One least gamble

As Rune held Miko in his arms, the infected woman moved closer and closer, causing Rune to have a moment of realization.

"Why am I running?" he thought to himself. "She's probably weaker than a zombie, and yet here I am, running away."

Rune had heard stories about terrifying zombies from his parents when they were still alive. Reflecting upon this, he slowly opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with the infected woman.

At that moment, Rune began to understand that this situation might actually be the best outcome. If he could successfully defeat the monster in front of him and Miko witnessed it, she would feel much safer.

With a soft chuckle, he watched as the infected woman slowly inched closer. He suddenly realized that even though his unique skill of "ink and pen" couldn't eliminate monsters, he could rely on his intelligence to navigate challenging situations and show his strength when needed.

Miko looked puzzled and asked, "What are you up to?" Rune raised his hand, tightly clenched it into a fist, and prepared himself for a fight. He smiled and then turned to Miko, saying, "Well, I'm just improvising."

Right after uttering those words, he swiftly dashed towards the lady who was infected and delivered a forceful punch to her face, sending her tumbling to the ground. In disbelief, he shouted, "I can't believe I was actually running away from you! It's unbelievable!" He briefly glanced up at the sky before refocusing his attention on the lady. With a swift motion, he kicked her in the face using his leg. Sensing an opportunity, they made the decision to take advantage of the situation and promptly began to run.

While Rune was running, he started to notice that not all monsters were as intimidating as they seemed. Some could be easily defeated with a simple punch from an ordinary person. As he was about to leave a dead-end path with an infected lady struggling to stand, he heard a peculiar sound approaching him. It sounded like the movement of many feet.

Clink, Clink, Clink, Clink.

Upon hearing this sound, Rune's calm expression turned into fear. He realized that the only thing capable of producing such a noise was the caterpillar-like monster he encountered earlier, with eight human arms as its legs.

Quickly scanning his surroundings, he spotted a large garbage dumpster. Holding onto Miko's hand, he pulled her towards the dumpster. Without needing to say anything, Miko understood the situation and promptly climbed into the garbage dumpster, following Rune's lead.

Gently, he closed the garbage dumpster, leaving a small gap. He nudged it slightly upwards so he could catch a glimpse of the street. The stench inside the dumpster was unbearable, and he knew they couldn't hide in there forever. After peering out for a while, he detected the sound of approaching footsteps from his left.

Gradually, he spotted a monstrous creature passing by. Initially, he thought the cacophony of footsteps belonged to the huge caterpillar-like monster he had encountered earlier, but it turned out to be a different monster altogether.

This new monster had the body of a lion with six legs and a pair of striking purple and dark blue wings. It stood almost as tall as a house. The monster lowered its nose and began sniffing the ground. Rune's heart started racing as he realized the danger they were in. The monster's heightened sense of smell meant that it could detect their presence. Unlike the infected lady they had encountered before, this monster posed a far greater threat, and Rune feared that their chances of survival were rapidly diminishing.

As he caught sight of the monster prowling about, he couldn't help but reflect on his terrible luck.

"Damn," he muttered, "why is it always another monster?" With a heavy sigh, he wondered why he never caught a break. His attention then turned to Miko, who remained oblivious to the presence of a brand new threat lurking outside. "Listen, Miko," he said wearily, "we're going to have to make a run for it again."

"Why is there another monster out there?" Miko asked, her voice quivering with fear that was palpable. Hearing her fearful voice, Rune realized that at her age, she shouldn't have to endure such terrifying situations. She deserved a better life, free from the constant fear imposed by these relentless monsters that roamed the world.

He let out a sigh before activating his special ability, uttering the words "Ink and Pen," which summoned his trusty black-covered book. With the book in hand, he turned his gaze towards Miko and said, with determination, "I'm going to defeat that monster, just like I defeated the other infected lady. I need you to stay here until I return, alright?" While he spoke, he did his best to appear confident and positive, masking his underlying fear. Deep down, he knew that as soon as he left the safety of the garbage bin, the monster would pursue him relentlessly. Escaping from something of that size seemed impossible, but he refused to let both of them end up dead. If one of them could divert the monster's attention, the other might have a chance of surviving.

"No, please! You're going to get yourself killed, aren't you? You're just saying that," Miko pleaded. Doubts filled her voice as she expressed her concern. "If your ability is really capable of killing the monster, why didn't you use it on the other one we encountered in the house? Please, don't go," she implored, her words tinged with worry and desperation.

After saying that, Miko's tears started to flow uncontrollably. "Please don't leave me," she begged, "I'll be all alone, please." These words struck a chord within Rune, evoking a surge of anger. He instinctively grabbed the black-covered book and flipped through its ink-stained pages. As his gaze fell upon one particular page, a realization began to dawn upon him.

A thought struck him suddenly. "Wait, what if I haven't fully learned the potential of this book?" Rune pondered. "Maybe I need to invoke the powers of ink and pen after summoning it. Maybe 'ink and pen' is the true name of my ability, or maybe 'ink and pen' and 'ink and pen after summoning' have different meanings." With this realization, Rune shifted his attention back to Miko, who was wiping away her tears. He made a firm decision. "I have to go there or we'll both die," he said. "I promise I will come back."

With caution, Rune softly nudged open the lid of the garbage can and stealthily left it.