In the Glass Tower, Anna stood opposite Cassie, both carrying serious expressions.
"You knew." Cassie said shortly. She didn't need to specify, Anna already understood.
"He didn't instruct me to tell you." Anna replied bluntly, surprising Cassie. Ever since Anna had become evolved, she had visibly changed. No longer the shy girl who talks quietly, she had now become someone who could keep eye contact with people and even speak sharply.
"You've changed too." Cassie sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly.
"It doesn't matter, Cassie." Anna said, "Now that the world has become like this, if you don't adapt, it won't be long before you perish."
Looking at the blonde haired girl, Cassie exhaled. She hated the statement Anna made, yet she couldn't refute it. So, she decided to shelve all the bubbling emotions and asked. "Are you still my friend?"
The question caught Anna off guard.
Although the question was seemingly rhetorical, it brought back memories to her. How Cassie had always treated her differently, even getting into fights to protect her.
Now...
'I won't protect you. Instead...' she swore. "I'll train you."
Although Cassie didn't expect an answer to her question, she was delighted.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" She grinned.
Anna deadpanned at her enthusiasm.
"Your brother left something for you."
Reaching for a box under the bed, she rolled it out. Unzipping it, she pried it open to reveal the content.
"Here."
Inside, a pair of porcelain white axes was nestled gently on soft cotton.
"Is this... for me?" Cassie's breath got caught in her throat.
"Yes." Anna picked them up, and passed them to her.
Holding them, a screen flickered into Cassie's view.
[Bone Axes—One-Star Weapon]
[Skill—Bone Connecting Strike: Every attack will always dig down to the bones.]
Seeing the skill, Cassie's jaws dropped. This was definitely no ordinary weapon. It even possessed a skill!
'It must have been acquired by the machine brother brought home.'
Closing the box, Anna said curtly. "Let's begin."
....
Bang!
Cassie's axes crushed the head of a First Level zombie while she dodged the blood splatter. Raising her head, she frowned at the incoming horde. They were up to, if not, more than twenty.
Nonetheless, she resolved herself to face them head-on. Sparing Anna who was watching from a nearby building a glance, she shot forward.
The axe curved through the air as they cut down zombies left and right. Soon enough though, she began struggling. Although she was an evolved and had good weapons, she was relatively inexperienced.
'They're too much. I mustn't get scratched.'
She almost tumbled when she narrowly dodged a claw swipe. Regaining her balance a beat later, she prepared to attack when—
Pain exploded in her stomach—a child-sized zombie had blindsided her with a brutal punch. Her breath caught, bile rising in her throat as she brought her axe down in raw fury.
Blood splattered on her clothes, increasing her disgust. Clumsy and disgusted, she soon found herself surrounded by zombies.
Before they could attack her though, Anna intervened.
A snake-like sword weaved between their ranks and instantly cut half of them down. Before the others could even roar, they were killed too.
Landing before the panting Cassie, Anna scowled. "You're weak."
Cassie involuntarily trembled, after all, her words were true. She had gotten confused and overwhelmed despite all the enthusiasm she had.
"We're going back."
Lowering her head, she quietly followed behind Anna as they returned to the Glass Tower.
"Welcome back!" A young boy said as he waved at the two while carrying his younger sister. The young boy, named Lucas, was a smart kid who was rescued from the neighboring house. Their parents had been abroad when the apocalypse struck. Stuck and stranded in the house, the boy had managed the food left in the house to last them long enough for a whole month.
Cassie forced a smile, then nodded at the other survivors who were busy working on the ground floor.
Following Anna, they arrived at the arena which was on the sixth floor.
Standing opposite her in the large ring, Anna discarded her sword.
"Fight me. Unarmed."
Cassie nodded, then discarded her axes too.
Instantly, Anna moved. Halving her strength, she threw a kick at Cassie. Not one to watch, Cassie crossed her arms to block.
Bang! Pain!
Stifling a screamed, Cassie tumbled backwards, her face scrunched up in pain.
Anna paused briefly, her expression flickering. "That was half my strength. Don't be weak."
Cassie nodded, then attacked. And so, more pain came.
...
Hours later, Cassie lay on the ground, knocked out. Anna stood beside her quietly, her expression unreadable.
'This girl...' she thought. 'She was able to adapt to my fighting style so quickly. That's crazy.'
The fact was now clear. Cassie was a fast learner and quick thinker.
"Well, tomorrow we'll see."
....
While operation was moving smoothly at the Glass Tower, Leon was busy hunting down Special Second Level Creatures.
Although he only encountered a normal few on his first day, he soon ran into a special one the following morning.
Leon sat beside a telephone booth, lazily biting the raw thigh of a Second Level beast.
Clank!
A sharp sound of a can falling to the ground attracted his attention.
Looking, he saw a slender, curvaceous zombie with silver skin staring at him, her fangs dripping with blood.
"A former model?" Leon tilted his head.
Standing up slowly, he patted his torn outfit and unsheathed his katanas slowly. His eyelids slackened.
Boom!
Before the zombie even moved, he already had. A few steps brought him before her as he cut down, blades gleaming in sunlight.
Clang!
Unexpectedly, her silver skin didn't even dent a little. The blade slid hopelessly along the skin while she lashed out with her own claws.
Realizing he couldn't dodge, Leon abandoned defense and focused on maximum offense.
Slash! Bam!
Just as the claws sliced into his torso, his fist crashed into the side of her head. The zombie jerked, then threw him away.
His body crashed into an abandoned car which was instantly crushed beneath the force.
Standing up with a faint groan, Leon's purple eyes shone.
'Magnificient. A suitable breakfast.'