“Okay... so...”

Stunned, his gaze fixed on the new panel that had just appeared before him.

“Lucas, are you okay? You were glowing and everything.”

Upon hearing Lucas's voice, he collected his thoughts and settled himself on the ground. Only then did Lucy receive a nod from Meri, allowing her to approach Lucas.

“I was so worried; it's been ages since I've seen a walking light show.”

“...”

“Not funny.”

“I'm just trying to lighten the mood, but are you really, okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine.”

Still sitting within the university building, Lucas picked up the bow lying beside him and offered it to the still-standing Meri.

“Here, you can take this.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Remember how you mentioned that using close-range weapons alone against zombies in the alleyway is tough? I think this bow would suit you better.”

“Ah! Then I'll gladly take it. Thank you, sir.”

“Meri, I'm not sure how to get you to stop being so formal. I'm younger than you; it feels odd.”

“I apologize, sir. I'll make an effort to change that.”

“See? You did it again. You said the same last time as well. At this rate, it might become a habit of yours.”

With a shake of his head, Lucas handed the bow to her.

The bow was crafted from an unknown material, its golden hue shining. It was as tall as a newborn and as wide as a pillow. Even if Lucas were to attempt using it, it would likely be less efficient than what he was accustomed to – stabbing, striking, and slicing.

“Take care of it. It's an epic-ranked item. Even Lucy only has rare-ranked items.”

“Lucas, stop picking on Meri. If there was a hell, you'd be headed there for your lack of respect.”

“Lucy... you've probably ended more lives than I have.”

“Lucas!”

Lucy responded, a mix of shock and concern in her expression. She motioned to Meri, who was still admiring the bow.

“Huh... Oh! I'm sorry. Meri, you didn't know that, did you?”

“It's okay, sir. They must have done something truly terrible to warrant being dealt with by you and Miss. You two are kind.”

Meri shifted her gaze away from the bow and spoke, her sincerity evident in her eyes. A trust was forming between them, and Lucas realized he might have been too harsh on her from the beginning. After all, he initially considered abandoning the two siblings.

“Meri, I'll teach you how to use the bow later. It'll be your first real experience with a magical item. Be cautious.”

Lucas's reluctance was clear, but Meri's eyes sparkled like a sky full of stars. She seemed genuinely excited.

Seeing Lucas's smile, Lucy reflected on their shared experiences of traveling alone together. Rarely did they encounter other humans. The aunt Lucy had killed under Lucas's instruction, and the man whom Lucas had killed with a dagger, both served to reveal the harsh truths of the world they now lived in. The count of lives they had taken was approaching three digits.

“Lucas, please tell me what happens when you glow. I need to understand,” Lucy asked, locking eyes with him. She kneeled on the cold, hard floor right in front of him.

Lucas had expected this question, so he was mentally prepared. That's why he had suggested teaching Meri how to use the bow later. He had spent so much time with Lucy that her inquisitive nature came as no surprise. It would have been strange if she hadn't asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

It seemed like luck was on his side, especially since the beginning of the apocalypse. If Lucy had been somewhere else during the phase two upgrade, she might have become a lord as well, owning a base under the system's legitimacy.

“Before you ask, let me explain. Our base is now called the ‘Dawn Kingdom’, and I also have a city named the ‘Twilight City’, which I own.”

“Lucas, what's--?”

Lucas placed a finger over Lucy's lips, instantly silencing her. The gesture was clear; wait until he finished speaking.

“I understand what you want to ask, but let me explain first. After that, I achieved two new titles. One is platinum for being the first player to own a kingdom, and the other is gold for being the sixty-seventh to own a city. These achievements granted me two items, the dark magic spear and the golden bow I just gave to Meri.”

Pausing to take a breath and pointing to the items he had mentioned, Lucas contemplated his new choice of weapon. The dark magic spear appeared more appealing at the moment.

