After a lengthy discussion, Zeke and Jihyo have decided to go to the closest area in the settlement where Koul'in activity has been high recently--- a bowling center located near Sinnam Station.
Hyungwon described the area as a multiple floor bowling alley that has recently been infested with snowmen. He doesn't know if there are still survivors inside, but there is something inside the area that Hyungwon has taken interest in.
"So... apparently this is a place where snowmen are a little... different," Hyungwon said.
"Why? I don't get it." Zeke said
"Remember how snowmen activate? They start by forming around a crystalline cube, right? Well, sometimes, they activate around earthly items, and they become part of the snowman itself. Sometimes it's just for decoration... but sometimes the snowmen can utilize this as a weapon or tool. In this case, you may encounter snowmen with bowling balls or bowling pins fused to their body that may serve as their armor or weapon."
"Oh, wow. That looks dangerous." Zeke said.
"It is, but you know very well that they're clumsy so they're still a bit easy to destroy. The one you should be watching out for is an unidentified entity inside the center itself."
"U..unidentified entity?" Zeke said.
"Yes. We haven't seen what it actually looks like because the entrance is barricaded and we weren't equipped for combat. But we recognize it's existence, given the constant roars we've been hearing while we scouted the area."
Zeke shuddered and turns to Jihyo.
"Can we pick another area, Jihyo...? I don't wanna die as a bowling pin there..." Zeke said.
"Hey, we decided upon this through an intricate voting process. And this is the outcome of that process so we're going with it." Jihyo replied.
"I told you the first one is easier. Plus... Rock-paper-scissors isn't an "intricate voting process"! It's a game!" Zeke exclaimed.
"...it's a game that can declare a clear winner, right? And I'm the winner, so I choose this! Zeke, you just horribly suck at Rock-paper-scissors, just admit it. Pabo." Jihyo remarked.
"Alright alright, you win, boss." Zeke said as he groaned.
"Yay~ Anyway, anything else we should know?" Jihyo said.
"Well... There's nothing else I could advise you." Hyungwon said. "If there's any machinery or some power source in there, please bring it to me so I may assess it. It might be of help in our fight against the Koul'in."
"Okay, we got it. Zeke, you ready?" Jihyo said.
"I guess," Zeke replied. "It's still scary, but I'll give it a go."
"Good luck!" Hyungwon said as he has begun carrying a stack of papers back to his workshop.
"Oh, and one more thing, Hyungwon!" Jihyo suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Hyungwon looked at Jihyo.
"Let's hang out sometime! You, me, Zeke, and Minji. I'd like to get to know you more! We dont talk often since my birthday, so... Yeah."
"O-oh." Hyungwon was caught off guard by what she said as he blushed a bit, and almost dropped his papers. "Yes! D...Definitely! Any time."
Hyungwon hurriedly leaves the area as Jihyo giggles.
"You didn't have to catch him off guard like that," Zeke said.
"Well..." Jihyo confidently flipped her hair. "Not my fault that I'm absolutely stunning and cute. Tee-hee."
Zeke just looks at her.
Jihyo giggled. "What? What's with that face? I'm just saying facts. Anyway, we should ready up, I don't want another battle in the dark..."
April 5, 2023, 11:11 am Minhyuk's Settlement, Daegu, South Korea.
Zeke and Jihyo took their time readying up back in their apartment.
"So, you're going to a bowling alley?" Seojun asked.
"Yep! Honestly, I missed going to places like those. If this apocalypse didn't happen, I would totally go for an actual bowling session with the girls." Jihyo said as she sighed. "My last one was with them and it was sooo much fun..."
"I missed going to bowling alleys too," Seojun said. "Sometimes I'd take my late wife there and we'd have some fun. How about you, Zeke? Do you have any good memory of bowling?"
"I don't have any fondest memory of me going bowling, honestly..." Zeke said as he looks down. "I don't even know how to. I've been busy my whole life, so I don't really have the time to do recreational activities."
"Oh. I see..." Seojun replied.
"Well, let's go bowling after all of this ends, then! I'll do my best to teach you!" Jihyo said.
"Eh? What?" Zeke was taken aback by what Jihyo said.
"Yeah! Although I can confidently say that I maaaay not be a good teacher..." Jihyo chuckled as she scratched her head. "I still haven't gotten the ropes on how to actually do it properly so we just might end up putting the bowling ball on the gutter every time..."
"That's fine. I wouldn't pass up on a Korean idol teaching me bowling regardless of how good or bad she is, right?" Zeke chuckled.
"Believe me, Zeke. If I teach you, it's going to be more of a stress than a strike." Jihyo laughed.
