Ren was running from those Zomdogs while they chased after him, claws scraping and jaws snapping just inches behind.
GRRRRR—!!
TAP TAP TAP TAP—
His footsteps echoed against the tight concrete walls.
He was mocking all the Zomdogs along the way, deliberately grabbing their attention as they started chasing after him.
He slid under a half-collapsed metal gate—
SHHHHK—
Sparks flew as rusted iron scraped against his jacket.
"Too close, too close!" he muttered, barely keeping balance.
The Zomdogs crashed through after him.
BANG—!!
CLATTER—!!
He was sprinting through a cramped alley, surrounded by rusted metal structures stacked carelessly on both sides. Old sheet panels hung loosely. Bent iron rods poked out from cracked walls. A leaning staircase trembled above him like it could fall at any second.
One wrong move—
And the whole place could collapse.
A Zomdog lunged.
SNAP—!!
He twisted sideways, shoulder brushing against a corroded fence.
SCRAAAAPE—
"Hey! Watch the claws!" Ren shot back breathlessly. "I'm not your chew toy!"
Another one knocked into a pile of metal pipes.
CLANG CLANG CLANG—!!
He stopped there.
The Zomdogs surrounded him from both sides.
He sighed.
"Siiihh… what a mess."
They growled, circling slowly.
He tilted his head, a twisted smile forming.
"Just bring it, you pieces of rotten shit."
One Zomdog lunged—
SNAP—!!
Ren stepped forward instead of back.
Slash—
SHHK—!!
Its head flew off cleanly.
Thud—
The body collapsed, twitching violently on the ground.
"What a bad pup," he said, voice light but eyes cold. "I'm giving you a curfew. Now you can't move."
He glanced at the head rolling away.
"Oh… sorry. You actually can't move."
A short, breathy laugh left him.
Another one darted low, aiming below his waist for his precious manhood.
His eyes widened.
"What the—?!"
He kicked instantly—
THUD—!!
The creature's jaw snapped shut on empty air.
He drove his short sword straight down without hesitation.
STAB—!!
Bone cracked as the blade pierced through its skull.
"You smelly bastards are really aiming for my precious treasure, huh?" he snapped, irritation flashing across his face. "Unbelievable."
A third Zomdog attacked from behind—
He twisted at the last second.
WHOOSH—
Claws sliced through air inches from his neck.
He countered with a sharp horizontal slash—
SHRAAAK—!!
The blade tore through its midsection.
The Zomdog split and dropped, yet its upper half kept crawling, jaws snapping wildly.
Ren stared at it with a flat expression.
"…Right."
"They don't feel anything."
He exhaled through his nose.
"What an unsatisfying thing to look at."
The crawling Zomdog lunged again—
Ren stepped in and kicked upward with force.
BOOM—!!
The body lifted into the air.
Mid-air—
He thrust his short sword upward.
CRACK—!!
The blade drove straight through its head.
The creature went limp instantly and crashed down.
Silence filled the alley.
Ren pulled his sword free and rolled his shoulders, letting out a slow breath.
"…Seriously," he muttered.
"What a damn bummer."
He murmured under his breath.
"120… 119… 118… 117…"
From both ends of the alley—
BARK—!! BARK—!!
All the Zomdogs bared their teeth, saliva dripping from their jaws.
Drip…
Drip…
He gave them a bright smile.
"What? You pups want to play with me?"
He shrugged lightly.
"Sorry. I've got other stuff to do. Maybe next time."
He continued counting.
"67… 66… 65… 64…"
Suddenly—
They dashed at him from both directions.
GRRRRR—!!
TAP TAP TAP TAP—!!
He let out a breath.
"Really? You damn things have no patience, do you?"
He turned sharply—
"But…"
He grabbed the almost-falling staircase.
The rusted bolts creaked.
CREEEEAK—
He pushed himself upward—
The structure shifted violently.
CLANG—!!
He climbed fast, using the railings for momentum, boots kicking off the metal.
Behind him, the Zomdogs followed, claws scraping against the stairs.
SCRAAAAPE—!!
The staircase began tilting.
CRACK—!!
"12… 11… 10… 9…"
The metal joints snapped one by one.
PING—!!
He leapt.
His fingers caught the rooftop edge.
Thud—
He rolled onto the rooftop just as the staircase collapsed below.
BOOOOM—!!
Dust exploded upward.
He stood up slowly.
"It's almost time for the main event," he said calmly.
He counted.
"3…"
"2…"
"1."
He made a finger-gun pose, aiming at the rusted iron structures below.
"Bam."
A split second of silence—
Then—
BOOOOOOOM—!!
The sticky bomb detonated.
The entire metal structure erupted.
KRAAAANG—!!
CRASH—!!
Rusted beams snapped and fell.
Sheets of iron collapsed inward.
The Zomdogs barked wildly.
BARK—!! BARK—!!
They tried to run—
But the debris rained down on them.
THUD—!!
CRUNCH—!!
SMASH—!!
Their snarls turned into distorted screeches.
RRAAAAGH—!!
Then silence.
Dust filled the air.
Metal groaned as it settled.
Ren looked down at the wreckage.
A slow smile formed.
He thought, Rule no. Ten
Always see opportunities in your surroundings and use them for your benefits
"…Now that," he murmured, brushing dust off his shoulder,
"was something satisfying to watch."
---
Lucia stood on top of a faraway building, the shockwave brushing against her hair.
BOOOOM—!!
The explosion echoed across the slums.
Her eyes widened.
Dust rose like a cloud swallowing the alley.
She stared at the collapsing metal structures in disbelief.
Just how did he know the exact timing for everything…? she thought.
The staircase… the countdown… the blast…
All of it aligned perfectly.
Her fingers tightened against the rooftop ledge.
He really is one crazy bastard, she thought.
Yet—
A small, reluctant sense of relief settled in her chest.
Because that crazy bastard…
Was on her side.
---
Ren returned to the building Lucia was in.
He gave her a bright smile. "Good work."
She frowned slightly. "But I only stuck the sticky bomb."
He reached out, gently petting her head and messing her hair. "That's enough for now."
Her face flushed. "You're… too close."
"Oh, sorry about that," he said, stepping back slightly.
He tilted his head, thinking. Does that even matter after everything we've done so far?
Anyway… shouldn't think too much, he muttered quietly to himself.
She let out a relieved smile. "Now we can get out of this city without any problem, now that we've taken care of most of the Zomdogs here."
Ren nodded, grinning. "Of course, of course. Why not… we are—"
She thought, Yes… finally we can get out of this place. I don't even want to be here for a second after seeing that big monster… it was really terrifying.
He must be crazy… but he can't be thinking of fighting that thing, right—
"Not going anywhere," he said suddenly, bright smile on his face.
She blinked. "Yes… yes, we're not going anywhere…"
Then she realized what he'd said. Panic flooded her expression. "What!!!! Pl-please tell me you're not planning to fight that big thing!" she cried, almost in tears.
"Of course we are," he replied calmly. "And we're going to kill it."
Her heart sank.
He continued, a hint of evil in his grin, laughing slightly. "And you… you're going to play a major role in this."
She flinched. I can see something bad coming…
"Still…" she said, tears threatening, "why do we even need to fight it? There's no hope for us… and what's even the point?"
"Oh, about that," he said, tilting his head with an innocent, bright smile. "Because I want to."
She thought, He is really—
He thought, excitement flashing across his face. I know what she's thinking… but I can't let go of this chance.
He thought, with an excited, plotting smile.
"Specially not, after realising that."