A translucent screen appeared before Sid’s eyes, hanging in the air.

[PROFILE]

Name: Evelise Miravale

HP: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Race: Humanimal (White Rabbit Variant)

Age: 20

Job: Herbalist

Physique: 160 cm / 50 kg

Sid scanned it quickly, frowning.

"What the hell does this profile even mean in a zombie apocalypse? None of it makes sense. But... if it explains why the system scanned for beauty criteria, then maybe it does. So you’ve got a race, a job, stats— all that? You actually had a life before this? A job, even? Damn, making an NPC this real... that’s just crazy."

Another snarl cut him off, closer this time. The sound of nails scratching against stone echoed through the broken windows. Sid swore under his breath.

"No time. They’re here."

He reached down quickly, grabbing Evelise’s hand to pull her up. But she snapped, her hand slapping his away with surprising force.

"Seriously?"

Sid hissed, glaring at her.

"You’d rather sit here and sulk than live? You’re unbelievable. I save you, I fight your monster of a husband, and this is what I get? This ATTITUDE??"

Another set of snarls reverberated through the cathedral, louder now. His patience snapped. He raised his hand again, letting the system bind his will to hers.

"Stand up. Now."

Her body stiffened, eyes glowing faintly, and she obeyed, rising to her feet like a puppet under unseen strings. Sid exhaled sharply, not proud of it, but survival demanded it.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught it. The groom’s shredded body lay in ruin, but something pulsed faintly from it. Not the normal shimmering outline of loot, no gold or green or blue glow— this was different. A dull, black spark, writhing as if trying to remain hidden.

"What the...? That’s loot. I know that glow anywhere."

He crouched, ignoring Evelise’s cold stare, and reached into the corpse’s remains. His hand closed around something flat and paper-like.

[Unknown loot acquired]

"An unknown? Since when does the system not label loot? What the hell are you hiding from me now?"

More snarls broke through his thoughts, echoing in from outside the cathedral doors. The ghouls were gathering, their hungry growls multiplying. He itched to check the strange item in his inventory, but there was no time. Survival came first.

Sid looked back at Evelise, her pale face unreadable under the veil.

"No more games. Follow me. Please."

His voice snapped like a whip as the command sealed itself into her. She hesitated, her fingers curling tightly at her sides, but she obeyed, stepping close behind him.

With his heart hammering, Sid led the way to the cathedral’s great doors. He pressed his back against the wall, peeking out into the night. The night outside was alive with movement, shadows flitting between every corner. The ghouls were awake. Sleeper class— active at night.

"Tch, no time to even relax in this world."

He glanced at Evelise once more, her red eyes flickering in the moonlight.

"Stay close. If you want to live through this night, you’ll do exactly as I say."

He flicked open his map, the translucent overlay hovering before his eyes. He zoomed it out until the faint marker of his safe cabin appeared on the edge of the screen. His finger hovered in the air, dragging a glowing pin across the space.

[Waypoint set: Abandoned Cabin]

"Alright... we’re heading back."

He reached out and clasped Evelise’s cold hand. Her skin was icy, almost brittle, but her grip was surprisingly firm. For a brief second, her red eyes flicked to his hand, but she said nothing. He tightened his hold just enough to remind her not to pull away.

"Stay with me. No sudden moves. No noise."

Evelise responded with a subtle twitch of her bunny ears, acknowledging his words without a sound. With that, Sid pushed the cathedral doors open just enough to slip through. The night air hit them like a wall— damp and alive with the subtle shuffle of predators. The ruined courtyard beyond was cloaked in shadows, and through the cracks in the moonlight, he saw them. Ghouls.

They crept on all fours, their pale, rotting skin stretched tight over sharp bones. Their heads moved in random directions, nostrils flaring as they sniffed the air. Sightless, but deadly.

Sid exhaled slowly.

" Blind, but sharp as hell with sound. One step too heavy, one twig snapped... game over."

He lowered his stance, almost gliding forward. His parkour instincts kicked in, every movement calculated: his feet touched down on moss instead of gravel, his weight distributed evenly to kill sound. He guided Evelise along, her hand trembling slightly in his grasp.

One ghoul’s head snapped in their direction. Sid froze. His free hand shot up, signaling Evelise to stop. She obeyed, rigid as a statue. The creature sniffed the air, teeth gnashing, then crawled away toward another sound in the distance.

Only when it moved far enough did Sid breathe again. He whispered.

"Close... Too close."

They continued through the overgrown streets, weaving between collapsed walls and the skeletons of cars swallowed by vines. Sid vaulted over low debris with effortless silence, then crouched to pull Evelise over. She wasn’t graceful, but she was light, and he steadied her with ease.

The snarls echoed behind them again. A pack was moving closer. Sid pulled Evelise down into the husk of a bus, the windows cracked and smeared with moss. They crouched beneath the rusted seats as three ghouls skittered past outside, their claws scraping against the pavement.

Evelise’s breath was shallow, but her body trembled. Sid squeezed her hand.

"You’re doing fine. Just hold it together a little longer."

Minutes stretched like hours. Step by step, they pressed forward, slipping through alleyways, ducking behind crumbling statues, and timing their movements with the wind rustling through the trees.

Sid’s every sense burned with focus, his body remembering the rhythm of rooftop runs, the patience of waiting for the right moment to leap. Only this time, one mistake meant death not just for him, but for her too.

Finally, the air shifted. The ruined cathedral was far behind them now, and ahead, the land opened into a familiar sprawl. Overgrown nature had claimed what was once a manicured park: cracked walkways smothered by vines, lamp posts strangled by ivy, and the remains of fountains choked with moss and rainwater.

Nexus Green.