Episode 107: The Unknown Female Swordsman

Lately, I've realized something.

Role-playing games are far more enjoyable when you avoid unnecessary level grinding...

After all, games generally provide greater satisfaction when you overcome challenging obstacles.

"Leveling up" is essentially an act that diminishes difficulty—and thus, the sense of accomplishment.

When I first realized this, it was like a sudden awakening.

I love RPGs—more than anything.

And I found an irresistible charm in the act of "leveling up."

I never imagined it could rob games of their appeal.

Of course, by avoiding "leveling up" altogether, the number of game attempts inevitably increased.

Dying over and over, restarting from save points again and again.

Over and over.

Again and again and again and again.

Again and again and again and again. Again and again and again and again.

Predicting the enemy characters' movement patterns with precision, like threading a needle.

The joy of defeating them with such exactness was... indescribable!

Of course, doing so requires a significant amount of time.

But that's fine.

Right now, I have an almost endless supply of free time at my disposal.

▼

――Terele-re-tetetee♪ Level up!

I rapidly tap the button to skip through the displayed message.

I'm just now defeating the second boss. Pretty good progress. Everyone except the protagonist has died, but that means we've successfully concentrated all the experience points on our main character.

"…Keep going like this."

Muttering softly to myself.

The message I've already memorized scrolls across the screen.

――The evil demon king says this, the hero does that.

I don't care.

This is simply choosing the best option among limited choices... and defeating enemy characters one by one. That's all.

Then, as expected, one ally betrays the group and leaves the main party. Naturally, their equipment had already been removed beforehand. Selling their gear will ensure we won't lack funds for adventure for the foreseeable future.

"Now then... what next..."

At that moment.

Creak, clatter—some noise from outside.

Shuddering all over as if electrified, I snapped shut my Nintendo DS.

"…………!"

Holding my breath, I stared intently into the darkness.

As usual, it was pitch black. Of course it was. This was underground—there was no electricity here.

(……Could it be "them"?)

That was likely. Maybe my habit of muttering to myself had been overheard. I’d been confident in my soundproofing and blackout measures, but this level of silence… it was unsettling.

Crawling out from the makeshift shelter made of cardboard boxes, magazines, and newspaper sheets, my breath catching in my throat.

Summoning the will to push back tears, I looked out through the shuttered window.

…….

…………….

It was as I feared.

There it was—the one, the "Walking Dead."

The kind that appears in movies and video games—the "zombie."

"Oh… …………… ohhhhhhh…!"

The strange sound emanating from his throat made me nearly cry.

▼

"Zombie," "walking dead," "ghoul."

Countless stories have been told about them.

But the being now standing before me is no product of imagination.

99.9% contagious.

99.9% fatal.

Right now, this terrifying infectious disease is actively threatening the very survival of humanity.

Within hours of infection, humans suffer cardiac arrest, followed by aggressive behavior, attempting to increase their numbers through biting and other means.

According to reports, "zombies" have an abnormally low basal metabolic rate, allowing them to remain active indefinitely without consuming food.

They first appeared in this world about five months ago.

The first victim emerged in the middle of a crossroads in Shibuya.

Everyone thought it was just a drunk salaryman.

It slowly approached and bit a nearby man.

Even a brave young man who tried to pull them apart was bitten.

The outbreak had begun.

After that, infected individuals appeared in cities all around the world.

No one knows exactly when, where, or how this illness—simply called the "Zombie Plague"—originated.

Some people claimed it was created by God to destroy humanity... but even that remains uncertain.

▼

The monster before me wandered aimlessly through the darkness, swaying unsteadily.

A fairly large "zombie." I know this type—when they were alive, they had more than twice the strength, and now they tear humans apart with terrifying force.

There's no way I could ever hope to defeat something like this in a fair fight.

Shivering with fear, I prayed desperately.

(Please... I beg you, just go somewhere else...)

To my surprise,

my plea had worked—the "zombie" turned its back on me and staggered off into the deeper parts of the station building.

"Phew..."

A sigh of relief.

It had been over two months since I'd holed up in this convenience store.

After fleeing from place to place, this was the final sanctuary I'd reached.

I couldn't afford to lose this.

This place is good.

No one to bother me, plenty of food, and fully charged batteries.

Lying on my cardboard box, silently playing games, eating whatever convenience store food I feel like when hungry—this is what I'd call a little slow life.

I quickly learned just how much a person can survive without moving much at all, once I started this lifestyle.

I don’t feel like going outside.

After all, there are thousands—no, possibly tens of thousands—of "zombies" wandering around on the ground.

Fortunately, the path from the surface up here was blocked by debris and shutters, so the number of "zombies" around this area is surprisingly low.

