When he woke up, he found myself in an unfamiliar white space.
His memory was vaguely incomplete—he couldn't even remember his own name—and floating before him was a massive sphere of light.
'…So, I've transmigrated?'
'One question… am I still in my country?'
After standing there in thought for a moment, Zeroy looked up at the large sphere of light not far away.
[No.]
A dialogue box projected in front of the sphere.
"Ha, so I really did transmigrate."
Zeroy let out a helpless sigh.
[Yes.]
"Then who am I?"
[A copy of Sky Striker Ace – Raye, fused with the soul of you, the transmigrator.]
"And you?"
[Main God.]
"You're the Main God? But from the look of you, did someone smash you to pieces?"
Zeroy curiously studied the sphere of light before her.
At the moment, the sphere was in a rather sorry state—its surface was covered in cracks, with a large gaping hole like a smashed egg.
From that jagged break flowed a silvery, egg-white-like liquid oozing with a metallic sheen.
'Looks pretty rare. Could I bottle some?'
[Yes.]
"So, what do I do now?"
[Carry out missions. Otherwise—erasure.]
"Hmm… It's been a while since I've seen an old-school system that threatens to erase its host at the drop of a hat."
Zeroy shook her head, a touch of nostalgia and mockery in her tone.
"Guess you're not a cat-type system."
"Alright then… what's the mission?"
[Enter the world of Highschool of the Dead]
┗ Goal 1: Ensure the survival of humanity.╰ Reward: 3000 points.
┗ Goal 2: Ensure the survival of the main cast.╰ Reward: 500 points per surviving member.
┗ Goal 3: Eliminate zombies.╰ Reward: 1 point per 100 zombies, 10 points per high-level zombie.
┗ Goal 4: Acquire one Virus Sample.╰ Reward: 1 Special Item Draw.
[Mission Duration: 7–14 days.]
[Note: You must have at least 3000 points upon leaving the world, or you will be erased.]
"A classic babysitting mission. A classic apocalypse zombie-slaying start."
"But judging from this… it doesn't matter if I complete all the goals, so long as I have 3000 points when I leave, right?"
[Yes.]
"When does the mission start?"
[In ten minutes.]
"Only ten minutes to get used to this new body, huh… how about a mirror?"
Perhaps beaten down enough, this shattered Main God showed a hint of humanity. The moment Zeroy finished speaking, it conjured a full-length mirror from thin air.
The mirror reflected her current appearance.
Her long golden hair flowed smoothly down her back, her fair and delicate skin and slender figure radiating the vibrance and agility unique to a sixteen-year-old girl—as if even her hair strands danced to the rhythm of youth.
Her military-style outfit was an original design.
The shirt with a tie was sharp and fitted, paired with a playful short dress.
Beneath the light skirt, black over-knee socks hugged her long legs, the gap between socks and hem revealing a strip of pale, perfect skin—an "absolute territory" that gleamed temptingly under shifting light.
She lowered her head, long fingers pinching the edge of a stocking, then slowly pulling it outward.
The taut, silky fabric snapped back against her fair skin, tracing gentle curves and revealing the tender softness unique to a young girl.
Then she lifted her gaze to the mirror, one hand lightly cupping her chest, feeling its pleasant weight—not too heavy, not too light, just right.
"So this is my body now… definitely Sky Striker Ace."
Zeroy nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad."
She liked Sky Striker Ace anyway, and she couldn't even remember her old body's appearance. So what if she'd changed? It was fine.
She didn't dwell on admiring her new form.
After a quick look over her appearance, she turned to business and opened her character panel.
[Name: Zeroy][Gender: Female][Abilities: Sky Striker Ace LV1, Evil Slayer LV1, Nonhuman Killer LV1]
[Sky Striker Ace LV1
‣ You inherit the talents and abilities of the Sky Striker Ace, fused with the Striker Unit's power.
‣ When obtaining related Sky Striker Ace equipment, it will be conceptualized and integrated into yourself, becoming part of your abilities.
‣ You are both the Sky Striker Ace and the Striker Unit itself, able to manifest any owned Sky Striker Ace equipment in magic form at will using mana or other energy.]
[Evil Slayer LV1
‣ Against targets you deem as {evil}, all attributes +10%, all resistances +10%.]
[Nonhuman Killer LV1
‣ Against targets you deem as {nonhuman}, all attributes +10%, attacks gain lifesteal.]
Suddenly, a memory snapped in Zeroy's head.
"I remember I died. You saved me?"
She recalled she'd been incredibly lucky.
[Yes.]
"…Thanks."
Zeroy fell silent, familiarizing herself with her abilities.
Mana surged, streams of data gathering in her hands to form a crimson katana.
This was the source of the Sky Striker Ace's power—the Striker Unit.
Though it seemed like just a sword, it was actually a vast, complex high-tech combat system.
Without it, the Ace's combat strength would plummet, leaving her little more than a slightly stronger-than-average human.
But Zeroy had no such concern now.
The Striker Unit's power was part of her. She was both its wielder and the unit itself—truly a sword woman.
...
A beam of light fell from the sky, landing precisely in the middle of a street.
From within, a slender girl's silhouette slowly emerged.
Zeroy opened her eyes, calmly assessing her condition.
No discomfort…
"Looks like I'm the most capable among this batch of newcomers."
Suddenly, then, when she looked around, she realized the light column was empty except for herself.
"Then never mind."
Looking past the beam, she surveyed the scene.
The street was in ruins, chaos everywhere. No sign of human life—only a few tattered zombies wandering about.
Zeroy frowned slightly, her gaze lingering on them for a moment.
'So it's after the outbreak? From the looks of it… not long after.'
The blood on the zombies hadn't yet dried to black; the vivid red stood out sharply in the sunlight.
'If I'd arrived earlier, maybe you wouldn't have ended up like this.'
She sighed softly, though the pity didn't linger in her eyes for long.
"What's done is done. All I can do now is set you free."
Gripping her sword, she approached the nearest zombie.
A flash of the blade—and a head soared into the air.
Another zombie, sensing the disturbance, turned its stiff head—but before it could react, its head too was severed by another gleam of steel.
...
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