“Just so you know, I won't be giving you the dark magic spear. It's a heroic-ranked item with two abilities; Shockwave, which delivers a shocking impact upon contact, and Combustion, which ignites the insides of opponents upon contact.”

As Lucy heard about the two abilities of his weapon, she couldn't help but question her luck, as if she were paying for some past sin in her previous life.

“Relax your expression. Another thing is that I now have a total of 10 achievements, which have unlocked the title and legend panel, along with the new management panel. This also granted me two new achievements; ‘Dawn Kingdom King’ and ‘Twilight City Lord’, adding up to 0.6 Legend points. As for your question about legend points, I don't know exactly what they'll do, but they seem to hold significance. As for titles, think of them like reputations. Understand?”

“I'm not sure about the last part.”

“Alright, let's put it simply. When you talk to your friend about a specific teacher, let's say a biology teacher, do you call him by his name or something else?”

“No, we just say 'Biology Teacher'.”

“That's the answer I was looking for. Titles are like that – they're the most recognized way to refer to someone, like 'president' or 'mayor.' In this case, I'd be the 'mayor.'“

“Now, moving on. The management panel has some new additions. I can now convert someone into the Dawn Knight class once a month using the skill, I told you about yesterday. Oh, and there's also a section for landmarks and core buildings. The core building is obviously this one, and the landmark is the tree outside. If you haven't seen it yet, just walk over to the window there and look down. It's quite beautiful.”

Lucas gestured to the nearby window. A few steps would take them right beside it.

“I've already seen it.”

“Oh, great. Hmm... ah! I just remembered something amusing.”

Perplexed by Lucas's sudden fit of laughter, Lucy tapped him and asked, “What's so funny?”

“Haha! Remember how I told you your 'Dusk' name idea wasn't good?”

“Yes, I remember. What about it?”

“Turns out, when I tried to use it as a city name, I got an error saying it was already taken. Isn't that amusing? There's someone out there who also thinks that terrible name is a good idea.”

Lucy's reaction to this news was more than flabbergasted. She had expected something more substantial from Lucas's uncontrollable laughter.

“Come on! Stop laughing, you goof. I was expecting something else. So not funny.”

Well, this is why she shouldn't set her expectations too high. After all, in her mind, the name ‘Dusk’ wasn't that terrible of an idea – well, maybe after a bit of reconsideration, it might not have been the best idea, but it wasn't terrible.

“Alright, alright! I'll stop. So, do you want to see something cool? Sorry, I still find that hilarious.”

Rolling her eyes at his words, Lucy lightly slapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, show me.”

Lucas, making an effort to suppress his persistent laughter, retrieved a scroll from his pouch. “A scroll?”

Intrigued, she asked, “Yes, and Meri, bring Cale over to watch this too. He might find it interesting.”

A minute passed in complete silence as Lucas focused on scrolling through the management panels until the familiar sound chimed again. Seeing Meri bringing her brother, who had been playing with a towel, Lucas couldn't help but chuckle softly.

“Here we go,” Lucas declared, placing both hands on the scroll and tearing it apart with an amused smirk.

“Rip!” he exclaimed, adding a touch of playfulness to his tone.

“Lucas, what on earth are you doing?” Lucy was taken aback and quickly demanded an explanation, although the unfolding scene was probably explanation enough. A radiant light burst forth from the torn scroll, creating a radiant canopy of light that expanded gradually.

“Wow,” the boy, Cale, marveled.

“It's quite beautiful,” Lucy admitted.

Lucas chuckled once more. “Impressed, Lucy? It's quite amazing, isn't it?”

As the light danced around them and extended beyond the university's boundaries, Lucas continued, “I bought this at the black building. It's actually useful, unlike that caterpillar – what was its name again? Oh yes, Ruu!”

Lucy fell into silence, absorbing the breathtaking scene.

“Well, anyway, it's beautiful. I have a few more scrolls. Cale can try playing with them.”