Chapter 35: Day 22
Chapter 34
A gentle breeze blew through the hollow building, creating an ambience of eerie serenity. Arthur stirred awake, refreshed and slightly disoriented. The ground beneath him was cold, and the air felt unfamiliar against his skin.
Though it was still very dark, Arthur had had six hours of sleep. That was enough for him. He didn’t know about the others, but he was ready to move.
’ I could just train until daybreak.’
As he rose, the faint but distinct sound of flowing water caught his attention. Arthur stood up and manifested his equipment, pulling down the Grey Sight to hang properly around his neck.
With the Grey Sight equipped, his vision improved significantly, cutting through the darkness with unnatural clarity.
’I haven’t fully understood what this equipment is capable of.’
Opening his System interface, he navigated through the menu and selected the Equipment functionality. Then he clicked on the grey sight.
---
Name: Grey Sight
Category: Tool
Rank: Uncommon
Tier: 2
[Description: A fractured ocular relic forged for a wandering master who had long since lost his natural sight. Designed to replace vision with perception beyond the physical, its creation was halted when the master fell during the Duel of Truths. What remains is incomplete, unstable... yet aware.]
{Enchantments: True Sight, Watcher of Time, Mental Clarity}
[Enchantment Details]
True Sight:
Grants the user perception beyond physical vision, allowing detection of hidden entities, illusions, and disguised phenomena within a limited radius. Reveals structural inconsistencies rather than absolute truth.
(Effect: Highlights distortions, concealed forms, and energy signatures.)
Watcher of Time:
Allows brief perception of slowed temporal alignment within the observed space.
(Effect: Displays fragmented afterimages of recent events, movement trails, and interactions.)
Mental Clarity:
Stabilizes the user’s cognitive state, enhancing focus and resistance to mental interference.
(Effect: Improves concentration, reduces panic, and mitigates low to mid-level psychic attacks.)
[Passive Effect]
Grey Perception:
Even when inactive, the tool slightly heightens awareness of inconsistencies in the environment. The world feels... less trustworthy.
[Flaw – Incomplete Creation]
Unfinished Vessel:
Due to its incomplete forging, simultaneous activation of multiple enchantments increases mana consumption and risks sensory overload. Extended usage may blur the boundary between perception and reality.
---
’ I literally had the ability to see through walls, and I didn’t use it.’
A brief wave of disappointment passed through him, though he quickly suppressed it. There had been reasons; mana conservation, lack of familiarity, and risk. Still, the oversight irritated him.
Manifesting the Starlight Bow, Arthur took a quick glance back at the group. Almost everyone was still asleep, their bodies sprawled in uneven positions across the floor.
Except one.
He wasn’t close enough to identify who it was, but from the silhouettes of everyone present, he could tell the missing person was a female.
Sighing lightly, Arthur began moving forward with measured caution, his bow ready to release at a moment’s notice.
He stepped into a narrow corridor, stopping briefly, he listened.
The sound came again.
Without hesitation, Arthur turned to his right, walking slowly, guided by the faint glow of the arrow formed in his bow.
As he ventured deeper, the darkness around him seemed heavier, thicker, almost suffocating.
There has to be something here... a zombie, or monstrosity maybe.
Not too long after, something leaning motionlessly against the wall caught his attention. Arthur approached carefully, raising his glowing arrowhead toward it.
Dead.
The zombie bore several shallow cuts across its head. None of them were lethal on their own, so he wandered how it must have died..., temporarily.
Arthur moved past it without hesitation.
He continued down the corridor for a few more minutes, passing several more unmoving bodies. The silence became increasingly unnatural, each step echoing more than it should.
Eventually, he noticed light ahead.
Dismissing his bow, Arthur proceeded toward it. Moments later, he stood before the only open door in the hallway.
A bathroom. I should have figured.
He stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind him. Caelith stood there, unarmoured, leaning slightly over a ceramic basin as she washed her hair.
"Good morning, Arthur," she greeted without turning, her hands cupping water and letting it fall over her hair.
"Morning," Arthur replied casually, glancing around the spacious but rundown interior. "You seem to have gotten up early."
"I only need four hours of sleep to function," she replied calmly, pouring another handful of water over her head.
Arthur paused mid-stretch, a subtle look of approval crossing his face. "Nice genetics."
She glanced at him through the cracked mirror.
"Your looks suggest you bear the same."
"Perfect parents, perfect offspring," Arthur said casually, stepping further into the room. "My looks came from my mother. Calm, composed... but intimidating. She rarely smiled, and I was the only one who inherited that trait."
Caelith observed him through the mirror. "What about your strength?"
Arthur turned slightly, a faint smile forming.
"That came from the apocalypse," he replied. "I wouldn’t say I’m physically strong."
"Then what are you?" She asked inquisitively
"A person who overwhelms opponents with abilities rather than physical strength. Something closer to a mage. But it would stay that way for long." Arthur said with a resolve.
