Beast Lord.

For days, its monsters poured out of the dungeon, wreaking havoc.

Carnivorous deer with lightning antlers.

These creatures weren’t just fast—they could shoot out bolts of electricity, frying anything in their path.

They had stormed the factions’ camps, killing dozens of players.

The two factions had tried to fight back—but it was a disaster.

A brutal loss.

Ethan lost two of his closest associates.

Nancy lost a dozen members… and Evelyn.

She cried a lot that day.

The next morning, something unthinkable happened.

Ethan and Darrel—sworn enemies—formed a truce.

Their factions would temporarily join forces.

Just until they slaughtered the Beast Lord that had been terrorizing them.