This is fucked!
[W̷͚͝ā̴̖r̶̥̈́n̶̡̐̆ḯ̶̩n̵͙̂g̸̡̐!̶̤̓
W̸͎̏ȯ̴͕r̶̰̂l̷̯̓d̵̎ͅ ̶̺̓d̶͓̿í̸̜f̸̱̈f̸̲̈́i̷̹͐c̶̦͆ũ̵̳l̷͔̒t̶̩͠ỳ̷͓ ̸̡̕l̷̥͠e̵̢͐v̸̲͊e̴̪͘l̵̤̐ ̸̯́ẖ̸̐à̴͔s̷̺̽ ̸̲̌r̸͇̃i̶̻͘s̵̟͋e̴̢̎n̵̜͘ ̷̭̾b̶̨̀ÿ̸̮́ ̴̭͝ő̵̱n̶̖͌e̷̛̥ ̵̠̍t̷͌͜i̴̲͝ē̸͕r̷̞̔!̸̡̂
Z̵̥̃ǒ̷͜m̵̫̕b̴̭̽i̸͇͝e̸̻̅ ̵̡̒E̶͉͠v̴̩͠ŏ̸̻l̸̬͗u̶̙͌t̴̞͝i̶̤̊ō̴̦n̶̟̋ ̴̩̚È̸͉n̷̡͗h̵̑ͅa̴͆ͅn̵̥͆c̸͎̒e̷̻͛d̸̡̆!̵̠̃]
[All people were granted two tickets, 1 Special Trait Ticket and 1 Special Ability Ticket.
They cannot use the Tickets themselves; only the user can use them for them. To do so, the user must touch them.]
I almost poked my eyes out from the sudden appearance of the first screen, but wincing slightly, I managed to read what was written, and... felt a slight chill run down my spine.
Fuck... Fuck!
Souichiro's men noticed how my expression changed several times in those few seconds and didn't know how to react, but I wasn't concerned with that; the screen in front of me was what mattered!
Bitch, now I definitely have to haul ass out of the city. If Zombie Evolution is enhanced, it means different advanced types of zombies will start appearing like worms after a summer rain, and that's bad, terribly bad.
But... there is good news, namely the special tickets people have... now I will definitely be considered a God among all these people, but... it's useful, it's very good; I can think of it as giving them a small piece of my Chaos Gacha power.
There was no information about additional tickets for other people that could be obtained through achievements, which meant they would only receive these two tickets, and... overall, that's fine. They should all get something good since the tickets are Special, something the Gacha didn't tell me about yesterday, which, well, strongly hints at their special nature.
So... everything, for now, is okay, not as bad as I thought, but not perfect either, just... normal.
"Phew..." I sighed and looked forward with a more focused gaze. More than fifty people were sitting in front of me, and all of them, except for Saya and possibly Yuriko, were combat-ready, not to mention the few that Souichiro took. That makes about fifty to sixty capable adult men. "The first thing I'd like to say is... I am now your master, and I believe none of you have any problems with that," My voice grew slightly colder, and my gaze hardened. "Because if you do, I won't like it at all..." I pressured all of them, except of course Saya and Yuriko, with a moderate Aura of Despair, just enough to scare them. That was enough for more than half of them to tremble and turn deathly pale, while the rest just went pale. I removed it immediately after a few seconds. The silence that followed was not too pleasant. "... I didn't hear an answer."
"No, Master Isao!" They answered me in chorus. Soul reading revealed no lies, and I smiled slightly at that; fewer problems, fewer worries.
