[Chapter:33][A base(4).]
*boom!*
The loud gunshot of Jackal resounded throughout the area, attracting the attention of several 'zombies' nearby.
The moment he felt her try to pull the trigger, Echo quickly held Rei' hands tightly to decrease the effect of the recoil.
After all, there's a reason the jet black monster-killer is known as a 'firearm for monsters to slaughter monsters'. If a normal human like Rei had fired it by herself, he wouldn't be surprised if her shoulder dislocated.
"Good job."
His whisper, his hot breath, and the adrenaline all made Rei feel faint as she fell into his arms weakly.
((Conditions met. Skill [Corruption] learned.))
((Conditions met. Skill [Psyche Guidance] learned.))
((Conditions met. Skill [Seduction] learned.))
"Nurse, you have a patient here."
Echo held her feeble body as he glanced back, calling the blonde haired nurse who quickly came forward.
"Ah! Rei-chan, come here!"
Shizuka lifted Rei's head, and glanced at the small cut visible on her neck which was still bleeding lightly.
"I have some Tetanus shots I brought from the school…"
Kyoko, who as an adult quickly snapped out of her daze, moved towards them as she held Rei's body gently.
"Come on, don't think too much. We have to bandage that before you get infected."
"Y-yeah…"
Echo watched the three women go back to the bus nonchalantly.
'She's much better then me when I first killed someone…anime-effect, I guess.'
He recalled how he had spent nearly a quarter of an hour vomiting and retching after his first kill. Of course, he was given no time to properly accustom himself, as he had to kill his second fellow human mere tens of minutes later, then the third, the fourth, the hundredth…
'Meh, she'll get used to it.'
Looking at the quest progress, which showed nearly 10% increase to everyone in the group, he couldn't help but grin.
Not only that, perhaps for saving their friend, almost all their affection points increased.
Plus…
((For being there for her when she was at her weakest, [Rei Miyamoto Affection : 44 —> 81].))
((For making her heart skip a beat, [Saeko Busujima Affection : 63 —> 89].))
((For saving her student, [Shizuka Marikawa Affection : 55 —> 74].))
The highest increases made his grin widen. He still recalled that getting someone's affection to 100 would give him quite useful perks…
Looking at his 'Relations' window, which showed most of the group members' affection to be above 40, and some even give 70, 80, and even 90, Echo chuckled eerily.
'Oh well, I still have time…lots of time…'
Looking back at the group, who were still in a daze, he said,
"Let's go, what are you waiting for?"
"Y-yes!"
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"This is the place you mentioned?"
"Hai~! This is my best friend Rika-chan's apartment~! And I almost live her everyday since it's closer to the school~~"
The bubble blonde had regained her bubbly personality as she stopped the bus and smiled.
"Let's go let's go! I have the keys right he-???"
Shizuka's figure which was skipping towards the exit of the bus paused as she felt a hand grab the back of her shirt and lift her up like a cat.
"You want to be a meat shield? Be my guest, but at least do it when you'd be useful."
"Cruel~! Hero-kun is so cruel~!"
She pouted at Echo, whom she named 'Hero' since he saved them and hadn't yet introduced himself.
The black haired Gamer ignored her as he pulled her back and walked down.
"Purple hair."
"Please call me Saeko."
Saeko smiled at him sweetly before she ran into the apartment, a genuine katana they had gotten from one of the police booths they raided in her hand.
"Park the bus in the garage and choose your own rooms. How you sleep and who you sleep with is up to you."
With that said, he went up the stairs, collecting all the corpses with their heads rolling on the ground, and entered a random room he chose randomly.
'I choose this as my base.'
Opening the Quest window,
. . . . . .
[Survivors' Camp]
Type : Chain
[[Part 1 : Base]]
Description : Every group needs a base. Find one, and occupy it.
Rewards : Unlock Function [Home] | Skill Book [Basic Crafting] | Part 2 of Chain
((Report?))
. . . . . .
'Yes.'
((Quest [Survivors' Camp : Part 1] complete. Issuing rewards…))
((Quest [Survivors' Camp] updated.))
((Function [Home] unlocked.))
. . . . . .
[Survivors' Camp]
Type : Chain
[[Part 1 : Base]]
((Complete))
[[Part 2 : Survivors]]
Objective : Gather 10 survivors
Reward : Unlock Sub-Function [Colony] | Skill Book [Basic Alchemy] | Part 3 of Chain
((Report?))
. . . . . .
'Yes.'
((Quest [Survivors' Camp : Part 2] complete. Issuing rewards…))
((Quest [Survivors' Camp] updated.))
((Sub-Function [Colony] unlocked.))
. . . . . .
