CHAPTER 550: A KEY

Clyde stepped into the store, his boots scraping softly against the blood-slick floor.

The smell of iron was heavy in the air, mingling with the acrid sting of sweat and dust.

Mina stood over the corpse of the bandit leader, her breathing still ragged, her dagger dripping thick dark red blood onto the ground beneath her feet.

Her eyes that was once wide with hesitation and fear were now sharp, cold and unwavering, like they had been carved from steel in the span of minutes.

Clyde studied her quietly, no hint of surprise on his face.

He’d seen this before countless times when someone was forced to kill, then forced to keep killing until the act became part of them. He was one of them.

He knew the moment her parents turned into monsters and she had to kill them, something inside her had changed.

This was just the natural result of that event. The Mina standing before him wasn’t the same girl who hesitated to attack before.

She was harder and sharper now. She had become the kind of people who wouldn’t flinch the next time blood was on her hands.

Mina’s gaze dropped suddenly, her lips parting as her pupils flickered with faint light.

A translucent screen shimmered into view before her eyes that only she could see it.

Her heart skipped once before the text rolled across her vision.

[Level Up!]

[Level 15]

The words faded, replaced by another notification:

[Skill Acquired: Crimson Step]

Rank: Rare

Type: Active

Description: Allows the user to enhance their body. Movement speed and strength during the activation is tripled, and the next melee attack within the duration is guaranteed to critically strike.

Cooldown: 25 seconds.

Her gaze shifted to the black dagger lying beside the leader’s limp hand.

She crouched, fingers closing around its hilt.

The weapon felt heavier than it looked, a subtle hum of power vibrating through the steel. Showing that this was not a normal dagger but a weapon that was coming from this apocalypse.

As she lifted it, another translucent panel appeared.

[Item Acquired: Black Dagger]

Rank: Rare

Type: Dagger

Effect: Attacks apply a stacking 5% bleed for 6 seconds (max 3 stacks).

Active Skill – Venom Bloom: Coats the blade in paralytic venom for 10 seconds. Enemies hit during this time have movement and attack speed reduced by 40%.

Cooldown: 60 seconds.

She let out a slow breath, turning the weapon in her grip so the dim light caught the cruel, narrow edge.

It was a killer’s blade, no question. And now it was hers.

When she finally looked up at Clyde - who was wearing Jack’s body - he was still watching her with a calm and flat expression like he usually displayed.

There was no praise in his eyes, but neither was there judgment, only acknowledgment.

Mina thought that they understood each other without speaking. That was weird. He never thought that Jack, her childhood friend, would have this kind of experience.

Outside, the wind picked up, carrying away the copper scent of blood into the store.

Inside, Mina tightened her grip on the Black Dagger. Clyde could see that she was ready for whatever came next. That was a good thing to know.

Clyde walked over, his boots leaving faint, wet prints on the floor.

"What did you get?" he asked.

Mina glanced up at him, still catching her breath.

"I actually got a new skill. It’s called Crimson Step. It boosts my speed and strength for short time and guarantees a critical hit if I attack within the time limit. It has a twenty-five second cooldown."

Then she held up the dagger. "And this isn’t just a weapon. It has an active skill too and must be like your spear and my dagger. The skill is called Venom Bloom. It slows enemies and poisons them for ten seconds. The cooldown is a minute."

Clyde nodded once. "Good. That’ll help for our future fight. For now we need to rest."

Mina’s brow furrowed. "I can still move. We could clear more out before night—"

"We are not going to have this conversation again." His tone was flat, but it carried weight. "You saw what happened earlier. One wrong move when you’re tired and you’re dead. Rest first."

She hesitated, wanting to argue, but the image of Clyde cutting through a dozen enemies earlier came back to her. Clean, precise, never wasting motion.

If he said don’t be reckless, he meant it.

She let out a short sigh and nodded. "Fine."

Clyde stepped past her toward the door. "Find a spot to sit. I’ll check outside."

Mina scanned the store, finally settling against a wall beside a toppled shelf.

She lowered herself slowly, the dagger resting across her knees, her eyes drifting toward the dim doorway.

Outside, Clyde moved quickly through the dead bandits.

He rifled through pockets, checked their weapons, and he tossed aside anything useless.

There was nothing of value. He just found scraps, rusted gear, and broken tools.

Then his fingers brushed against a small, cold shape in one man’s coat. It was a key.

He turned it in his hand. It looked like a simple house key, but it was clean, not worn like the others.

The bandits had mentioned a base stocked with supplies so this could be it.

When he came back in, Mina was looking at her new dagger’s edge with a small smile in her face.

He showed the key by dangling it between them. "I found this. This is probably the key for their base they talked about earlier."

Her gaze flicked from the key to him. "The one with the supplies?"

"Most likely." He crouched and picked it back up, slipping it into his pocket. "We’ll go there next."

She leaned back against the wall, her expression calmed down. "Alright."

They didn’t speak after that. The store was silent except for the faint rustle of wind outside.

Mina kept her dagger close. Clyde sat a few feet away, arms resting on his knees, eyes scanning the shadows as if waiting for something to happen again.

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