The next morning, Leon was having breakfast with the two girls quietly. Cassie's eyes were glued to her phone as she read posts of people online.
Leon's eyes meanwhile, stared at Anna like she was a lab rat or food. The girl shifted uncomfortably under his gaze but didn't voice her dissatisfaction.
"Anna." He called out softly. She flinched, then slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. Although Cassie might have not noticed it, or outright dismissed it, Anna was able to realize that there was something eerie and alien in Leon's eyes. Be it the way he sometimes looked at her, or how he would often refer to her as 'that human', she knew something about him was inhuman. Thus, she ensured to reduce her interaction with him. Unless he actively seeked her out.
Just like now.
"You're very perceptive right?" He asked, causing the girl to flinch again. He smiled kindly. "I need your help with... something."
"W-what is that?" Anna stuttered, her brown eyes darting towards Cassie with a silent plea.
"Hmm. I've been looking for something while hunting zombies, yet I haven't found any. I think you could be of help." He explained. And before she could try to deny him, he drove in the nail. "So we'll be going out to hunt together today. Okay?"
Anna's eyes shook, then she nodded.
Cassie looked between them. "Brother, I wanna come too."
Leon smirked. "The outside is not a place for little girls like you."
This ticked Cassie off. "Hey! I'm only one week younger than you."
"Same thing."
Leon snorted, then packed his plates and dropped them in the kitchen. Later, he moved to the bedroom and lay down the two katanas which were now littered with cracks and dull looking.
"I guess it could only last that long as an ordinary material."
He muttered.
Next to him, he picked up the class card he had received from the Golden Box and decided to use it.
[Smith-Weaver]
[Do you want to install?]
'Yes.'
The card dissolved into a whirlwind of sparks that slithered into his body. Instantly, information about how the class worked was imprinted into his mind.
Opening his eyes, Leon looked at the battered blades again.
"I'll need a forge."
Luckily, the Glass Tower had one.
In one of its many compartments, a large, furnished forge stood proudly. Leon plopped the blades onto the workpiece, then put on the flames.
The katanas slowly melted but once they were halfway done, he placed them back on the workpiece with the prongs.
"Now then,"
He raised the hammer.
Clang!
He struck again. And again, and again, and again, and again.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The hammer continued to shape the katanas repeatedly until the metal cooled. And when it did, he moved the blades to the Filing Machine.
The machine turned on with a deep hum, then began rolling. Leon calmly placed the blades on it, watching as the friction kept sharpening the blades.
Before long, the katanas were as good as new, even better. Although his class didn't allow him to improve a weapon's quality in a single touch, it allowed him to spot and manually correct flaws in them.
...
A few minutes later, Leon and Anna stepped outside the gates, the cold wind of the apocalypse grazing their skin. Leon said to the girl without turning.
"If you want to stay alive, you'd better not be hesitant about anything."
Stretching his hands backwards, he handed her a pistol gun.
Without another word, he began walking forward. The zombies around ignored him as usual but Anna's scent attracted them.
Pew! Pew!
Before Leon could even move to intercept them, Anna had already fired, shooting down two zombies.
'A smart one. I like that.'
Leon smiled, then continued. Anna took down some more, then reloaded the gun. While she did that, Leon covered for her with his revolvers.
Soon, they resumed their journey. They passed by many broken cars that had crashed during the first wave, some even having corpses of zombies within. The sight horrified Anna but she didn't dare to make a sound.
A few streets away, Leon picked on some sounds like a skirmish was going on.
Signalling to Anna, they both approached the streets stealthily and entered a building. From the windows upstairs, they were able to see what was happening.
...
A group of survivors were looting a supermarket into their truck while some of them butchered the zombies that came, attracted by the sound and scent of humans.
"Old Pipe! You better watch your back. These zombies mustn't scratch you." A gruffly middle aged man laughed as he split open the skull of a zombie with his axe.
Old Pipe, an older man, snorted and smashed the head of three zombies into a pulp with his absurdly large hammer.
"My bones might have grown old, but I feel like a youth." He barked. "I'm an evolved too for goodness's sake!"
"Would you guys please stop arguing at the top of your voices? It's attracting more zombies." A young lady scowled at them, cutting down zombies with a crude machete.
Behind the trio, four ordinary humans loaded the truck with provision from the supermarket.
"Daddy Ye is so strong." One of them muttered, referring to the middle aged man.
"Honestly, even if I get an evolution potion, I don't think I can fight bravely like that." Another commented, then locked the truck. "We're done. Let's get ready to move!"
He shouted to the three combatants.
Ring~
Suddenly, the sound of a jingling bell echoed faintly in their ears followed by resounding footsteps.
From the far end, a massive bulldog came charging—its body bulging with muscles. On its neck, a small bell hung like a relic of the past. Drool poured from its hanging jowls, sizzling where it hit the asphalt. The smell was acrid, like acid burning through rubber. Its tongue lolled out, flapping wildly with each thunderous stride.
"Is that... a mutated dog?" Old Pipe muttered, stunned.
"Yes it is. A bulldog even." Daddy Ye answered solemnly.
"We kill it." The young lady said coldly, readying her machete.
"Not so simple, Ice. It's a Second Level Evolved." Old Pipe sighed, gazing at the yellow crystal on its head. Still, he smiled. "Let me welcome it!"
He went ahead and stood right on the charging dog's path, then when it got close, he swung his hammer.
Whoosh—BANG!
The hammer met the beast's skull with a bone-shaking crack, the shockwave rattling windows nearby. The ground trembled under the impact. The bulldog's head whipped sideways, sending blood and spittle spraying, and its bulk skidded across the pavement with a squeal of tearing concrete.
Before it could recover, Ice moved in like lightning. With her machete covered in frosty blue aura, she slashed at its ribs.
ROAR!
The sound wasn't just noise—it was a wall of pressure. Anna, watching from the window with Leon, felt her chest rattle and her stomach lurch.
The mutated dog retreated, surprised by their strength. It was a Second Level creature, yet their attacks were hurting it. Though, that was the only thing it did. It didn't really injure the dog.
It whipped a paw down, claws like hooked knives. Daddy Ye caught it with his axe, sparks flying as steel met bone. The sheer force drove him back three steps, his boots carving trenches in the dirt.
Ice slipped under it, swinging her machete at its ribs again.
Bang!
The force shook the dog and split its flesh—almost down to the bones. From behind, Old Pipe appeared, slamming his hammer into the dog's back.
Boom!
The dog howled in pain, then whacked Ice from under it. Her attacks were freezing its wound. Tumbling to the ground, she instantly sprang back up.
The sound of their fight attracted the zombies around, yet strangely, they only stood and watched like spectators to a show.
"That's eerie." One of the non-fighters said, holding her friend tightly. Was something controlling the zombies?