[Survivors' Camp]
Type : Chain
[[Part 1 : Base]]
[[Part 2 : Survivors]]
((Complete))
[[Part 3 : Supplies]]
Objective : Gather supplies to last 30 days
Reward : Unlock Sub-Function [Fortification] | Skill Book [Basic Runes] | Part 4 of Chain
((Report?))
. . . . . .
'Yes.'
((Quest [Survivors' Camp : Part 3] complete. Issuing rewards…))
((Quest [Survivors' Camp] updated.))
((Sub-Function [Fortification] unlocked.))
. . . . . .
[Survivors' Camp]
Type : Chain
[[Part 1 : Base]]
[[Part 2 : Survivors]]
[[Part 3 : Supplies]]
((Complete))
[[Part 4 : Fortify]]
Objective : Fortify your base to withstand a hoard of zombies coming in 5 days
Reward : Unlock Function [Faction] | Skill Book [Leader] | Part 5 of Chain
. . . . . .
Looking at his rewards, Echo nodded in satisfaction.
'A new function, two new sub functions, three skill books…'
Opening his Inventory, he ignored the various resources, from food to water to concrete rubble from dismantled sky scrapers, and 'used' the three skill books he had.
((Learned skill [Basic Crafting].))
((Learned skill [Basic Alchemy].))
((Learned skill [Basic Runes].))
'Hey, if this were a cultivation world, then I could call myself a up and coming genius of alchemy, refining, and formations.'
He shook the random through out of his mind as he looked at the new function instead.
'Home…'
'Well, I'll think about it later.'
Instead of calling up the new function's window immediately, he opened his Inventory and brought out a card.
One side of the card was completely black, with a white shadow of a human visible on it. The human appeared bald headed, wearing what appeared to be a suit and with two guns in both his hands. The other side of the card had a similar image, but with the colours inverted, a pure white background with a black shadow.
((Character Card : Agent-47))
He hadn't used the card till now for a simple reason.
((Use [Character Card : Agent-47]? Using it will immobilise the Gamer for 1 hour.))
'Yes.'
Of course, before he did it, he grasped through his mental connection and un-summoned one of his skeletons, summoning it again in the room he was in.
"Guard me."
The moment he uttered those words…
(([Character Card : Agent-47] used…))
…he fell onto the bed and his mind blacked out.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Hey."
"…hey…"
"…"
Saya looked at her friend / rival, who kept staring at the ceiling in a daze, and sighed.
"You ok?"
"…yeah…"
Rei answered after a pause, clearly absentminded. The pink haired genius sighed as she sat next to her.
"You know it's alright to cry. There's only you and me here."
Many people don't know it, but the two were in fact once the best of friends.
In fact, they had met and befriended each other even before the former protagonist of HOTD Takashi had. In a sense, you could even say it was Takashi Komuro who split them apart with his intrusion.
"It's been a while since we sat together like this huh?"
"…yeah…"
"I remember the last time was…when we were nine? We were sitting in a playground and eating ice cream…"
"The ice cream 'you' bought with 'my' money which you swindled from me."
"Hey! I didn't swindle it out of you! You just lost it to me."
"Oh really? You mean to say you didn't cheat when you asked me to guess a card?"
"Uh…well…"
"Thought so."
Rei chuckled before her face turned sad once more. Still, she whispered,
"Thank you."
"Hey.", Saya clapped her back, "What are friends for, right?"
"…yeah."
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Marikawa-sensei…"
"Mou~! I told you to call me Shizuka didn't I~?"
"Err…Shizuka-sensei…"
"Yes~? What do you need, Naomi-chan~?"
Naomi looked at her school nurse and asked,
"Can you teach me how to bandage people?"
"Oh~? You want to learn from me~~?"
Shizuka's eyes sparkled as she looked at the young girl before her with a wide smile. As a school nurse, she had never really 'taught' people anything, and always liked experiencing new things.
"Y-yes…"
Naomi let her head down as she took a deep, long breath.
"I..I'm scared. Of fighting those 'zombies'. Those…things. But…but I don't want to be useless. I want to do something for the group too."
Shizuka looked at the determined girl before her, and her sparkling eyes disappeared and a teasing smile appeared on her face for a moment before it returned to her clumsy and airheaded smile.
"Oho~? Is it for the group, or for someone else I wonder~~?"
"Wh-what!? What are you ta-talking about!?"
The blonde haired woman looked at the blushing mess which Naomi had turned into with a single sentence, and chuckled mentally.
Outwardly, however, she nodded as she looked as clueless as ever.
"In that case~! I will teach you everything I know~~! Come on come on~! We have no time to lose~~!"
"Y-yes!"
