Regular Respite
Water cascaded down her sword, scrubbing away some of the dried green blood. The stench was overwhelming, making her cringe.
'This is so repulsive,' Lucy thought, sliding her sword into its scabbard.
"Lucas."
"What is it?" He looked at her, dropping an empty water bottle onto a pile of zombie corpses.
"I'll help you search for a phone store, but you have to help me find a perfume store. I can't stand the smell of blood on my sword every time I use it. Water doesn't completely get rid of it, so at least let's mask the odor."
Lucas considered her proposal. The reasoning seemed sound, and he, too, despised the lingering odor. He nodded in agreement, sliding his freshly cleaned jian back into its scabbard to maintain its sharpness.
Exiting the building, Lucas observed the gruesome scene before them—a horde of corpses that resembled a nightmarish apocalypse movie. The zombies sprawled across the road, stacked on furniture, and even clung to the staircase railing, their green blood staining everything in sight.
After dispatching some of the zombies in their way—ranging from level 2 to level 3—they located an open phone store. They dealt with the zombies inside, securing around 15 power banks, much to Lucas's delight. He carefully stored them in his pouch, relishing the idea of having more battery power for his phone.
Lucy couldn't help but comment, "That many?"
"You wouldn't understand, Lucy. I had to save up a lot to buy this phone, and now even better ones are available for free. But I still prefer mine."
She raised an eyebrow. "You don't even use your phone that much."
As they left the phone store and ventured a bit further, they stumbled upon a family-owned grocery store. Its undead inhabitants—two middle-aged adults and a teenage zombie—suggested its history.
Among the scents of flowers and wood, Lucy's excitement was palpable. "Ah, so many options! Oh my, Cinnamon! Lucas!"
"What about Sandalwood?"
She chuckled. "You just don't get it."
Since leaving Sarah's house, human encounters have been rare. The two of them roamed the streets of the city, the absence of life growing more conspicuous with every step. Lucas feigned agreement with Lucy's perfume preferences, his bloodstained jian gripped tightly in his hand.
'Since when did cinnamon become a perfume scent? Well, I suppose I'll never truly understand,' he mused to himself.
***
February 2, 2029
Another day elapsed, and their journey continued, though at a much slower pace due to the escalating number of zombies.
"Lucas, should we bolster our strength around this area for now? Level 3 zombies are becoming more frequent. Their numbers are growing rapidly," Lucy proposed.
"Yeah, okay. It's quite astonishing how they used to be rare to find, and now it feels like there's no end to their population, even in this relatively small city," Lucas responded.
Today, Lucy's katana bore the scent of lavender—a welcome reprieve from the putrid stench of zombie blood. Lucas drove his jian into a zombie's neck, ending its existence.
Amid dealing with numerous feral zombies over the past few days, most of their newly acquired stat points had been invested in increasing their strength. Despite this, they hadn't encountered another ghoul yet, leaving them in the dark about how ghouls came into being.
Swinging his sword tirelessly, Lucas was surrounded by the constant growls of hungry zombies. He utilized his fire-blaze skill to incinerate a group of lower-level undead, while Lucy managed to behead the leader a few meters away. Exhausted, Lucas let out a sigh, watching as Lucy wiped the sweat off her face.
"Lucy, I believe by now, most people in the inner city have learned how to combat zombies and utilize the system. But what sets us apart is our one-week retaliation advantage. If they start fighting back after a week, they won't get the 'killed count' achievement, and that means no system rewards for them. It's an advantage we can hold onto," Lucas shared as they inched closer to the inner city, maintaining their pretense of being siblings.
Their journey demanded vigilance for the unforeseen challenges that lay ahead. They had already scoured nearby markets, grocery stores, and clothing boutiques, amassing a collection that filled Lucas's versatile pouch—an item capable of storing over 100 different items.
"My hand is getting weak, Lucas. I need a brief rest," Lucy admitted, her katana dancing gracefully as she finished off another zombie. After wiping sweat from her brow, she settled onto the bed in one of the buildings, longing for a moment of sleep.
Aware of her exhaustion, Lucas stationed himself outside the building, honing his sword skills while allowing Lucy to recover her stamina. It had become their routine, taking breaks each hour as zombies continued their steady advance. Thankfully, the relaxing scent of lavender on Lucas's jian masked their presence, deterring additional zombies from approaching.
'I wonder what those survivors are doing in there. Hopefully not resort to cannibalism. Humans don't exactly make for gourmet dining unless they're absolutely desperate. Unlike those wretches who engaged in such acts even before the apocalypse,' Lucas mused, his thoughts wandering.
Swinging his jian to slay zombies, then resting briefly, then repeating the cycle, was taking a toll on Lucas. His spirits were flagging, and his back and arms felt weary and weak from exhaustion.
"Opening system!"
---
Name: Lucas Tharla
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: God of Fire and Heat
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 15 (190/2500)
Stats:
Agi: 15 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 40 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 30 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 25 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
[Clawing Fang: Manifest a temporary long claw for 30 seconds. (2 uses/day) Grade 1!]
Unallocated Skill Points: 15
Coins: 3010
Achievements Completed: 6 △
Items: 7 △
---
"Seems like I now possess twice the strength of an average adult, though my agility remains below par. It's not as if I can change that. Staying in one place, moving to another—the only folks who'd desire this agility are those aiming to evade zombies, which we don't need as we seek more powerful zombies for their experience points," Lucas mused.
He sighed as he glanced at the new watch, which he'd obtained from the phone store. As Lucy emerged from the building, it was time for him to switch places and rest.
If they kept alternating and hunting solo for a few more hours, they could potentially reach Level 20. Curious about Lucy's level, he asked, "Lucy, what level are you at right now?"
"Level? I'm not sure. I haven't been keeping track today. Maybe around 14 or 15. Let me check," she replied.
"Opening system!"
---
Name: Lucy Lyons
Age: 16 years old
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Class: Goddess of Snow and Ice
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Subclass: None
Level: 15 (50/2500)
Stats:
Agi: 15 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Str: 34 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Int: 17 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Vit: 32 (Average Adult Human: 20)
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
[Tiny Immortal: Immune to attacks for 5 seconds. (1 use/day) Grade 1!]
Unallocated Skill Points: 15
Coins: 3020
Achievements Completed: 4 △
Items: 4 △
---
"I'm at level 15 right now," Lucy reported, preparing her katana to face the incoming zombies.
"Alright then, I'll rest indoors for an hour and then switch back. Stay safe," Lucas assured her.
"I know," Lucy replied as Lucas entered the building and lay down on the bed she had just vacated. The scent of lavender clung to both their bodies.
Closing his eyes, Lucas let himself drift into slumber, pondering what awaited them deeper within the city. Would Lucy's parents still be alive? How would they endure the relentless assault of zombies that had proven challenging even in the past two days?
Outside, Lucy continued her graceful dance with her katana, blood staining its blade. The highest-level zombie she had encountered today was a level 5 encountered before reaching the current building.
"They're getting faster and faster," Lucy muttered, wiping sweat from her brow and longing for the cool embrace of an air conditioner.
"Let's keep going," she urged herself, hurling a bottle of water at an approaching zombie. As it staggered toward her, she unleashed her icicle skill.