The atmosphere among the residents outside the sheriff's station had subtly changed.
After Kenny answered a barrage of questions, some people asked to see the creatures' bodies.
The sight of the abominations reduced to charred carcasses brought a moment of silence, followed by a growing wave of comments.
Those things, once considered invincible, were dead. The realization did not erase the fear, but it put something new in its place: hope.
For people who had spent so long believing that survival was the most they could ever hope for, discovering that the monsters could actually be destroyed was almost enough to make them forget, for a few moments, that the place was still filled with danger.
Soon, discussions broke out about organizing groups to explore the woods.
Most people talked about searching for the cave mentioned by the supposed military contact.
Between the possibility of killing a creature and the hope of finally escaping that place, the priority was pretty clear.
Little by little, the crowd began to disperse. Many of them had not even had breakfast yet.
Jade was one of the first to lose patience with the delay, calling Jim to go to Colony House.
They had both reached the same conclusion: the tower needed to be rebuilt as soon as possible so they could reestablish contact with the military and look for more answers.
Jim agreed without much resistance, gathering Tabitha and Ethan before following Jade.
Only Kenny and Khatri remained on the porch of the sheriff's station when Julie approached, irritation burning in her eyes, something neither of them failed to notice.
"Why did you tell everyone that Daniel had already killed a creature? The sheriff asked us to keep that a secret. Then everyone finds out, that idiot Dilan starts causing trouble, and you two just let it happen?"
Daniel, who had remained a few steps behind, raised an eyebrow as he watched his girlfriend.
There was something strangely satisfying about seeing her so irritated on his behalf.
Not that he needed protection from Dilan or Randall. Still, knowing that Julie never took it lightly when someone tried to put him in an unnecessary situation warmed his heart.
She looks adorable when she's angry.
Khatri blinked, caught off guard by the accusation. "I didn't tell anyone any of that."
"Neither did I." Kenny raised both hands defensively, seemingly doing so more out of reflex than anything else.
Julie narrowed her eyes, still suspicious.
Before she could continue, Daniel placed a hand on the small of her back. The tension in her muscles eased almost immediately beneath his touch.
"It's fine, Jules," he said, his voice almost indifferent. "It doesn't make a damn difference if they know."
Julie looked like she wanted to keep arguing, but eventually gave a reluctant nod.
Daniel turned his attention to Kenny, as if he had just remembered something more important.
"Speaking of which, where's the sheriff?"
Kenny exchanged a quick glance with Khatri. The priest hesitated for only a moment before giving a small nod, allowing him to answer.
"He went to explore the cave."
"That cave? The one at the ruins?" Julie frowned.
"Yeah," Kenny confirmed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"He went alone?"
"That was his order."
Julie's expression changed. Her respect for Boyd grew a little. Entering that sinister place alone, knowing the horrors lurking in the forest, required a rare kind of courage.
Daniel, on the other hand, merely shook his head almost imperceptibly.
He remembered very well how things used to end in the original timeline.
Every time the sheriff decided to play the lone hero and explore, some disaster happened shortly afterward. It was practically a law of physics in that particular place.
"Let's go," Daniel said, giving Julie a light pat on the shoulder. "We still have training."
The two left the sheriff's station behind, heading toward the forest.
On the way, they passed small groups of residents spreading out in different directions among the trees, some carrying machetes, others shotguns.
"Look at that," Daniel muttered. "It's like the forest turned into summer camp. We're going to have to change our plans."
"Why? I thought we were just going to train."
"I wanted to set up a few traps," he explained, stepping around an exposed root. "But with this many people wandering around everywhere, it would be irresponsible. Someone is inevitably going to step where they shouldn't."
"Even if you set the traps, wouldn't you be worried about Dilan messing everything up again?"
Daniel's smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a colder expression.
"That won't be a problem anymore. I'll leave a particularly nasty surprise for anyone who tries to pull the same stunt again."
Julie looked at him, caught between curiosity and caution. "What kind of surprise?"
"I'll show you when I set it up. But not today, with half the town wandering around."
They continued forward until they found a secluded clearing shielded by dense bushes.
The training began with hand-to-hand combat. Daniel corrected Julie's stance several times, adjusting the position of her feet and reminding her to keep her center of gravity stable while attacking.
She moved through a flurry of quick jabs and hooks, the sound of her fists striking Daniel's open palms establishing a steady rhythm.
The difference compared to their first sessions was obvious.
Julie no longer had to think so much before reacting. Her punches came with more power, and her reflexes were much sharper.
Her old lack of coordination had practically disappeared, replaced by increasingly precise and aggressive movements.
"Very good. Break."
Daniel stepped back and lowered his hands, carefully checking their surroundings.
His senses detected no one watching them at that moment.
