February 26, 2029
A sharp "whoosh" pierced the air as a sweaty man, donned in sweatpants, tightly grasped his cleaver knife, slicing through the atmosphere. Beside him, a shining shield caught the light. His unwavering gaze fixed upon the ascending figures on the stairs, displaying determination even in the face of the approaching zombie.
John let out a heavy, stressed sigh as he confronted the zombie before him. With resolve, he surged towards it, encountering the grotesque sight of mangled bodies and the pungent odor of burnt flesh, exposed bone, blood, and decay. Amidst this grim ambiance, a new scent emerged—the unmistakable aroma of a living, breathing human.
Shield in one hand, John skillfully defended himself, using the knife to sever the zombie's head. While not his first encounter with a zombie, in the past, Julia or someone else had always been at his side. Now, facing the horde alone, emotional attachments were a luxury he couldn't afford, beheading another zombie with swift precision.
Yet another undead figure emerged—a zombie with a broken leg, another with a savagely bitten neck, and yet another with a gnawed chest. The variety of undead assailants didn't faze him; rigorous training had prepared him for this moment.
"Come at me," he muttered quietly, lunging towards the approaching zombies with unwavering resolve.
As the relentless onslaught continued, each swing of his cleaver and every calculated step showcased the results of his rigorous training. The metallic clash of his blade meeting decaying flesh echoed through the air.
The scent of battle hung thick as he faced an ever-growing horde. For each zombie he dispatched, it seemed another took its place. The weight of his solitude bore down on him, but he pressed on, knowing there were others watching over him just in case.
Soon, a particularly agile zombie lunged at him, its movements quicker than the others. Reacting swiftly, John parried the attack with his shield, countering with a precise strike of his cleaver. The zombie crumpled to the ground, its threat neutralized.
'I wonder what she's doing…'
Amidst the chaos, memories of the past surfaced, but that was a luxury he couldn't afford at the moment. Once again, he focused on the approaching zombie as it lunged at him.
Notifications rushed at him, their sounds ringing in his ears, yet he remained resolute. He needed to prove to the person watching him that he was valuable, essential to be kept alive and well, that they needed him. Though his strength paled in comparison to the leader of the place he found himself in, it didn't matter. He had to demonstrate that these seemingly insignificant zombies held no power over him, that he could dispatch them however he pleased. John chuckled, "Alright, if you want to die, come at me."
They called him a coward, merely the manager of some obscure gym, they laughed. Just a father who couldn't locate his daughter amidst the raging apocalypse. One month into this nightmare, he refused to give up. "I have to survive as long as possible to find her, or at least her body should be found before I die."
It didn't matter if he was a prisoner of war; pride was inconsequential at this point. What mattered was the instinct to survive. Another sound rang in his ear, which he chose to ignore.
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Achievement Unlocked:
[Silver] The First Kingdom Knight Path to Courage
Rewards:
Intelligent Potion [Rare]
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Ignoring the potion on the ground, John nonchalantly moved past it, immersing himself further in the sea of zombies. At first glance, he resembled a barbarian—ragged shirt, grey sweatpants, one hand gripping a cleaver knife dripping with green blood, the other holding a shield stained with the remains of the walking dead.
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Meri observed from the rooftop, her eyes fixed on him. Her hand clutched the bowstring, ready to strike any zombie that ventured too close to John. Originally, it was meant to be John and three teenagers joining the fight, but he had insisted on facing it alone, fearing he might accidentally harm the others. Reluctantly, Meri agreed.
Surveying the scene, she noticed John's body stained with green blood. Despite the odds, no zombie managed to reach him. While she assisted by shooting zombies that threatened to overwhelm him, he stood alone, having incapacitated about 80% of the zombies at the entrance. Limbs and heads littered the concrete floor.
To her side, a presence caught her attention. A shadow, a wisp of black smoke, seemed to acknowledge her gaze. Meri questioned, her voice devoid of fear, "What are you doing?"
The shadow spirit responded, "Meri, it's become increasingly difficult to get you alone these days. When will you fulfill your promise? Enough time has passed."
Meri looked up at the spirit, her voice shifting to uneasiness. "There are more people here now, making it harder to communicate with you. But don't worry, I'll complete the task you assigned me before the end of this month."
"Are you sure?" the shadow inquired.
Meri nodded, determination in her eyes. "You helped Sir Lucas wake up again and stabilized his injury when Miss Lucy was searching for ways to heal him. I'll keep my promise, even if it means risking my life."
The spirit nodded in apparent satisfaction, cautioning Meri, "Don't make me regret helping you, Meri. You will suffer punishment if you forsake your promise." With that, the smoke vanished, the unseen presence dissipating.
Having dealt with it, Meri could finally redirect her attention to John, whose Meri eased her bow down and descended the stairs from the rooftop. Approaching the man still fervently swinging his sword on the university stairs, she drew her dagger—a gift from Sir Lucas—and declared, "I will help."
With determination, she swiftly slashed at the zombie before her, noting that his skills seemed sufficient without much assistance.
"What are you thinking about?" she inquired, addressing John. His body was smeared with green blood, unsure if he had accidentally consumed any. John's response was brief, his gaze locked with hers, "I'm not thinking about anything," as his sword slashed through another zombie.
"Suit yourself," Meri replied, rushing at the nearest zombies and slashing them with her dagger. Her innate skills allowed her to go unnoticed by zombies and humans alike, seamlessly blending in with the wind.
The task she had to fulfill for the shadow spirit was no simple matter, but it had already proven helpful. Consequences loomed if she failed to fulfill its wish.
"And what about you, what are you thinking about?" John suddenly asked, his body adorned with fresh blood, Meri's hand similarly stained. She replied casually, "Nothing important," slashing at the zombies' arms.
Unbeknownst to her, John could clearly observe her body darting back and forth amidst the zombies, seemingly reckless and carefree. Little did he know that she was currently employing her innate skill. However, for him, her body movements were crystal clear, and he sighed in response to her actions.
"It seems we both aren't thinking about anything important then," he laughed, stepping on the head of a fallen zombie.
Before Julia's demise, she was the person he was closest to, despite not harboring much affection for her. In the midst of an apocalypse, options were limited, and Julia's excessive caution ultimately led to her downfall.
Grasping the pendant hanging from his neck, John held onto the sole beacon of hope he wished to endure in this world. "May God protect you," he whispered, a quiet plea for safety.
Continuing his slash, the cleaver knife connected with one of the zombies, its bulging eye smashed as its face and neck were cut with his shield bashing it forward, causing it to fall to the ground.
Their combination seemed like a synergy, a choreography of destruction. To the zombies, it appeared as if their comrades were being systematically decapitated by the man in front of them, an illusion of intelligence in their undead minds. Unbeknownst to them, another human was silently killing their kind.
Meri slashed the chest of another zombie, pushing forward to pull out its organs. The cold, dead feeling clung to her fingers as she kicked the zombie and stepped over its head, stomping her feet.
If the three teenagers were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly be shocked, for the battlefield was gruesome. However, they were currently relegated to the third floor of the university, forced by Sir Lucas to train there as John insisted on fighting alone.
Meri glanced over at John; the sunshine was still hot and blazing, and even she was beginning to sweat profusely. Yet, the man pressed forward. For once, she found herself impressed by the man who had previously had his hands tied.
As she kicked the last few zombies, she turned toward John, noticing his hand dangling the pendant adorning his neck. "What is that pendant?" she asked, curiosity hanging in the air. In contrast to the man before her, the pendant was shiny gold, its appearance a stark contrast to the blood around.
John chuckled and replied, "My wife's gift."