She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled with quiet sincerity.
“You really don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine staying here.”
Adrian let out a long sigh.
Looks like her way of thinking still hadn’t changed.
“Yukino, you’re way too naive. I’m after your body. There’s no way I’d let you die.” 😏
“…”
“Do you remember the prompt we got before entering the game space?”
“The prompt?”
His shameless comment made Yukino’s heart skip a beat, but she merely frowned and tried to recall it.
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t remember the exact wording.
Adrian hadn’t expected her to.
“It said this was the first game.”
“The first?”
“So what if there’s a second? Or a third?”
“From what I can tell, if it’s called a game, then it’s meant to make the players stronger. Surviving is just the minimum requirement. I bet performance points can be exchanged for rewards.”
“If there’s really another round, do you think you’ll make it through safely without getting any stronger?” 🧐
Yukino fell silent.
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.
Her first instinct was to keep following Adrian wherever he went.
Then reality hit her.
She was too weak.
There was nothing she could do.
She might even end up holding him back.
Biting her lip, the proud Yukino felt a deep sense of frustration.
😣
She wanted to repay Adrian for saving her life…
Yet she couldn’t do anything.
If it ever came down to that…
…perhaps the only thing she could offer him would be herself…
Meanwhile, Adrian rubbed his chin in thought.
If only Yukino had some way to kill zombies from a distance.
The problem was that guns from the game shop required points.
And even if he bought one, there was no guarantee a complete beginner would know how to use it.
Then an idea struck him.
His eyes lit up as he opened the chat group.
Adrian: “@March 7th, Little March, you there?” 📱
March 7th: “Yep! This young lady is here! What’s up?”
Adrian: “Are you still at Herta Space Station?”
March 7th: “Yep! The Astral Express is still docked here.”
Adrian: “Can you help me get a weapon from Ms. Herta or Asta?”
March 7th: “Hmm… any specific requirements? If it’s something super powerful, I definitely can’t afford it.”
Adrian: “Nothing too fancy. Something compact, like a pistol. Long-range. Plenty of energy. As long as a normal shot can blow someone’s head off.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Saeko Busujima: “Mr. Adrian, is it for killing zombies?”
Adrian: “Exactly.”
Exusiai: “So… what do zombies actually look like?”
Adrian: “Like this. [🧟]”
Exusiai: “…Ugh. That’s disgusting.”
Saeko Busujima: “Pretty much like the ones in movies.”
March 7th: “Eww… gross. Your request doesn’t sound too difficult. I’ll go ask if they have something like that.”
…
A short while later, March replied.
March 7th: “Got one! Asta gave it to me. She called it a little toy. It’s a pistol strong enough to blow someone’s head off, and it recharges super fast using solar energy.”
March 7th: “I’ll send it over now.”
Ding!
March 7th has sent Adrian a private red packet!
Ding!
Adrian has claimed it!
Adrian: “Thanks, Little March.”
Ding!
Adrian has sent March 7th a private red packet!
He sent her 500 Apocalypse Points in return.
Consider it payment for the weapon.
…
“Huh?!”
Yukino’s eyes widened.
A blue pistol-like weapon suddenly appeared in Adrian’s hand.
😲
That definitely wasn’t one of the pistols sold in the game shop.
“Here, give this a try. Brand-new weapon.”
Following March’s explanation, Adrian introduced it to her.
“A solar-powered energy pistol with ultra-fast charging.”
It looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
…
They moved the cabinet away and opened the dormitory door.
Several zombies had already gathered outside.
Since it was daytime again, they had returned to their sluggish, quiet state.
“Go ahead. Fire a shot.”
Adrian guided her hands, helping her aim at a zombie.
“…”
The warmth of his hands wrapped around hers.
His breath brushed lightly against her neck.
Seeing the eager, clear look in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to complain.
She steadied her breathing.
Gripped the pistol tightly.
Then pulled the trigger.
A blue energy round shot out and struck the zombie square in the chest.
Boom!
💥
The zombie exploded on the spot.
“Th-That’s… incredible!”
Yukino froze in amazement.
The gun’s power was unbelievable.
It hit like a shotgun fired at point-blank range.
Even more absurd…
There wasn’t the slightest bit of recoil.
“Perfect. Now you can help me clear out the zombies.”
Adrian took her hand and started walking forward.
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Yukino instinctively tightened her grip.
“Thank you… You’ve helped me so much. If there’s ever anything you need, just tell me. I’ll repay you.”
Adrian turned back with a grin.
“I’m after your body.”
“…”
Yukino didn’t answer.
She simply followed behind him, cheeks burning red, while quietly lost in thought.
😳
…
The rest of the day passed like that.
Adrian led the way, carving a path through the horde with Dark Water Thunder: Northern Abyss.
Yukino stayed close behind, using the energy pistol to pick off any zombies that slipped through.
Meanwhile, Adrian’s Vector Manipulation finally began to show its value.
The Level 2 Vector Manipulation granted by the Apocalypse Chat Group wasn’t measured by Academy City’s ability ranking system.
In Academy City, the gaps between levels were enormous.
Level 1 Low-Level Espers and Level 2 Telekinetics were practically useless in real combat.
Level 3 Espers finally became somewhat capable.
Level 4 Great Espers were vastly stronger than Level 3s.
As for Level 5 Espers, the leap in power was so massive it almost felt like they belonged in a different world altogether.
The Apocalypse Chat Group used a completely different progression system.
Even though it was the same S-Rank Ability Crystal: Vector Manipulation…
At Level 2, it was already genuinely useful.
If Adrian had to compare it to Academy City’s rankings, he’d place it somewhere between a Level 2 and a Level 3.
More like a Level 2.5.
With his newly developed control over Vector Manipulation, combined with Yukino’s energy pistol…
Their zombie-clearing speed increased dramatically.
😎
“…..”