"Share your stats with me," he asked.
Breathing deeply, Julie wiped the sweat from her forehead before showing them to him.
Daniel still hadn't checked her stats after the previous night's training and the completion of the daily mission.
[Life Level 1 — Peak Human]
Strength: 11→12 / Endurance: 15 (Max) / Intelligence: 11 / Speed: 12 → 15 (Max)
A satisfied smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You'll be able to level up soon."
Julie flexed her fingers. "I can really feel the difference. My body feels lighter, but at the same time, I can put so much more power into my movements."
"That's just the beginning. Now we're going to work on your aim."
Even after Daniel assured her that no one was nearby, she instinctively reached for her waist, pretending to draw the pistol from there.
"Pay attention," he warned, adopting a more serious tone. "There are dozens of people exploring the woods today. Rule number one: trigger control. If someone suddenly appears or you hear a branch breaking, don't panic.
"I want you to confirm your target before firing. I'm not interested in finding out how many residents can survive an accidental gunshot."
"Got it," Julie replied firmly, switching off the safety with her thumb.
She raised her arms, aligning the sights with a dark mark on the trunk of a tree roughly twenty meters away.
For the next thirty minutes, Julie practiced controlled shots.
Daniel replenished the ammunition as needed, spending thirty coins in the process.
When she lowered the gun after another sequence, a sound echoed through her mind.
[New Skill Acquired.]
🔫 [Firearms Mastery - Level 1 (0/5)]
Type: Passive
Description: When holding a firearm, information is transmitted directly into your mind, including its operation, disassembly, maintenance, components, and characteristics.
Effect: +10% accuracy when using firearms.
Julie froze, blinking several times as a torrent of information flooded her mind.
She brought her fingers to her temples, trying to organize the sheer amount of knowledge that had just appeared.
"My God..." She let out an incredulous laugh. "It's like I just read an entire manual. I know how to disassemble this gun, maintain it, adjust the sights..."
Daniel saw the same skill appear in his interface and drew his Glock, feeling knowledge of calibers, components, and operation flood his mind in exactly the same way.
"The System just sent me a copy of your skill."
Julie nodded, still impressed. "So now we both know how to disassemble firearms."
"Congratulations. We finally have a healthy couple activity."
[Correction: considering the history of the two of you, the classification "healthy" is highly questionable.] The System spoke aloud.
Julie burst out laughing, while Daniel merely shook his head.
"Let's keep going," he said, raising the gun.
He wanted to find out whether the 10% could stack with the 50% from his other skill, Hunter's Eye.
…
Meanwhile, Colony House seemed unusually empty compared to a normal day.
On the porch, Fatima sat alone, absentmindedly nibbling on an apple as she watched the movement among the trees, waiting for Ellis to return.
Tillie emerged through the door with her usual quiet steps and serene expression.
"Are you all alone out here, dear?"
Fatima looked over her shoulder and offered a smile. "Just enjoying the fresh air."
Tillie sat beside her and began talking about her life before she arrived there.
The conversation lasted several minutes until Tillie suddenly stood up.
"I'll make some tea for us."
"You don't have to go to any trouble. I'm fine."
"Nonsense. A nice cup of tea never hurt anyone." She was already heading inside before Fatima could insist.
In the kitchen, she filled the kettle and placed it over the flame, waiting as the water heated.
Her fingers tapped against the counter a few times in a distracted rhythm until steam began to rise.
When the tea was ready, Tillie poured two cups and placed them side by side on the counter.
Then she glanced over her shoulder, checking the empty hallways. There was no one around.
With slightly trembling hands, she reached into her pocket and took out the necklace.
The white stone pendant rested in her palm. Her wrinkled fingers gripped the base of the pendant and carefully twisted it open.
A click revealed that the stone was hollow.
Inside was a narrow cavity filled with a thick white liquid.
The substance did not resemble water, milk, or anything else one would normally find in a kitchen. It was viscous and strangely uniform.
She tilted the pendant over one of them.
Two drops fell into the hot drink and dissolved instantly, without altering its color, smell, or appearance.
Tillie closed the pendant again, slipped it back into her pocket, and remained still for a few seconds, as if mentally checking whether she had left any evidence behind.
Only then did she pick up both cups and return to the porch as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Here you go, dear. Drink it while it's still warm."
"Thank you."
Accepting the cup with a smile, Fatima gently blew across the surface before taking a small sip.
Beside her, Tillie watched carefully, a look of maternal concern on her face.
Fatima took another sip and slightly furrowed her brow in surprise.
"It's good. It has a different flavor."
"Perhaps that's because it was made with love."
Fatima chuckled softly, unaware that, for a brief moment, Tillie's hand tightened over the pocket containing the pendant.
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