Ângelo finally finished training, and honestly, he couldn't move an inch.
Everything ached or throbbed — even places he didn't expect were sore. His breathing was fast, his pulse pounding like a drum.
Even so... it was worth it.
Not only did practicing feel fun, but the pain was something new — a sensation he had hardly experienced before. A new kind of stimulus, something Ângelo hadn't felt in years.
"My life was really gray, huh..."
Looking at the ceiling, the truth stung. In the past, he kept telling himself things weren't that bad, that he could endure them. But even then, cracks had already formed in his philosophy.
"No... I can't call it living." Ângelo leaned against the wall, gazing at the window. The sun shone brightly in the sky like a beacon.
"Surviving, yeah, that's more accurate." Smiling faintly, Ângelo let out a hollow sigh.
Even after suffering so much at the hands of a mysterious disease — even after fighting for his life — the end of the world somehow felt more alive than the way he used to live.
Exhaustion, pain, success, and the pleasure of doing whatever he wanted with his time... All in all, he truly felt alive.
"How profound for a nobody. 10 out of 10, Ângelo." He laughed. "I've been laughing at my own jokes a little too much..."
Ângelo stood up again, cracking his neck. He had to keep training, even if his energy was completely drained. That wasn't a problem — the next thing he wanted to practice with was the bow, and that shouldn't take as much energy.
Walking into the kitchen, Ângelo picked it up along with the quiver. Only now did he realize how small they were.
The quiver barely fit on his back, and the bow didn't look intimidating at all.
"Size doesn't matter," Ângelo remarked proudly, puffing out his chest.
Looking around the kitchen, the empty cans caught his eye. Picking them up, Ângelo headed outside. He considered practicing indoors, but that seemed like a terrible idea.
Setting the cans down, he stepped back, keeping his distance from the makeshift targets.
Taking a deep breath, Ângelo grabbed an arrow. Placing it on the string was tricky, but he managed. The bow had little weight, and Ângelo felt confident about his chances.
Pulling the string, he let go — the arrow flew for a moment before hitting the ground. It hadn't gone far at all.
"Way off the mark." He retrieved it, frowning as he examined the arrow.
"Did my hands shake? Or did I pull too hard?..."
The more he thought about what went wrong, the more confused he became. There were too many possibilities.
"I'll just keep trying until I figure it out."
Ângelo decided to persist, nocking another arrow on the string. Trying again and again — that was his best bet.
This time, it veered sideways, slipping from his fingers.
"Well..."
This was going to take longer than expected.
Learning to shoot a bow was simpler than wielding melee weapons — but that didn't mean it was easy.
Even after staying outside for over an hour, he still couldn't hit the target consistently. The best Ângelo could do was make the arrow fly properly, and even that wasn't reliable.
Ângelo was as stubborn as a mule. Failing so many times frustrated him, but he kept going, even when it didn't change the results.
Yes, it was risky to stay outside that long, but no monsters seemed to notice him.
"It'll probably take two or three days before I get the hang of it..." He didn't intend to master the skill — just to be able to use it when necessary.
"Having a ranged option would be nice," Ângelo muttered, stretching. Learning to use a bow could open more possibilities when facing danger.
Fighting was exciting, but avoiding unnecessary risks was far better.
Thus, it would become an important tool in his arsenal.
"Hm... I guess that's enough for today," he said, turning to go back inside.
Training from morning until early afternoon was enough — at least for a beginner.
For now, his supplies gave him peace of mind. It'd be better to search for more tomorrow. Going farther out made him uneasy, but there was no avoiding it.
Closing the door behind him, Ângelo walked back to the bedroom. Searching through the wardrobe, he found a child's notebook along with some school supplies.
Opening it, Ângelo's heart sank.
The notebook still had writing inside — innocent things like "how my day was" and other trivial notes. But the last entry...
"..."
"Daddy said we should stay quiet, but Mommy keeps crying. The monsters outside are loud and scary, but there was a dragon in the sky! That's so cool!"
"I'm still worried about Cuddles... He left last night and didn't come back. I hope he's back before tomorrow. Daddy said we're going to Granny's farm, but I have to leave my things behind... I hope you're okay, Cuddles."