Having confirmed that the familiar "zombies" had vanished, I slipped my earphones back into my ears and resumed playing the game where I'd left off.

...

Gooooooon!

A massive sound echoed through the station, shaking the premises.

He stared, then looked outside again. Bright. The inside of the shop was bathed in orange light.

It seems someone is cooking with fire.

(You idiot! What are you doing!)

Clenching my teeth inward.

Zombies have a habit of gathering around light. If I imitate that, won't I just end up drawing them all toward myself?

I quickly turned my gaze toward the light, and there I saw a strange sight unfolding.

A woman wielding a golden glowing sword was cleaving "zombies" in half.

From the look of it, she appeared to be alone.

"Damn it! One after another!"

Her sharp voice echoed all the way here.

Yet, the situation clearly seemed unfavorable.

Dozens of "zombies" had gathered around her, surrounding her completely.

Moreover, to make matters worse... the woman was already wounded.

Her upper arm was soaked through with blood.

Yet, even so,

the female swordsman swung her sword defiantly, facing the fate of death head-on.

"Take this...《Lightning Slash》!"

Lightning surged along the blade, illuminating the dark underground even more brightly.

"...incredible..."

I'm probably staring with the wide-eyed wonder of a child at that moment.

The technique she was using was none other than the "magic" I had used in the game world.

The zombies touched by the lightning collapsed one after another.

She's a superhero.

Unbelievable.

...But.

"Damn... running out of magic... right here... right now..."

Something seemed to be threatening her.

I don't fully understand it.

But if I interpret it in game terms... it's like she's run out of MP.

Two "zombies" that failed to fall.

The tall one, the usual type, was still standing.

I was astonished at myself right there, realizing what I was about to do.

For these past four months, I had been running away from the "zombies" — and now I was facing one head-on.

My weapon was a shovel.

I'd sharpened the blade just in case something happened.

"Damn... is this it...?"

The female swordsman collapsed to her knees right there. It seemed she had barely any strength left.

(Time is running out. No time to hesitate...!)

With only limited choices, I had no option but to pick the best one.

I abandoned the game console I'd carefully guarded until now, and rushed toward the convenience store's door.

I pried open the shutter, and struggled to push open the powerless automatic door.

I screamed.

"Stop it!"

But the zombie's advance did not stop.

Right before my eyes, the zombie seized a woman's body.

『Aaaah... Guroooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!』

That filthy, rotten hand.

That beautiful woman's body.

Just seeing it stirred a deep, gut-wrenching fury within me.

I couldn't forgive it.

The explosive power buried within me—what they call 'foolish courage in a crisis'—awoke, and I drove the shovel into the back of the hulking man, that "zombie."

『Ooh... oh...』

That was it. He stopped moving completely.

(Heh heh! Amazing—feels like I'm a hero!)

But it didn’t end there.

I turned to the other "zombie"...

...and then—

(Too bad! I guess I’m not really a hero after all!)

See the zombie biting into the woman's throat.

Ah... ah, ah, ah,......

The woman writhed, gasping bubbles of blood as her body arched violently.

Damn!

Screaming.

I drive the shovel into the zombie's skull.

Ah… ah… ah…………

Panting heavily, I sank down beside the woman.

My mind is filled with regretful thoughts.

In a game, you can always restart, but unfortunately, life doesn’t have a reset button.

The woman whose head had been ripped off by the zombie stared at me with a pained expression, yet her eyes held a strangely gentle warmth.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't make it in time..."

"Kk... ka... gho..."

She seemed unable to speak anymore.

Yet she was trying to convey something.

"Ko... re... o... ne... ga..."

What she extended toward me was...

"Uh... what's this?"

It was… something you could call a helmet, I suppose.

Whatever it was, it looked like a medieval knight’s iron helmet.

Perhaps it was a keepsake.

I don’t know for sure, but I’ll take it.

“Ah… th-thank you…”

Gurgle. Blood gushed from her mouth.

(…I don’t want her to suffer.)

Honestly, that’s what I think.

If that’s all I can do, then I’ll make sure… she dies as peacefully and beautifully as possible.

Anyone bitten by a "zombie" will eventually become a "zombie" themselves.

To prevent that.

I pick up the shovel.

She closes her eyes, appearing to accept death.

"Then... goodbye, magical female swordsman."

I speak, and bring the shovel down upon her head.

I put all my strength into it.

A nasty, grating sensation runs through my fingers.

The job is done.

I picked up the iron helmet—(I'd intended to bring the sword back too, but for some reason, it had vanished somewhere along the way)—and staggered back toward the convenience store.

(Looks like I'm in for a terrible dream tonight...)

Thinking this as I went.