"Know that I didn't force Souichiro to agree to this; he did it himself, and everything was quite fair; you yourselves were the observers of it." The faces of many became slightly mournful, and Yuriko nodded, but her expression remained stony. "However, I am not going to waste your strength on doing stupid stuff. Our very first duty right now is to take all the civilians from here to a safe place." The expressions of most immediately became focused, and I realized one thing: there might have been some jerks among them, but it was likely due to something else rather than arrogance, and everyone else was pretty normal. At least they all genuinely want to save people, considering how focused they became. "The world is not what it used to be. You saw it yourselves. Just yesterday, I was an ordinary guy, and when all this mess started, I was at school. If you have imagination, you should understand what happened in a school filled with students cowardly running for their lives when the first infected appeared on the school grounds." These words were enough to make them understand what happened, and it's not too difficult to understand what happened if you have at least a little brain. "The only surviving group from the whole school was me and the people I saved on the way out, and at the same time, we went after the parents of some of the survivors. Most were dead, but... some still survived, and the father of two girls from school was in the hospital when it all started, and those girls asked me to save him." I began to recall what happened that day. Heh, I speak as if weeks and months have passed.
"You might be asking why the hell I'm saying all this and for what purpose, and I'll tell you: we went there to save their father, but it turned out there were more survivors than just one man, and yet we saved them too, but... when we were finishing rescuing the survivors from the hospital, a goddamn monster burst out from the depths of that place." I almost spat when I remembered that bastard. The son of a bitch appeared completely unexpectedly and with a damn blow sent me flying like a bird. Most of the men wore expressions of confusion.
"What are you talking about, Tsumugi-san?" Yuriko tilted her head slightly, asking, and I saw how most of the people behind her also leaned slightly towards us to hear better what I was saying.
"I'm talking about an evolved zombie bursting out from the depths of that damn hospital." I rested my head on my hand, looking at them. The reaction was immediate. Most faces immediately turned pale, and their expressions held disbelief.
"What?!" "That's impossible!" "What the hell?!" The commotion continued for a while. People simply didn't want to admit it, but I raised my hand, stopping all the noise.
"Yes, how would you like to fight a two-meter creature with inhumanly tough skin and two pairs of arms? Oh, and yes, its weight is definitely over 100 kilograms! That bastard easily destroyed the hospital walls, and that's how it broke through to us. If it weren't for my powers, we would have all died right there." When I said that, most looked at me incredulously, including Yuriko, and I could accept and understand their disbelief, because if what I was saying was true, the situation had suddenly become fucked, very fucked.
"F-forgive me, Tsumugi-san, but I find it difficult to believe..." Yuriko slightly clenched her hand into a fist with a worried look at me, a "please tell me it's a joke" look, but I had to cut off all her hope.
(Just for you to know how she looks like)
"Yuriko, you literally saw me pull those beauties out of my shadow, and now you doubt that zombies evolve?" She slightly closed her eyes, trying to think about something, and the atmosphere in the entire Dojo became much more suffocating because of this; disbelief was mixed with suspicion. "You don't believe me? Ask your daughter. If you think she'll lie to you because of her sympathy for me, then ask all the people I brought with me. Everyone saw that monster at that moment." I slightly waved my palm, as if saying "go on, go on..." and opening her eyes, she followed through.
Yuriko slightly turned to her daughter, who nodded back, slightly flinching, definitely because she remembered that bastard, and now Yuriko turned back to me with a slight fear deep in her eyes.
"If that's true, then..."
"The situation is worse than ever, which is why I'm saying we all need to leave here. The walls of your estate will be like papier-mâché for the kind of zombies that will start appearing more and more often. But thankfully, your daughter helped with the decision of where we can go, or rather, where we will be safe and sound. Her bright head full of ideas was very helpful." Saya slightly puffed out her chest, straightening her posture, preening over my well-deserved praise, and I smiled at her, but I had to return my gaze to Yuriko again. "The ideal place for us right now is Kotsu Island. Energy from solar panels and wind turbines, rice fields that can be used and put into circulation, the island is remote, and reaching it by swimming is almost impossible, only by ferries, boats, and so on."
(Saya after Isao's just praise)
All the people listening to me were absorbing my words like a sponge, while I was running through not-so-minor details in my head, recalling the small plan that Saya and I and the others came up with while sitting in front of the map.