Caelith poured the remaining water over her hair before reaching for a cloth.
"As we move deeper into this reality," she began, "there’s something I’ve noticed. Those who were stronger before the collapse... seem to have higher potential now."
She paused briefly. "Or maybe that’s just my observation."
Arthur turned fully toward her now, his interest clear. "You think the system favors individuals with stronger genetics or higher baseline potential?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "I believe this world is trying to create something... something specific."
Arthur studied her expression carefully.
"You’re smart," he said, his tone measured.
A brief pause followed.
"Another reason I have to be wary." Caelith turned her head slightly away, a faint flush appearing across her cheeks for a brief moment before fading.
"My father," Arthur continued, shifting the conversation, "wasn’t what he seemed. After WW9, he became an MMA fighter at twenty-two. He fought over fifty matches within seven years. He lost eight... and won most of the others by knockout."
Caelith listened without interrupting.
"A legendary feat if you truly understand the sport he was engaged in. Well he eventually went to prison which ended his career."
"And you inherited that, his overwhelming skill" she said quietly. "And something else," Arthur added.
"His ruthless mindset." she concluded. They both let out a brief, quiet laugh.
"We can continue this later," Arthur said, turning toward the door. "The others should be awake by now."
"I’ll be right behind you," she replied.
---
Arthur stepped back into the corridor, his gaze drifting across the closed doors lining both sides.
Let’s get this over with. He manifested his equipment again.
"Boss, you’re up already?" Noah called out, stepping from a room with a zombie corpse in one hand and a flashlight in the other.
"I’ve had enough rest. Get the light out of my face," Arthur said flatly.
Noah dropped the corpse and wiped his bloodied hands on his already stained shirt.
"Alright, boss. I’m getting some clean clothes while the others gather food and utensils."
He kicked open another door. "Oops... there’s one here." Gagging noises followed immediately.
Arthur stepped closer and looked inside.
Noah had looped an old rope around a zombie’s neck, pulling tightly from behind.
"Be like the others and die," Noah muttered under his breath, straining as the creature clawed desperately at the air.
Moments later, a sickening pop echoed through the room, and the zombie’s head came loose. ’ I thought he was trying to choke an already dead creature.’
"You don’t have a weapon?" Arthur asked after watching the entire process.
"You think getting a weapon is easy?" Noah replied, breathing heavily. "I’ve got a rope and bad luck. No fancy pew pew, no huge kitchen knife for making goresome messes."
Arthur said nothing.
"Apart from the shop, I don’t know where else to get better equipment other than killing with this fucking lasso." Noah added walking past him and entering the next room.
Arthur turned and continued down the corridor. At the far end, movement caught his attention.
Several zombies, walkers and... some hanging from the ceilings.
[ Appraisal Activated ]
[ Name: Zombie Climber
Rank: Tier Zero
Level: 7 ]
They were emerging from the first room in the hallway, he hadn’t it checked earlier. ’Probably the kitchen.’
None of the undead noticed him, they were focused on someone else.
Bright yellow energy pellets shot through the air, striking the zombies with precision and force, dropping them one after another.
Arthur raised his bow to his chin and released a shot, taking down one of the climbers.
The unknown attacker seemed to notice his involvement and increased their rate of fire.
’Who exactly is competing with you?’ The remaining climbers shifted their attention toward Arthur.
Six of them, he drew his bow again. Focused. Relaxed. First shot and the first fell instantly with it’s head and neck totally gone.
While the damage was done the arrow continued flying and soon flew out through the roof.
The ceiling above them cracked, then partially collapsed, crushing another climber beneath falling debris.
’The power of the arrows depend on how far I am able to draw the bowstring.’
Tying the Grey sight around his eyes, he activated Mental clarity. His body shuddered as he felt all his abstract thoughts vanish and his focus on the zombies increased.
He watched as the four remaining Climbers abandoned the ceiling and advanced through the walls.
Arthur felt irritation rising. The confined space, low visibility, pressure, It was beginning to feel suffocating. However his focus held.
He knew if he couldn’t control this situation, it would quickly become dangerous.
Drawing again, he adjusted his strength and released another arrow, piercing a climber clean through the head.
Three left.
He reduced the power of his next shot, avoiding further structural damage, and took down another.
Two remained.
One lunged directly at him.
Arthur shifted his footing and kicked it mid-air, knocking it off balance. Before it could recover, he drove his gauntlet into its skull, crushing it instantly.
The final climber attempted to retreat along the wall. Arthur fired once more and silence followed after a thud.
Arthur lowered his bow slightly, his breathing steady, he deactivated Mental clarity and observed the bodies.
Then— Something touched his shoulder from behind. Not sudden, not aggressive. Just... there.
His entire body froze for a fraction of a second. Even with enhanced perception, he hadn’t sensed it.
And that was the problem.
