Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode-Chapter 556: New Group

Clyde and Mina kept the hunt going until the first streaks of pale light crept into the horizon.

Their steps finally slowed inside the ruins of a broken house, the cold morning air slipping in through cracked windows.

Three full Night Quests had been completed by them. One thousand five hundred Exp gained.

Clyde checked his status. Three levels gained, bringing him to level 103. Mina, on the other hand, had leapt twelve levels in a single night, reaching level 40. She had dumped points into every Attribute, her presence radiating a sharper edge of power now.

They both sat against the dusty wall, letting out long breaths.

The city was quiet now. No skittering or low growls in the distance. The spawn and monsters around the area had been wiped clean by them two alone.

"Food. We need fucking foods," Mina said simply, pushing herself up.

She moved into the old storefront next door, rummaging until she found a stash of snacks in a half-collapsed shelf.

Minutes later, steam curled from two cups of instant ramen, the water boiled on a small portable stove Clyde had found.

They sat cross-legged on the floor, eating while the light from the window slowly brightened.

"Nothing better than good food after a long fight," Mina mumbled with her mouth full, noodles hanging out like a banner. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Clyde smirked. "Swallow first. You look disgusting."

She snorted, slurping more noodles. "I don’t care. This is the apocalypse. Why should I care about manners?"

He looked at her for a moment, realizing just how much she’d changed.

Before all this, she’d been quiet, polite and careful with her words. Now she was sharper and unfiltered when doing or saying something.

He supposed it made sense. Watching your parents turn into twisted abominations and having to end them yourself... no one walked away from that unchanged.

The thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside. Both of them froze immediately.

Mina instantly set her ramen down and gripped her daggers, body coiled and ready while still chewing.

The steps grew louder, stopping just beyond the doorway.

It wasn’t a monster that stepped inside.

A man entered first, wearing a patched coat. Behind him came a teenage girl about Mina’s age, eyes wary but curious. Then an adult woman followed, keeping close to the man’s side.

"Hi," the man said quickly, hands open to show they carried no weapons. "We don’t mean any harm. We just want to talk."

Clyde stepped toward them, his eyes narrowing as he glanced past their shoulders.

Shadows moved at the edge of the street. A few more figures crouched behind the cracked wall of a nearby building and peeking out nervously.

Their clothes were ragged but not the mismatched armor or scavenged gear of bandits. Still, in a place like this, looks meant nothing.

"What do you want?" Mina asked flatly, her daggers angled just enough to catch the light.

The message was clear. One wrong move and she would cut them down without hesitation.

Her tone made the man in the coat flinch. The girl shrank behind him and even the woman’s eyes darted to the floor.

They had seen the two of them fight and seen the way Clyde and Mina carved through the monsters last night and the day before. To these survivors, facing her was not too different from facing a monster.

"We... we just want to join your group," the man said, voice trembling. "We’ll help however we can. Just... take us with you."

Mina’s eyes flicked to Clyde. He was the one who decided such things.

"I’m not sure you can follow us," Clyde said, his voice steady. "I can’t promise we’ll protect you."

But inside, he felt that familiar pull of pity. They weren’t scavengers or killers they were just people caught in the same nightmare he and Mina were, victims of the same higher powers playing with the lives of them, mortals.

"I can be useful," the man added quickly with desperation in his tone. "I’m an engineer... and a butcher. My wife’s an excellent cook."

Mina’s grip on her daggers loosened slightly. She wasn’t smiling, but there was a trace of understanding in her gaze.

Still, she kept her mouth shut. Clyde would decide.

Clyde studied them for a long moment before asking, "How many in your group?"

"We have three more people behind," the man replied. "We’re holed up in an office building down the road."

Clyde exhaled slowly. Then he gave a single nod. "Fine. Gather your people. But understand this. Everyone must work. Everyone pulls their weight. If we find dead weight, they won’t last long out here."

Relief washed over their faces like sudden sunlight after a storm. For the first time, the man’s shoulders relaxed, and the woman beside him almost smiled.

Clyde jerked his chin toward the shelves behind him.

"Bring your people in. We’ll take the food from here before we move."

The man nodded quickly, relief and urgency mixing in his face.

He turned toward the street and called out, "It’s safe! Come on!"

From behind the broken wall, three figures stepped out. They moved with hesitant steps, glancing around like animals expecting a trap.

When they saw Clyde and Mina standing there still armed but not attacking, they quickened their pace.

Two boys and a girl, all teenagers, still wore the dirt-streaked remnants of school uniforms. Their faces were pale, hair unkempt, but their eyes darted to the shelves almost immediately.

Hunger was written in the way they moved.

Clyde gestured to the store. "Grab what you can. Food, drinks, anything still sealed. Move fast."

They didn’t need to be told twice. The group spread through the dim aisles, pulling cans, bottles, and packets from the dust-coated shelves.

Some worked silently, stuffing items into worn backpacks, while the youngest boy tore open a box to check if anything inside was edible before shoving it away.

Mina stayed near the doorway, her daggers still at her sides but not drawn, watching the street while the sound of shuffling and clinking filled the store.

The smell of dust and stale packaging mixed with the faint scent of instant noodles still lingering from earlier.

Clyde moved to the back, checking for anything valuable they might miss, his eyes sweeping over every corner as the pile of supplies grew in the center of the room.

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