The sun bled out across the horizon, painting the clouds in shades of bruised purple and fiery orange. The call to Maghrib prayer, a sound that had been a constant, comforting backdrop to Kael's entire life, was conspicuously absent. There was only the wind whistling through shattered skyscrapers and the distant, inhuman cries.
It was now or never.
Kael broke cover, sprinting across the four lanes of asphalt. The open space felt like a killing field. Every shadow seemed to hold a threat, every gust of wind sounded like a pursuing monster. His lungs burned, and the [Crude Goblin Blade] in his hand felt as heavy as lead. He didn't dare look at his Stamina stat; he knew it had to be critical.
He launched himself through the shattered glass doors of the 24/7 Mart, landing with a clumsy roll on the grimy linoleum floor, shards of glass crunching under him. He scrambled behind a toppled cigarette display, his chest heaving, his throat a desert.
The inside of the store was a tomb. The power was out, and the only light came from the dying day outside, casting long, eerie shadows down the aisles. Shelves were overturned, merchandise strewn across the floor. The air was thick with the sweet, sickly smell of decay.
His eyes, desperate and wild, scanned the wreckage. And then he saw it. In the back, in a refrigerated case whose glass door was miraculously intact—rows and rows of bottled water, glistening with condensation in the dim light. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
He started to move, but a flicker of movement in the aisle between him and the water stopped him cold.
It was human, or had been once. A figure in a tattered store employee uniform shuffled slowly, aimlessly, among the spilled bags of chips. Its skin was a waxy, grey color, its jaw hung slack, and a low, wet gurgle emanated from its chest with every step.
His [Code Perception] identified the horror.
// Entity: Festering Walker // Int: Level=3 // Status: Slowed, Unaware // Special_Attribute: Sound-sensitive // Critical_Hit_Zone: Head (Brainstem)
Kael froze. Its level was low, and it was slow, but the sight of it, a perversion of a human being, terrified him more than the goblins had. His thirst was a physical torment, but the Walker stood directly in his path to salvation.
He couldn't fight it. Not with his Stamina drained and his body shaking. He needed a plan.
He looked around, his mind forcing itself to see not a mess, but a set of tools. An overturned shelf of canned goods. A large puddle of spilled soda, sticky and dark. The Walker, completely oblivious, continued its slow, shuffling path.
Sound-sensitive.
That was the key. He looked at the tall, metal shelving unit full of cleaning supplies to his left. It was already leaning precariously. His perception confirmed his guess.
// Object: Metal Shelving (ID: Aisle_3) // Int: Stability=5/100
It was barely standing.
Kael's plan snapped into place. He picked up an empty tin can from the floor. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it deep into the aisle to his far right. It clattered loudly against the tiles.
The Festering Walker's head snapped towards the noise. It let out a gurgling moan and began to shuffle towards the sound, its back now to Kael and the leaning shelf.
This was his chance. Kael moved silently, hugging the shadows. He reached the wobbly shelving unit. He didn't need to hack its code; this was a problem for physics. He placed his hands on the cool metal and pushed.
It resisted for a moment, groaning in protest, and then went over with a deafening crash, burying the Festering Walker under an avalanche of bleach bottles, soap powder, and metal wire. A cloud of chemical dust filled the air.
The Walker thrashed beneath the wreckage, trapped but not dead.
Kael surged forward, his exhaustion forgotten. He could see the Critical_Hit_Zone: Head text box glowing faintly through the debris. He raised his rusty blade with both hands and plunged it down with all his might. The blade met with a sickening crunch, and the thrashing stopped.
Silence returned, broken only by his own ragged breathing.
[You have defeated a Festering Walker. EXP +15] [Experience: 35/100]
He didn't care about the experience. He stumbled past the wreckage, yanked open the refrigerator door, and grabbed a bottle of water. He twisted the cap with trembling hands and drank, the cool liquid a blessing on his parched throat. He drank the entire bottle without stopping, gasping for air as he finished.
Only then did he notice the familiar shimmer over the dead Walker's chest. Loot_Drop_Available=True. He reached in and retrieved another Lesser Monster Core. He absorbed it immediately, feeling the cool rush and watching his Stamina tick up to 5.3.
He leaned against the coolers, catching his breath, the bottle of water clutched like a holy relic. He had done it. He was alive. He had water.
His eyes adjusted to the gloom, and he looked around the ruined store. It was a deathtrap, yes. But it was also a treasure chest. There was food here. Canned goods, protein bars. Maybe even a first-aid kit behind the counter. Everything he needed to survive the next day, maybe even the day after that.
His mission to reach Lily was still paramount, but he knew he wouldn't make it two more blocks in his current state. He had to rest. He had to recover. He had to resupply.
This 24/7 hellhole had just become his sanctuary.