"The first thing we need is transportation and supplies. First, transport for people and transport for supplies. For the former, we can find buses on the way, and for the latter... we'll go to Tokonosu Plaza. There we can find trucks for supplies, and we'll pick up those supplies there as well. So... damn inconvenient, bring a table and a map of the city, with a marker!" I waved my hand and several men stood up and ran out of the room. Many faces became awkward from being commanded by an eighteen-year-old guy, but they quickly came to terms with it, which made me slightly respect these men.
The table was brought exactly a few minutes later and placed right in front of me, and the map was spread out on it. I nodded and waved the men back, which they followed.
"Yuriko, come closer and sit near the table. I'll discuss the plan with you, and you'll tell your husband, but you will remain in charge; who knows what Souichiro will do after what I did." She looked at me slightly strangely, but still did as I said, ignoring my words about her husband, and sat on the other side of the table, and a dozen men behind her didn't even move. Hmm, my respect for them grew even stronger for following their master's promise. It seems the relationship between Souichiro and all of them was like that of Samurai and their Masters.
"I will take one or two of my people and go right here." I pointed my finger at one spot, marking it with the marker. "One of my person's parents lives here, and picking them up is a priority step for me. At the same time, you will need to load all the weapons and supplies in the estate into the truck where they kept the zombie, Souichiro's former friend, and taking all the people, you should head towards Tokonosu Plaza." I pointed to another spot on the city map, which was the shopping center. "That's where you will find transport for supplies. You must take all the food, equipment, and tools of primary importance, as well as seeds and everything else. In short, load everything you find into the trucks that will definitely be there. I will arrive about half an hour after you get there. Are there any questions about this plan?" I looked into her eyes, and she nodded.
"When will you leave to get your person's parent?" Her voice was focused, and it was clear from her eyes directed at me that she was fully attentive.
"Most likely in half an hour to an hour. There's no point in wasting time; we need to get out of the city by evening," I looked at the road out of the city that led to the port outside the city. "If the clock strikes past six or seven in the evening, moving will be dangerous with poor visibility due to the evening time, especially with so many people. A hundred people will create too much noise, especially if we have trucks full of supplies and roaring cars echoing through the city."
"Understood. What if we can't load the supplies before five or six in the evening?" She slightly tilted her head to the side, and in her voice, I could finally detect an intonation as if she was testing me, trying to learn more about me.
"We'll stay in the shopping center for the night and move out early in the morning when it's light. I'm afraid that if we move in the evening, again, visibility will be zero for us, and we'll run into some stupid mess that could cost people's lives. It's better to try to avoid this by all possible means." She nodded and looked at the map again.
"Then... the most optimal route to get to the Shopping Center from our Estate will be along this path." She slowly traced the route with the marker I handed her, drawing a long route along the roads. "And for you, the fastest way will be this path, Tsumugi-san. That way, by the time we are driving through this street, you will be able to join us from the rear of our mini-convoy, if your person's parent is where they should be."
I looked at the map, memorizing every street and avenue, and when I was done, I nodded to her.
"Yes, that's good. For us now, the most important things are two: first, for me to get to my person's parent, and second, for all of you to get to the Shopping Center. And there we'll see what's what, but we have one final destination, and that is Kotsu Island." Yuriko nodded, and I was about to stand up and get ready when I remembered one thing. "By the way, if you find survivors, then... be vigilant, especially if it's a man. Let all children and women be on the bus, and let them be protected by at least a whole squad of ten men."
"Yes, I will oversee that." She nodded again, looking at me attentively again, taking her eyes off the map.
"One more thing, do you have any weapons at all?" I was genuinely interested in this, as they didn't even hesitate to pressure a high school student much younger than them, and in a crowd, for the sake of it.
"For firearms, we only have a few pistols, a few rifles, and one submachine gun. For melee, only a few katanas and aluminum bats." She said all this, slightly closing her eyes, most likely recalling the exact number, trying not to forget anything.
