CHAPTER 554: DASH

The night deepened, the air growing colder with every breath.

The howls were no longer coming from just one direction. They rolled through the city from everywhere at once, bouncing between the hollow shells of buildings.

It felt as if the Lunar Beast’s voice was in the walls, in the ground, and in the sky.

And the spawns kept coming. White-furred shapes burst from alleys, scrambled over rooftops, and crawled from the shadows as if the city itself was birthing them.

There was no pause and no end to them.

Clyde’s spear flashed, cutting down another, but his eyes narrowed.

"They’re too many," he said flatly over the sound of snarls and steel. "If we stay here, they’ll swarm us and it can be dangerous."

Mina parried a claw swipe with her dagger and buried the other dagger into the beast’s neck then pulled free with a spray of blood.

She gritted her teeth and said. "Then where do we must go?"

"Somewhere we can funnel them. Or hide long enough to make them lose our trail."

Mina just nodded once, her breath was sharp. "Fine. Lead the way."

They started moving, killing anything in their path.

From the cracked windows and broken balconies above, a few faces peeked out. Pale, gaunt survivors, watching in disbelief as the two carved a path through the endless tide of terrifying monsters.

From one darkened apartment, a man whispered to his wife, "They’re insane. Nobody fights those monsters like that. What are they doing? And they are just kids!"

In another building, two teenagers huddled behind a curtain.

"Are they... even human? How can they be that strong?"

"They’re not normal," an older voice muttered from the shadows. "I’ve seen veteran soldiers in the store died faster. But those two are killing those monsters!"

The whispers didn’t matter. Clyde and Mina didn’t hear them. They didn’t slow or even glance up at tgem. The only thing that mattered was not getting trapped.

But Mina’s movements were changing. Her steps were a little slower now, her swings just slightly less strong.

She was holding on, but Clyde could see the strain that started building in their bodies.

Clyde, on the other hand, felt steady because his Attributes that were higher than Mina or anybody else in this stage kept his stamina high but he knew exactly what would happen if they didn’t stop soon.

Without warning, Clyde retracted his spear with a sharp twist, the shaft collapsing until it fit in the palm of his hand.

Then he grabbed Mina by the waist.

Her eyes went wide. "Wha—"

"Hold on," he said.

And then he dash.

The world blurred around them. His boots slammed into the pavement, kicking up dust and bits of rubble as he pushed himself to his limit.

The spawns howled behind them and gave chase, but Clyde didn’t stop.

Each of his turn, his leap over debris and walls, and each burst of speed widened the gap.

After a few relentless minutes, the sound of claws faded, replaced by the rasp of Mina’s breath and the pounding of his own heart.

Clyde ducked into the shadow of a narrow alley, kicked open the side door of a small abandoned house, and slipped inside.

The door shut with a muffled thud.

He crossed the room, pulling the curtains closed, sealing them in darkness.

Only then did he set Mina back on her feet. Her pulse was still racing, her eyes still a little wide from the sudden escape.

Clyde raised a finger to his lips, signaling for her to stay silent.

Mina swallowed her questions for the moment, letting the pounding in her chest settle.

They then sat down to the dusty floor with their backs against the wall, breathing in the stale air.

Mina kept stealing glances at him, still processing what she had just seen.

Finally, she whispered, "How can you move like that? No one can run that fast at this stage right? Actually, how high are your attributes?"

"Axtually, I hide my power," Clyde cut in, his tone calm, almost casual.

Her eyes searched his face, looking for a hint of a joke, but he wasn’t smiling.

She opened her mouth to ask more questions again at him, but then she shut it again.

There was too much about this man that she was certain was wearing Jack’s body and face that she didn’t understand.

And maybe, she decided, she didn’t need to. As long as he was here, fighting alongside her and helping her raise her power, that was enough.

"We rest for now," Clyde said, leaning his head back against the wall. "Once our stamina’s back we start killing again."

Mina nodded, but her voice was still firm when she replied. "Maybe we should just find the Lunar Beast now. If we kill it, the scenario ends faster."

Clyde didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted toward the boarded-up window, the shadows shifting faintly beyond it, pondering.

"Not yet. The Beast is spawning those things non-stop. We can use them to gather more Exp for ourselves and get stronger."

Mina tilted her head and asked, "That... actually makes sense. But what if we run out of time?"

"We won’t," Clyde said with certainty. "When the last night comes, we will find that beast and hunt it down and kill it."

She studied him for a moment, doubt flickering in her eyes.

"Are you sure it’ll be that easy to find it, and to kill it?" Mina asked.

Clyde turned his gaze back to her, his voice steady. "Just trust me. It’s going to be alright."

Her lips pressed into a thin line before she nodded. "Alright. I’ll trust you."

Clyde shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing toward the door as though expecting something.

Mina noticed that and asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"There’ll be people coming. They’ll give us a Night Quest. If we complete it we will get rewards," Clyde said.

Mina nodded slowly in understanding.

Somewhere outside, faint steps of people in suites could be heard.

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