Unlike video games, it wasn't enough to just kill enemies to get Exp and level up instantly.
According to Yuu, the Blessed didn't evolve that easily.
For a Blessed like Saeko to grow stronger, he had to personally update her Status.
That meant that even though she'd already fought a ton of zombies, her stats were exactly the same as when she started.
Nothing had gone up.
Of course, Yuu said there was a reason for that. That it was so they'd learn to fight with what they already had and gain real experience by pushing themselves to the limit.
And Saeko understood that.
Right now she was standing in front of a mutated zombie, and her bokken had just snapped after a strike that didn't do a damn thing.
"…"
Even as captain of the kendo club, even after being trained by her own father since she could remember, there were limits.
Being limited, she couldn't face a monster whose defense and physical strength had already surpassed that boundary.
So…
—Crimson Awakening.
The moment she activated the skill, she felt the energy in her mind being drained away.
It was mana. And from what she knew, it would keep draining as long as she maintained the skill.
But it was worth it.
Because right when she said it, her broken bokken was covered in a crimson-red glow. It wasn't flames since it didn't burn or cause damage on its own. It looked like a harmless radiance.
And then, she smiled.
It was a smile very, very different from the ones she'd shown before. It wasn't the kind and polite smile she gave everyone. Nor the calm one she wore during friendly kendo matches.
It was a dangerous smile.
The real Saeko, the one hiding beneath the school uniform and manners, the one who longed for battle—she had just come out.
—Graahhh!
The zombie roared and charged again.
Saeko didn't move until it was right on top of her. Then she spun, and with a quick flick of her wrist, deflected its claws with the bokken.
And when the path opened, she thrust forward.
The wood slammed into its chest with force.
As expected, the zombie neither staggered nor was pierced by the wood.
But Saeko didn't frown.
Because from the beginning, her intent had been on the simple fact of striking her opponent.
[+10% accumulated damage]
That was her Exclusive Skill.
It didn't give her explosive power right away.
But each time she struck, the next blow was stronger.
It was pretty basic and simple. Also easy to understand.
Still, for Saeko this skill was pretty powerful.
Since it was tied to the concept of Beginning and End, Saeko's Exclusive Skill had no "End."
As long as she had enough mana, she could keep striking and stacking another 10% damage with each hit.
And that was exactly what she intended to do. Keep striking until that monster stopped moving—or until she ran out of mana.
"Come on. Let's play for a while."
[+10% accumulated damage]
×××
From behind the overturned car—
Saya watched the fight. Honestly, she didn't wanna admit it, but her heart was in her throat.
Even more so when she saw Saeko's bokken snap with a sharp crack.
"Ahh, no, no, no!! Saeko-chan!"
Shizuka panicked, spinning around in circles. She looked like a chicken with its head cut off, or like a restless kitten.
Saya rolled her eyes, grabbed her by the collar of her blouse, and yanked her down to the ground.
"Shut up, baka-sensei! You wanna attract every zombie around us?!"
Shizuka pouted, but kept quiet.
Saya sighed in relief as she turned her gaze back forward. She bit her lip.
"Tsk."
Despite everything, she was still her senpai. And the truth was, up till now, she'd been the most reliable one in the group.
But that didn't stop her from feeling worried.
Though…
"What… is that…?"
A reddish aura began to cover Saeko's broken bokken. Was it fire?
Saya squinted.
"Don't tell me… does she have powers too?"
She didn't finish saying it, because just then three zombies stumbled in from the other side of the academy entrance, heading toward them.
"We've got company!"
Shizuka shouted it out loud. But before she and Saya could even get up—
The sound of three gunshots rang out. And all three zombies fell.
"Huff~"
"Heh, heh… I'm on a roll."
Saya let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed like whenever she saw a zombie since the time she almost died, her breath caught and she tensed up every time.
"..."
As she looked around, she grew thoughtful.
The world had changed.
Not only were zombies mutating, but some people were awakening powers too. She'd seen it with her own eyes.
First it was that white-haired guy, then Saeko. Even those zombies that absorbed weird stuff from other corpses. All of it was real.
And even though she didn't understand how something like that could happen, nor the reason or origin of all these supernatural events, she was smart enough to accept that the old logic no longer applied.
Even so, she looked down at her hands.
She didn't have power like Saeko's, nor was she even good at shooting like Hirano.
'…Hmph. Doesn't matter. With just my brain I can survive. I'm sure of it.'
All she had was her head.
[+10% accumulated damage]
Hirano, meanwhile, suddenly trembled with excitement.
"She's increasing her power…! I can see it! Busujima-san looks like she's leveling up! That means I'll be able to do it soon too!"
He hadn't lost hope. In fact, he was even more excited now that another person had shown powers.
He was aiming at the mutated zombie with his nail gun, but had already given up shooting it. His nails didn't do a thing.
Saeko, on the other hand, was pulling it off.
[+10% accumulated damage]
Saya noticed that since the fight began, Saeko hadn't been able to make the zombie step back. Her strength wasn't enough.
But now, her blows made the zombie stumble a step backward, her strikes landing heavier than before.
And the crimson aura around the broken bokken was intensifying.
[+10% accumulated damage]
Saya wasn't an otaku, but she'd played games from time to time. So she kinda understood what was happening.
Like Hirano said, it looked like she was leveling up. Another possibility…
"A buff-type skill…"
[+10% accumulated damage]
And in that moment, Saeko stepped back.
She lunged forward, raising her broken bokken over her head. And with a —Hah!— she brought it down with everything she had.
—Crack!
The zombie's head exploded into pieces. Blood splattered across the asphalt, chunks of flesh and brain matter scattering.
Then Saeko stopped, standing still. Her breathing was heavy as sweat dripped down her cheeks.
The crimson aura flickered and vanished. At the same time, the broken bokken in her hand crumbled, turning into dust carried away by the wind.
Saya swallowed hard, then smirked as she crossed her arms, making her chest bulge beneath her shirt.
"Hah… She did it."
"That's… amazing!" Hirano's eyes were shining.
It reminded him of the movies he watched as a kid.
×××
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