Sup! New chapter! Yesterday I had exam and got 91/100!
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Isao Tsumugi
I stopped the car right in front of the main gate and let out a soft sigh, feeling the faint, rotten, yet potent life-energy signatures of the dead rushing toward me. At least, I thought they were rushing—their speed was too consistent, no leaping, no bounding... oh, wait, scratch that. They actually could hop around.
Honestly, I was fucking exhausted by all of this, and I had zero desire to spend a long time dealing with them. I stepped out of the car and immediately slotted the abilities I'd need for this job.
Slot one: Shadow Tag
Slot two: Metallurgy
Slot three: Frozen Lightning
Slot four: Rough Knuckle
Slot five: Wind Edge
I'd use the first to pin the Brutes in place—the ones lurking deep in the port. Metallurgy is for crafting whatever weaponry I need, Frozen Lightning is in case I run into a Brute strong enough to give me trouble, Rough Knuckle for anyone who gets too close, and Wind Edge to sharpen my slashing attacks.
The moment I finished selecting them, I realized that the mutated zombies sprinting toward me were suddenly hovering directly overhead. Gravity had kicked in, and they were plummeting toward me...
"How cute," I scoffed. In a blink, I formed three lead spheres that rocketed into them, blasting through their skulls. Their acrobatic corpses hit the dirt a few meters away, and I started walking toward the main port gates, yawning.
My sensors indicated over a thousand pockets of rotten life-energy here, with about fifty being mutations. I knew this because their life-force was dense—much denser than the standard "Zero-Type" zombies.
Of course, they still couldn't compare to the density of a living, breathing human, but they were definitely thicker than the average rotter.
As soon as I ducked under the gate's barrier, I felt more of those dense signatures rushing me. Without waiting, I fired off lead spheres.
They flew like bullets, but with far more mass and volume, acting more like projectiles. They punched through iron shipping containers, walls, and anything else in their path before turning the zombies into paste.
Despite the efficiency, it seemed every dead thing in the place had sensed me now. It wasn't just the mutants; everything was coming for me. I did only one thing...
I forged an incredible suit of steel armor, donned it, and...
My feet slowly lifted off the ground. A part of me—some human, flight-unready part of me—tensed up. As I ascended, the Gacha screen popped up in front of me:
[Learn Flight (Limited)]
[Bronze Ticket x2]
I smirked and swiped the screen away. My priority was turning these monsters into fertilizer.
The armor was designed to lock onto my torso and legs, its internal structure allowing me to manipulate my powers to hover comfortably. I chuckled, but in the next second, I had to dodge a new type of zombie lunging at me. A "Runner." As it tumbled through the air, I got a good look at what made it tick: the lower body muscles were incredibly developed, while the upper body—shoulders and arms—was leaner, yet more muscular than any human I'd ever seen.
While it was falling, I whipped up a massive ball of iron and slammed it into the Runner's head, bursting it into chunks. The body fell limp and purposeless, only for... wait, were the other zombies catching it? They were tearing the corpse apart and eating it?
Hold on, that's something new. Why the hell weren't they eating their own kind before? Standard zombies usually have enough sense to know that a mutated one would put up a fight, and that they'd be the ones dying. This... this is horrifying.
If their intelligence had bumped up, that was a nightmare. Or maybe it was just raw instinct ingrained in their anatomy? I was just being paranoid, right? These bastards weren't developing mentally, too, were they? If they were, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Fuck!
I waved my hand, creating a cluster of steel saws, coated them in Wind Edge, and launched them into the horde of standard zombies below, while the mutants were still struggling to reach me.
Honestly, it was stupid that I hadn't learned to fly sooner. This made everything a hell of a lot easier.
The question of their intelligence faded as quickly as it had appeared. The idiots below were just clawing at the air, following nothing but low-level life-energy signals. They couldn't be smart.
I drifted to the side, feeling a Runner lunging again. This time, I formed five sets of shackles mid-air, pinning its hands, feet, and neck, which morphed into a full iron mask covering its lower face.
"Interesting mutation." I inspected it from all angles, spinning the creature around. After a few minutes of toying with it, I clenched my hand, crushing the collar to end it, and turned the body into a spiked wrecking ball.
