Infinite Leveling In The Apocalypse

Against The Ghouls

Min-joon stood at the edge of the rooftop, his body tense, gripping the baseball bat so hard his knuckles turned white. The two ghouls on the adjacent building moved quickly, their green skin glowing under the red glow of the moon. He could see their sharp, clawed fingers clutching the edge of the roof as they prepared to leap.

Min-joon glanced at Ji-woo. She was crouched low, her dark hair still pulled back into a messy bun, her eyes wide and locked onto the approaching creatures. Her small frame seemed even more fragile against the backdrop of the chaotic city. Despite the fear in her eyes, she held a broken piece of metal pipe in her hands, ready to defend herself.

'We have to do this,' he thought, trying to summon courage. 'We can't back down now.'

"Ready?" Min-joon asked, trying to sound braver than he felt. His voice was calm, but his heart pounded loudly in his ears.

Ji-woo nodded, her grip tightening on the pipe. "Ready as I'll ever be.”

As the first ghoul leaped towards them, Min-joon swung his bat with all his might. The ghoul's claws clashed against the bat, and it was knocked sideways, crashing into the rooftop with a snarl. Its red eyes flared with anger as it scrambled to its feet.

'Come on, you can do this,' Min-joon urged himself. 'Just like with the Feral.'

He sidestepped as the second ghoul lunged at him. It was fast, faster than he had expected. He swung again, hitting the creature's shoulder. The impact sent a jolt through his arms, but it didn't slow the ghoul down much. It growled, swiping at him with its claws. Min-joon ducked just in time, the claws grazing the air above his head.

Ji-woo was struggling with the first ghoul. She jabbed at it with her metal pipe, trying to keep it at bay. The ghoul hissed, dodging her strikes and swiping back.

'She's brave,' Min-joon thought, watching her.

Seeing Ji-woo in danger, Min-joon knew he had to act quickly. He focused on the ghoul in front of him, his mind racing. 'Think, think,' he urged himself. 'What's the best move here?'

He glanced at the system interface floating in his vision. It showed the health bars of the ghouls, both still nearly full. He remembered the advice from the system: 'Focus on their weaknesses.' He had to figure out what that was.

The ghoul charged at him again. This time, Min-joon noticed its movements were a bit slower on its left side. 'Maybe it's weaker on that side,' he thought. 'I should aim there.'

Gathering his courage, Min-joon waited for the ghoul to make its move. As it lunged, he sidestepped to its right and swung his bat hard at its left shoulder. The ghoul let out a screech of pain, its body twisting as it tried to keep its balance.

Min-joon didn't give it a chance to recover. He struck again, aiming for the same spot. The ghoul stumbled, its health bar dropping significantly. 'It's working,' he thought with a surge of hope. 'I can do this.'

Ji-woo, meanwhile, had managed to get a good hit on her ghoul. She swung her pipe with all her strength, landing a blow to its head. The ghoul staggered back, dazed. Ji-woo took advantage of the moment, striking again and again.

"Take that, you monster!" she yelled, her voice filled with fear and seriousness. Her face was flushed, and sweat glistened on her forehead.

The ghoul Min-joon was fighting was weakening. Its movements were slower, its growls less fierce. With a final swing, he aimed for its head, putting all his strength into the blow. The bat connected with a sickening thud, and the ghoul crumpled to the ground, its health bar blinking out.

[+26Xp - 26/200]

Min-joon turned to see Ji-woo deliver a final blow to her ghoul. It collapsed, its body twitching before going still. She stood there, panting heavily, the pipe still clutched in her hands. For a moment, the only sound was their heavy breathing and the distant noise of the city.

'We did it,' Min-joon thought, feeling a rush of relief. 'We actually did it.'

Ji-woo looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "We... we did it," she said, echoing his thoughts.

Min-joon nodded, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Yeah," he replied, his voice shaky but triumphant. "We did."

They both stood there for a moment, catching their breath. The reality of what they had just done slowly sank in. They had fought monsters and won. It was a small victory, but it felt huge.

"Let's keep moving," Min-joon said.

Ji-woo nodded, still looking a bit stunned. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Together, they approached the edge of the rooftop, adrenaline slowly giving way to the chill of the night and the ache in their muscles.

Min-joon scanned the rooftops ahead, his eyes searching for a safe path to the next building. Two down, who knew how many more lurked in the shadows of this concrete jungle.

"We need to be more careful," Ji-woo said, her voice barely a whisper. "Those things were… fast."

Min-joon nodded. "Yeah. And smarter than I thought. We got lucky with that weak spot."

Ji-woo glanced at the rusty baseball bat in his hand. "Lucky, and skilled. You fought well, Min-joon. Better than I thought anyone could with a baseball bat."

A weak smile formed on his lips. "Thanks. You weren't bad yourself with that pipe. Maybe we make a good team."

Ji-woo returned the smile, a flicker of something resembling hope lighting up her dark eyes.

"Maybe we do."

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech pierced the silence, echoing from the building adjacent to their previous fight. It was followed by a flurry of movement and several guttural growls.

Min-joon cursed under his breath. "More Ghouls? We just finished those two."

The system interface flickered in his vision, a red blip appearing on the rooftop next door.

['Three Ghouls.']

Min-joon grimaced. Three against two, with their energy already depleted, didn't sound like good odds.

He glanced at Ji-woo, her face pale but serious. They had faced danger before and survived. Maybe, they could do it again.

"We have two options," Min-joon said,

"Fight them, or find another way around."

Ji-woo squinted at the building. "Another way around is a long shot. Maybe if we can lure them away somehow…"

She trailed off, her eyes darting back and forth across the rooftops. Then, a mischievous grin spread across her face.