A simple two-story house with a brown roof was pointing at the end of Miranda's finger. The white wooden fence in front of the house was in perfect condition, and from what could be seen under the streetlight, the grass had just been freshly trimmed.
Adrius, Miranda, and her two daughters quickly made their way toward the house. Miranda used a key she had prepared in advance to unlock the door, pushed her daughters inside, and then entered herself. Adrius stood a bit longer in front of the door, carefully surveying the surroundings. Once he was sure that the area was secure and that no sound had attracted any zombies or other creatures, he entered the house and made sure Miranda had locked the door completely.
The house wasn't exactly clean or organized, but it conveyed a sense of calm. Adrius looked around and made sure that all the windows were intact. With Miranda's help, they placed wardrobes, bookshelves, and anything else they could use in front of the windows. Adrius even went back to the front door, dragged the shoe rack behind it, and secured it tightly.
After checking the bedrooms on the second floor and confirming the house was completely secure, Adrius made his way to the living room sofa, where he collapsed with a painful groan. The last few hours had been nothing short of a nightmare. Even though his stamina and health returned to normal after every level-up, the mental and emotional exhaustion still lingered.
Adrius lay on the sofa with his eyes closed for almost an hour, trying to calm his mind and soul. Fortunately, the constant level-ups had fully recharged his body, and he didn't feel the least bit sleepy.
"Sorry, calming Charlotte down and getting her to sleep took longer than I expected... Patricia was really scared too, so I had to talk to her a bit before she could sleep." Miranda said as she came down the stairs and sat on the couch beside Adrius.
Adrius opened his eyes and replied, "It's no problem. I've been used to being alone for three years. You don't need to worry about me."
miranda smiled faintly, brushed her brown hair behind her ear, and said, "Honestly, I wanted to thank you again. I didn't know what to do or how to take care of the girls in this situation... especially now that Eddie…" A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye. Even though she was clearly trying to push the sorrow away with all her might, she didn't let her eyes mourn her late husband.
"For now, since the girls are asleep, there's no need to hold back so much... There's no shame in grieving and shedding tears."
Miranda quickly shook her head and said, "No, I can't. If I let myself mourn, I'm sure I'll drown in it, and in a situation like this, that's the worst thing I could do for my daughters... I have to stay strong, for them."
"You're a good mother…" Adrius said with a faint smile.
Miranda leaned a little toward the couch, trying to avoid looking directly into Adrius's eyes, and said, "Adrius... I'll do anything you ask... it doesn't matter what... Just please, I beg you, look after my daughters... I don't care about myself... but I want at least for my daughters to reach a safe place... somewhere where I know their lives aren't at risk and they can grow up in safety... Do this, and I'll even…" The words became difficult for her to continue, as though the words were stuck in her throat.
Adrius stared at Miranda for a few seconds and finally said, "You don't need to continue… If I had any specific conditions, I would have told you before agreeing. The only thing I need from you right now is a clean set of clothes and a hot shower... and then, if you can, help me tend to my wounds."
Miranda, seemingly embarrassed, didn't even look at Adrius. She just nodded in acknowledgment and quickly went upstairs. Several minutes later, she returned with a white towel and several sets of clothes. With her head down, looking at Adrius's feet, she said, "Thank God you and Eddie are almost the same size. I brought you a clean towel, a new set of underwear, and since I didn't know your style, I brought a few different outfits." Then she looked at Adrius's shoes and added, "Afterward, pick a pair of shoes from shoe rack."
Adrius placed the towel and underwear beside him on the couch and started rummaging through the clothes. In the end, he chose a pair of charcoal color jeans, a navy long-sleeve shirt, and a black hoodie. After thanking her, he grabbed the clothes and towel and followed Miranda toward the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, Miranda had left a razor and a shaving blade, which really pleased Adrius. He quickly undressed, adjusted the water temperature, and stepped under the shower. He sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes. He couldn't even remember the last time he had stood under a shower. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and looked at the brown, muddy water swirling down the drain. He couldn't help but laugh.
He wondered to himself: If Miranda saw this, would she still repeat her offer? Or would she try to distance herself from me as much as possible? Of course, with all the blood on his face and clothes, Miranda couldn't smell anything except the strong scent of blood from Adrius.
An odd thing about his wounds caught his attention. Not only had the bleeding completely stopped, but the blood on his wounds had started to dry, and the wounds themselves were almost closed. He predicted that within the next ten days, his wounds would completely heal and disappear.
Adrius spent nearly an hour washing his extremely dirty body, and even stood still for a few moments under the water, enjoying it. Then he turned his attention to his long beard, trimming it completely before using the razor to clean his face of any trace of facial hair. After three years of wearing a thick, dervish-like beard, he was tired of it. However, he decided not to cut his long hair completely. He only trimmed it to just above his shoulders and then tied it up neatly, much tidier than before.
