Marching Onward

The zombies noticed Lucas, turning to him, even the leader. The leader could command, but it wasn't super smart. It used the lower-level zombies to protect it, kind of like servants guarding a king in the animal world.

A scream came from behind Lucas, making the lower-level zombies look at Lucy. They went for her. Even though she was scared, Lucy held her katana tight, unsheathed it, and swung it in a big circle, cutting through the zombies' chests and knocking them down. She lifted her katana, heavy as it was, and brought it down on each zombie's neck.

The quick hits cut off the zombies' heads, and a voice echoed in her head.

---

[Level 1 Zombie Killed, Awarding 50 Exp!]

[Received 15 Coins!]

[Leveling Exp Reach: 190/100!]

[Leveling Up: Level 3!]

[Receiving 2 Stat Points and 1 Skill Point!]

---

Lucy felt so much better when she heard the noises and got the messages. Her katana dropped from her hand with a clatter. She fell to the ground, super tired, her arm hurting badly. She felt weak, breathing hard, and her vision got a bit dark for a second.

At the same time, Lucas saw some low-level zombies going for Lucy. Fast, he threw his spear at the level two zombie and pulled out his dagger, sticking it in the zombie's eye. He twisted the dagger and pulled it out, using the zombie being messed up to get his spear back.

He swiftly pressed down on the zombie's jaw with his shoe to prevent any biting mischief and hurled his spear at one of the approaching seven undead, piercing it right through the nose. Despite the weight, he seized a nearby car door and flung it at two zombies, rendering them immobile. Retrieving his spear, Lucas launched it once more, this time nailing the head of one of the remaining three zombies.

The level one zombie was slow, so Lucas acted quickly. He stabbed his dagger into its forehead and used his arm guard to block the second zombie's bite. He kept doing his fast takedowns. He kicked the zombie that bit his arm guard, and while it pulled back, Lucas jumped and stabbed his dagger into its eyebrow, making it stop moving.

He turned back to the other zombies, still stuck under the car doors. Lucas took them out one by one with his dagger, doing it carefully.

---

[Level 2 Zombie Killed, Awarding 100 Exp!]

[Level 1 Zombie Killed, Awarding 50 Exp!]

[Received 35 Coins!]

---

Amidst the beeps of the system notifications, Lucas checked his arm where he got bitten. His skin wasn't broken, and his arm guard was fine. It must be the arm guard that saved him; otherwise, he'd be a zombie now. The wound seemed to be healing, and that made him feel relieved. Even though everything was crazy, it all happened super-fast.

Lucas looked at Lucy and saw she was okay. He smiled warmly, and Lucy smiled back, waving. At that moment, Lucas thought, 'Having someone with me makes this world less lonely and scary.'

They took a moment to catch their breath, sitting on a nearby overturned car. Lucy was still recovering from her intense battle with the zombies. Lucas checked his arm again, making sure there were no surprises from the zombie bite.

"You did great back there," Lucas complimented Lucy, breaking the brief silence.

Lucy chuckled, a mix of relief and tension in her voice. "Thanks, I guess. I never thought I'd be slicing through zombies when I woke up this morning."

Feeling drained, Lucas rose and approached Lucy, extending his hand.

"Our stamina is quite low right now. Do you think there might be a skill related to stamina?" he asked.

Taking his hand, Lucy responded, "I'm not sure, but I feel like the increase in my strength by four points is making it easier to control the katana weight."

Lucas nodded and gave her his water bottle. "Drink this. Next time, we should prioritize investing in strength," he suggested. The water wasn't cold, but it was refreshing.

"Let's move on. The sun is setting," Lucas remarked, gazing at the orange sky. Even in the apocalypse, he marveled at the beauty of the sun's rays.

"It's quite stunning, isn't it?" he added, captivated by the sight.

"Yes, amidst this chaos, the sun and moon seem undisturbed," Lucy agreed, her gaze fixed on the vibrant sky.

***

January 24, 2029

"Lucy! Lucy! Wake up!" a voice urgently called, interrupting Lucy's attempt to drift back to sleep.

"What's the time?" she groggily inquired.

"It's nearly 10 am," came the reply.

"I can't believe I managed a full eight-hour sleep in this apocalypse," Lucy mumbled, still half-asleep.

"You were probably just that exhausted," Lucas explained.

The previous day, after looking around for a safe place to spend the night, they found an empty internet café. Given the circumstances, every building could be considered empty, so the idea of trespassing didn't matter much.

"Last night, you insisted I sleep first. That's likely why you managed such a long rest," the voice further explained.

"Well, considering you were practically on the verge of collapsing, I figured you needed rest more urgently. After all, I only handled three zombies while you took care of eight," Lucy responded, her tone showing her logic was solid.

"Alright, alright. I concede. I can't really argue against that," the voice gave in, helping Lucy to her feet.

"You can freshen up in the bathroom first. I'll wait. I checked last night, and the water supply seems intact," the voice offered.

Amused by the situation, Lucy grinned and made her way to the bathroom.

"So, where should we head next?" Lucy questioned; her gaze fixed on Lucas.

"Let's follow the direction of the screams we heard yesterday. There might be survivors in that direction or, at the very least, a considerable number of zombies to eliminate," Lucas suggested.

"You seem to have developed a fondness for zombie hunting, and I'm starting to catch that bug, too," Lucy remarked, considering the experience points they had been accumulating. The memory of the frightened girl's screams and the trembling boy from a few days back seemed to have faded, replaced by a growing immunity to the act of killing zombies.

"You know what they say; once you've killed one, you can do it again and again," Lucas stated.

"It's like facing a fear; once you confront it a few times, it loses its grip on you," Lucy added, realizing how their attitudes had shifted.

As they stood on the outskirts of the country's fourth most populated city, they were surrounded by zombies, though still positioned on the city's outer rim. The more densely populated heart of the city was yet to be explored.

"Lucy?" Lucas's voice pulled her attention back.

"Huh? What is it?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

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