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Kyoko-sensei?"
"Ah, Saeko-chan? What are you…doing…here…"
Kyoko's words got stuck in her throat as she looked at her young student's clothing in a daze.
"This is…"
"Yes? Does it look good?"
Saeko smiled as the naked apron she was wearing showed off her beautiful figure. She knew she wasn't feminine in the least, or at least she thought she knew, thus, this was one of her only ways of 'showing' the 'little charm she had'.
"Err…why…are you dressed like that?"
"This? Well, I feel comfortable in this."
Kyoko blinked as she looked at the purple haired young woman, but then she looked at the slightest hint of a blush on her face. She thought she was embarrassed to wear such an 'indecent' clothing, but…
'Wait, if that's not the case…'
Her thirty year virgin mind spun as she looked at the young woman in a daze, before chuckling lightly.
"It's for Hero-kun isn't it?"
"T-that's…well…"
Saeko's blush deepened as she slowly nodded her head.
"Y-yes…I…I know I'm not feminine or charming…most men, no, almost all men wouldn't want someone like me, someone violent, overbearing…so…"
Kyoko looked at the stuttering young girl speechlessly.
'Violent? Overbearing? If a man sees you now, fragile, innocent, and so goddamn sexy, he'd have to be gay to not pounce on you…'
Of course, her thought remained thoughts, and she wasn't going to say something so vulgar to her student.
Instead, she smiled as she pulled Saeko towards an empty room.
"Silly girl, you don't know your own charm. Come, let your teacher give you advice on how to seduce a man…"
"But sensei…aren't you single?"
"…"
That day, a maiden's heart cracked.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Hey…onee-chan…"
Kawamoto looked at her non-identical twin sister as she plunged onto her bed.
"Yeah?"
Taniuchi, with her face still pressed onto her pillow, asked with her muffled voice.
"You love me don't you?"
"Of course."
The two sisters had no idea how many times they've said it to each other, yet, every single time, it would send a chill up their spine, make their hearts beat faster, their mouth dry, their eyes glazed…
But this time…
"Onee-chan…"
"Yeah?"
"I don't think…you're the only one…I love anymore…"
"…yeah…"
The two sisters lied down in silence, for the first time feeling like each others' presence wasn't enough to for them. Feeling as though…something…or someone…was missing.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Yuuki-chan?"
Misuzu looked at one of their closest friends, just after Toshimi, and asked in confusion.
"Hey…you alright?"
Toshimi recalled what she knew of her and Shido, something very few people knew the truth about, and asked in concern.
Only her, her best friend Misuzu, and unknown to them, Echo, knew of what was happening between her and their former teacher. Of the truth of the rumours about her.
"Misuzu…Toshimi…"
Yuuki looked at the two people who were the only ones who knew about the true her, whose deaths, in another world, in another reality, would break her semi-broken mind even further, and asked,
"You like him don't you?"
"…"
"…"
The two best friends blushed lightly, but they looked at each other, and then at the orange haired young woman, and nodded slowly.
"Y-yeah…"
"I…think I do…"
The three almost had no secrets with each other. They had grown up together from primary school, and their relationship with each other was even closer than with their own parents, especially with Yuuki.
"You know…I think most of the other women in the group like him too."
"This…"
"That's…"
The two girls looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
"Think about it, if they really like him, then…can you compete with Saeko-senpai? Or even that egoistic pink head? Or Rei…"
Yuuki's eyes flashed as she thought of her fellow orange head, who had the chance to be embraced by the black haired young man…
By HER saviour…
"We have to work together if we want to get to him before they do, you know?"
"W-work…"
"…together?"
The two women looked at each other in a daze, thus missing the flash of light in her eyes which was eerily similar to a certain blue haired loli's eyes…
"Yes…work together…"
. . . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"Kohta-kun, can you teach me how to use those?"
Takuzo looked at his new friend, Kohta, who was practically drooling over the various guns that they found in the building, and asked.
"Oh? You want to learn how to shoot? Sure I'll teach you!"
The fatty's eyes brightened as he looked at his new friend and nodded, confidence slowly yet surely returning to him as he found himself like a fish in water in this new world where guns were higher than the broken law and order. Especially guns in a certain black haired man's hands.
He shivered as he recalled the unbelievable precision of the man as he devastated entire hoards of thousands of 'zombies' with just two guns and what seemed to be unlimited bullets.
'So cool…'
Takuzo, who didn't know his new friend's thoughts, thought back to his discussion with his sister.
'Naomi likes him…in that case, as her brother…I can't embarrass her by being useless. Not to mention, he saved my life too…'
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
Echo blinked as he woke up.
"It's been an hour already?"