“Where… is this?!” The girl suddenly took a step back, her lower back bumping into the RV wall.
The pain made her suck in a sharp breath.
Her gaze quickly swept across the entire interior of the RV—Hakuba Shiro, Marikawa Shizuka, the bunk bed, the simple kitchen setup, and the drawn curtains.
Every single thing deepened the fear on her face.
“Who are you people?
I… I was clearly waiting for the train just now.
How did I end up here?” The girl’s voice trembled, but she did not scream.
Shiro noticed that even in a state of extreme panic, her eyes were still rapidly and accurately capturing every detail of her surroundings.
That was an instinct built over a long period of time—constantly observing her environment, confirming whether “those things” were getting close.
“Calm down,” Shiro said in a steady tone.
“I know you’re confused right now, but first, check the system panel in your mind.
It will explain everything.” The girl, Yotsuya Miko, took a deep breath, as if forcing herself to calm down.
She closed her eyes, then opened them again a few seconds later.
The panic on her face had been replaced by a complicated expression—confusion, disbelief, and a trace of lingering fear.
“Survival World… teammates… talent draw…” She quietly read the words on the system panel, then raised her head.
Her amber eyes looked straight at Shiro.
“So I was already going to be pulled into this terrifying world?
You just… recruited me here in advance?” “You can understand it that way.” Shiro nodded.
“I’m Hakuba Shiro, and she’s Marikawa Shizuka, my teammate.
You would have been randomly assigned to an RV like the other new players, but the invitation letter directly brought you into our team.
Either way, at least you won’t have to face this world from scratch.” Miko froze for a moment, then revealed a somewhat forced smile.
Even so, it looked much more natural than before.
“But…” Her gaze swept over the supplies and weapons inside the RV again, then looked at Shiro and Shizuka standing side by side.
A thin layer of moisture gradually appeared in her amber eyes.
“Thank you.
Without you, I definitely would have died alone in this unfamiliar place.” Shizuka stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Miko’s shoulder.
“You don’t need to thank us.
From now on, we’re teammates.
Right, check your system panel first and draw your talent.
Our talents aren’t bad, so yours should be pretty good too.” Warmth passed through Shizuka’s palm.
Miko raised her head and met those water-blue eyes.
There was no pity in them, no condescension, only sincere acceptance.
That look made Miko freeze for a moment.
It had been a very long time since someone had looked at her like that.
“Okay.” She nodded and connected her thoughts to the system.
A soft blue light lit up around her body.
Unlike the pale green glow that had appeared when Shizuka drew her talent, this blue light was colder and clearer, like moonlight crushed into fragments and scattered over her body.
The blue light lasted for several seconds before slowly fading.
In the depths of her amber pupils, it left behind an almost imperceptible shade of pale blue.
[Talent draw complete.
Congratulations, you have obtained the talent: Spirit Sight Mark.] [Spirit Sight Mark (Talent Skill): When actively released, marks all hostile targets within a 30-meter radius.
Marked targets will be highlighted in the vision of the holder and teammates.
Duration: 60 seconds.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Marked targets take 25% increased damage from the holder and the holder’s teammates.
Marks ignore obstacles and can penetrate cover such as walls and floors.] [Talent Passive: The holder’s insight is greatly enhanced, allowing them to detect abnormalities and danger in the environment more keenly, as well as mark enemy weak points.
When teammates are nearby, their perception of environmental danger will also receive a slight increase.] Miko blinked and carefully read the talent description.
Her amber eyes gradually lit up.
“This talent… can mark enemies and make marked enemies take more damage.” She turned toward Shiro.
“And it can penetrate walls.
In other words, even if zombies are hiding behind cabinets or inside other rooms, I can discover them ahead of time.
Also, teammates can share the marked vision, and the damage bonus applies to all of you too.” Shiro’s pupils narrowed slightly.
A full-range mark that could penetrate obstacles, lasted 60 seconds, increased damage to marked enemies by 25%, and even shared vision.
During the battle at the Town Office, if he had possessed this mark, every zombie the Zombie Mayor had hidden in the shadows would have been discovered in advance.
The damage bonus would also have greatly improved his efficiency.
On top of that, the passive effect could enhance the whole team’s danger perception, which meant their survival ability had risen by another level.
“A very strong scouting talent,” Shiro said, his evaluation brief but serious.
“With your mark, our exploration efficiency will increase greatly.
The elite zombie we fought earlier had bone plates covering its whole body, with only its eye and a small patch at the back of its neck as weak points.
If we had been able to mark it in advance, I wouldn’t have needed to waste time testing where its weak points were.
The mark would have told me directly, and there’s also the damage boost.” Hearing those words, Miko unconsciously tightened her grip on the strap of her schoolbag.
For a very long time, because of things beyond her control, she had been treated as a strange person.
Her “abnormality” had only ever brought isolation and rejection.
But now, in this strange and dangerous world, this was the first time she had heard someone say her ability was “very strong.” It was not politeness, nor comfort, but genuine recognition.
“All right, let’s check your attributes first.” Looking at Yotsuya Miko, who seemed a little dazed, Shiro gently patted her shoulder and comforted her in a soft voice.
Miko’s cheeks turned slightly red, but she still displayed her attribute panel.
[Yotsuya Miko: (Ordinary Human Maximum Value: 5)] [Physique: 3] [Mind: 5] [Agility: 6] [Luck: 4] [Talent: Spirit Sight Mark (Scouting Type)] Her attribute distribution was very reasonable.
Physique 3 was the same as Shizuka’s, the level of a normal high-school girl.
Mind 5 was the maximum value, showing that her willpower was very strong.
After all, she had endured so long alone in an environment filled with ghosts without breaking down.
That value suited her perfectly.
Agility 6 exceeded the ordinary human limit.
It was probably an instinct trained over time from avoiding certain things.
Luck 4 was slightly low, but considering her past experiences, it was already quite good.
With such high Agility, dealing with low-level zombies should not be a problem for her.
Later, they only needed to train her properly.