"If I dig out all the walls around the trader's shop, creating a massive pit that turns the building into an isolated island, wouldn't that make this place an absolute safe zone?"
Ryuji stared at the newly formed stone blocks on the indestructible walls, unable to stop himself from entertaining the idea. After all, if the walls were truly invincible, then their defensive capabilities were not even a concern. He could simply focus on reinforcing other areas.
However, the problem was that this would be an enormous project—one that he could never complete alone before the next Blood Moon. If he forced it, the outcome was clear: he would be drowned by an endless sea of zombies.
If there were three of them working together, it might be possible, but at a steep cost—they would have to devote all their time to the task, leaving them no room for anything else. Moreover, this plan would make the trader's shop their only escape route. If they miscalculated the number of zombies, they wouldn't even have a way to flee.
Unless they found a item that could make them fly or increased their numbers, this plan was simply out of reach.
"Damn it… But if I had more people, why wouldn't I just build a more advanced bunker instead?"
Ryuji sighed in frustration as he examined the indestructible wall.
If he had a few dozen people, then forget about defensive walls—if they had enough machine guns and ammunition, they could probably fight through the horde head-on.
After all, these zombies would die if their brains were shot, and they'd lose combat effectiveness if their bodies were torn apart. They weren't the supernatural kind of undead.
With a dozen machine guns mounted in place, a sturdy fortress, and a supply of Molotovs, they could hold out without much difficulty. The remaining survivors could handle specialized zombies, patch up weak spots, and keep everything under control.
But the real issue was… he didn't have that many people.
And if he did, he wouldn't need the indestructible walls in the first place.
"What a waste… I guess I'll see if I can at least dig a big hole around the shop."
Ryuji sighed helplessly. The memory of that ocean of corpses from before sent a shiver down his spine. Shaking off the unease, he continued mining.
Time passed quickly. By the time Ryuji started feeling hungry, the sky had already darkened.
He glanced at the ruined RV, now little more than scrap metal, and sighed. Then, he began constructing a shelter for himself.
A two-story wooden frame, with an opening left for a window. He reinforced it with his stone axe, upgrading each part. In no time, a standard wooden shack stood before him.
He also set up a fence made of wooden frames to keep zombies from attacking the building directly and to give himself a better position to fight from. But no matter how he looked at it, the setup felt… awkward.
At least he had remembered to add wooden planks beneath the structure, creating a proper floor so he wouldn't have to sleep on the asphalt.
The only problem was—he had no bed.
He checked his crafting menu, but there was no bed or even a sleeping bag. Left with no other choice, he returned to the abandoned houses he had raided earlier and scavenged blankets and bedding, deciding to make do for the night. Tomorrow, he'd check if any mission-generated houses had beds—or maybe he'd try building one himself.
Before settling in, he made a quick trip back to the trader's shop. This time, he didn't do anything questionable with the female merchant—he simply bought some meat, added more fuel and raw materials to the forge, and continued smelting iron ingots for future crafting.
Then, without warning, he was suddenly teleported outside.
"So I was right… You can't stay inside the shop at night."
Watching as the shop's doors shut tight, Ryuji let out a resigned sigh and made his way back to his shelter. He gathered some branches, cleaned them up, and started a fire just outside his house to roast the meat.
As the rich aroma of grilled meat filled the air, a sense of loneliness crept up on him.
Before, Erina had always been by his side. She might not have dared to speak loudly at night—afraid of attracting those Bolt-like zombies—but at least she had been there.
Now, Ryuji wasn't afraid of the zombies anymore. If anything, he wished they'd come so he could farm some more experience.
He glanced at his experience bar—it was just a sliver away from leveling up. While roasting his meat, he thought about his next steps.
Since he knew nothing about real-world architecture, he couldn't build a defense base using steel-reinforced concrete. He'd have to rely on this world's defensive structures instead.
Which meant layering defenses.
"I really need to find a cement mixer soon."
Ryuji mulled over his options. There was a broken mixer in the trader's shop, along with a damaged chemistry station. Neither of them worked.
Fortunately, after checking the required materials, he realized he could probably gather enough parts to craft a new chemistry station by tomorrow. Once that was done, he wouldn't have to manually mix gunpowder anymore, and his production rate would skyrocket.
"…Man, I feel lonely."
His eyes drifted toward the trader's shop.
