It was nine o'clock in the evening and the group just had their dinner served by Miko. The dinner was a quiet one as Riko recalled the atmosphere being, forgive for the lack of better term, awkward. It was like no one wants to speak with one another.
Still, it wasn't much of a deal as after that dinner, they went back to their parents room and Inigo was in his own room. He hasn't spoken to Miko since they arrived at the apartment but that's okay, he'll give her the space and time she needed to recover from the traumatic experience she just witnessed.
And while doing just that, Riku opened his system to see what he had gotten from the attempt of saving Miko's parents.
[User: Riku Hayashi
Level: 5
Experience Points: 800/8,200
Skill points: 10
SP BALANCE: 13,510
Armory Shop:
Skills:
[[Skill Points Available: 10]
> Weapons Handling: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Melee Weapon Proficiency: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Stamina & Endurance: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Scavenging:Lv. 1 (0/10 SP)
> Tactical Awareness: Lv. 1 (10/20 SP)
> Driving: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Piloting: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Maintenance & Engineering: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Medical Knowledge: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
]
He had leveled up but he didn't notice it. Was it because the system was considerate to turn off the notifications during battle? No, that's not the case. The system should notify him after the battle about the progress he made but it didn't. Well, it's not much of a big deal.
With ten skillpoints, he allocated them to Tactical Awareness, leveling it up to 2.
[[Skill Points Available: 0]
> Weapons Handling: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Melee Weapon Proficiency: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Stamina & Endurance: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)
> Scavenging:Lv. 1 (0/10 SP)
> Tactical Awareness: Lv. 2 (20/30 SP)
> Driving: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Piloting: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Maintenance & Engineering: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
> Medical Knowledge: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)
]
As for the weapons, Riko decided to increase his ammunition for the M4 Carbine and Glock 17.
[Ammunition Purchase Menu]
5.56×45mm NATO – 300 Rounds (five magazines): 800 SP
4x magazines for Glock 17 for 480SP.
He spent 1280SP, leaving him with a balance of 12,230SP. He'd save it for better weaponry or possible vehicles in the future.
Now, he realized that he hasn't used his M24 Sniper. He wanted to try it. And it has a suppressor.
He grabbed the M24 Sniper Rifle and materialized a small box of magazine containing its bullet from the system and head outside.
At the hallway, the cool night air drifted in through the open space between the waist-high wall and the ceiling. From here, Riku had a clear line of sight to the opposite apartment building and the street.
He crouched near the concrete ledge, resting the M24's fore-end directly on its flat surface for stability. With practiced motions, he fed the first round into the open action, then slid in the next.
He pressed the last cartridge down into place, feeling the slight resistance of the follower. Five rounds. That was all the M24 could hold internally. He slid the bolt forward, chambering the first round, then eased it down to avoid making noise.
Through the scope, the world became narrower, more focused. A lone zombie wandered near the base of the building opposite him, dragging a broken leg in an awkward gait. Riku steadied his breathing, aligning the crosshair just above its brow. The suppressor did its job—when he squeezed the trigger, the rifle gave only a muted pfft, followed by the dull thud of the infected collapsing.
[+50 SP] [+20 XP]
He pulled the bolt back, the empty casing flicking free with a metallic ping before he chambered the next round.
Two more came into view, one gnawing at a discarded grocery bag as if it were meat, the other stumbling toward a parked motorcycle. He took the first one cleanly through the temple, then quickly shifted his aim. The second shot landed just as it looked up, piercing its skull and sending it sprawling.
[+50 SP] [+20 XP]
[+50 SP] [+20 XP]
Riku allowed himself a faint smirk. The rifle was accurate, even at this range, and the suppressor meant he could keep this up without drawing every undead within a kilometer.
A group of three appeared from an alley, their movements erratic but slow. He adjusted his aim for each, working the bolt smoothly between shots. One by one, they dropped—silent, efficient kills.
When the internal magazine clicked empty, he lowered the rifle and began reloading by hand, sliding fresh rounds into the well with practiced speed. His fingers were steady, his mind focused—it was almost meditative.
By the time he emptied the second magazine's worth of rounds, the street below was littered with at least a dozen unmoving corpses. The system tally confirmed it.
[Total: +600 SP] [Total: +240 XP]
Riku was sliding another cartridge into the M24 when a soft voice came from behind him.
"What… are you doing?"
He almost dropped the bullet. His shoulders stiffened as his heart gave a startled jolt. He turned his head sharply and found Miko standing just behind him.
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax. "You scared me…" he muttered, then steadied his tone. "I'm hunting zombies. Clearing out the ones that might be a problem if we ever have to leave in a hurry."
Miko's gaze drifted to the rifle in his hands. "I see…" she said quietly, her voice carrying a hint of unease. "I'm still… not used to seeing you with a gun. It's only been a day since…" She trailed off, her eyes flickering for just a moment—remembering.
Riku closed the bolt and set the rifle down against the ledge, turning fully to face her. "Miko… about what happened to your parents…" He paused, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry. I know I was the one who… ended it. But we didn't have a choice. It was either them… or us."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment she didn't answer.
Finally, she looked at him again, her eyes slightly glassy.
"I know," she said, her voice trembling but steady enough to hold the words. "We didn't have a choice. If I hadn't told you to… then maybe we'd both be dead now. But…" Her voice cracked faintly, and she glanced down at the floor. "It still hurts. Knowing they're gone. Knowing I'm… alone now."
Riku shook his head firmly. "You're not alone," he said. "You have us. Me, Suzune, Ichika. We'll stick together. We'll survive this. You have my word."
Her eyes met his, searching for any doubt in his expression. When she found none, her shoulders loosened, and a faint, fragile smile appeared,though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Okay… I'll hold you to that."
Riku gave a small nod, then picked up the rifle again. "Come on. Let's head back inside. It's getting cold…"
He paused as he noticed a screeching sound. Miko had heard it too. It was the sound of tires screeching along the road.