World Apocalypse: Apocalust

Chapter 44: Chapter XLIV - Balcony

Noah took Sage upstairs, leaving Levy behind in the living room, where he’d decided to make himself comfortable on the couch. From the way he had already settled in, Noah doubted he’d be moving anytime soon.

The second floor was noticeably quieter than the one below. Their footsteps made soft, muted sounds on the hardwood as Noah led Sage down the hallway, past the bedrooms, until they reached a door near the end.

He opened it, revealing a narrow staircase disappearing into the ceiling.

Sage looked past him, her eyes following the stairs upward. After a moment, she gave a small nod.

"The attic," Noah said, following her gaze.

He stepped onto the first stair and began climbing, casually taking two at a time.

Sage followed, her eyes briefly dropping to his feet before returning to him.

"You know, there are stairs for a reason, right?"

Noah glanced back over his shoulder, a faint grin appearing.

"I am using the stairs."

"You’re skipping half of them."

"Still using them."

Sage shook her head, though a small smile betrayed her amusement, while Noah chuckled and continued upward, taking the remaining steps with the same effortless pace.

When they reached the top of the staircase, Noah stepped aside, allowing Sage to enter before leaning casually against the railing.

"Here it is."

Sage stepped into the attic and slowly looked around.

"It isn’t much," Noah admitted. "Not many people came up here. Mostly just me, but I like it."

The attic had a quiet, almost forgotten warmth to it, as though it had been separated from the rest of the house simply by being left undisturbed. Vertical wooden planks covered the walls, their natural grain visible beneath the warm overhead lighting and giving the room a rustic, cabin-like feel. The hardwood flooring continued up from the second floor, though most of it was hidden beneath an enormous beige shag rug that occupied nearly the entire center of the room.

A full-size bed rested against one of the wooden walls, its blankets neatly arranged despite the room’s otherwise unused appearance. A simple wooden nightstand sat beside it, while a modest dresser occupied the opposite wall. Several cardboard boxes had been pushed into one corner, stacked neatly enough to suggest Noah had at least attempted to keep the attic organized.

There wasn’t much else.

No television. No elaborate decorations. Nothing particularly personal beyond the few belongings tucked away in the corners. Yet the room had its own charm. It was spacious, quiet, and far enough removed from the rest of the house to feel almost private.

Sage’s attention eventually drifted toward the far side of the room, where a glass door stood beneath a pair of windows.

It was the balcony.

She walked toward it, her footsteps sinking softly into the thick rug before meeting the hardwood near the doorway. Reaching for the handle, she pushed the door open. A cool breeze slipped through the opening, stirring her red hair as she stepped closer to the threshold.

Noah pushed himself away from the railing and followed after her. His footsteps were so quiet that Sage didn’t notice him approaching until he was suddenly standing beside her.

She glanced sideways and flinched slightly at his unexpected appearance.

Noah smiled warmly. "I usually come up here to watch the sunset when I need to clear my head. I guess I’ll pass that tradition on to you now. Maybe you’ll find it as peaceful as I do."

Sage glanced at him, her attention catching on the way the setting sun illuminated the sharp line of his jaw, the warm light tracing its edges with almost unreal precision. And for a fleeting moment, his eyes seemed to turn a brilliant gold beneath the sun’s rays.

Her gaze lingered for a second—or perhaps two—before she caught herself and turned her attention back toward the view.

From this height, the neighborhood looked different. The streets stretched out beneath them, lined with houses and scattered vehicles, while the distant skyline rose beyond the rooftops. The destruction was still there—evidence of the apocalypse remained scattered throughout the area—but from up here, the chaos seemed strangely distant.

For a brief moment, it almost felt peaceful.

Sage’s expression softened as she rested a hand against the balcony door.

"Thanks. I’ll make sure to treasure it," she said, her tone light and teasing as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Noah smiled.

The silence lingered between them for a moment, quiet and unguarded. Neither seemed in any particular hurry to break it, and with the evening breeze drifting past them, the moment felt strangely intimate despite how simple it was.

Noah turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting from the horizon to her. Sage happened to do the same.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

Something about the silence felt different this time, the teasing edge between them giving way to something quieter. Noah found himself holding her gaze a little longer than he probably should have, while Sage seemed to realize the same thing at almost the same moment.

Then, in the corner of Noah’s vision, a faint violet glow appeared.

His eyes shifted instinctively toward it, breaking the quiet trance Sage had unknowingly drawn him into. A familiar System window materialized at the edge of his field of vision, hovering silently in the air as though it had been waiting for him to notice.

〔Timed Quest Unlocked〕

〔First Kiss〕

〔Objective: Kiss Sage.〕

〔Time Limit: 10:00〕

〔Reward: 250 AP + Gacha System Unlock〕

〔Failure Penalty: Gacha System Unlock Delayed + Facial Paralysis for 1 Week〕

〔Quest Status: Automatically Accepted〕

Noah stared.

For several seconds, he stood there, his mind struggling to process what he was reading.

...What?

His eyes flicked back toward Sage.

She had already turned her attention toward the horizon, her gaze fixed on the fading daylight cast across the neighborhood. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Noah’s sudden distraction.

Then back toward the violet window.

First Kiss?

Of all the things the System could have asked him to do, this was what it had decided to throw at him now?

Ten minutes.

Two hundred and fifty AP and the Gacha System.

Those rewards alone were enough to make the quest tempting, especially the allure of the gacha system.

The failure penalty, however, was considerably harder to ignore.

Facial paralysis for a week?

Noah’s expression twitched at the thought. Unknowingly, it was something he wouldn’t get the chance to experience for a while if he failed the quest.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

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