unexpected encounter

After their gesture, Ashen handed his backpack to the kids and instructed, "I will first kill some zombies, and you can watch me and try to learn something. If this doesn't work, we will try something else. And remember don't make any sound. We will communicate using signs don't speak only if it's very important "

The twins nodded in agreement, ready to observe and learn from Ashen's actions. Ashen then removed his backpack and shifted his focus to the upcoming battle. Ashen cautiously exited the alley from where the supermarket was located and immediately spotted two wandering zombies nearby. Instead of launching an attack, he took a moment to scan the area for any additional zombies. Satisfied that his surroundings were secure, he glanced back to check on the kids, finding them safely hidden behind a pile of building wreckage.

"Everything seems good. Now, let's finish this quickly with basic movements. We still need to go and see what this tower is about," Ashen muttered to himself, preparing to deal with the two zombies.

Ashen stepped into the zombies' field of view, and without hesitation, they lunged at him. However, their movements were sluggish, far slower than Ashen's current physical abilities.

As the zombies closed in on him, Ashen maneuvered to one zombie's side, intending to engage them one-on-one instead of facing both simultaneously. He kicked at the side of the zombie's knee joint, further impairing its already limited agility.

Throughout the fight, Ashen maintained his strategy, consistently keeping a distance from the zombie he was facing. And whenever the other zombie attempted to surround him, he skillfully evaded their efforts.

Ashen ensured that the twins were observing his actions before transitioning from a defensive posture to an offensive one, signaling his intention to conclude the fight.

The zombie charged at him, but this time, Ashen didn't back away. Instead, he launched a powerful front kick directly at the already injured knee joint, shattering it completely. The zombie lost its balance and began to fall to the side, but before it hit the ground, Ashen swiftly struck with his dagger, splitting the zombie's head in half like a hot knife through butter.

Approaching the second zombie with the same intent, Ashen noted that it appeared to anticipate his move. He couldn't help but tease it in his mind, thinking, "Oh, you're a smart little zombie, aren't you? But you're also very dumb to be so obvious."

Instead of delivering a kick, Ashen feigned the attack. The zombie fell for the fake and attempted to strike his leg, but Ashen had already retracted it. With a swift roll, he drove his dagger into the back of the zombie's head, ending its existence.

After a second two notifications ring in Ashen's mind.

[ You killed a level 0 zombie ! You gained 45 exp points ! +1 strength ]

[ You killed a level 1 zombie ! You gained 55 exp points ! + 1 agility , +1 stamina ]

Ashen felt a warm energy washing over his body, making the little exhaustion he got disappear.

After reading the notifications he touched the corpse and ordered

" Extract "

The dark energy appeared again Devouring the two bodies. After some seconds passed the energy finished her work and another notification rang in his mind

[ You extracted the corpses of level 0 and level 1 zombies ! + 0.3 stamina ]

After that, he returned to the two kids.

Upon returning to the twins, Ashen inquired if they had learned anything from observing his fight."Yes," they both answered simultaneously.

"Good," Ashen replied, addressing Emma first. "Since your talent may require you to be a melee fighter, what did you learn?"

" The first thing I noticed is that I shouldn't let myself be surrounded. And I should try to impair their mobility as the fastest person will always have a huge advantage "

" Good now Ethan, what did you learn ? " Asked Ashen addressing Ethan this time

" Well, I noticed that instead of killing the second zombie the same way, you faked your kick and killed it in another way . So I think I should always have a second plan " he replied

Ashen nodded in approval as he listened to their responses. He was pleased to see that the twins were quick learners.

"Good observations," he praised. "Both of you have grasped important principles of combat. You can't go wrong with speed and agility. Never let yourself be surrounded. And adaptability is an important key in a fight, and unpredictability can give you an advantage. Always stay on your toes and be ready to change your tactics. These are valuable lessons, and with practice, you'll become skilled fighters."

He continued, "Now, let's move forward. We have a tower to investigate, and I'll teach you more along the way. Just remember, safety comes first."

With that, Ashen led the way, and the trio continued their journey through the post-apocalyptic world .

____________

Amidst the quiet of the night,

Ashen stood on the rooftop of a ten-meter building. It was the only one that didn't fall from all the nearby buildings. gazing out over the city below. The two children, Ethan and Emma, lay soundly behind him, exhaustion from their day of training and battles finally overtaking them. The healing effect of leveling up had proven to be their lifeline, allowing them to endure in this perilous world.

Ashen marveled at the rapid progress the children were making. Their determination and hard work were truly paying off, and he saw the potential for them to become formidable survivors. He knew, he estimated that they would need one month at most and they would be able to survive without his protection

Ashen's mind raced as he recalled the events of the day, particularly the intense battle against the three mutant zombies. It had been a brutal fight, to the point where he needed to use his free points. But it had yielded something invaluable – new skills. He knew that skills could be the key to survival in this chaotic world

[ Silent steps ( unranked active skill ) : you will be able to move without sound for 30 seconds . 30 minutes cooldown time ]

[ Leopard legs ( unranked passive skill ): permanently increase agility by 15 points ]

[ Stamina boost ( unranked passive skill) : permanently increase stamina by 15 points ]

He took the active skill and Emma took leopard legs as for Ethan he chose the stamina boost .

" Status window " ordered Ashen

________

Ashen Evilian

level : 10

exp : 1350 / 102 400

Race : Human

title : none

class : none

subclass : none

__________

Stats :

Strength : 61.4

Agility : 67.8

Dexterity : 57.1

Health : 69.8

Mana : 54.2

Stamina : 67.5

Free points : 6

_________

Active skills : silent steps

Passive skills : none

Unique talent : Extraction [ rank : X ]

Unique talents stored : 0/5

_____________

System note :

- You started your evolution journey. You killed hundreds of zombies. And because of that, you are not getting many attribute points but using your unique talent you were able to further increase them .

- 29 days 7 hours and 21 minutes are left for the next disaster.

_________

" So this is the reason the attributes I got when I killed kept decreasing. Then I need to find other targets like that Chihuahua to continue increasing my stats . But those three zombies were very good, it boosted all my stats even mana , the hardest one to find " thought Ashen

Examining his stats, Ashen couldn't help but feel concerned about his rate of progress. Rather than finding joy in his fast development, he was overwhelmed by the uncertainty of what lay ahead. In just one day, he had managed to eliminate hundreds of zombies, yet their levels continued to increase at a nearly identical pace.

Without the help of his unique talent and the wealth of combat experience, he possessed, along with the two kids that are getting better and better with their unique talents, bridging one-tenth of the gap between them and the tower would have been a challenge..

Initially, he had estimated that they would reach their destination in ten days at this rate, but now it seemed it might even take two weeks.

Ashen was engrossed in thoughts and future plans when he suddenly noticed a faint white light emanating from below, illuminating a room. It snapped him out of his deep contemplation.

"That's a lamplight, isn't it? Those mindless zombies couldn't possibly do this. Could it be the work of other survivors?"

"Should I go down and take a look?" pondered Ashen.

After giving it some more thought, he made up his mind.

With his decision in place, he proceeded to wake up the two children.

"Emma, Ethan, I'm going down for a while. Please, lock the stairwell door behind me and don't open it for anyone except me," Ashen ordered

"Why are you leaving?" Ethan asked, his face still clouded with sleepiness.

"I think I saw some people down, and I'm going to check it out," Ashen replied honestly, seeing no reason to lie.

"Are we going to join up with them?" inquired Emma.

"I don't know," Ashen responded thoughtfully. "It will depend on them, but I'm not counting on it."

After reminding them to stay vigilant, he descended the stairs to investigate the identity of the mysterious individuals.

With his enhanced physique, he effortlessly descended ten floors in just five minutes and arrived at the room where the light was coming from.

He activated 'silent steps' to move stealthily and approached the closet window. As he listened to the voices inside the room, Ashen's heart began to race, and a surge of anger welled up within him.

"It can't be, right?" Ashen thought, struggling to control his surging emotions. "I need to see for myself."

With that determination, he cautiously approached the window, his eye fixed on the scene inside.

As he scanned the people within, his gaze locked onto one individual.

Upon seeing this person, Ashen's mind was consumed by rage, and his eyes emitted a menacing violet glow as he uttered each word with seething anger, "It's really you. I never thought I'd encounter you this soon."