A few days ago, some of these girls were afraid of zombies.
Jin-ah was a kind-hearted person who had been swept from modern Korea to an apocalyptic Japan, so she trembled every time she heard zombies growl.
Rei had lost her life at the hands of those monsters and was then revived, so she had nightmares every night about teeth tearing into her flesh.
Saya was almost killed by one of them and still had that moment etched in her mind, repeating itself over and over.
But that was a few days ago.
Now, as they walked along the destroyed asphalt, they saw overturned cars, broken shop windows, ruined buildings, and above all, the girls' expressions showed confidence, security, and determination.
It wasn't as if the fear had completely disappeared because fear never really goes away. You just learn not to let fear paralyze you.
In addition to having supernatural abilities that helped them defend themselves against monsters, they had something more important.
They had someone they loved.
And for that person. For Yuu. They would do everything they could to become strong.
Yuu considered that a rather heavy responsibility.
But he also considered it a rather extraordinary privilege.
"Ah, that thing..."
Saya suddenly stopped.
Her orange eyes beneath her glasses focused on something in the distance.
"I remember Rei, Jin-ah, and I fighting that before. Although it seems stronger now."
Saeko said those words as the others followed her gaze.
A mutated dog.
It was enormous, about the size of two or three black bears. Its black fur had patches of exposed flesh, as if it had been bitten by zombies or other mutated animals or mutated insects. It also had a lot of teeth in its bloody mouth
"Saeko-unnie... but this one has four eyes. So scary."
It was the trace of the Corrupted Evolution that the Void That Devours All created.
"Wahh! Kami-sama! Sensei is scared!"
Shizuka took advantage of the moment to throw herself into Yuu's arms, crushing her breasts around his left arm. Her yellow eyes looked like those of a frightened puppy, though she was clearly just pretending. Her gaze said, 'comfort me, pleaaase~'.
The mutated dog was eating something. A zombie. A particularly large and muscular zombie that had probably been a bodybuilder before it died.
So it was true that the sight would scare a normal person.
A few days ago, Saeko, Rei, and Jin-ah fought one of these, and it took them nearly twenty minutes to defeat it. At that time, however, they were still Level 1.
Now they are all Level 2.
Jin-ah maxed out Magic because she was a support who needed a large reserve. She also maxed out Agility because she constantly used it to run around or dodge. Her other general stats only reached the minimum required before she was promoted. For someone like her, Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance didn't matter much since she stayed out of direct combat.
When Rei teased her about her very low endurance, Jin-ah responded with something like, "They can't hit you if they can't reach you."
On the other hand, Saeko had maximized all her general stats. Magic took the longest because she initially refused to use her Exclusive Skill, but she eventually gave in and maxed it out.
Rei was similar to Saeko, except that Magic was the first thing she maximized because she relied heavily on her Exclusive Skills to fight.
Shizuka had only maxed out Magic because she was an Alchemist. Although to reach the minimum in the other general stats, Saeko and Rei had trained her physically.
Which was comical for Yuu to watch.
Shizuka exercising while her breasts bounced in all directions.
Saya had maxed out Magic, Dexterity, and Agility. They were the most important to her.
Because her Exclusive Skill was...
Well, she was about to use it.
"Hey, this is mine! Don't you dare interfere!"
Leaving those words behind, Saya approached the mutated dog with her eyebrows furrowed.
The girls looked at each other because they recognized that expression.
It was because they themselves had worn a similar expression before when they wanted to show off in front of Yuu.
—Gruahhh!
Mutated dog stopped chewing on the zombie and turned its multiple eyes toward Saya, then let out a roar.
"Hmph! Definitely a Level 2 monster."
Saya stopped about twenty meters away from the monster. She raised her right hand.
And then something extraordinary happened.
Blue light particles began to materialize in her palm. They swirled and condensed until they finally took shape.
In three seconds, she was holding a cannon similar to a Carl Gustaf cannon.
Only this one was pink like the color of her hair.
She slung it over her shoulder with a somewhat awkward movement, as there was no doubt that it was very heavy. Around the pink body were traces of blue mana. It also had a digital sight that flashed numbers and symbols.