"Not much... then here, take these." I raised my right hand to the side and concentrated, and after a few minutes, to the surprised gasps of the people, I began to create aluminum spiked bats out of thin air: first one, then five, then ten, and so on up to forty-five pieces. When I stopped, I felt less than 15% of my internal energy, or stamina, was spent on all those bats—not insignificant, but not very much either. "By the way, I'll tell Kouta to give you the 2 firearms he has. Use them properly, and yes, let none of the elders pressure the younger ones among my people. On the contrary, let them teach and protect them. Right now, we all need to stick together." I sighed slightly, smoothing my hair back. By the time I finished my words, Yuriko's gaze, and her expression, had softened.
"Understood, and..." I slightly turned my head to the side. "... You are an amazing person, Isao Tsumugi." She smiled with something like admiration. "Despite your young age, you care about all the people. I am sure many boys your age are incapable of this."
"Thank you for the compliment, Yuriko. I am also grateful to you and your people. To them, I should really be just an arrogant brat, but they are keeping the promise their master made... you had people with a real Samurai spirit under your command." My voice was loud enough for the people behind her to hear me, and stepping slightly to the side, I bowed deeply, my forehead lightly touching the floor. I stayed in that posture for a few seconds and only then rose, seeing a surprised look on the faces of everyone in the Dojo, especially Yuriko's reaction, with her mouth slightly open. "I... am truly grateful, because there are people dear to me among the survivors here." My gaze slightly flickered towards Saya, who was still looking at me in surprise.
Oh come on, it's not that surprising! I can be grateful and express my gratitude and respect, I'm not a complete bastard!
"I am also grateful to you for not holding a grudge against my husband and our people." She also bowed, perfectly repeating my movement, and the people behind her did the same, without even a twitch of a muscle.
[Earn respect among Souichiro Takagi's former men]
[Silver Ticket]
A few minutes later, they all raised their heads from the ground, and I nodded to them, starting to stand up, and everyone else began to do the same. At the same time, I used that new silver ticket.
[Create Water]
|Uncommon Ability|
Konosuba - Allows you to create large volumes of fresh water from your hands but does not allow you to control it. The stream of water is strong enough to seriously hurt someone.
My lips curled into a slight smile, as reading about my new ability made me happy. This water is definitely drinkable, and another problem that should have likely arisen died at its inception.
"I will only take Rei Miyamoto with me, Yuriko. Command all my people as your own until my arrival. I trust your reasonable judgment." I began to walk around the table to go to the exit, simultaneously nodding to Yuriko, who was standing up from her seat, while saying these words.
It seems her legs were asleep from sitting in the seiza position, otherwise, there's no way to explain how she slipped and almost fell headfirst. I moved sharply and grabbed her arm with one of mine, and at the same time, grabbing her waist, I pulled her to me, keeping her from falling.
Most of the men who were also standing up and walking towards the bats stopped, looking at Yuriko Takagi in my arms with silent shock, just like Saya, who was watching this whole scene, contorting her face with disgust evident in her expression.
Yuriko herself was gazing spellbound right into my eyes—well, into my glasses, my eyes aren't visible—and a slight blush began to appear on her cheeks. I adjusted my grip and placed both hands under her armpits, easily lifting her like a child and setting her on the floor.
"There... no need for thanks..." Saying this, I immediately headed for the exit at a brisk pace. I was practically running. Woman, the fact that I defeated your man where the wager was everything doesn't mean I'm going to hook up with you right away, calm down!
I slightly accelerated my step, seeing the slightly angry face of my pink-haired tigress. Screw it... screw married women! They're nothing but trouble!
... and maybe I'll love solving them.
First, I came back to live! …ugh, for second time and I'd like to apologize, for getting into the fog without telling that I'll unable for a while, it wasn't very good from my side, and I apologize.
I checked all the symptoms, and it seems I burned out a while ago, and only now am I barely pulling myself out of this state, and I want to say that this state is terrible! You just lie there, you don't want anything, you don't do anything, and even your favorite things don't bring you pleasure, but rather slightly irritate you. Because of this, I didn't go to university in the first week and today, having received a lot of "Absence."
But the good news is, Imma pulling myself out from this miserable state, and now will post new chapters on Mondays and Thursdays!
And thank you for reading my fic!