CHAPTER 6: The Frozen Standoff
Fighting high-level creatures…
Was gambling with death.
One mistake—
That was all it took.
A single misstep…
And everything would end.
Not even a second chance.
Even at the very beginning of the apocalypse, fighting something as weak as a Level 3 zombie had been terrifying.
One scratch.
One touch.
And it was over.
No heroics.
No miracles.
Just death.
Ash understood this better than anyone.
If not for luck—
He would already be dead.
Back then, in his dorm room…
That Level 5 mutated bee had almost killed him.
The only reason he survived—
Was because of the window.
It had been small.
Too small.
The creature had no choice but to come through a single direction.
And that—
Gave him a chance.
A predictable attack.
A single opening.
That was all he needed.
That one kill…
Changed everything.
It gave him power.
A skill.
A way to survive.
Without it—
He wouldn't have even made it out of his room alive.
He would have become just another corpse.
Or worse—
Food.
But risk…
Always came with reward.
And the stronger the enemy—
The greater the reward.
Killing higher-level creatures didn't just give experience.
It gave power.
Real power.
The kind that couldn't be gained easily.
Even the stat bonuses alone were worth more than leveling up multiple times.
And then—
There were the drops.
Ash stepped forward.
Without hesitation—
He picked up the items dropped by the mantis.
The red orb.
The orange orb.
The scroll.
All of them disappeared into his backpack.
No excitement.
No distraction.
Because this wasn't over.
Not yet.
Boom!
Ash stomped the ground.
And charged.
The remaining zombies didn't stand a chance.
His sword flashed.
Cold.
Relentless.
A minute later—
Silence.
All the zombies were dead.
Ash exhaled slowly.
Then—
He turned.
His eyes landed on a woman.
A teacher.
Mid-thirties.
Shaken.
But alive.
"Ms. Carter," Ash said calmly. "What happened to the others?"
The woman flinched slightly.
Then forced a bitter smile.
"Ash… they ran. When things got worse… they panicked."
She shook her head.
"I don't know where they went."
Ash nodded.
"I see."
No anger.
No regret.
Just acceptance.
He looked at the remaining survivors.
Twelve people.
That was all that was left.
The others—
Had chosen to run.
And most of them…
Would die.
Because running without strength—
Was suicide.
Ash knew it.
But he didn't stop them.
He didn't try to.
Because right now—
He could barely keep himself alive.
Let alone protect everyone.
That mantis fight had pushed him to his limits.
If there had been two of them—
He would be dead.
Simple as that.
He turned away.
"Move."
His voice was firm.
"We head to the gym."
"Once we get there—we rest."
No one argued.
No one hesitated.
They followed him immediately.
Because they had seen it.
His strength.
His calm.
His power.
And in this world—
That was everything.
They moved carefully.
Every step filled with tension.
Every sound—
A threat.
On the other side of campus—
Another group moved forward.
This group was smaller.
Around twenty people.
Mostly women.
A few men.
But all of them—
Followed one person.
At the front—
A young woman walked calmly.
Her presence…
Commanding.
Her hair—
Silver.
Her eyes—
Bright blue.
Cold.
Like ice.
Her skin was pale.
Smooth.
Almost unreal.
Like something out of a dream.
But her expression—
Was emotionless.
Frozen.
Untouchable.
Five zombies staggered toward the group.
Groaning.
Hungry.
Terrifying.
Some survivors trembled.
Some nearly cried.
But the woman—
Didn't react.
Not even slightly.
She raised her hand.
And instantly—
Five ice spears formed above her.
Floating.
Sharp.
Deadly.
With a simple motion—
She released them.
Swoosh!
Perfect accuracy.
Each spear pierced a zombie's head.
Clean.
Precise.
No blood spilled.
Only ice.
The zombies dropped.
Dead.
Silence followed.
The group stared at her.
Awe.
Relief.
Admiration.
To them—
She was hope.
But her face didn't change.
Not even a little.
Elsewhere—
Another group pushed forward.
Larger.
Around thirty people.
Led by two men.
A zombie appeared—
Then another.
Before anyone could react—
Two arrows flew.
Straight.
Accurate.
Deadly.
Both zombies dropped instantly.
The survivors looked at the archer.
A young man.
Athletic.
Calm.
Focused.
He said nothing.
Just walked forward—
And retrieved his arrows.
Clean.
Efficient.
Then—
A blur.
A mutated dog lunged forward.
Fast.
Violent.
Its jaws opened wide—
Aimed at his head.
But—
BOOM!
A massive hammer crushed it mid-air.
Its head exploded instantly.
Blood and flesh scattered everywhere.
The creature collapsed.
Dead.
A large man stood there.
Bearded.
Muscular.
Savage.
He rested the huge hammer on his shoulder.
"Too slow," he muttered.
The group moved again.
Toward the same destination.
Ash didn't know any of this.
But if he did—
He wouldn't be surprised.
Because he wasn't the only one trying to survive.
The gym—
Was the center.
The safest place.
Anyone with a brain—
Would head there.
And in this chaos—
Some people would rise.
Gain power.
Become something more.
Just like him.
Twenty minutes later—
Ash stopped.
He raised his hand.
The group froze.
They were close.
Very close.
The gymnasium—
Just fifty meters ahead.
But—
Something was wrong.
Ash crouched slightly.
Peering forward.
His eyes narrowed.
Zombies.
Dozens of them.
More than fifty.
Packed together.
Wandering.
Blocking the entrance completely.
Too many.
Too close.
Too dangerous.
Even for him.
Behind him—
Ms. Carter's voice trembled.
"Ash… what do we do now?"
Silence.
Ash didn't answer immediately.
His mind raced.
Fifty zombies.
In a tight space.
No room to move.
No room to dodge.
One mistake—
And it was over.
Even for him.
What bothered him most…
Was this—
They weren't leaving.
Not even one.
As if—
They were guarding something.
Ash's eyes darkened.
His grip tightened on the Glacial Tyrant.
"…This won't be easy."
For the first time since arriving—
He felt it.
Real pressure.
Real danger.
But instead of fear—
A cold smile appeared.
"Good."
Because the stronger the challenge—
The greater the reward.