Chapter 8: Former Comrade

In the desolate and eerily quiet streets of the now unrecognizable West Sun City, the trio wanders through the rubble and remnants with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, their hearts heavy with the weight of lost memories and shattered dreams, but clinging to a sliver of hope that in the midst of the ruins they could discover some traces of the bygone era when bustling streets and vibrant life filled the once-thriving civilization that now lies in ruins filled with beasts and zombies.

Then, in less than a heartbeat, the tranquil moment shared by the trio was shattered by the unmistakable boom in the air of gunshots fired at a distance. They moved with great alacrity, making their way to the source of the sound and bypassing and taking down all the undead that crossed their path without picking up the Z-crystal from their fallen enemies.

When the scene before them altered to the nightmarish horror of chaos in battle, with soldiers' faces twisted in grimaces of determination, a horrid monstrous wolf-like creature of gigantic size above them, a bestial form the size of an elephant, great booms and bangs of guns and explosives almost without cease, then the bellowing of combat exploded with the howls of the beast into the ruins of the war-torn land around, for the soldiers fought for their very lives.

As the monster let out a deafening roar, the soldiers stood frozen with fear, as if under the effect of a game-like skill. This was just one of the terrifying powers possessed by the monstrous creature.

 In a matter of seconds, the group of soldiers was decimated by a swift swipe of the monster's claw, leaving only one survivor who cowered behind the armored truck in sheer terror.

The fear-stricken face of the soldier lit up in surprise as he saw a figure swinging down its blade on the creature, swiftly slashing at its neck.

"Are you okay?" The soft-spoken voice of Yuno beside him woke him up from his shock.

"Y-yes, thank you.." He replied with a hint of reluctance.

Isn't it ironic? The once powerful military that protects the people are now the one being protected.

The man must've been thinking the same as his face reddened with embarassment.

Soon, the mutated wolf that once wiped out the forces of military were now lying in a pool of blood; of course, it was his own blood. It was a gruesome sight, for the severed head of the once fearsome beast now stared blankly at its own blood-smeared body, a stark reminder of the fierce battle that had unfolded.

Kiyo approached the man with the clear intentions of questioning him about the military affairs as he hadn't even let his blade down whilst walking forward.

In contrast, Vin, the battle maniac that's obssessed with strength smashed open the head of the wolf with the back side of his hammer filled with spikes, to retrieve the crystal inside it.

"Now, tell me about the condition of the military as of now," his eyes were a bit reluctant; his gaze shifted uneasily under Vin's piercing stare and the glint of steel at his throat as military matters were not to be meddled with by the likes of civilians. "I wasn't askin' you, by the way," Kiyo spoke coldly, his voice sharp with a dangerous surety that sent a chill down the man's spine, along with the blade at his neck.

Under the intense pressure and the relentless, scrutinizing gaze of the of the trio, the man quickly explained how the military has already fallen and the scattered forces now operates on their own, just like his former squad that now soaks in their own blood.

Kiyo lead his small team of three away as his face visibly darkened.

'The military shouldn't have fallen until 2 years into the apocalypse…' He pondered.

[ Ding! Answering host's doubts…

The Host's regression has triggered quite a few butterfly effect, similarly to how a 'Tier 2' beast now lies before the Host. ]

'Huh? The system seemed active today, did you take the wrong medicine?' He mused, 'Wait, so this beast is a Tier 2 mutant that should've appeared a month from now?' However, this time the system didn't answer any of his doubts.

"W-wait! Don't leave!" The man shouted whilst taking his helmet off fearing that his saviors would abandon him alone in this dangerous streets of the apocalypse.

Kiyo's eyes widened in disbelief and a wave of shock overcame him as he stood there, his gaze fixed on the soldier's face. In a quiet whisper, he managed to muster, "I-it's you..."

It indeed was a familiar figure. How amusing it is for him to meet one of his trusted comrades from before his regression.

'It was a pity that I wasn't able to save you before..' He thought to himself, steeling his resolves to recruit this man before him.

"I'm Wake Druxx, please accept me into your team." The man reluctantly said, fearing that the group might abandon him.

In contrast to what he was expecting, the group of strongmen accepted him quite easily.

"I'm Kiyo, these two are Yuno and Vin, the team only consists of our three." Kiyo introduced himself and his companions.

"H-huh?" Visible confusion could be seen from the man's face.

"What? You aksed to join our group, are you backing out?" Kiyo said jokingly with a hint of annoyance.

This made Wake panic as he quickly explained, "T-that's not it, I just thought that it'll be harder to join your group or I might even be killed…"

Kiyo scoffed at him as he lead the way, venturing towards the shelter, whilst Wake followed closely behind.

The tall and majestic black metal wall stood before them as Wake was thrown into a state of shock.

Vin patter his shoulder as if comforting him before entering the gate.

I could feel your shock, haystt…

…

Kiyo is now resting at the sofa inside their stronghold.

"System, what are the conditions to upgrade the shelter."

[ Ding! The following are required to upgrade the shelter…

Vilume ( 533/100)

Subordinates (2/5) 

System Note: Would you like to turn Resident Wake into a subordinate?

Yes/No ] 

'Yes, also purchase 10 Evolution Vials from the System Mall'

[ Ding! Purchase successfull!

Evolution Vials 10x ( 30 Vilume)

The Host is now left with 233 Vilume. ]

12 vials appeared out of thin air in the table across him, two of which were the Vials of immunity he obtained before.

Kiyo kept the 2 vials of Evolution and 2 vials of Immunity aside and drank the remaining 8. He felt a surge of powerful energy throughout his body, his emerald eyes shone red as his veins bulged.

'System, show my status window.'

[  Status Window: Kiyo

Name: Kiyo Arjung

Race: 99.9% Human 0.00000…..

Rank: Amari

Str - 33 (Ave. 5)

Int - 19 (Ave. 5)

Phy - 35 (Ave. 5)

Agi - 28 (Ave. 5)

Rgn - 20 (Ave. 5)

Skills: Swordmanship lvl 2, Bare-handed combat lvl 1

System Note: Stage 1 ave. 10, Stage 2 ave. 20, Stage 3 ave. 30]

End of chapter 8.