Spend the Points

New chapter is live.

Settle in, take your time, and let's see what waits in the dark 🖤

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"That's... good news, right?"

Glenn pushed up the brim of his cap and gave a small laugh as he looked at Maggie.

Maggie stared at Evan for another second before nodding.

"Of course," she said, coming back to herself. "Better than good."

She glanced toward the second floor of the farmhouse, then said nothing else.

Everyone from the old Quarry Camp and Greene Farm carried their own thoughts.

Again and again, their minds replayed the sight of Evan apologizing to Lori so directly. Only now did they fully accept that it had truly happened in front of them.

Lori looked dazed too.

Her gaze drifted past Evan toward Rick, who stood beside Shane in the distance.

Their eyes met.

Rick gave her a small, almost invisible nod.

"At least..." Lori's voice was weak. "At least so far, you've done what you said you would."

When the others heard her answer, some of the tension left the camp.

"But I hope you keep your promise. Don't let there be a next time. I can't... I can't lose Carl."

The look from Rick had told her two things.

First, Carl truly was safe.

Second, Evan's apology was sincere.

Evan straightened and turned toward everyone, showing no embarrassment at being watched.

"Since everyone's here, I have one more thing to say."

"Before midnight, we're holding a short meeting. I want everyone there."

"Hershel's side..." Evan looked toward Maggie. "I'll leave that to you."

Maggie nodded.

"That's it. Back to work."

Evan waved them off, irritated by the staring. Had they never seen a man apologize before?

The camp, which had seemed frozen in place, finally woke up and returned to motion.

But people moved differently now.

Voices came back. Low laughter returned in scattered pieces. A sense of life spread through the camp again.

Carl was safe.

Evan had returned.

And after seeing what kind of man he could be, the group's faith in the future rose another step.

Evan walked away.

"All right. That's handled. I'm going to sleep in the truck until tonight."

He stretched, picked up the Stone Sledgehammer, and slung it over one shoulder.

Before he could climb into the red brute, someone followed and stopped him.

"Evan."

Dale adjusted the rifle hanging from his shoulder and offered him a gentle smile. His thin frame looked almost awkward beside Evan.

"What is it?" Evan asked, leaning against the truck door.

"I just wanted to say that we are grateful for everything you've done for this camp."

"Facing what we're facing, you've had to make choices that look harsh. Maybe even cold."

"But if it ever becomes too much, tell me. Let me carry some of it."

Dale spoke like an elder trying to offer what he still had.

Evan nodded to show he had heard him, but gave no real answer. He opened the rear door and climbed inside.

The door shut.

For the first time in hours, the world went quiet.

Watching Dale walk away, Evan shook his head.

'Dale isn't built for the apocalypse. That's why he died early in the story.'

'He can't sit in the decision-making circle yet. Not with camp like this.'

'But once the group grows, once we start building something larger, a man like Dale might become necessary.'

A firm hand and a merciful one.

Strict command and mercy.

In a crisis, command had to be sharp. When the camp developed into something larger, it would need a different kind of management to keep growing.

That thought moved through Evan's mind.

Then he muttered, "System."

A panel of light unfolded across his vision.

[Status]

[Name: Evan Ward]

[Level: Lv. 13 (61%)]

[Unused Skill Points: 4]

[Health: 113/113 (Base 100 + Level Bonus 13)]

[Stamina: 107/113 (Recovering Slowly)]

[Food/Water: 113/113 (Slowly Decreasing)]

[Feels Like: 70 F]

[Walker Kills: 136]

[Magazine: Bow Crafting Lv. 5]

[Equipment: Stone Sledgehammer Lv. 2; Rogue Gloves Lv. 3; Wooden Armor Set Lv. 1]

[Status Effects: None]

Level 13.

Training Carl had also brought Evan a good amount of progress.

The fight after Carl collapsed had pushed him straight from Lv. 10 to around forty percent into Lv. 12.

He had nearly cleared the remaining walkers from that part of town.

After that, the highway training brought him the rest of the way to Lv. 13.

"Not bad."

His gaze landed on the unused skill points, and a satisfied smile finally touched his face.

Work brought results.

Sometimes, Evan almost felt that ending up in this apocalypse had not been all bad.

He opened the skill panel.

Now came the part he actually enjoyed.

The last time he spent points, he had raised the core Strength attribute to Lv. 6.

Skull Crusher, the passive skill for sledgehammer combat, had reached Lv. 3.

Now he hesitated.

Four available points were enough to raise Strength directly from Lv. 6 to Lv. 8.

But if he raised Strength only once, to Lv. 7, he could unlock the next level of Skull Crusher and still keep one point in reserve.

Both paths would make him much stronger.

"Better to be careful. I'm not far from the next level anyway. No need to rush everything right this second."

In the end, Evan chose the second route.

[Rank 7/10: Bodybuilder - Strength and headshot damage greatly increased.]

[Sledgehammers and clubs now hit with brutal force.]

[Attribute: Strength Lv. 7/10]

Then he raised Skull Crusher to Lv. 4.

Only one rank remained before the skill reached its final level.

[Skull Crusher Lv. 4: Specializes in destroying enemies and structures with sledgehammers.]

[Rank: Bone Breaker]

[You can smash almost anything around you to pieces.]

[Ready to make a mess?]

[Skull Crusher Lv. 4/5]

[Unused Skill Points Remaining: 1]

The moment the points settled, Evan bent forward hard.

Inside the truck, muscles all over his body twitched as if a storm had passed through them.

His hand closed around the Stone Sledgehammer on instinct.

For a second, he had to fight the urge to smash everything in reach.

Then he lifted his head, joy burning in his eyes.

"Didn't expect the later Strength levels to hit this hard."

"Starting at Lv. 7, the boost feels almost twice as strong. What happens at Lv. 8? At Lv. 10?"

Strength was the most direct improvement.

As for Skull Crusher, he would not know its full effect until he faced walkers or enemies and swung the hammer for real.

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