Chapter 17: UYEAT

"...Toy?"

Zac has lived for almost 2 centuries. He had faced and fought creatures that would make the people of this time shit themselves. He had survived against incredible abysmal odds. He had been betrayed by people and had also betrayed people in return.

He had done many unspeakable things at his earlier times in the apocalypse. But now… he was reduced to a toy.

Shy, Awkward, Cordial, Affectionate, Loyal — those were supposed to be the Affection levels of his System. And yet why did 2 out of 3 of his supposed Harem members not belong in any of those categories?

A night had already passed, and yet Zac still can't get over the fact that his mother — his biological mother, was considered to be a part of the <Harem Link>. Just… what sort of degenerate made this System?

No.

"..." Perhaps he was a toy in a literal sense and Ishtar truly was just playing with him. It might even be possible… that she was watching him now.

A toy.

Perhaps that wasn't just a term reserved for him. Ishtar was probably the 1st confirmed god he had ever seen — definitely the first one he was able to have a conversation with. Whether or not the one that annihilated him and his team inside the Rainbow Curtain in the future was a god, is yet to be determined.

But based on its overwhelming power, it might be.

If so, then how many gods were there exactly? If they were supposed to be the endgame in all of this, then Zac and his team were wrong — they weren't even close to having saved the world.

Pathetic. They were all ready to lay down their lives in one final crusade… and yet they weren't even close.

What were they, if not toys for the gods?

"Fufu."

"..."

"...Can you let go of me now, Nathalie?"

"Hm… no."

The Baker's apartment was completely tattered, but it still had a bed. It was incredibly hard now since all the springs gave in, but Zac was used to resting on worse. But when Zac woke up a few minutes ago, he felt a certain softness clinging to his back — his mother.

He didn't really want to wake her up so Zac just remained still and used the time to contemplate things. But considering he could hear giggles whispering and the soft cushion behind him slightly shaking, Nathalie was awake all this time.

"I want to start the day early, Nathalie."

"Call me 'mother'."

"!!!" Zac could not help but take in a deep gasp as he felt his chest slightly being pressed. It was a weird feeling — a cushion at the back, and arms on the front that might as well be a truck.

"We are going to be late for the Explorer Evaluation…

…mother."

"Eep! How... how about 'mommy'!?"

"No."

"..." Zac could feel Nathalie's large bosoms jiggling and pressing even further to his back. But finally, after a few more seconds of her warm breaths blowing across his nape, Nathalie got up.

Zac also immediately got up, only to see Nathalie's breasts jiggle in front of him; barely even covered by the white robes she was wearing.

"...Aren't you ashamed walking around like that around your son?"

"Oh, please. You literally came out inside me, Zac," Nathalie just casually rolled her eyes as she started getting dressed, "You've seen everything."

"Well… if you put it like that…"

20 years.

20 years and Nathalie barely even aged — once could even say she was even more youthful now… aside from the fainted scars that littered her body, however.

"Hm?" Nathalie could not help but blink a couple of times as Zac suddenly stood in front of her as she was wearing her boots; gently holding her chin as he looked directly at her eyes.

"I am truly sorry for not being here to protect you, mother."

"..." Nathalie returned Zac's gaze with slight perplexion, but after a few moments, she shook her head and stood up,

"I'm your mother. I should be the one protecting you."

"..."

"..."

"We're going to be late."

"Yup. Let's go."

Explorer Evaluation.

As the name suggests, it's an evaluation for those that want to explore the Curtains — and only those who have Systems are allowed to take it. And only those that have passed the evaluation and gotten their license are legally allowed to clear Curtains.

The Government said that it was to enact order and prevent unnecessary deaths; which is true at some point. The people were killing each other just to claim a Curtain 5 years into the apocalypse — they had to do something.

Throughout the years, however… it just became a play of control, power, and corruption— as is any form of government led by humans.

And the nearest place to take an Explorer Evaluation near their apartment was in Under York city. And as the name suggests, it was built underground; the construction, made possible by multiple System holders.

"Maybe we can have dinner there later, what do you think?"

"Let's… just worry about passing the evaluation for now, mother."

"What's there to worry about?"

Zac literally had to drag his mother away from the stalls as she started roaming around, buying all sorts of things for him that he didn't really need.

Under York city… was surprisingly identical to the city he knew. Dark, suffocating, and the lights that did exist were almost neon. It still, however, held more life than the surface — there were people anywhere he turned his eyes to.

He had initially thought there would be major changes to everything, but it would seem at the greater grand of schemes, him giving the [Tome of Mage] to his mother was too insignificant to change anything major.

"You still haven't asked me where I'd been all these years, mother."

"Hm… I don't need to," Nathalie only shrugged as a smile appeared on her face. And even in the neon lights that surrounded that underground city, her red hair and eyes still shone the brightest,

"Ah, we're here!"

"..." Zac then watched his mother as she suddenly entered a large building — a building that Zac, was of course, also very familiar with. It was basically his first home in the apocalypse, Under York Explorer Association Tower.

UYEAT for short, but Zac didn't really like using that and just instead called it the Tower, as most Explorers did. There were many other towers out there in each of the countries, but this is the largest one.

"Well then…" Zac then whispered to himself as he opened the doors and entered the Tower for the second time,

"...Here we go aga—"

And as soon as he stepped inside…

…he saw his mother holding someone by the neck.

"..."