Frigid Flames

***

January 25, 2029

With the sun climbing into the sky, its ray cascade through the city's buildings, casting an eerie glow without the accompaniment of morning birdsong. Having concluded his contemplation by the window, Lucas lets out a sigh, pivoting away from the view.

As Lucy showers, he finds himself with little to occupy his time. Lingering in this location for an extended period would result in falling behind in levels, which they can't afford. He sifts through the belongings of the deceased man, but aside from the knife – which they don't require – there's scarcely anything useful.

Moving closer to the bathroom, he queries, "Lucy, are you nearly done?"

"Just a few more minutes," she responds, the sound of dripping water still audible despite the dire state of the world. Remarkably, the bathrooms in these houses remain operational. If they ever exhaust the water in one location, they can simply find another.

Turning his attention to the man's lifeless body, Lucas is captivated. "Isn't it fascinating?" He's harbored a long-standing curiosity about the human body, having never observed another person's form aside from his own. He gazes at the red, bloodied eye socket and the exposed stomach with its organs laid bare. After encountering green blood for so long, the sight of red is genuinely intriguing.

Lucy emerges from the bathroom, announcing, "Lucas, I'm done." Although the water was chilly, the lack of electricity wasn't a significant inconvenience.

"Once you're ready, we'll head out," Lucas states casually, pausing briefly. "But first, we have to deal with the thirty or so zombies gathered outside the front of the house."

"Mm," Lucy responds, indicating her agreement as she quickly dries her hair. She snatches up her katana and consumes the canned food Lucas had set out for her on the table.

"Lucas, I'm ready," she declares.

Having spent five days together, Lucy's trust in Lucas has deepened considerably. There's a sense of dependency that's developed, a reliance she doesn't mind at all. 

Today, she feels more self-assured and resolute. Is it due to the emotional breakdowns of yesterday or the time she spent experimenting with the deceased man's body? She doesn't ponder the reasons much as she hastens to Lucas. He stands near the first-floor door.

Recognizing the magnitude of the zombie presence outside, Lucas devised a strategy while Lucy was showering. Retrieving his pen and paper from his pouch, he sketches his plan. "As soon as we open the door, I'll cast the hurricane spiral. It should launch most of the gathered zombies into the air for about thirty seconds. During that time, we'll separate and each tackles the remaining zombies on our side."

"Hmm… I think I grasp the concept, but what happens when the zombies descend after thirty seconds?" Lucy inquires, pushing aside her internal query about why Lucas's drawings look somewhat crude.

"Well... for that, I can't say for sure since I haven't tried it yet and haven't seen its effects. But for that situation, hmm... Alright! Just count on your mind. When you reach twenty-eight, immediately regroup with me. We'll handle the remaining zombies together, watching each other's backs."

"Is that fighting style inspired by films from the Panda Country?" Lucy asks, having seen such techniques countless times in movies from countries that enjoy featuring martial arts on television.

Looking away from her, Lucas responds, "Yes!" He coughs lightly before continuing, "It's something that seems effective based on my imagination." His admission prompts giggles from Lucy.

"Alright, I'll open the door on the count of three."

Positioned in front of the door, Lucas lets out a scream as he swings the door wide open.

"AHH!!" Lucy stares, taken aback. He hadn't mentioned the screaming part to her, but there was no time for discussion as she readied her katana.

Gripping the black katana in her hand, its weight still somewhat heavy, Lucy feels a slightly improved control over it. As the horde of zombies rushes toward them, her grip on the katana handle tightens. The sequence of events, from Lucas's shout to the present moment, transpires in just two seconds. Lucas waits for the zombies to close in before he commands, "Hurricane spiral!"

To be honest, there's a difference between having the courage to execute a plan and the mental acuity to conceive it. As all the zombies stand nearly within arm's reach, Lucas, despite his fears that the strategy might backfire and they could both perish, roars with all his might, "Hurricane spiral!"

In an instant, he senses a chilling aura emanating from the ring on his finger. "Whoosh!" The wind materializes before them once more, spiraling forward with such speed that they can't fully perceive it. The vortex lifts the zombies off the ground.

"Lucy, now!" He shouts, sprinting to the right while wielding his spear. He thrusts the weapon at the nearest zombie, simultaneously jamming his dagger into another zombie's face and slashing downwards, almost halving the head.

A strong kick sends the second zombie sprawling. His side seems to have only seven zombies. Lucas swiftly frees his spear from the third and fourth zombies by stabbing through both, causing them to crumple to the ground. Without delay, he retrieves his dagger and plunges it into the throat of the fifth zombie, forgoing the effort of withdrawing the blade.

After a forceful kick, Lucas lunges at the sixth zombie, targeting its eye and sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Ouch!"

As Lucas fended off a zombie's attack, he felt a scratch on his arm. This particular zombie resembled the swift black shadow man they had encountered earlier. He had seen it at a distance a moment ago while counting, but now it was right in front of him.

"Lucas! It's time!" Lucy's voice rang out. He looked over to see Lucy rushing toward him, having already dispatched all eight zombies on her side.

"Lucy, help me with this one. We've got just two seconds left!" Lucas shouted, pointing his dagger at the fast-moving zombie.

Responding to his call, Lucy swiftly moved toward the zombie with her katana raised. She brought the blade down, striking the zombie's abdomen. With the zombie movement restricted by Lucy's strike, Lucas seized the opportunity. He lunged forward, driving his dagger into the back of the zombie's skull.

"Lucas! They're falling down!" Lucy's voice alerted him.

"Krgg!" The sound of a zombie's cry was accompanied by the sickening noise of bones breaking. Around fifteen zombies collapsed to the ground.

Raising her katana, Lucy swung it down at the nearest fallen zombie, severing its head. Her control over the katana had improved significantly. Yet, she noticed that cutting through this zombie's flesh felt tougher than usual. Despite the resistance, she managed to cleave through the neck with her determined swing.

Seeing only four zombies remaining near her, Lucy spun her katana in a circular motion, knocking one of them to the ground. Flesh tore, and green blood spilled from the impact. Meanwhile, Lucas quickly dispatched the remaining zombie near him by stabbing it in the nose.

---

Achievement Cleared:

[Silver] Eliminate Three Level 2 and Thirty Level 1 Zombies in Five Days.

Rewards:

Frozen Earring [Rare]

---

Suddenly, the achievement-cleared message appeared before her eyes, filling Lucy with joy. She exclaimed, "Lucas! I received an ability item too!"

Looking at Lucas for confirmation, she was taken aback by his expression. Why was he now holding a new red ring?

Avoiding her gaze, Lucas stated, "Let's leave this place first. We can discuss this later." They ran for about two minutes from the location of the zombies.

However, Lucy couldn't contain her excitement and abruptly pulled Lucas into a nearby building. "I'm sorry, Lucas, but I'm really eager to know the ability of my item." She apologized before hurriedly asking him, "Can I borrow your appraisal magnifier?"

Lucas agreed and handed over his magnifier, commenting, "It's pretty chilly in here, isn't it?"

Unconcerned by his comment, Lucy quickly snatched the magnifier. As she tried to read the item information, Lucas peered over her shoulder at the magnifier's screen, surprised to see a message appear for the hundredth time.

A sound echoed in his mind.

---

[Detecting Frozen and Fire Items in a Confined Space!]

[Initiating Dungeon Activation!] 

[Opening Dungeon: Frozen Fire Level 8!]

[Teleportation Sequence Initiated!]

---

Stopping her excitement, Lucy locked eyes with Lucas. "Lucas... is this like those dungeon games?"

His heart sank, unsure of what was about to unfold. "I suppose so."