The morning sun hung high in the sky, marking the second day of the apocalypse.
Its rays streamed through the window panels, casting long shadows across the room.
The chaos had momentarily ceased, the screams, the explosions, and the tremors had all stopped.
Yet, the madness that had consumed the world still lingered in the air, unspoken but palpable.
On two separate beds, the two boys slept, seemingly unaware of the world outside, their faces peaceful, untouched by the nightmare that had unfolded.
But one of them, Ethan, still clutched his sword tightly against his chest, his grip firm as if instinctively ready to spring into action at the slightest threat.
His eyes were closed, but his body seemed prepared for whatever might come next.
With the faintest twitch of a muscle, Ethan's eyes fluttered open, the morning sun streaming through the window and gently warming his face.
His gaze shifted toward the window, where the outside world lay still, yet chaos still seemed to linger in the air.
"Another day in this madness"
He muttered under his breath, the weight of it all pressing down on him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
He glanced over at Logan, still deep in sleep.
"Hey, sleeping beauty, time to wake up"
Ethan said, his voice half-amused as he nudged Logan awake.
Logan groggily stirred, his eyes blinking as he rubbed the sleep out of them.
With a soft grunt, he finally lifted himself from the bed, clearly not quite ready to face the day.
"We should get moving. We've wasted enough time here"
Ethan spoke as he opened his system interface, purchasing a toothbrush for a single point.
He then headed to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, both he and Logan were ready to leave.
"So, what weapon are you buying?"
Ethan asked, glancing over at Logan as they prepared to head out.
"Daggers"
Logan replied, his gaze fixed on the system as he scrolled through the available options.
"You want to be an assassin?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Nope. I'm not buying daggers to be an assassin. Besides, it's not like we can freely assign our stat points however we want. We just take whatever stats the dead monsters give us"
Logan replied, his tone casual as two daggers materialized in his palms, one in each hand.
He examined them closely, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
"Cool"
He muttered under his breath, the weight of the blades fitting perfectly in his grip.
His gaze then shifted back to Ethan.
"So, are we jumping out of the window like you did last time?"
"No. We're taking the stairs. You can gain stats like that"
Ethan replied, casually shifting aside the objects Logan had used to barricade the door earlier.
Logan raised an eyebrow.
"What if we encounter another Great Zombie?"
His expression darkened with concern.
"We won't"
Ethan answered with a calm certainty.
"There can't be two captains on the same ship. That zombie came from downstairs when it met me, so there's no stronger being left in this building"
Logan let out a dramatic sigh.
"I swear, standing near you always makes me wonder if we have the same brain"
He muttered, shaking his head as he stepped out of his room and into the hallway, following Ethan.
"No need to beat yourself up for being... how should I put this? Dumb?"
Ethan teased, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
Logan didn't respond.
Instead, he walked towards the staircase, intent on making his way down to the ground floor.
But as he reached the base of the stairs, he turned and found Ethan standing on the railing.
"What are you doing?"
Logan asked, his voice laced with a mix of amusement and caution.
"I'm gonna jump"
Ethan replied with a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"I've done this a lot in my dreams"
Logan's brows furrowed.
"You do know you're gonna die if you fall from there, right?"
"It seems you've forgotten about my ability"
Ethan replied with a sly grin, and without another word, he dropped into a free fall.
Logan's eyes widened in shock.
'Is he crazy?'
He thought, his mind racing as he watched Ethan plunge downward.
But Ethan, eyes closed, seemed completely at ease.
He reveled in the rush of wind against his face and the sensation of freedom as his hair and clothes whipped around him.
Time seemed to slow as the ground approached, but in an instant, Ethan's thoughts connected with the wind around him.
The air responded, coiling gently yet firmly, suspending him mid-air just before his feet hit the ground.
From an onlooker's point of view, Logan was levitating mid-air at that very moment.
He remained suspended in place for a few seconds, as if savoring the sensation of weightlessness, the feeling of being completely free from the ground below.
The wind whispered around him, brushing his face softly as he closed his eyes, taking in the moment.
Then, with a simple thought, Logan began to descend.
The wind eased him down gently, his feet softly touching the floor below.
As his shoes made contact with the ground, the breeze around him faded, dissipating into nothingness.
[Name: Ethan Cross
Age: 21
Race: Human
Health: 41
Strength: 42
Agility: 35
Stamina: 80
Mana: 215
Points: 595
Ability: Air Manipulation]
Ethan's eyes were fixed on his system panel, assessing his stats, when a soft shuffle echoed through the air.
His gaze flicked sideways, just in time to see the zombies, staggering closer.
But before they could take another step, a small stone flew through the air and struck dead center in the middle of the hallway.
The impact echoed sharply, drawing Ethan's attention.
His eyes snapped from the stone to Logan, who was standing at the far end of the staircase, a mischievous grin plastered across his face.
'This fucker'
Ethan thought.
The wind around him stirred in response to his thoughts.
In an instant, a dome of swirling air formed around him, sealing him off from the approaching zombies.
With a deafening boom, an explosion tore through the air.
The stone, once innocuous, detonated with overwhelming force, obliterating every zombie in its radius.
The blast sent shrapnel scattering, green blood splattering across the floors, and the walls cracked under the sheer force of the shockwave.
As the dust settled, a figure emerged from the lingering smoke, walking out of the last staircase with an unmistakable grin.
"So many points, so many stats, without even lifting a finger. This ability of mine is a cheat"
Logan mused, his voice laced with satisfaction.
Ethan, unfazed, turned to face him, his eyes narrowing.
"Didn't you see me standing here when you detonated that bomb?"
Logan didn't even look back as he shrugged.
"Come on, I'm sure you would've put up a wind barrier or something"
He said casually, clearly proud of the carnage he'd just unleashed.
After all, he'd just wiped out over fifty zombies with a single attack.
Ethan exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes.
"Let's get moving"
With a nod from Logan, the two of them stepped out of the building, leaving the chaos behind them.