Zeke chuckled as he finished his preparations. "Anyway... You ready?"
"Mhm!" Jihyo nodded. "Seojun-nim, we're going. Please take care, alright?"
"Alright. Good luck on your expedition!" Seojun said as Zeke and Jihyo went outside, where they were met by Minhyuk.
"Finally off, I see," Minhyuk said. "Are you two sure you do not need any assistance? I could send in a few of my men."
"It's okay, Minhyuk-nim. We can do it!" Jihyo said as she flashed her gummy smile.
"Yeah. I think we can handle five Koul'in generals at once now!" Zeke proudly said as he took a heroic stance.
"Zeke... no." Jihyo nervously chuckled. "We're not that strong yet..."
"Okay, okay, okay, I agree, five is too much. Maybe four Koul'in generals?" Zeke joked.
They all laughed as Jihyo facepalmed.
"Oh, before you go, take these." Minhyuk comes forward and hands Zeke and Jihyo two whistles, two handheld radios, and a flare gun. "In case you need backup on your expedition. I want to make up for the time that we weren't there during the previous rescue mission you guys had. Now that we are aware of bigger threats in this apocalypse, we must always be in touch. We'll never know what new or terrifying things we'll encounter over the next several days. But rest assured, you guys won't be alone this time."
"I'm grateful for all your help," Jihyo said as she bowed. "I promise, we'll come back here in one piece."
Zeke nodded in agreement. "We'll be okay. Please, take care too, Mr. Minhyuk. As well as you, you, you, you..." Zeke began pointing at each of Minhyuk's men around them as they start to laugh once again.
"Alright. Off you go." Minhyuk said as Zeke and Jihyo went out of the barricades, walking to the bowling center.
"So they finally left, hmm?"
Seojun-nim appears beside Minhyuk, looking refreshed and happy.
"Oh, Seojun-nim," Minhyuk said as he looked at him. "You don't seem to be worried about the two? I feel uneasy, honestly. What if they get in danger again?"
"They'll be fine," Seojun said. "Jihyo is already well-versed in wielding the Seraphim in an unbelievably short amount of time. Her idol career has shaped her into a powerful individual already, and she's no stranger to hours of prolonged training. Therefore, I can tell she's more than capable at this point. But Zeke..."
"Hmm? Why?" Minhyuk asked.
"He's a non-wielder, he isn't granted superhuman abilities by a Manifest, and has no experience with armed combat, yet somehow... he can catch up with Jihyo...to the point that he even helped her defeat a Koul'in general..."
Minhyuk held his chin, seemingly also wondering about what Seojun just said.
"I wonder. Is he different...?"
April 5, 2023, 1:07 pm, En route to Dongsan Bowling Center, Daegu, South Korea.
Zeke and Jihyo were just casually walking toward the bowling center while they discuss something. Luckily, there weren't any enemies around to bother them.
"....sometimes when I say the names of the techniques I use out loud, I look like an idiot." Jihyo gives Zeke a weird look as they continued walking. "I don't know, maybe it's because I feel predictable when I say them? Like, "Hey! I'm going to slice you in half, but first, I gotta say what I call it"? It's funny." Jihyo laughed.
"It does look cool, I admit it," Zeke replied. "They say the names of the techniques came from Clementine? The very first Seraphim wielder? So cool."
"Yeah it's cool... but it's still weird, though," Jihyo said.
"Hmm. I have an idea. I'll name my attacks as well." Zeke replied. "So that you wouldn't be alone in looking weird."
"Eh? Really?" Jihyo said as her face lights up. "But.... you don't have a Manifest. Just a pipe wrench..."
"I'll just invent my own technique names! After all, I've been watching waaay too much anime in my younger years. I could get a few references..." Zeke smiled.
"Weeb." Jihyo replied as she laughed. Zeke frowns but soon laughs as well.
A few more minutes of walking and they soon arrive at the area.
"Finally! Arrived at last!" Jihyo said as they both look at the building. It was still standing, but it looked really damaged, with its walls already encased in veins of ice and snow.
They look at the entrance. It was opened, with wooden planks and broken ropes scattered on the floor.
"Hey, didn't Hyungwon say this was barricaded...?" Zeke said. "This looked like it was broken in just recently.
"Yeah, strange. And look, Zeke. There are footprints." Jihyo said as her eyes skimmed the ground. Zeke looks as well.
"And they're ...small. Like a kid's footprints." Zeke said. "This isn't good, Jihyo. Whoever wandered here must be in real danger. Come on, let's hurry."
They soon went inside and were immediately met by a couple of snowmen. And just like what Hyungwon said, these snowmen had bowling balls and pins fused to different parts of their body. Some of them had the bowling balls fused to their arms, while others, on their feet.
