Breaking the Limit

Zashirmiq stepped into the sunlit front room, carrying a tray with warm food. He moved quietly.

Near the bedroom door, Amina sat curled on a cushion chair—one hand on her knee, the other hanging limp. She stirred as the door clicked shut.

"You're early," she murmured, her voice rough with sleep.

"Brought breakfast."

He set the tray down and glanced toward the bedroom.

Amina followed his gaze. "She hasn't woken yet. Injuries were bad... really bad. It'll take days."

They stepped into the room together. Ayesha lay beneath a soft sheet, face pale but peaceful. One hand rested near her chest, bandages peeking from her collar and sleeves.

Zashirmiq watched her for a long moment, then nodded. "Still breathing. Still fighting."

Amina said nothing. Just stood beside him.

They returned to the main room. He handed her one of the warm flatbreads.

They ate in silence at the low table, the quiet of the house wrapping around them like a blanket.

Then Amina spoke. "I keep thinking about yesterday. The way she fought... alone, surrounded."

Zashirmiq looked up.

"She couldn't run. Could barely stand. But she kept going. Kept blasting, kept killing. Dozens of them."

"She wasn't protecting anyone," he said quietly. "Didn't even know we'd come."

"Nope. She was just trying to live. Even when there was no hope."

His jaw tightened. "And she almost did."

Amina leaned back slightly. "She's a Chaos user. Close-range. Melee specialist. One of the most lethal I've seen."

Zashirmiq nodded. "And she was wrecked. Surrounded. Half-dead."

"But she didn't stop," Amina said. "She didn't break. Kept swinging. Kept casting. Even when it didn't make sense anymore."

"She fought like dying didn't matter," he said. "Like the only thing that mattered was taking more of them down."

"She did it alone. Against hundreds." Amina exhaled. "If that's not will, I don't know what is."

Zashirmiq's voice dropped. "That's what scares me. She shouldn't have had to."

"Exactly," Amina muttered. "She bought herself that survival with pain. Pure willpower. Not luck. Not backup."

He nodded. "That kind of strength... I don't know if I have it yet."

They sat still. The food cooled.

Amina's voice turned quiet. "If she could do that, alone and broken, what excuse do we have?"

Zashirmiq looked at her. "We don't."

She met his gaze. "So we stop playing safe. We stop holding back."

"We fight like our lives depend on it," he said. "Because they do."

A short pause.

He stood, rolling his shoulders. "Then let's go kill something."

The alley stank of ash and rot.

A severed Hollowed Human's head hit the cracked pavement with a dull thud, bouncing once before rolling to a stop. Zashirmiq adjusted his stance.

"Three left."

"Left flank—mine!" Amina shouted.

In a blur of fire and speed, Amina shot across the broken ground—her blade trailing flames. She slashed clean through the first Hollowed's torso, the molten arc slicing it in half. The charred remains dropped without a sound.

Another lunged from the left.

Zashirmiq stepped in, blade flashing. The second Hollowed's head flew free as its body crumpled.

The third charged straight at them.

Amina fired a bolt into its chest. The blast staggered it.

Zashirmiq vanished—then reappeared behind it. One clean arc of steel finished the job.

He exhaled. "That makes ten."

"Our sync's better," Amina said, flames still flickering along her blade.

Three days later, the narrow street was filled with snarls and shuffling limbs as fifteen Hollowed poured in from both ends.

"Take the right!" Zashirmiq called out.

"Got it!"

Amina slid back a step, sword in one hand. Her other hand flared—a fireball launched. It erupted in the center of the group, blasting three apart.

She didn't pause. A bolt followed, arcing from her palm and dropping two more in a twitching heap.

Zashirmiq surged forward. One teleport—he appeared behind the left flank, blade flashing in a diagonal arc. One Hollowed dropped instantly, torso split.

Another turned, claw raised.

Zashirmiq ducked low, sidestepped, and slashed upward—cleaving through its neck.

He weaved between the next two, keeping pace with Amina's ranged attacks, blade biting through limbs and throats. Timing his steps, spacing his strikes—waiting for cooldown.

Amina, calm and sharp, loosed another bolt. It cracked through two more enemies as they closed in on his flank.

