CH 144

Going back in time.



While Kazuto and Ichinose were sleeping due to fatigue and the backlashes from overusing certain skills, Fujita and the others were trying to finish the remaining quests.



Even though the two Named Monsters were subjugated, they had yet to completely satisfy the conditions.



In addition to the elimination of the two entities, they had to acquire a hundred of both residents and magic stones for the City Hall.



That being the case, the City Hall mobilized everyone who could move on the last day of the time limit to secure enough people.



“Huu, we made it in time somehow.” Fujita was sitting down and smoking at the barricade on the outer edge of the City Hall.



It was dusk, and they had finally secured enough people.



In total, they now had 120 people in the City Hall including those that were previously present.



They had greatly exceeded the target of 100 residents.



Magic stones were no longer an issue either as they had defeated countless Ants.



Everyone became excited when the mayor announced that they had fulfilled all the conditions.



With this, the “Safety Zone” would not be compromised.



In addition, as there was no time limit attached to the conditions for the next level-up, they could take their time and solidify their foundation.



Puffing out some smoke, Fujita looked up at the sky which was turning to dusk.



“Saito, Toyoshima, Kakizaki, Tanaka, Izumi, Kumagaya… the place you guys wanted to protect is safe now…” Fujita recalled the names of the deceased City Hall members that perished during the subjugation of Alpha.



There were also just as many deaths among Shimizu’s colleagues and the students under Nishino; however, the emotions brought to him by the deaths of those that worked with him from the very beginning weighed down on him much more.



Some of these people had family members in the City Hall.



When the time came for Fujita to break the news to the family members of the deceased, some wept in grief while others grabbed Fujita and beat him.



Although Fujita had not done anything to warrant such treatments, he didn’t resist and accepted them.



“Their reactions were inevitable…” Fujita muttered so as he rubbed his cheeks which were swelling up due to the beatings.



At the very least, he wanted to deliver the corpses to the families of the deceased, but he hadn’t had the time to do so because there were other works that had to be prioritized.



This world was honestly the worst it could be.



“We also have to consider what to do from now on…” They had successfully completed their quest and ensured the safety of the City Hall.



What did they have to do next?



He had to carefully plan things out after discussing with the mayor and Shimizu.



Regardless of whether they planned on exploring the surroundings or solidifying the base, they had to obtain information.



Information on powerful monsters such as Titan and Alpha were directly linked to their survival.



“It’s about time I force him to spit it out.” There was a certain source of “anxiety” that kept nagging on Fujita.



— How was the base of the Self Defense Force destroyed?



None of the SDF members who survived opened their mouths.



Whenever he asked, they turned pale and refused to open their mouths.



In other words, a frightening “threat” existed in the neighboring town.



What exactly was there?



To get an answer to that question, Fujita decided to walk up to Towada, the captain of the Self Defense Force who he was close friends with.



*****



On the other hand, Nishino and Rikka were at the borders of the “Safety Zone”.



“With this, we’re all done.” “Yes.”



Nishino stuck the pole in his hands into the ground.



They had erected such poles all around the perimeter of the City Hall which now had a radius of around 200 meters.



These poles were placed so that people could visually differentiate between the inside of the “Safety Zone” and the outside of it.



“I’m tired… we didn’t get time to rest at all after the battle…” “It can’t be helped. There simply aren’t enough people for the job… Also, if you work hard right now, you’ll be given free time afterwards. Until then, be patient.” “Ugh… okay.”



Nishino thought about his future plans as he dealt with Rikka.



They had ensured the continued operation of the City Hall base.



From this point onward, he had decided to carry one with his original plan of looking for his missing friends with the help of Fujita and the others.



(Only Ono can’t be contacted.) Nishino was quite confident of Ono’s survival.



However, he was feeling motivated to become stronger for a different reason.



In the battle against Alpha, there were considerable amount of sacrifices.



He had to raise his strength so that his friends wouldn’t die anymore.



(While looking for Ono, I’ll have to increase my level and collect information…) He realized his powerlessness during the fight with Alpha.



Without Fujita’s intervention, Rikka would have undoubtedly died.



He never wanted to experience those close shaves again.



(I should not limit myself to the powers of a “Commander”…) If he could get his second occupation like Kazuto or Ichinose, he was confident that he could think of more varying strategies.



He wasn’t sure how Kazuto managed to acquire such a diverse set of skills and occupations, but he had a vague idea.



In addition, he knew that Ichinose gained her second occupation through “Gatcha”.



In other words, there were ways to acquire JP, SP, occupations, and skills other than leveling up.



(Maybe Kazuto-san has skills that increase the amount of experience or points gained…) That would explain how he has so many skills despite his level.



Although Nishino considered the possibility of Kazuto possessing skills that could “Loot” other people’s skills, he dismissed it as their skills would have been robbed already if that was the case.