The shackled mutant, now headless and spiked, began its slow descent to the ground. I watched it go with a disappointed look.
Like... is that it?
Hovering above these creatures, I didn't get one thing: why was I afraid of them? Why was I worried that these pathetic zombies could ever do anything to me or my loved ones? No... even worse...
Why was I so afraid of being aggressive? Even after talking about "Reactivity" at the Takagi estate, I hadn't become reactive. I was still just going with the flow, letting the current carry me, only making slight adjustments to my course. I could have just swum to the shore, stepped on solid ground, and walked my own path.
The saws down below, shredding zombies, suddenly spiked in speed. If I'd calculated the rotational velocity right, they were now ten times faster.
I inhaled. The air was thick with the scent of salt water, the port, and the stench of blood—the blood of thousands who were now zombies, piling up just to be minced by the edge of my blades.
With a sigh, I expanded my Sensor to cover the entire port—several city blocks. Everything from the piers to the main gate was under my thumb. I realized one thing: there were no survivors left in this port. Not one. And that... that didn't move me. It's not that I'd call myself a monster now, but frankly, I just don't give a damn about these people, or their families.
At the end of the day, even with these powers, Salvation is not my duty. My powers are for me, and only for me. I decide what to do with them. If it helps me simplify the lives of those I care about, I'll do it. If I want someone to live in comfort, I'll do it—because that's what I want, not because it's "Right."
With the whole port under my sensory control, I formed over forty spears—or rather, cone-shaped constructs a meter and a half long—and launched them at the mutants gathered below and the ones still hiding deep in the port.
[Kill more...]
[Gold...]
I didn't need a Gacha notification to tell me what I'd done. I felt the rotten life-cores of those creatures wink out of existence in an instant.
I focused on the standard zombies below. Their death toll had already hit the halfway mark, leaving only about five hundred left. I doubted those five hundred could pose any threat to Me.
The screen flashed once. I saw the number "500" and realized I'd just earned a Silver ticket. I waved it away; I had no desire to browse the system menu.
Looking down, all I saw was... an open space, the kind that used to see thousands of people a day, now littered with pieces of zombie bodies piled on top of each other, like a butcher had carved up hundreds of bodies and left them to rot.
Feeling a twinge of disgust, I lifted my gaze to the horizon, looking past... the Island. If I were on the ground, I'd never be able to see that distant island—my new home, and not just mine. What people—at least the ones I save—will know as the "New Cradle of Humanity."
Well, I hope so. I don't plan on leaving that island for at least a year. Things are going to get complicated once we arrive: distributing spheres of power, trying to restart schools in a simplified, practical version—mostly self-defense training—and solving the food issue... though...?
With Harvest, I might be able to create incredibly high-yield seeds and imbue them with beneficial effects, like minor healing, but that's for later.
There's going to be a lot of work on the island. So much work. But... for my loved ones, I'll do it. I... honestly, I don't want to. I'm too lazy. I just don't want to work. But no one cares that I'm lazy or what I want. In the end, to everyone, I am the Leader. I could pass this role to someone else, but... that's impossible because of my Pride. I just wouldn't accept anyone above me.
Two screens popped up. I brushed aside the heavy thoughts and read what was written:
[Kill over 1000 zombies in half an hour.]
[Silver Ticket]
[Clear the Port of all zombies.]
[Gold Ticket]
Honestly? I couldn't care less about the tickets. I already have more than enough power to distribute among ten people—more than I can master or use effectively in a short time. I'm treating my abilities like a hammer, if not a sledgehammer. To master them and use them like a scalpel, I need time, or some trait that allows me to do it.
Fine, whatever. No more thinking. Let's turn off the brain, use the tickets, bury all these corpses below, get in the car, head to the mall, and finally get some rest—sleeping in the arms of Saya and Saeko.
I have two Bronze tickets, two Silver, and two Gold. Let's start with the lowest tier.
Gacha, use two Bronze tickets.
[Lesser Hydrokinesis]
|Uncommon Ability|
Allows you to create and control water around yourself telekinetically. It is not particularly powerful but is still very versatile and precise.