"I promise I'll come back to find you!"
At the bottom of the page, there was a rough drawing of a boy and a cat — and a dragon breathing fire on a building.
Ângelo was silent.
"Come on... Why'd you have to leave something this emotional behind?" He sighed deeply, shaking his head.
He had planned to use the notebook as a journal to document what he found in the ruins of the world. His initial idea was to tear out the used pages, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"I guess this'll be the intro to my journal... Jeez." After a moment of thought, he decided that would be his way of honoring the little boy.
Turning the page, Ângelo sat down and began writing about his experiences. There was a lot to record — how it all started, how he endured days of torture, and how he gained his Tale.
He became completely immersed in his writing, eyes fixed on the page — until a faint light caught his attention. Looking around the room, his gaze landed on his left leg.
Blinking, Ângelo froze.
A blue cat?
No, it wasn't just blue. It looked spectral — its translucent fur glowing softly. He could even see the bones beneath its body.
"What in the..."
The little creature looked up, resting against his leg. Its small head tilted, and its glowing yellow eyes met his.
Jumping to his feet, Ângelo grabbed the axe beside him, both hands gripping the handle — but before he could swing, he stopped.
The cat just stood there, staring at him with those bright eyes, not even flinching.
Faced with the scene, he just... couldn't do it.
Lowering the weapon, he watched as the cat meowed softly. The ghostly creature walked up to him, curling around his leg and rubbing its head against his calf.
The absurdity of the situation wasn't lost on him — a ghost cat acting like a needy pet begging for attention.
Slowly crouching, he reached out and gently scratched its head. The spectral animal purred softly, clearly enjoying the touch.
"Wait... Cuddles?"
At the sound of the name, the creature stopped purring and looked up, clearly responding to it.
The realization came naturally — one of the house's residents had lost their cat during the chaos, and now, the little feline's ghost had returned.
Ângelo connected the dots easily.
"So ghosts are a thing now... Great."
Would he find people's spirits next? That would be grim.
Letting out a long breath, Ângelo sat back down, lifting the cat gently by the scruff. He was surprised it still worked — the creature felt oddly numb, letting him decide where to place it.
Laying it on his lap, Ângelo picked the notebook up again.
Cuddles spun once before settling, purring again — a tiny ball of glowing fur.
Why was it so clingy?
That thought made Ângelo pause, resting his hand on his chin. Maybe it had to do with his title — it did mention that the undead wouldn't see him as an enemy. If the cat was already neutral, perhaps that tipped it toward being friendly.
"Did I just steal a kid's pet?..." Ângelo muttered, though having some company didn't sound so bad.
It probably wouldn't need anything to survive... if it even stayed around.
"Wait, how do you even take care of a ghost?"
He began petting it absentmindedly — but suddenly, a jolt shot through his fingers. His hand went numb, like an electric current had struck him. Yet, beneath the pain, there was warmth — like water flowing under his skin.
"What... was that?"
His eyes darted back to the cat, but it hadn't moved.
Did its fur somehow carry electricity? No, that made no sense — he'd touched it before without issue.
Then what was that just now?
Slowly, Ângelo reached out again. This time, the shock was stronger — his arm trembled violently as if he were holding a live wire, unable to pull away.
Gritting his teeth, he refused to scream — the pain was sharp, but compared to what he'd endured before... It was tolerable.
The cat stayed still, its paws spreading slightly as Ângelo's body convulsed.
"STOP ALREADY!" he screamed internally, lowering his head as sweat dripped from his forehead to the floor.
His entire body ached; pain spread from head to toe. It took time, but eventually, he managed to pull his arm away, gasping for air.
The cat remained motionless on his lap. His head throbbed like hell.
Checking himself quickly, Ângelo saw no visible damage.
Before he could react — or throw the damn cat away — a golden screen appeared before his eyes.
[ Your body has adapted to a new condition ]
[ A new skill has been added to your Tale ]
[ Mana Sensing is now available ]
"Huh?..."
Before he could even question it, the screen changed.
[ A lesser spirit wants to form a contract ]
[ Will you accept? ]