He had actually leveled up earlier while mining, but he hadn't allocated his skill points yet. He had been too busy working, and by the time he had a moment to spare, the shop had already closed.
Now, he wasn't sure whether to assign his points just yet.
Even if he wasn't planning to "do anything," simply having someone around would have made him feel a lot better.
A deep sense of solitude weighed on him as he stared at the fire. The wind howled through the dead silence of the night, making him feel even more isolated.
Back when Erina was with him, they had relied on each other, and the loneliness hadn't been as overwhelming. But now, he felt it completely.
Especially in this dangerous world.
He hurriedly ate his roasted meat and returned to his small shack. Curling up under the musty, unfamiliar blankets, he drifted into a restless sleep.
Meanwhile, two other outsiders were not having an easy time.
"These things just keep coming!"
Kiri fired rapidly, the makeshift machine gun Ryuji had crafted roaring to life in her hands. Each bullet drilled into a zombie's eye socket, shattering its brain in an instant.
Beside her, Tsunade was trembling. She clung to a small tree, her eyes shut tightly. But the moment Kiri's panicked voice rang out, she swung the tree like a club, sending zombies flying.
"Damn it… This world is insane!"
Kiri was utterly frustrated. Ever since she arrived in this world, many of her practical combat techniques and firearm skills had become unusable. Even her physical strength had been reduced to the level of an ordinary person in this world compared to her own world.
To make matters worse, the bullets Ryuji provided didn't match the caliber of her revolver, significantly reducing her combat effectiveness.
Tsunade was in an even worse situation. Her hemophobia already put her at a major disadvantage in this world, but on top of that, the food here barely filled her stomach, and even the air seemed to lack something essential. As a result, her stamina and strength had been weakened dozens of times over. Otherwise, no matter how severe Ryuji's injuries were, even using the most chakra-intensive healing techniques wouldn't have made her feel exhausted.
"Damn it…"
Kiri cursed as she quickly hurled a homemade grenade forward. Then, grabbing Tsunade—who had her eyes shut—she dashed toward a bridge they had crossed earlier.
After parting ways with Ryuji, they had set out for another small town. But the moment Kairi fired her first shot in that town, everything went downhill.
Gathering supplies and dealing with the ordinary zombies hadn't been much of a challenge. However, they had completely misjudged the true danger of the nighttime zombies Ryuji had warned them about—simply because of how harmless they had seemed during the day.
So, when Kiri spotted a zombie approaching their camp, she didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
That was when every single zombie in the town came rushing toward them.
"Looks like that guy was telling the truth!"
Panting heavily on the bridge, Kiri glanced at Tsunade, who was also struggling to catch her breath.
"Shit! I really have turned into a 'player'!"
She stared at the "Press E to pick up" prompt hovering over her gun, cursing under her breath. Her trust in Ryuji skyrocketed in an instant.
"Hmm… it seems like he wasn't lying about most things," Tsunade admitted, though her mind was still filled with questions. "But why did he say that stuff earlier? Anyway, here—these are explosive tags. Hurry and throw them!"
Suppressing her fear, Tsunade retrieved two strange paper talismans, pressed them onto a rock, and handed it to Kiri.
Without hesitation, Kiri flung the rock forward. The explosion sent a large group of pursuing zombies flying, but before they could celebrate, the sound of more undead emerged from the distant forest.
"This is never-ending!"
Kiri groaned, quickly firing precise shots while searching for high ground. But before she could act, Tsunade suddenly grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Kiri yelped in shock.
The next moment, she saw strange markings spreading across Tsunade's body.
Then, like an off-road vehicle in full throttle, Tsunade surged forward at incredible speed.
Her heavy breathing ceased, replaced by a calm, steady voice.
"This is one of my secret techniques. It temporarily boosts my strength and speed… These creatures have a limited detection range. If we just run beyond it, they'll stop chasing us."
"Ohhh! I see!"
Kiri started to cheer, but immediately shut her mouth, halting her gunfire as well.
Tsunade focused on minimizing her footsteps as she sprinted over 200 meters in a flash. Finally, she collapsed to her knees, her entire body trembling.
When Kiri gracefully landed on the ground, she noticed Tsunade's usually fair skin was drenched in sweat, her strange markings still faintly visible. Clearly, despite her technique, the psychological toll was overwhelming.