Above all, after interacting with him for some time, Kazuto did not seem like the type of person to do such an act.



(Kazuto-san probably has an Item Box as well. I want to maintain our cordial relationship for as long as possible…) Nishino predicted that Kazuto was the one who took away all the supplies from the surrounding facilities when the students were cooping up at the Home Center.



If that was true, Kazuto would have a considerable amount of supplies tucked away in the Item Box.



Even if his assumptions were all true, Nishino wished to maintain a friendly relationship with Kazuto.



(For Rikka as well…) Nishino didn’t want to make Rikka sad after she had finally reconciled with her best friend, and this was his genuine thought.



“Hey, Nisshi! Let’s head back quickly! I want to take a shower.” Nishino smiled bitterly when he saw Rikka waving her hand without a care in the world.



“…You are so oblivious to other people’s feeling.” “Huh?”



“Nothing. I’m coming now.” Yare yare.



Nishino hurried towards Rikka’s direction.



*****



—-Thirsty.



Thirsty.



The boy was unsteadily wandering around the city.



When he looked up, he saw a clear sky.



The lights from the stars were brightening up the dark night.



“Haa… haa…”



Holding his neck with trembling hands, he kept breathing in and out.



He entered an empty convenience store and proceeded to open the lid of a water bottle before chugging it down.



However, it wasn’t enough.



He drank water, coffee, tea, and sports drinks, but they were not able to satisfy his “thirst”.



What had happened to him?



“Everyone… where are you…” It all started with that incident.



The incident where he dyed his hands with blood by stabbing the boys who he thought were his companions.



Since that time, the boy was constantly feeling frightened as if something was chasing after him.



—You killed them.



“Wrong!”



—You killed them. You killed your companions.



“Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!” He was constantly hearing a voice, a voice which blamed him for his deeds.



“I wasn’t in the wrong… I wasn’t in the wrong. I wasn’t in the wrong. I wasn’t in the wrong. I wasn’t in the wrong. I wasn’t in the wrong. I wasn’t in the wrong.” He repeated the same phrase over and over again like some type of curse.



He held his arms so tightly that blood could be seen oozing out from his fingernails.



Thirsty. Thirsty.



He kept seeking forgiveness from something he couldn’t even see as he shed tears and breathed irregularly.



Why did he have to suffer so much?



What he had done was self-defense.



So he shouldn’t be in the wrong.



He should be innocent.



He had already made excuses for himself countless times.



“Someone… help…” The boy’s spirit was almost at its breaking point.



“Hmm?”



Suddenly, something caught the boy’s eyes.



He slowly approached it and picked it up.



It was a tiny magic stone.



“Ah…”



His throat shivered.



Why was it?



To the boy, the magic stone looked juicier than any steak.



“Agu… ngu, ngu…” The boy chewed on the magic stone and swallowed it without hesitation.



Surprisingly, he was able to chew the magic stone without much difficulty.



It was as if his body was accepting a foreign substance which it had rejected until then.



“Ah….ah…”



What happened as a result?



The thirst which was assaulting his body until just a moment ago disappeared like it was never there.



In fact, his body had never felt stronger.



“…Delicious…”



He wanted to eat.



He wanted to eat more.



When he looked at another direction, he found a Goblin.



Approaching the Goblin with unsteady footsteps, he struck at the Goblin from behind, killing it instantly.



“You have gained experience.” “Ono Keita’s level has increased from 11 to 12.” A magic stone rolled at his feet as the announcements were made.



“Agu… ngu…”



The boy devoured the magic stone then and there.



Delicious, delicious, delicious!



He felt strength surge throughout his body and his feeling of guilt evaporated like a mist.



He was intoxicated by the feeling of omnipotence.



“More…more…”



Following his instincts, the boy continued to hunt monsters.



He killed Zombies, Goblins, Orcs, and Lesser Wolves.



He killed, killed, and killed some more.



The magic stones that dropped from the monsters relieved him of his guilty and bestowed him a sense of omnipotence.



“Confirmed the intake of magic stones exceeding a certain quantity.” “Certain conditions have been satisfied.” “Confirmed the first ‘Mutation’ in the Chaos Frontier.” “A bonus has been granted.” “You have acquired the skill ‘Envy’.” “Aha…ahahahaha… why was I suffering? Those guys DESERVED to die.” The voice which haunted him and blamed him had disappeared.



He’s a murderer? So what?



Why had he been stressed out about such a “trivial” matter?



“Wait for me… Nishino-kun, Shibata-kun, Rikka, and everyone else…” The boy stood up again after straightening up his glasses.



One by one, his body was being reconstructed.



His skins gradually became pale.



His black hair turned gray like a dead man’s.



The lights in his eyes were clouded red.



“I… am still alive…” With that, what was once a boy started walking.