Steaming and vacuuming the hall took up the rest of the day, and my cleaning skill had leveled up. There wasn’t too much blood on the walls, so by the time the lights dimmed for the day, the hall looked just as it had before the apocalypse. At least, it did if you ignored the doors that the goblins had clawed through and the horrid smell coming from one of the rooms closest to the stairwell. It was a good day as long as I didn’t think about it too hard.

I had one last project in mind before I settled in for bed. I needed to make something to carry my weapons in, especially now that my arsenal had expanded. I didn’t have a whole lot to work with yet, so I grabbed the pair of jeans I had been stabbed in and one of my suture needle and thread packs and got to work. First, I sewed both legs of the jeans shut and packed the eight broom and mop handle-spears inside one of them. I then sewed the cuff of the other pant leg to the cuff of the one holding my spears, making a quiver from the first pant leg and a chest strap from the other one. I then cut a slit across the “strap” leg in front and tucked my battle wrench inside it so it would rest at the bottom. I sewed the top of the cut against the backside of the pant leg for another pocket that I might need later. I threw it over my shoulder like a satchel and felt slightly safer knowing I would have weapons on me at all times, even if the spears were too long and stuck out awkwardly high. I still needed a sheath for my knife, so I still had to settle for carrying that around.

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The next morning I woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed for the first time since the apocalypse. I gathered up my laundry and put it in the wash since I finally had access to the housekeeping room. All my favorite clothes had blood on them.

I had two months’ worth of food saved up and plenty of soda that I was forcing myself not to drink in case the building’s water supply was emptied. Right now, my biggest priorities were defense, getting rid of things that would rot, and having a clean space to exist when I wasn’t fighting. The stairwell doors opened outwards, so aside from patrolling the hallway and checking the breached rooms each morning, there wasn’t much to do. I wasn’t ready to risk exploring the stairwell or other floors yet.

I cleaned the bloody entryway of the empty room that I had lured two goblins into, and then I cleaned the apartment of that poor couple that I had failed to save. There was just one room left to clean, and I was dreading it more than any other.

The goblins had made a nest here. That much was clear from the guards by the door and the women and children that I scared off the other day. The smell emerging from the hole they made in the door was absolutely unbearable.

I couldn’t stand to allow the smell on my floor. I was so close to having a clean place of refuge. I got down on my knees and reached through the door to find the handle on the inside. I found the cool metal and winced as I turned the handle. Nothing happened, and I sighed in relief-

“Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep!” The alarm was obscenely loud. I yanked open the now unlocked door and slammed my wrench on the alarm control panel. The plastic case provided no resistance, and the circuit board inside shattered. As suddenly as they had begun, the blaring intruder alarms ceased. Normally this wouldn’t matter, as both building security and police would have already been notified, and the alarms in the security booth would continue to sound, but my only concern was the noise.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Sure enough, I heard grumbling, growling, and squealing from down the hall. I left the room and checked my improvised harness and quiver to ensure it wasn’t going to slip off mid-battle.

I listened, but the noises I was hearing seemed to be coming from further away. I glanced in the stairwell as I passed, but it was empty, and the noises were coming from the hallways to either side. I took the north hallway past my room and slowed to a crawl as I neared the corner and the source of the goblin noises I was hearing. “Ding~!

Ability Improved: Sneak Sneak has reached level 3

My heart was slowly adjusting to the pop-up scares. Very, very slowly. I continued to the corner and risked a glance. Four goblins were cautiously walking towards the corner I was peeking around, and one of the doors behind them had the beginnings of a hole chipped away, but they had not broken through yet. Three of the goblins had large knives, and the final one held a large spanner. These goblins were better equipped than my previous neighbors.

‘God damn. I just finished cleaning the hallway on the other side, and now there is going to be another mess.’ I groaned silently.

They were halfway down the hall in prime spear range, and they didn’t appear to have any ranged weapons at all. I would try to take out one or two with my spears while they closed the distance and then fight the others up close. I walked around the corner as confidently as I could. They were fragile, skittish creatures, but I had seen what they could do to a man when they believed they had the upper hand. I didn’t know if they understood human posture, but I wanted to leave them with no reason to doubt my lethality.

I stepped around the corner, and when the beasts noticed me, they had a hungry look in their eyes and a feral grin that made me sick to my stomach. I was glad they had been alert and moving towards me so I could face them head-on. The hunger in those eyes banished any doubts that might have lingered inside my heart. I awkwardly drew my first spear from my sheath and hurled it at the quartet of green beasts.

My first shot flew high over their three-foot frames, and they stopped their drooling and broke into a run. My second shot passed harmlessly between two of them, but one of the two was the last goblin in the group. It paused to look at the spear that had nearly taken its head and then slowly backed down the hall. My third took the lead goblin in the side, and the beast crumpled. The goblin behind him slowed as he watched his companion fall, but my fourth spear caught its shoulder. The third goblin charged on as my fifth shot flew wide to the left, but then the beast looked over its shoulder. It realized it was alone. The fourth goblin had already ducked into the stairwell.

It turned to flee, but then my sixth spear caught the beast in the back, piercing it through its ribs and jutting out of its belly. I stalked my defeated foes and shattered each of their knees and elbows with my wrench. It was time to grind, but I needed some tools first. As I turned away, two more messages popped up. I was getting a grasp on the rules. They wouldn’t appear until combat was over but sneaking around before a fight was still fair game.

Skill Unlocked: Thrown Weapons (Dexterity Skill) Assault your enemies from afar with whatever you have on hand. Increase damage dealt with thrown weapons by %1 per level. Current level: (1)

Skill Unlocked: Blunt Weapons (Strength Skill) Beat your enemies into submission. Increase damage dealt with blunt weapons by %1 per level. Current level: (1)