"Looks like they had a bit of an upgrade. Zeke, let me handle this." Jihyo said as she brandishes the Seraphim.
The snowmen all attacked Zeke and Jihyo at the same time.
"Crystalline Blanket!"
Jihyo's Seraphim shined brightly as Jihyo began dodging and unleashing blankets of slashes toward the snowmen with extreme agility and grace. Zeke just watched in awe of Jihyo's skills, and within a few seconds, the battle was over.
"Wow. You've greatly improved!" Zeke clapped.
"Of course! There's nothing that I, the cute Park Jihyo, can't overcome, you know?" Jihyo smiled as she placed the Seraphim on her shoulders.
Zeke noticed Jihyo's enthusiasm lately.
After the night where she opened up to him, Jihyo promised him she'll try her best to be okay. And she kept that promise. In the days that followed, she became more lively than before. She's cracking jokes, being confident about herself, and just trying to be cute overall.
Zeke just smiled back. He's just glad she's fairing a bit better than before.
"Now, if you're done being amazed, let's proceed!" Jihyo said as she marches in tiny steps toward the stairs.
They go to the second floor, and they look around. There weren't any enemies, but they see veins of glowing ice across the bowling alley, with bowling balls and pins now fused with it.
On the floor were the same footprints from downstairs, and they continue to follow the trail, encountering and defeating more snowmen until they reached the final floor.
The final floor was yet another bowling alley with even larger veins of ice surrounding the area. Above them are remnants of what was once a rooftop, and they see the skies above, with snow falling everywhere.
In the far end of the bowling lane lies a mass of glowing ice, with a lot of bowling balls, pins, and other stuff fused into it.
On another far end of the alley lies a kid who's seemingly stuck in a patch of glowing ice. He grunts as he tries to break loose, but he can't.
"A kid...!" Jihyo thought.
He spots Zeke and Jihyo and cries.
"He..help me! Please!" He exclaimed. They instantly go to him. His whole left leg is stuck in the ice. He's wearing a small, torn coat, torn blue jeans, and a green fanny pack around his waist.
"What happened..?" Jihyo said as Zeke wielded his pipe wrench and started slamming the icy growth on the kid's leg.
"I... I was just here to grab something for my daddy..." He said. "Then.. these veins suddenly grabbed me and I can't pry loose..." The kid said.
"You mean your dad sent you here? How irresponsible!" Zeke said as he grunted, still trying to break the ice patch.
"No, no! He didn't send me here, I snuck out...!" The kid exclaimed.
"That's even more dangerous, sweetie, you shouldn't have... Wait, Zeke, let me break that for you." Jihyo said as she went to the patch of ice the kid was stuck in. She fiercely strikes it with the Seraphim in cane form, but it only left a dent in the patch.
"This thing is too tough--"
The ground suddenly rumbles as the icy veins across the whole area began shifting and get drawn towards the mass of glowing ice. The kid gets slowly dragged as well.
"H..help!" The kid cries.
"What the...?! We have to pry him loose, fast!" Zeke exclaimed.
"Sweetie, don't be afraid, okay? I'll free you in no time." Jihyo concentrates as she strikes the icy patch harder, and this time, the patch breaks. The kid is now free.
"Thank you..." The kid exclaims as Zeke helps dust off the kid's coat.
"No problem. We have to---"
Zeke sees that a huge, icy arm with frozen and jagged bowling balls fused to it heading towards Jihyo at blinding speed.
"Jihyo, look out!" Zeke screamed. Jihyo turns around and immediately dodges the incoming arm.
"Ugh.. seriously..?" Jihyo grunted as the three backed a little.
They all see the mass of glowing ice form and take shape of a giant glowing Scraper. It's lower body is fused to the ground, and it's arms and torso contained masses of bowling balls, destroyed metal rubble, and bowling pins.
The walls of the floor crumble as the path downstairs gets buried.
"We're trapped..!" Jihyo said to herself. "There's no choice... We have to protect the kid... And defeat this bastard!"
Jihyo takes a fighting stance with the cane. The kid watches in awe as he sees the cane Jihyo was holding turn into a brightly shining katana.
"So... you're a wielder..." The kid muttered, much to Zeke and Jihyo's surprise.
"How do y--" Jihyo gasped.
The Scraper roars once more.
Zeke rushes to the kid immediately, taking a defensive stance infront of him. "We'll talk about this later. I'll defend the kid." Zeke said.
Jihyo nods as she turns to the glowing Scraper.
"Okay... guess it's bowling time." Jihyo said as she rushed towards the enemy infront of her.