After putting on the clothes, even Adrius was shocked by how much he had changed. Over the past three years, he had almost forgotten what he looked like, but it seemed like he had changed a little. It seemed as if the imperfections on his face had improved, and he appeared somewhat more handsome than before. Though, he believed this was just his imagination, based on his sudden change.
An hour and a half later, he exited the bathroom and returned downstairs. On the table in front of the couch, there were food, snacks, and drinks. Miranda was sitting on the couch, holding her head in her hands with a melancholic look on her face.
"You should have tried to sleep... In this situation, you'll need every bit of energy you can get." Adrius said softly.
"I tried, but I couldn't sleep. I think the situation is worse than..." Miranda froze when she saw Adrius and stopped mid-sentence. If she hadn't known Adrius's voice or if she hadn't prepared his clothes, it would have been hard to believe that the young man standing before her was actually Adrius. Adrius had changed 180 degrees. He was also more handsome and younger than she had imagined.
Adrius chuckled briefly: "Believe me, I'm shocked too. The last time I saw myself this clean and neat was three years ago. I almost forgot what I actually looked like."
Miranda coughed a few times and shook her head: "You really have changed… I didn't expect you to be this young… How are your wounds? I wish you hadn't put the jacket on. We should have bandaged your wounds first; it could get infected."
Adrius sat on the couch and, while looking at the food on the table, replied: "Actually, the bleeding from my wounds has stopped completely, and they've started drying up. I just needed to wash around the wounds. It seems like the Akashic Record is stronger than I expected... The fact that you can naturally change someone's body this much in just a few hours is truly amazing."
"Akashic Record?!!!" Miranda asked, first in surprise, then as if remembering something: "Oh, I almost forgot about that white window that appeared in front of me. It seems like the world has gone crazy... What do you mean by the Akashic Record changing your body?"
Adrius began explaining the status window, *the life flame*, the added status points, and everything else he had learned so far. He finished by saying: "Basically, every time you kill a living being, you absorb its Flame of Life and get stronger. After seeing what I'm capable of, I don't think it'll be hard for you to believe... Miranda, if you really want to take care of your daughters, instead of relying on others, try using this system. That way, you won't need anyone else."
Miranda nodded as she processed Adrius's words. But Adrius didn't leave her alone with her thoughts and asked, "You said it seems worse than you thought, what do you mean?"
It took Miranda a few seconds to snap out of her thoughts and answer Adrius: "Ah, yes… The situation seems really bad… While you were in the shower, I couldn't sleep, so I tried to check the TV. Most of the channels were normal, showing movies, series, and commercials, but the news channels were terrifying. The cameras were on the ground, and the studios were full of zombies. Some news stations were completely cut off. Then I tried checking the internet, but nothing… it was completely down... My landline wasn't working either—every number I tried either didn't connect. It seems like the country has completely fallen apart… Even the radio isn't broadcasting anything."
Adrius shook his head in disappointment: "I thought so… This isn't like a disease that started from one place. It's happening randomly everywhere. Whether it's here in an ordinary neighborhood or in the most secure government zone, most people have turned into zombies, and animals and insects have turned into crazy monsters."
Miranda was completely shocked and didn't know how to react. Seeing her condition, Adrius continued: "Don't overthink it now. We still have a few hours before dawn. Try to get at least one hour of sleep. Tomorrow, we'll leave the house and look for government camps. I'm sure by tomorrow they'll have set up at least one safe zone for refugees around London. On the way, I'll help you level up as much as you can."
Miranda thanked Adrius in despair and went upstairs, trying to get some rest. After she left, Adrius started eating the food and drinking the beverages on the table, continuing until he felt like he was about to explode. After he was completely full, he sighed in pleasure and muttered, "Now it's time to try out these gems." He pulled out the skill and treasure crystals from his jeans pocket and placed them on the table.
First, he went for the most eye-catching one, the purple Shadow Master crystal.
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Shadow Master (Basic tier, Active Skill) Level 9: The Basic tier, Active Skill Shadow Master gives you the ability to control and manipulate your own shadow and the shadow of your opponent, to a limited degree. The power of this skill is directly related to the mana used, the amount of magic, imagination, and intelligence you possess.
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According to the tutorial window and things he had read in novels, Adrius focused on the mysterious energy inside his chest and then transferred it to the crystal. To his surprise, it wasn't as hard as he thought. He quickly connected with the mana inside his body and easily directed it into the crystal.
As Adrius's mana entered the crystal, it began to glow, filling the living room with purple light. Adrius even felt that all the shadows around him were being drawn toward the purple light. After a few seconds, the crystal turned into a gaseous substance and rapidly absorbed into his body. He felt a sharp pain from deep within, but it quickly faded, as if it had never happened.
[> You have successfully learned Shadow Master, Basic tier, Active Skill Level 9. <]