Eishi did not speak out all of his intentions.
The 'mall' raid wasn't just to scavenge for supplies. These are optional. What he wanted is for everyone to have more combat experience. They already cleared the first and second-orders, hence the necessity to fight against third-orders.
Eishi wasn't looking for narrowly-won fights. He does not see a problem with overwhelming enemies with strength. It's just that higher-leveled opponents often have more tricks. Everyone has to learn what their tricks are.
Due to their current numbers—thirteen—they are split into three identical land rovers. They weren't surprised by these 'identical' things at this point. They all attributed it to Eishi's superpowers. After all, there are a lot of strange superpowers.
Eishi drove one, while the other two were left to Shizuka-sensei and Haruno. They are adults who held their driving licenses, especially Shizuka-sensei who drove an Aston Martin V8.
Due to the allocations this time, the atmosphere inside Eishi's car is exceptionally well. Mahiru is friendly to others. Airi is simple-minded. The frequency of the two's chatting increased after spending time together. The liveliness of their talks dragged Yui in, who kept stealing glances of Eishi every now and then.
The final member, Megumi, reduced her presence as always. Though she did listen more to the subject of the trio.
Whenever the topic was shifted to the pre-apocalypse life, they could not help but feel nostalgic. The everyday life they took for granted collapsed the moment the blood rain came. The first hour of the zombie breakout was especially chaotic.
Out of everyone, only Yui sent him a complicated look.
She knew full well how it felt going through that hellhole. The first few days, one could still remain holed up in their house. Most families buy week-long supplies for convenience, but they are not a part of them.
When starvation comes next, people would do anything to get food.
Killing, stealing, ransacking others' houses…
It was solely because of sheer luck that they survived. Yui got drenched in the blood rain and awakened her superpower instead of turning into a zombie. Her [Telekinesis] helped them out until they reached the 'official shelter'.
However, things are not much better inside. Food has to be rationed well. Men are conscripted to fight, hastily taught gun handling knowledge before being sent to the front lines.
The 'explosion' of the power plants turned everything for the worse. The city hall had to issue a quick search for fuel to power the generators in various buildings. Water has to be obtained from the unpolluted water tanks. Nearly everyone has a role inside.
It was a far cry from the 'life' after joining Eishi's team.
They had heaters, enough potable water, everyday food, and water for bathing and showering!
It was as if the apocalypse never occurred inside the villa. Although Yui knows full well it is but an illusion. A beautiful illusion brought upon by the strength and means of her best friend's boyfriend.
'Mahirun… and Mom.'
Her entire mind was in a mess the past few days.
At first, she did not doubt the sudden round of fruits. Yui consumed them and felt herself becoming stronger. It wasn't until she caught a whiff of her Mom's unusual state one day did she realize it.
She is doing it with Eishi.
Yui is kind. Heck, she is someone whose social skills allow her to penetrate most circles. She wasn't a people pleaser. Being 'pleasant' is her genuine trait.
Hence she did not know what to feel when she found out how her Mom is fucking her best friend's boyfriend. Worse, she could not even scold her. Yui's nature does not allow it, not to mention that her Mom seems to have fallen for real.
'What kind of magic does he have? He does look good, is pleasant to look at, seems cool at some angles…'
Before she knew it, Yui listed a dozen compliments inside her mind. Eishi's 1,000% increase in temperament worked wonders. It was precisely why he caught the attention of several women even before the apocalypse struck. Now that it is the apocalypse, this magnifier was further increased by several levels.
It wasn't until she snapped out did Yui feel how wrong this was.
'No, no. I am sure Mahirun has her thoughts in it. How would she react if my Mom… if I…'
Her chaotic mind carried on until they reached their first destination.
Unlike the cleaner streets in their district, this mall was situated in a densely-populated area. It is second only to the other two malls on the city plaza.
Several mutated zombies could be seen loitering its vicinity. The moment they saw Eishi and his convoy arrive, they immediately charged straight towards them. The mix of muscular, thin, long-tongued, and other horrendous zombies did not intimidate them… except for a select few.
Bzzzt-!
A long electric bolt trailed from one zombie to another. It left a gaping burnt hole on their foreheads. The electric bolt lasted until every single zombie in their vicinity dropped dead.
'Tsk, tsk. She really doesn't want to lose to anyone else.'
Eishi could tell it was Saya. The [Chain Lightning] talent she upgraded gave her a useful elemental skill. So long as she strikes at people without a skill like Eishi's [Elemental Resistance], it would be difficult to block. The only other option left is to dodge.
It wasn't just Saya. Everyone else received improvements after two silver chilis. Their option was either to enhance one attribute-based talent, enhance two, or enhance one attribute-based and one other talent.
It was especially important to those with lower rated innate talents. Yui's [Telekinesis] turned into [Lord's Might (SS)]. Mrs. Yuigahama's [Moisture Control] turned into [Temperature Control (S)].
The only downside, however, was that they 'regressed' in stars. