Victor froze for a moment, staring at Myles as if trying to gauge whether he was serious. When Myles didn't flinch, his eyes flicked toward Nadine.
"Are you hearing this?"
Nadine met his gaze calmly, her shoulders rising in a small shrug.
"Well, so far all I and Myles have done is face and kill those monsters. I realized that if we want to survive in this world, we have to push against our fear and keep killing them."
She lifted the bottle in her hand and drank without hesitation.
Victor studied her for a long moment, then glanced back at Myles.
Myles sat cross-legged sipping his drink, his eyes still sharp with that same unshakable determination.
With a heavy sigh, Victor leaned back against the wall.
"I guess you're right," he muttered. "I really admire your bravery, you know."
His tone softened, carrying a hint of respect as he looked at both of them in a new light.
"Don't look at me like that," Nadine said quickly, waving her hand dismissively. "I'd be the same as those people outside if Myles hadn't dragged me up when everything fell apart and forced me to fight."
Victor's brow furrowed, his curiosity growing.
"Then how do you find this bravery, Myles?" he asked, turning back to Myles.
Myles tilted his head, falling into silence. His eyes wandered to the ceiling as if searching for an answer there. Finally, he shrugged.
"I don't really know. I think I just hated my old life. How I was nobody important. So now, I throw all that anger at this world and keep pushing myself harder against everything. Besides…" His lips curved into a faint smile. "There's a dopamine rush every time I see my level go up. Like proof that I'm no longer the same and it was clearly visible by those numbers."
Victor nodded slowly, understanding flickering in his eyes. "That… makes sense."
The three of them fell quiet again, finishing their drinks in silence.
The faint sounds of shuffling and murmurs from the other survivors echoed beyond the classroom walls but inside, the atmosphere was heavy and focused.
At last, Victor reached into his bag and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He smoothed it out on the floor, revealing a rough outline of a building drawn in hurried strokes.
"This is the apartment complex," he said, tapping his finger on the sketch. "The monster lives here."
The night finally settled over the city, shadows swallowing the broken campus in silence.
Myles walked into the classroom where Kade, Marcus, and Ryan stayed.
"I'll be going out again," he said. "I'm scouting for a very strong monster. If anyone wants to join, you're welcome."
Kade raised his head almost immediately. "I'll come with you."
Myles studied him for a moment, thoughts turning inward. "So Lilian really did put something extra into that healing skill. Ever since then, Kade's leg has been fine, and now he follows me without hesitation. He seems loyal already. That's good."
"Okay," Myles said with a nod.
His eyes moved toward Ryan, who still sat slumped in his chair, his face heavy with despair. Marcus lay nearby, his injuries still slowing him down. Neither of them spoke.
"I guess nobody else is coming," Myles murmured, then turned back toward the door.
He stepped out of the room to gather his things.
When he entered the classroom where Victor and Nadine waited, both of them already looked prepared.
Victor's eyes landed on the blade at Myles's side. "Your sword looks good. Where did you get that?"
"It's a drop from monsters," Myles replied, brushing his fingers over the weapon's dark hilt. "Very rare."
"I know," Victor said with a faint sigh. "If I could get one of those… that would be good."
Minutes passed in quiet readiness until all four of them—Myles, Nadine, Kade, and Victor—stood together in the room.
Victor crouched by his rough sketch again, pointing at the layout of the apartment complex. He explained every angle, every entrance, and every place to avoid until Kade finally nodded. "I understand."
With nothing more to add, the group left the safety of the classroom.
They slipped through the ruined halls of the campus, moving slow and careful.
Then, past the broken gates, they crossed into the open streets, their steps muffled against the cracked pavement as they advanced into the waiting dark.
The night air pressed heavy as they left the familiar ruins of the campus behind.
Their breaths fogged faintly in the chill, but none of them spoke. Every sound mattered now.
Victor led the way, his finger occasionally lifting to point out alleys, debris, or collapsed storefronts.
"Stay low here," he whispered once, motioning for them to crouch behind an overturned car.
The streets looked deserted, but the faint rustle of movement somewhere far off reminded them that monsters roamed these parts.
They moved in a tight formation. Victor at the front, Myles just behind him, Nadine covering their rear, and Kade keeping close as if afraid to fall behind.
Each of their steps felt deliberate, the crunch of broken glass under their shoes felt like it was loud enough to make them freeze before moving again.
After a long, tense walk, Victor finally stopped at the corner of a half-destroyed convenience store.
He crouched low, pointing toward the end of the street.
"There," he whispered.
Rising above the ruined blocks, the apartment complex loomed in the dark.
Its jagged silhouette towered like a black monolith. The windows shattered and hollow like eyes watching them.
The building itself seemed to breathe with the silence of something that had claimed it. Their Perception stats pick it all.
Myles's chest tightened. His grip on the sword instinctively strengthened.
A cold and heavy pressure seeped into him as if coming out from the building itself and also something from deep inside. Something powerful was waiting.
"There's no mistake," he thought. "A monster is in there and it is stronger than anything we've faced so far."
Victor's jaw clenched as he scanned the building, then turned back to the others.
"We're here. Be careful. If it senses us first, we might not even have a chance to run."
The group exchanged brief glances. Nadine's eyes shone with determination, Kade nodded sharply, and Myles swallowed his saliva. Feeling excited but also terrified.
—