Almost everyone in the City of Mutated Beasts noticed the sudden shift in the rankings.
Whispers spread among the survivors.
"This group of people…"
Ryuju Momo adjusted her beret, her expression darkening.
As the daughter of the Ryuju team's leader, she wasn't easily rattled. With her firearms expertise and underworld background, she'd carved out her own foothold here.
She dispatched mutant beasts cleanly, secured supply points, and even repelled challengers who tried to take them from her.
She had been doing well. Better than most.
Yet now… a group had appeared far above her, crushing the rankings in one sweep.
She couldn't understand it much less the one name that towered over them all. That cliff-like number one.
Just who was Yami Tsukishiro?
[The third wave of mutant beasts is coming!]
The ominous announcement resounded just after nightfall.
"So soon this time?" Mizuki frowned.
"Yeah… according to the logs, the second wave took nearly thirty hours to appear. But now? Not even twelve hours later."
Yami thought for a moment, then spoke evenly:
"Maybe it's not based on time. Maybe it's based on numbers."
"Numbers… of course!" Mizuki's eyes lit up in realization.
If each wave was tied to the total count of mutant beasts once enough were eliminated, the next wave would trigger then it made perfect sense.
Especially with Yami around.
They'd seen it firsthand. His shadows stretched wide, slithering across the battlefield, sniping down mutant beasts with terrifying precision.
Even from kilometers away, he could lock onto a target and erase it in a blink.
The rest of them only earned points from the scraps, the strays that slipped past his reach.
No wonder the number of beasts had plummeted so quickly.
"I'll take you all to the supply point here," Yami said, opening a door of shadow that rippled before them.
"Yami-kun… what are you going to do?" Eriri asked, nervousness slipping into her voice.
"I'm going to end this virtual world faster. Tonight, I'll clean up the mutant beasts myself."
"But alone…?"
Her worry escaped before she realized it.
Yami simply placed his hand on her head, ruffling her golden twin-tails with a soft chuckle.
"Are you sure you want to be worrying about me?"
"U-uhm!"
Her cheeks flushed scarlet. That casual, intimate gesture in front of everyone made her heart flutter in panic.
It was only then she realized: she had spoken out of pure instinct, pure concern.
But compared to his overwhelming power, her worry was meaningless.
During the day, he had wiped out entire swarms in seconds, while they lagged behind, barely scraping points.
They weren't helping him.
They were slowing him down.
And Eriri finally understood… with Yami Tsukishiro around, they were the burden.
"Even if Chisato taught you some tricks, you still overstrained your hand."
Yami gently took Eriri's right hand into his. The tiger's mouth was red and swollen, trembling faintly with each pulse.
"You did well today."
It wasn't flattery. It was recognition.
At least in his eyes, Eriri wasn't just some fragile ornament.
"Wuu…" Eriri whimpered softly, eyes darting toward her hand that was being held so carefully. Her face grew hot, and she quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.
"Hmph, of course she did well. Don't forget who taught her, Master Chishu!"
Nishikigi Chisato puffed her chest with pride, hands on her hips like she was posing for a victory photo.
"Cheeky as ever," Takina muttered, sighing at her partner's shamelessness.
Yami didn't linger. After escorting everyone back to the supply point, shadows crawled across the walls and ground, knitting together into a familiar dark barrier.
"As long as you stay inside, nothing will reach you," he instructed.
Eriri stared at the black veil. Warmth spread in her chest, it was the same barrier that had shielded her that night. Proof that she was being protected.
And when she noticed Yami preparing to leave, her emotions boiled over.
Before she could stop herself, she dashed past the others and threw herself into his arms, burying her face against him.
"You must come back."
Yami raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Tch. You really are turning into a clingy puppy."
He ruffled her hair lightly.
"As the owner, I guess I have to take responsibility. If you raise a puppy, you don't abandon it. That's just basic morality."
Abandonment was the most shameful thing of all.
"I-I'm not a puppy!" Eriri puffed out her cheeks, glaring up at him in protest.
Yami only smiled softly, then slipped away into the night without another word.
"Really… how could he just compare me to a puppy…" she muttered, sulking.
Her words sounded like complaints, but the four watching her Chisato, Takina, Mizuki, and Kurumi exchanged knowing looks.
From where they stood, Eriri's brows were arched softly, and the corners of her lips curved upward. Her entire face radiated a quiet happiness.
"…So, uh," Chisato leaned toward the others, whispering, "can someone explain their relationship? 'Cause I'm lost."
Takina crossed her arms. "I don't understand it either."
Mizuki chuckled under her breath, eyes glinting. "Heh. It's their little game."
Kurumi pouted, arms crossed. "Game or not, that idiot girl has completely fallen into the whirlpool of love. No matter how you look at it."
--
𝘼/𝙉: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙘 𝙨𝙤 𝙖𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚: 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙂𝙤𝙡 𝘿. 𝙍𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙔𝙖𝙢𝙞 '𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩' 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.