He nodded once. No words needed.

Minutes later, the last Hollowed collapsed in a scorched, bleeding heap.

Smoke curled through the street. Ash drifted.

Amina leaned against the wall, catching her breath. "Fifteen."

Zashirmiq rolled his shoulder. "No injuries. Very good."

By the fifth day of nonstop hunting, they stood over a pile of twenty Hollowed.

No commands. No shouts. Just motion and instinct.

Amina's fireballs exploded through tight clusters, clearing space in bursts. Her bolts lanced through gaps, picking off stragglers before they got close.

Zashirmiq teleported once—flanking the left side—then moved on foot through the chaos, blade slicing with precision. Every strike lined up with Amina's pressure. When a Hollowed staggered from flame, his blade was already falling. When one lunged at her side, he was there, steel flashing.

Amina used Flame Dash once to reposition, sword igniting mid-swing as she cleaved through a charging Hollowed's chest.

No wasted steps.

No hesitation.

And they'd done it.

A full pack of twenty—wiped out in five minutes.

As the seventh evening set in, dust clung to their skin. Sweat trickled down their backs. The sun dipped low behind the skyline, casting the ruins in deep orange.

"Level thirteen," he muttered. "Three levels in a week. That's good speed."

Amina gave a short nod. "Level nineteen. Only one level gained."

She stretched, frustration flickering in her eyes. "I think I've hit the limit of what this place offers."

Zashirmiq looked over. "Slowing down?"

"Yeah. Even big fights—ten, twenty at once—aren't worth much anymore. These things are too weak."

He glanced past the fence. "Makes sense. You're already stronger than most things here."

Amina flexed her fingers. Sparks danced—dim and short-lived. "I need tougher enemies. If I want to keep leveling fast, I can't stay near the wall."

Zashirmiq nodded. "I'm still moving up fast… but I'll hit that wall soon too."

She exhaled. "If we're heading deeper, we need to be prepared—better armor, more potions."

He nodded slightly. "Let's visit Hina and Hira tomorrow, then."

Next morning, as they entered the twins' shop—

"Ah! Zashirmiq!" Hira waved from her bench, nearly tipping a bubbling flask.

Hina looked up from behind the counter, eyes lighting up.

"Good to see you! How's the hunting? What level are you now? Amina, you okay?" she fired off in a single breath.

Zashirmiq smiled. "Good to see you both too. It's going well."

"Level thirteen," he added.

The twins froze.

"No way," Hina muttered. "That fast?"

Hira turned, opened a crate, and handed him a few dozen small vials. "Recovery potions and stamina restores. Should last a while."

Hina slid a pouch across the counter. "Essence Shards. your share after, We sold off the rabbit scraps. Kept what we needed for crafting."

Zashirmiq picked it up and stored everything silently.

"We're planning to move deeper," he said.

The twins exchanged a look.

"You'll start seeing Advanced Hollowed Humans," Hira said slowly.

"Like?" Amina asked.

Hina leaned forward. "Two types we've heard most about."

She raised a finger. "Echo-Hollowed. can make a scream attack from there mouth. Ribcages vibrate like speakers when they are about to make that attack so look out for it. you'll feel panic, grief. Not a real attack. Just... emotional echoes."

Hina raised another finger. "Then there's Ragers. Muscles swollen, bone spikes at the joints. They rush in fast, smash through barriers, and don't stop unless you break their limbs."

"They don't even feel pain," Hira said. "They just keep coming."

Amina frowned. "That's just the start?"

"Yeah," Hina nodded. "The deeper in you go, the worse it gets. More mutations. More unpredictable behavior."

Zashirmiq nodded. "Then we need better gear."

"And more potions," Hira added. "But we're out of ingredients."

"No herbs, no ores," Hina confirmed.

Amina crossed her arms. "So we go find them."

"Exactly," Hira said. "Me and Hina will come too. We've got the most experience tracking those materials."

Zashirmiq glanced at her. "How long?"

"Around a week," Hira replied. "We'll stay near the wall. Focus on scavenging, not combat."

Amina nodded. "Sounds good. We skip fights if we can."

As the twins get ready with there combat gears, Zashirmiq activated Insight skill on both of them.