Noah paced around the room while Levy watched him from the couch.
"Dude, my head is starting to hurt." Levy groaned. " You mind actually telling me what happened instead of playing the silent game?"
Noah stopped.
He glanced toward Levy before resuming his pacing.
Levy let out another groan. "Dude."
"I'm trying to figure that out myself," Noah replied.
"You've been saying that for the last five minutes."
"Well, that's because I'm still tryna figure it out!" Noah said calmly.
He then sighed.
"I got another notification."
Levy rolled his eyes.
"Another one? Oh, brother."
Noah shook his head.
"See, that's the thing: it didn't give me an ability or another reward."
Levy raised a brow.
"So then what'd you get?"
"A quest."
Levy stared at him.
"...a quest?"
"Yeah. A quest."
"What's so bad about a quest?" he asked. "What'd it say?"
Noah contemplated for a second.
"It said I should get some red-haired archer to join the team."
Levy leaned back into the couch, rubbing his temples. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
"Okay. I'm gonna need you to start from the beginning, because somehow this is getting odder every time you open your mouth."
Noah dropped into the cushion beside him.
"Alright, so here's how it is..."
He explained everything that had happened after Levy left him—the three abilities he'd selected, the strange sensation that accompanied their integration, and the barrier he'd managed to create almost instinctively.
He then demonstrated Appraisal with the coffee table, explaining how the System had provided information about whatever he focused on.
Finally, he told Levy about the Beginner's Loot Bag.
"It just... poofed," Noah said, throwing his hands into the air to demonstrate. "Then this purple smoke came out of it, and when it cleared, the quest appeared."
Levy listened without interrupting, his expression becoming increasingly skeptical as Noah continued.
Noah deliberately left out two details. The first was the pair of abilities he'd chosen not to take. The second was why those abilities had been available to him in the first place—a question he couldn't answer himself. Still, he had a feeling he wouldn't have to wonder for long.
"And that's everything," Noah finished.
Levy stared at him for several seconds. "...So let me get this straight."
Noah nodded.
"You got three abilities, some kind of appraisal power, a magic loot bag, and then the System told you to find a red-haired archer you've never met."
"That about sums it up."
Levy slowly rubbed his face.
"Man..."
He leaned back against the couch. "You really are getting all the protagonist bullshit."
Noah laughed softly before letting out a sigh. He sank back into the couch, resting his head against the back as he stared up at the ceiling.
"How am I supposed to find this girl?"
Just as he was about to open his status, a sudden thud came from the apartment next door.
Both of them fell silent. Levy slowly turned toward the wall, his expression shifting as another noise followed—a faint scrape against the floor before everything went quiet again.
"You heard that, right?"
Noah nodded, his attention already fixed on the wall separating the two apartments. Levy rose from the couch, his earlier amusement gone as he reached for the kitchen knife he'd scavenged earlier. Same thing, better blade.
Noah's hand instinctively moved toward his spear. Neither of them said anything. They simply listened.
For a few seconds, there was nothing, then came another thud. This time, it was followed by something that sounded distinctly like a struggle.
Levy glanced at Noah. "Guess we're not the only ones in this building."
Noah smiled before rising from the couch, his spear already in hand. "Wanna check it out?"
Levy glanced toward the wall before nodding, his grip tightening around the kitchen knife.
"Yeah. Better to know what's going on over there first before they decide to see what's going on over here."
The two of them made their way quietly toward the foyer, careful not to make more noise than necessary. Noah reached the front door and slowly turned the handle, pulling it open just enough for the two of them to peer through the narrow gap.
The hallway appeared empty. No walkers or movement. Nothing but the dim light spilling across the carpet and the faint silence of the building.
Noah waited another moment before gradually opening the door farther. The hinges barely made a sound as he stepped into the hallway, Levy following close behind.
They pulled the door shut behind them, leaving it unlocked for the moment, and turned their attention toward the apartment next door.
The door was still closed.
Noah turned back, briefly meeting Levy's eyes to make sure they were on the same page before continuing down the hallway.
The apartment door was barely ten steps away, but neither of them rushed the distance. Levy moved first, keeping low as he crossed the open stretch of hallway so anyone watching through the peephole would have a harder time spotting him. Noah followed, spear held loosely at his side as he approached the door.
They reached the door almost simultaneously and took up positions on either side of it, pressing themselves against the walls and keeping out of the immediate line of sight. For a moment, neither moved. The apartment remained completely silent.
Noah glanced toward Levy.
Levy nodded.
Noah slowly raised his hand and knocked twice against the door. Nothing moved. He waited for a few seconds, yet there was still silence.
Levy leaned closer, listening for movement on the other side. His expression tightened when another faint scrape came from within.
Noah tried the doorknob.
Unlocked.
He wrapped his fingers around it and slowly turned. The latch clicked—both of them tensed. Noah pushed the door inward by an inch, then another, keeping his spear raised as the gap widened. The apartment beyond was dark, the curtains drawn tightly enough to block most of the daylight.
There was no immediate movement. Levy crouched slightly lower and peered through the opening before gesturing for Noah to continue.
Noah pushed the door open and stepped through first, his eyes sweeping across the entryway. Levy followed close behind, keeping his knife ready as he carefully pushed the door shut.
They stood still for several seconds, listening.
Nothing.
Then, somewhere deeper inside the apartment, came another heavy thud.
His senses kicked in.
"There," he whispered.
Levy nodded.
They moved past the foyer and into the kitchen, their footsteps nearly silent against the hardwood. Noah kept his spear lowered but ready, his eyes scanning the counters and surrounding rooms as Levy stayed close behind him.
They had barely made it past the kitchen island when a voice suddenly erupted from behind them.
"Don't move."
Both teens froze. The voice was young, but there was nothing uncertain about it.
"Take one more step, and you'll wind up with an arrow through your throat."
Noah's grip flexed around his spear.
Slowly, he glanced toward Levy. Levy's expression said everything.
Well, shit.
Neither of them moved. Noah slowly raised his hands, keeping his spear visible but pointed toward the floor.
"Easy," he said. "We're not here to cause any trouble."
The bowstring creaked behind them as it tightened.
"Then don't turn around."
Noah swallowed.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a familiar notification surfaced.
〔The Red-Headed Archer〕
His brows furrowed.
...it can't be, right?.