[Fairy Dust]
|Common Item|
Peter Pan - Some Fairy Dust, freshly shaken down from Tinker Bell. This pouch has enough powder to make 5 grown men float for 1 hour, or one grown man for 5 hours. Restock Timer: 24 Hours.
Hm, good prizes. I can pair Lesser Hydrokinesis with my ability to create water. And the Fairy Dust... well, there will be times when I need my people to fly. That's when I'll use it... wait, the wind turbines!
Yes, goddamn! Fairy Dust could be used to get to the top of the turbines! If we have a good tinker by then, besides that girl... (whom I forgot to tell that her ability is actually good), we can likely fix them safely.
Two very good prizes from the lowest-rank tickets. Not disappointed. Now, Gacha, use two Silver tickets.
[Angel Style]
|Uncommon Ability|
One Punch Man, Puri Puri Prisoner - For every % of skin you have uncovered, your energy output and physical abilities are increased by the same percentage, reaching 2x when fully naked.
[E-11 medium blaster rifle]
|Uncommon Item|
Star Wars - A standard issue arm of a Stormtrooper. These high-tech rifles shoot bolts of high-heat energy strong enough to kill the average light-armored target in one shot and blast apart concrete. Three settings: Lethal, stun, and sting. 500 shots per cartridge. You get a new cartridge every day.
The ability is pretty disappointing. Someone like me doesn't need any amplification—not like that. Honestly, I don't see anything in this world as a threat anymore. Zombies can mutate all they want; to me, they're beneath notice.
As for people... honestly, same story. But unlike zombies, they can't even mutate or grow stronger. The only way for them to get stronger is to receive power from me. And I'll be keeping a very tight leash on anyone who awakens. They won't even have time to chirp a word before they lose their heads. I don't need people who got power from me trying to shove me off my seat.
And the rifle... hmm. Can the tinkers in my group take this apart and figure out how to replicate it? Well, we'll see. We'll figure that out eventually.
And now, last but not least—I'd say most—two Gold tickets. Gacha, use them.
[Disney Princess]
|Elite Trait|
All animals naturally adore you and are friendly toward you. In addition, all Animal or Animal-aligned entities take a liking to you more easily, and it is easier to earn their affection and bond with them. You are also naturally incredibly good at singing, even without training.
[Cathyl]
|Common Familiar|
Monster Musume - Cathyl is a minotaur, a species of Liminals known for robust physiques and their milk. She towers over the average human, is 10x stronger than a grown man, and has exceptional stamina, making her well-suited to labor, especially with her experience in farming and ranching. In addition, she naturally lactates and produces very nutritious, rich, and tasty milk—a trait Minotaurs are prized for.
Hm, the first ability means all animals will be obedient around me, and I can sing well... cool, I guess. Nothing more to say there. But the second...!
My eyes widened as I stared at the second reward!
A dark-skinned girl, over two meters tall, with incredible physical stats that are also incredibly attractive! A tomboy "monster-girl"! A TOMBOY MONSTER-GIRL!!!
I... ugh... it's hard. Hard to control myself... I want to summon her right here, right now, and let her hold my head between her thighs, my face pressed into her—n-no... UAAAAHHH! I need to get to the island faster!
I flew away from the port, quickly dug a massive—and I mean massive—pit. I flew back to the port, forged two thick, heavy plates, loaded all the bodies onto them, and flew toward the pit, dripping blood and dropping dozens of severed zombie limbs along the way. I dumped the corpses in, covered them with the same dirt I'd dug up, and slammed down next to the car.
I hopped in, started the engine, and sped toward the mall, wishing the night would fly by so that tomorrow I'd be on that goddamn island where I could summon my tomboy familiar—whose milk only I, my loved ones, and my future children would be able to drink!
It was only halfway there that I realized one thing: I hadn't checked if there was a cargo ferry at the pier... fuck!
I thought I'd seen something like a cargo ferry, but I was so worked up that I might have forgotten what I saw ten seconds ago. I'd literally forgotten whether I saw a ferry because of my dark-skinned, tomboy cow-girl familiar!
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