Inside an ancient-looking car, a commanding male voice directed the occupants.
"Grip it well."
"Okay, now move it around."
"Am I doing it right?" a timid female voice asked shyly.
"Good, that's perfect. Okay, now grab the rod, remember what I taught you..."
"You can stop for a rest if you want to, but the faster, the better."
"Hey, can you stop making ambiguous comments?!" Another female voice from the back seat interrupted angrily. The girl in between the two boys rolled her eyes, while the boy in question raised an eyebrow at the outburst.
"Why do you have to sit like that? Don't people normally teach from the passenger side of the vehicle?" the annoyed girl continued.
"Well, I'm not other people, and this lesson is happening in the apocalypse, so we have to make safe decisions," the boy responded self-righteously. He turned to his friend Charles, who had joined the group at the last moment under the pretense of "finding his friend."
"Well, it's both of your lives to live," Charles said, evading the glare from his indignant best friend. 'Hey, I'm the normal one here, and this girl is obviously enjoying the attention. Does this look like a student who's here to learn? Why does it seem like both of you are on a honeymoon instead of having a lesson?'
Audrey had a thousand complaints about the situation, but everyone seemed to ignore her as Harmony continued running over zombies with the car. Aaron had learned that the experience points earned were reduced by a third when zombies were hit by the car, and those points were exclusively given to Harmony.
As the group carried on, they began to talk more freely, and the awkwardness gradually dissipated. However, their lighthearted camaraderie was short-lived as they reached their destination, where they heard the sounds of gunshots and screams. Strangely, neither zombies nor beasts were their enemies.
"Is that?" Charles questioned.
"Yes," Aaron affirmed.
The scene before them was chaotic. The Vice Chancellor of the university, a portly, shirtless man, was holding two half-naked girls hostage. Surrounding them were a group of lecturers and security personnel who were indiscriminately shooting the ground, creating barriers of rocks and dust. The situation was exacerbated by the darkness of night, making everything even more chaotic. Some men lay frozen on the ground, while others were impaled with ice or rocks, or both.
Spotting the approaching vehicle, the armed group became trigger-happy, forcing Aaron to freeze nearly a hundred bullets aimed in their direction. The entire group exited the vehicle with practiced efficiency, having encountered resistance on the road before. But before Harmony left the car, she grabbed Audrey's hand.
"What?" Audrey asked.
"If you want him to like you, you have to be friends with his sister. Don't say I didn't help you out in the future," Harmony advised before leaving the car without waiting for a response.
Aaron flicked his fingers, sending all the bullets back simultaneously. He wasn't skilled enough to redirect tens of bullets with precision, but it was enough to hit some enemies and even kill a few. Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the ground, seizing the opportunity amid the chaos. Aaron's eyes widened as he recognized the figure, someone he had been actively searching for since the apocalypse began.
He watched with a mixture of worry and excitement as she fought with skill and proficiency, far surpassing what he had expected. The last time he saw her, she was in a wheelchair...
Admitting to himself that she was now much more adept at using mana, Aaron observed her launching herself dozens of meters into the air and landing, causing the earth to tremble. She raised four earth pillars to shield herself before unleashing attacks with razor-thin disks of earth that sliced through her enemies' waists and heads. With a swift hand movement, she created a large barrier, then manipulated the earth to reveal a mud-covered beauty with silver hair and a water bottle attached to her waist.
Her eyes held a hint of rage as she skillfully controlled water from the bottle. At this point, Aaron's face burned with embarrassment, which he transferred to the men attacking him, causing confusion and indignation. The silver-haired beauty used ice needles to pierce her enemies' necks until only the shirtless Vice Chancellor remained.
"Stay back, bitch! I swear I will kill them," he threatened, tightening his grip on the helpless girls. The fury in the silver-haired girl's eyes turned to pure disgust. She waved her hands, quickly turning the Vice Chancellor into a block of ice. He began to melt rapidly but not fast enough to avoid a powerful kick that sent him flying away from his captives. The girls took the opportunity to escape.
By now, the Vice Chancellor had thawed and unleashed a fiery torrent from his mouth, akin to a flamethrower. The silver-haired girl did her best to block the flames. Aaron couldn't help but wonder why his sister hadn't stepped in. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to walk forward.
"You need help?" he asked.
"No," she replied coldly, giving him a look that left him unsure of how to react. He awkwardly stepped back and scratched his head.
"Broooo!" Favour, the green-haired girl, embraced him tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I was so scared. I thought you were dead when I checked your hostel." Aaron patted her back reassuringly, speaking in a soothing tone. "Don't worry. I won't scare my sweet, fragile sister ever again, okay? Are you hurt anywhere? That landing had to hurt, right? Tell me the truth, okay... Okay, I'll give you a massage... Oh, and you just did your nails?... Don't worry; I'm sure we can find another one somewhere... Oh, it's quite expensive..."
Favour whispered so softly that the two girls who were further away couldn't hear the exact details. However, they could piece together some of it. Audrey, feeling somewhat bitter, wondered why she had never been treated so gently, like a fragile egg. Harmony leaned over and whispered to Audrey, "To him, no one is more important than his precious sister. You see, he was adopted because she needed a brother and a friend. Believe it or not, just yesterday, she was using a wheelchair."
Then, Favour turned her attention to the two girls and pointed at her eyes, making a backward V-sign and mouthing the words "I AM WATCHING YOU" before continuing her sobbing. In the background, the silver-haired girl continued to fight fiercely against the man, trading injuries for burns until she managed to thrust an ice stake through the man's forehead. She collapsed after the bitter victory.
"Her name is Isabella. I don't know exactly why, but she detests men... more than usual. She has a story, but I couldn't care less about that until I saw you safe first," Favour said with a cute smile as Aaron reassuringly rubbed her legs. And as for where she was sitting, she was on Aaron's back.
"Let me put out the fire before it burns her again," Aaron said, waving his hand and using the surrounding ice to melt and extinguish the flames.
"Whoa, did you also receive the Ice Domination skill? I got Earth Domination. It's neat, huh? It's pretty powerful," she said, clearly seeking some praise from him. Aaron rolled his eyes but offered her the compliment she desired, leaving her satisfied.