—Magical Creation.
That was the name of her Exclusive Skill.
Saya gained the ability to create weapons with her mana.
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
The mutated dog roared and began running toward her.
Its massive paws left footprints on the asphalt, causing the ground to shake.
Saya furrowed her eyebrows, adjusted her posture, and aligned the holographic sight. Among the numbers reflected in that sight were the monster's weak points.
Then, at the last possible second, Saya jumped.
It was a surprisingly high jump considering that the cannon was heavy. Because even though it was made of mana, it had been concentrated enough to be as hard and heavy as metal.
However, she was no longer a normal human. She was a Pathstrider with a blessing that strengthened her.
—Gruuh?!
She flew over the huge mutated dog, twisting her body in the air to align her sights with the confused monster below.
Then, when the mutated dog raised its head toward her, Saya pulled the trigger.
—BOOM!
A huge, elongated pink cannonball shot out with a flashlight.
The explosion echoed as if someone had detonated a small bomb.
The ground disintegrated. The asphalt melted. Dust and debris filled the air. There was also the smell of burnt flesh which meant that the bullet had successfully hit its target.
When the dust settled, there was a huge crater where the mutated dog had been. The crater was at least five meters in diameter and very deep.
But the mutated dog...
"What?!"
It staggered out of the crater. Its burnt and bloodied fur, along with its singed skin, gave off wisps of smoke.
Saya landed but her expression changed from confidence to concern when she saw the monster still standing.
And then there were many growls that did not belong to the mutated dog.
The noise of the explosion had attracted zombies. Perhaps hundreds of them. They emerged from buildings, alleys, and overturned cars.
There were more zombies than usual because it was a commercial area where people had gathered to shop before the outbreak occurred.
Saya paled.
"Shit. I can't... I can't fight so many."
She muttered those words as she looked around. The pink cannon on her shoulder began to flicker. It looked like it was about to fade away.
Her concentration was breaking. And when her concentration broke, her creations fell apart.
That's why the weapons made by Magical Creation could only be used by her. They only worked when they were in her hands.
Then the cannon disappeared into particles of light.
Leaving her unarmed in front of a wounded and enraged mutated dog. And a horde of zombies approaching from all directions.
×××
While all this was happening...
The other girls, Saeko, Rei, and Jin-ah, looked at each other.
Through the Pathstriders' connection, they could sense each other's intentions.
Then they nodded.
Saeko stepped forward, unsheathing Kurokami from the hilt hanging from her slender waist.
"Saya. You can take on the mutated dog."
Rei spun her spear as purple lightning crackled along the blade.
"We'll take care of the zombies."
Jin-ah raised her magic staff. Light began to shine from the aquamarine ball embedded in its top.
"Saya-unnie. Focus only on your target."
Yuu looked at them silently.
'They've truly become a cohesive group.'
Saya looked at them for a moment.
"Thank you."
She nodded, and determination flashed in her orange eyes once more.
Saeko moved among the undead. She seemed to dance as her katana left red trails in its wake, cutting off heads, torsos, and limbs. Her lips were pressed into a thin smile, and her blue eyes were cold.
Rei spun her spear as electricity crackled around her legs. They looked like boots made of lightning. Using Lightning Steps, she disappear from her position and reappear before another enemy, thrusting her spear. Every time her spear exploded a zombie's head, she disappear again.
Jin-ah stayed behind the others. From that position, she threw balls of light that disintegrated the zombies before they could get close to her companions. Because she had maximized her Magic at Level 1, it meant she could now keep up this pace a little longer than before.
And Saya...
Seeing the chaos her companions were causing, her eyebrows twitched. Then she turned toward the mutated dog.
As the monster walked sideways with its four suspicious red eyes fixed on her, Saya raised both hands.
Blue light particles exploded from her palms.
This time, she didn't create a cannon.
She created a rifle. It was long-barreled, thin, and pink. Blue particles of her mana floated around it.
"Round two."
She instantly ran, nimbly climbed a wall, and positioned herself to face the mutated dog from the third floor.
×××
20 advanced chapters on Patreon.
patreon.com/OlwinMoriarty