Glancing at the zombies behind them, Kiri observed how they had halted at the exact spot where the two had been moments ago. They now wandered aimlessly, as if searching for something.
"Around a 100-meter detection range… ten times greater than during the day? That's a serious problem."
Kiri checked her remaining bullets, realizing how few she had left. With no better option, she hoisted Tsunade onto her back and immediately started heading back toward Ryuji.
At this point, at least some of what Ryuji had told them had been proven true. That meant they could work together.
However…
"That return method he mentioned… I still don't trust it."
Kiri muttered under her breath.
The journey back was far smoother than expected. Since they had already cleared most of the zombies along the way during the day, the path was relatively safe. By the time they cautiously made it back to town, it was already around two or three in the morning. Fortunately, Tsunade had managed to recover somewhat from her hemophobia, sparing Kiri from carrying her the whole way.
However, upon arriving, they were met with a bizarre sight.
The ruins they remembered had changed. Some of the burned-down buildings remained, but several new, perfectly intact houses had appeared out of nowhere.
At first, they thought they had taken a wrong turn. But upon spotting the same collapsed gas station and the untouched convenience store, they realized they were in the right place.
"Did those buildings appear because of him?" Kiri pointed at the structures with a wry smile. "Could this be related to those weird 'options' I keep seeing? It's just like those video games played by the elites in the Imperial Army!"
"It's possible," Tsunade mused. "This world has too many strange elements."
She wasn't particularly surprised. After all, her grandfather also possessed techniques capable of instantly creating buildings. What really mattered was the fact that Kiri had gained similar abilities—like storing her gun in some mysterious space and crafting strange items.
Just as Ryuji had described.
That was the main reason they had come back.
As for the possibility that Kiri was secretly working for Ryuji…
Tsunade glanced at Kiri's tomboyish grin.
She dismissed the thought.
Her greatest weakness had already been fully exposed to Kiri. If Kiri had been a spy for Ryuji, she would have made a move by now.
But in the end, it didn't really matter.
With her hemophobia, she had no chance of surviving in this world alone anyway.
After walking a short distance, they spotted a small firewood shelter beside the merchant's hut. The structure looked completely out of place, but the lingering aroma of food left no doubt—Ryuji was here.
Exchanging a glance, they silently agreed not to wake him. Instead, they set up a tent nearby, roasting meat over a small fire while waiting for dawn.
The night passed quickly.
When Ryuji woke up, the first thing he noticed through the window was the delicious smell of roasting meat.
Stepping outside, he saw the two women sitting around the fire, casually enjoying their meal.
"Morning, buddy! Come grab some food!" Kairi greeted with a grin.
Ryuji glanced at their slightly disheveled appearances but chose not to ask about their ordeal. Instead, he wordlessly approached and pulled out two bottles of honey from his inventory.
"Sweet things are the best way to start the morning."
Both women accepted the bottles without hesitation but didn't drink, signaling that they weren't injured.
Kiri's cooking was still as mediocre as ever—too greasy for a morning meal—so Ryuji took out some canned peas to balance it out. The three of them shared most of the food in mutual understanding.
After eating, Tsunade finally spoke up.
"Make me a player. My hemophobia makes it impossible for me to fight. I have no choice but to rely on you."
As she spoke, Kiri sent a party and friend request notification to Ryuji.
Without hesitation, he reached out and placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder.
As a surge of energy left his body, his experience bar dropped.
At the same time, Tsunade felt something that had been suppressing her loosen ever so slightly.
"This is… interesting. My strength has recovered a little."
Kiri clenched her fist and swung her arm.
"So it wasn't just my imagination!"
Tsunade nodded.
"It seems we'll need to level up to fully restore our abilities."
Ryuji didn't comment. It wasn't his problem.
However, there was something he needed to evaluate.
"Since strong individuals get suppressed in this world… Tsunade, what's your current strength level?"
Tsunade approached a nearby concrete utility pole.
With a single punch, it shattered.
Ryuji nodded.
"How many of those can you do?"
"Three with chakra. But if I'm just punching normally? All day."
Ryuji considered this.
Then, he handed her a pickaxe and an axe.
"Miss Tsunade…"
Ryuji looked down at Tsunade, who was only 1.6 meters tall but had an incredibly big chest, and lowered his head seriously.
"Hm?"
"From now on, I'm counting on you… for mining duty!"
This was top-tier labor—a first-rate miner!