Chapter 50: Cain’s kindness and Ron’s Suspicion (1)
The zombie had barely begun turning its head when Ron appeared at its side.
His spear moved with the momentum of his charge.
Shhk!
The point entered through the creature’s ear and continued deep into its skull.
Ron did not stop as he released the shaft with one hand, twisted around the corpse, then ripped the weapon free using the rotation of his body.
The second zombie was already approaching.
Its arms reached toward him, but it grabbed nothing as Ron had moved past it before its hands finished closing.
Ron planted his foot behind the zombie.
His thigh screamed from the sudden stop, but he ignored it as he pierced the spear through the back of the zombie’s head.
Its body collapsed forward.
Ron exhaled sharply.
"Two."
Only one remained.
The final zombie’s eyes had already locked into him.
Its body had not mutated, but considering its physical body, the physical attributes must be higher than those of the zombies Ron had fought at the beginning of the apocalypse.
The infected man rushed toward him.
Ron did not move immediately as he paid attention to its feet.
The zombie closed the distance.
Eight meters.
Five.
Three.
The moment the zombie was right in front of him, he instantly shifted to the side.
The zombie passed beside him.
His movement was so sudden that the zombie continued forward for another step before realizing its target had disappeared.
Ron had already turned around.
He adjusted his grip on the spear, then he accelerated one final time and thrust the spear to its head.
Crack!
The point broke through the skull and emerged slightly from the other side.
The zombie instantly stopped moving.
Ron pulled his weapon free.
The corpse collapsed beside his feet.
A notification appeared.
[Advancement Mission Progress: 15/25]
Ron remained standing for several seconds.
Then he slowly lowered the spear.
His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to recover his breathing.
The additional speed granted by his skill gradually settled back to a level his body could comfortably endure.
That was when the soreness struck him properly.
"Fuck..."
Ron bent slightly and pressed one hand against his thigh.
Jack approached from behind.
"You alright?"
"I’m fucking fantastic."
"You don’t look fantastic."
Ron straightened and glared at him.
"I just killed fifteen Level 20 or higher zombies by myself."
Jack nodded.
"And now you look like an old man after climbing a staircase."
Ron’s eyebrow twitched.
"Do you want me to stab you?"
Nathan chuckled quietly from farther away.
Cain had been watching Ron for the final few kills.
Ron was fast enough to make 15 high-Level zombies look far less dangerous than they actually were, but that speed clearly came with a price when he pushed himself too hard.
Cain did not comment on it.
Ron already knew his own limits better than anyone else.
"Ten more, right?" Cain asked.
Ron glared at Jack for a moment, before nodding his head at Cain. "Yeah."
"And then you need to run away from a 1st Echelon creature."
Ron’s expression immediately worsened.
"Don’t remind me."
"That’s the fun part." Cain smiled faintly.
"There’s nothing fun about it."
Ron looked toward Elara, then at Nathan and finally, his gaze settled on Jack.
Jack had only recently entered the 1st Echelon, yet the difference in his physical presence was already obvious.
His body had become much stronger after his stats doubled. More importantly, he said that his skill just became stronger.
Ron had seen what the weaker version could do.
The thought of it becoming stronger made his mood even worse.
He was surrounded by monsters who had strong combat skills, especially Cain that fucking bastard was absurdly strong that it didn’t make sense at all.
Ron looked down at the spear in his hand.
Then he looked at the 15 corpses he had personally killed.
His face twisted.
"Fuck, why does everyone have such a strong attack skill except me?"
Cain walked toward him, a surprisingly gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Don’t worry."
Ron narrowed his eyes.
Cain placed one hand on his shoulder.
"You’ll get there."
Ron stared at him for several seconds.
"Stop mocking me, you bastard."
Cain looked genuinely offended.
"I didn’t mock you."
"Yes, you did."
"What do you take me for?"
Ron pointed at him with the spear.
"You motherfucker, we’ve known each other since we were babies. I know you like the back of my hand."
Cain fell silent, then released a soft sigh.
"Sigh..."
Ron frowned. "What?"
Cain looked toward the ground with a disappointed expression.
"I originally wanted to give you the Yellow Scroll."
Ron instantly froze.
Cain continued before he could respond.
"I thought my best friend deserved to become stronger."
His voice became slightly heavier.
"But apparently, he doesn’t even think of me as his best friend."
Cain slowly shook his head.
"He always assumes the worst about me."
Ron’s eyes widened.
"Yellow Scroll?"
Cain ignored him as he murmured to himself.
"What a shame."
Ron immediately disappeared and appeared directly behind Cain.
He placed both hands on Cain’s shoulders.
Cough!
Ron cleared his throat.
His entire attitude changed 180°.
"You’ve been working very hard recently, my friend."
Cain almost laughed.
Ron began massaging his shoulders.
"Leading so many people during the apocalypse must be extremely exhausting."
Cain nodded solemnly.
"Finally."
His eyes slowly closed as he continued, "Someone understands how tiring it is to lead a bunch of scoundrels—I meant youngsters."
"Of course."
Ron’s thumbs pressed into Cain’s shoulders.
"You shouldn’t burden yourself too much."
"There." Cain tilted his head slightly. "A little lower."
Ron’s eyes twitched.
However, he obediently moved his hands lower.
Cain released a satisfied breath.
"Yeah. Right there."
Elara covered her mouth to hide her smile.
Nathan simply watched them.
Jack looked at Ron as if he had discovered an entirely different person.
Only a minute earlier, Ron had been exhausted enough to complain about his legs.
The moment he heard the words Yellow Scroll, his fatigue seemed to disappear.
Ron continued massaging Cain’s back.
Cain half-closed his eyes and enjoyed himself.
"You’re actually pretty good at this."
"Thank you."
"A little harder."
Ron pressed more firmly.
"Like this?"
"Perfect."
Ron continued for several seconds.
Then he finally could not endure it anymore.
"So, about the Yellow Scroll..."
Cough!
Ron cleared his throat again, a bright smile appeared on his face.
Cain opened one eye.
"You want a Yellow Scroll?"
Ron’s smile became wider.
"Of course."
Cain turned around.
Ron immediately stopped massaging him.
"Alright."
Ron’s eyes lit up.
Cain raised one finger.
"But how about this?"
Ron’s excitement weakened slightly.
Cain continued, "I’ll give it to you after you help me with something."
Ron’s eyes narrowed.
"And since I’m already being generous, I’ll help you become stronger as much as possible even before doing that." Cain smiled.
Ron did not look happy.
In fact, his suspicion became even greater.
He knew Cain too well.
Cain had never been this generous toward him.
Whenever that bastard suddenly became nice, there was usually a reason.
Ron stared at his childhood friend.
"What do you need?"
"Nothing difficult." Cain smiled.
"That makes it sound more suspicious."
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
"A terrible one."
Cain’s eyebrow twitched.
"You really don’t want the Scroll, do you?"
Ron immediately changed his expression.
"I never said that."