The ruined city was a completely different beast compared to the supermarket they were just in prior.

Inside the supermarket, it was terrifying and claustrophobic—yes. But out here? It was a completely different world.

They say fear thrives in uncertainty when the brain lacks information. It fills them with possibilities, and fear usually chooses the worst options.

And that was exactly what was going through Deon’s brain right now.

Every corner he turned, every abandoned shop his eyes checked, and every dark alleyway he passed all made him shudder.

Even so, Deon led the way regardless. Not because anyone appointed him to, and not because he particularly wanted to. But both Hana and the man looked a lot worse for wear than he was.

And right now? A way forward was the only path their minds could focus on instead of whatever could be lingering in the dark.

He crouched near the shattered remains of a bus stop and peeked over the concrete barrier ahead. The next road was littered with abandoned cars, several burned black and others left with doors hanging open.

Farther down, a pack of Ruined Hounds prowled between them.

Tch...six of them. Way too much.

One climbed onto the hood of a sedan and sniffed the air while another gnawed lazily at something Deon didn’t bother identifying.

"Pack ahead," he said quietly.

Hana, crouched beside him, stiffened. "How many?"

"Enough."

The suited man adjusted his torn collar and forced a dry laugh. "Then perhaps we should respect their territory and head elsewhere."

For once, Deon agreed.

They slipped back into the shell of a nearby office building through a broken side entrance. Dust coated everything inside. Desks were overturned, computers smashed, and papers lay scattered across the floor like dead leaves.

They stayed light on their feet, moving through the building with haste.

Even Hana, who looked like she’d apologize to the floor for stepping on it, had learned to move quietly.

Good. She’s adapting.

But that was when something caught his eye. A particular piece of paper was on the ground that just so happened to have a large picture.

Deon picked it up, studying the picture of a gigantic meteor that was falling down from the sky before reading the headline.

’Meteor observed from the stratosphere. Is Doomsday finally upon us?"

He tried flipping to the next page, only for a whisper to catch him off guard.

"Psst, hey! What are you doing?" the man said, calling out to Deon from the other side of the room.

Is that what happened here? A meteor strike hit our country? How does that explain any of these Hounds?

Whatever, it’s not like reading’s gonna bring anything back.

He rejoined the group at once, deciding not to tell them what he’d just read.

They crossed through the dark interior and exited from the far side into a narrow alley. Deon checked both directions before signaling them through.

Above the skyline, the massive clock continued to count down.

69:48:13

Every time Deon looked at it, the numbers seemed lower than they should’ve been. He clicked his tongue and kept moving.

After another twenty minutes of weaving through side roads and ducking into abandoned storefronts whenever packs wandered too close, they finally found what they needed.

A lone Hound.

It stood in the middle of a small intersection, pacing in an uneven circle beside an overturned delivery truck. Deon raised a hand, stopping the others behind him. "We take this one."

Hana’s eyes widened. "R-Right now?"

"When else?"

"It’s alone," the suited man said carefully, voice measured as always. "But perhaps there’s value in avoiding unnecessary risks."

"There’s value in points," Deon replied.

He could almost feel the leaderboard hanging over his shoulder.

Levi Knox — 15 Points.

That pretty-faced bastard was doing something, somewhere. Deon refused to fall behind while hiding in the alleys.

He stepped behind the wreck of a small hatchback and reached into his back pocket, producing the gray card.

[Blade]

Let’s see what you can do.

Deon turned the card over once before reading the text aloud.

"Blade."

The card flashed, gray light bursting from its surface before pouring downward into his hand like liquid metal. Deon instinctively tightened his grip as something slid into his palms.

A katana.

"...Whoa," Hana breathed.

Even the suited man’s brows rose. "That is...unexpected."

Deon rolled his wrist once, yet something about the blade itself and the way he held it felt...right. His hands remembered something his mind hadn’t touched in years—the kendo classes his Mom told him to go to only because she thought it’d build discipline.

He took one testing swing through the air, the cut smooth enough to produce a soft whistle.

I guess I have to thank Mom for this one.

With the sword in hand, the ruined city suddenly felt far less terrible...or it was him feeling a whole lot braver.

"Stay here," Deon said.

Hana grabbed his sleeve immediately. "Wait—alone?"

"It’s one dog."

"It’s still a monster!"

"And I’m still me."

"That sentence means nothing!"

He slipped his sleeve free. "If it goes bad, scream dramatically and distract it."

"That is not reassuring!"

Ignoring her, Deon stepped from cover and walked into the intersection.

The Hound noticed him instantly, its head snapping towards his direction as raw lips peeled back to reveal its jagged teeth.

"Yeah," Deon muttered, adjusting his grip. "I don’t like your face either."

Just as he finished the sentence, the Hound lunged. It was much faster than a normal animal had any right to move, but this time, Deon could see it clearly.

He pivoted aside just as it flew past, breath brushing his shoulder. And before it managed to turn around and look at him—

Thunk!

He stabbed the tip of the blade straight into its skull. The Hound’s body crashed first, convulsing for a second before it went limp immediately after. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[You have defeated a Ruined Hound.]

[+3 Points Awarded.]

"Woah..." Deon muttered, pushing his hair back before looking back at the sword.

It’s...easy? I could see its movements. And with the sword, it was almost a breeze to stab it, unlike the meat hook.

Was it the sword? Did it sharpen my movements, too?

Regardless, Deon found his eyes returning to the now crumbling corpse of ash. He stared at it, trying to manifest another card to appear.

But when none was on the ground, all he could do was click his tongue in disappointment.

"Tch..."

So it really was luck.

He crouched anyway, poking through the ash with the tip of the katana before standing again.

Behind him, Hana hurried over, stopping just short of the corpse site. "Deon, that was amazing! You killed it in one hit!"

The suited man approached as well, studying both the blade and Deon with a thoughtful expression. "You handled that rather well."

Deon shrugged, though inwardly his chest was still buzzing with adrenaline. "I just got used to its patterns, that’s all."

Hana looked at him with shining eyes. "You’re really strong. You don’t even need my help."

Deon glanced at her before flicking her on the forehead. "...Obviously."

But even as he said it, his eyes drifted to the katana in his hand.

If I can get another one...Then maybe she wouldn’t be dead weight in every fight.

He pulled out the [Blade] card from his pocket again, only to see that it had gone completely blank.

Only one at a time? Shame...

Still, Deon rested the sword over his shoulder and started walking forward. "Come on. There should be more around."

Hana blinked. "More?"

Deon smirked. "Yeah."

His eyes lifted briefly toward the ticking timer in the sky before it came back down to the ruined street ahead of them.

"I’ve got to catch up to someone after all."