Lucian analyzed the situation carefully, strategizing the most optimal way for them to escape their current predicament. Something unknown had darted out from the shadows earlier and struck the Shadow Steed, and now around a hundred zombies were walking toward them with heavy, uneven strides.
Lucian quickly turned the horse away, trying to get some distance from the horde and allow the Shadow Veil to activate again, concealing them from sight. But before he could even reposition properly, that same thing from before came at them once again.
However, the Shadow Steed seemed ready this time. It reared upward with a sharp whinny, black mists swirling under its hooves before it slammed down onto the ground with force. Lucian barely had time to react before he saw what looked like a carcass of a rat beneath the horse's leg—squished flat, its blood spreading across the cracked road.
Although it was a rat, Lucian noticed immediately that it appeared unnaturally large—almost the same size as a cat.
He didn't have the luxury to think too deeply about it, as he and Ivan quickly urged the Shadow Steed to move, putting more distance between themselves and the horde. The Shadow Veil soon activated again, enveloping them in the darkness of the night, appearing to be almost invisible from the eyes of anyone in the area.
"What was that?" Ivan asked, his voice tight and filled with anxiety, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Even before the apocalypse, a rat attacking a horse was unheard of—and to stop one in its tracks? Absolutely impossible. Have animals started mutating too? Ivan frowned at the thought.
"I have no clue," Lucian replied tersely. "Let's just find a way inside first."
With the Shadow Veil active again, the two circled the perimeter of Ayesha's dormitory, searching for any possible entrance—but to no avail. There was no other access point besides the main gate, which was securely locked and surrounded by a dense cluster of zombies.
Do we really have no choice? Lucian thought grimly. They had no way of unlocking the gate from horseback, as one of them would have to dismount and do it manually. But the moment anyone stepped outside the Shadow Veil's range, the zombies would instantly detect them and swarm.
Even if they managed to open the gate, there was another problem—the noise and movement would draw the zombies inside the dorm compound as well. Lucian turned to Ivan, asking if he had any ideas on how to unlock it safely.
"The lock?" Ivan smirked. "Haha! Don't worry, my friend. I brought my lock-picking tools." He grinned confidently, patting the small pouch at his side. "Though, I can't promise how long it'll take—it depends on the type of lock."
Lucian felt reassured that at least they had a possible way in, but the main problem remained—the zombies. They needed to clear them out before approaching the gate. However, since both of them were riding the Shadow Steed, fighting directly from horseback was too risky. If the horse started kicking and thrashing in close quarters, there was a real chance one of them could fall off or even get scratched.
They needed a vantage point—a safe spot where they could lie low and let the Shadow Steed handle the rest.
Lucian told Ivan about his plan, and Ivan agreed immediately. During their earlier ride toward Ayesha's dorm, Ivan had almost fallen off multiple times, so he wasn't exactly eager to repeat that experience.
They soon spotted a delivery truck parked nearby and quickly climbed onto the container's roof. The metal box stood around three to four meters above the ground, high enough to keep the zombies from reaching them. Both men went prone on the roof to keep their profile low, giving them a clear line of sight toward Ayesha's dormitory and the surrounding horde.
Lucian gave a mental command to the Shadow Steed—to clear out all the zombies in the area.
Without hesitation, the dark steed galloped forward, its hooves slamming against the pavement as it charged into the horde. One by one, zombies were trampled underfoot or sent flying by powerful kicks. The hundred or so zombies that had been loosely scattered now converged on the horse in unison, drawn by the noise and movement.
Watching the scene unfold, Lucian couldn't help but marvel at the sheer power of a B-rank skill. Would he have been able to find Ayesha's dorm so quickly without it? Definitely not. The realization made him wonder just how powerful higher-ranked skills could be. If this is B-rank… what kind of power would an A-rank have? Or an S-rank? And above that…?
His mind drifted with excitement and curiosity about the future—until Ivan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"That is incredible," Ivan whispered, eyes wide in disbelief. He too was mesmerized by the spectacle in front of them. Not every day do you see a pitch-black horse made of mist rampaging through a horde of zombies—kicking, bucking, and trampling them into pulp. It was a scene straight out of fantasy, utterly impossible in the world they once knew.
"It definitely is," Lucian replied calmly, though he couldn't hide the hint of satisfaction in his tone. He was truly grateful for having obtained this skill from his first real battle. After killing dozens of zombies and only getting an F-rank skill and two attribute orbs, he knew that obtaining the Shadow Steed had been like winning a cosmic lottery. Without it, he would still be stuck in his dormitory, trapped and uncertain of what to do next.
It was an odd sight—two men belly-crawling atop the roof of a truck's container, quietly watching a horse straight out of a fantasy novel rampage through an undead horde below.
Lucian and Ivan refrained from speaking further while the horse was fighting. Even though they were on higher ground, they were still technically out in the open. They silently observed the Shadow Steed as it continued its assault, effortlessly crushing and tearing through the zombies. It raised its muscular hind legs and sent bodies flying with each kick, occasionally charging forward to trample those who tried to approach from the sides.
After around thirty minutes of relentless combat, the Shadow Steed finally collapsed, its form dissolving into a beam of black light that flew back toward Lucian's forehead. It had taken down around forty zombies in total—significantly reducing the horde's numbers in the area.
Without hesitation, Lucian summoned it again, ignoring the throbbing headache that returned immediately afterward. He quietly asked Ivan for a bottle of water, which Ivan handed to him without a word.
As he took a few deep gulps, Lucian's eyes caught something on the ground below. Amid the scattered corpses, something shimmered faintly with a green hue.
An item drop.
Lucian's eyes narrowed as he watched it glow softly in the moonlight. I hope it's good, he thought to himself. He needed every bit of strength he could get before entering the building to find Ayesha.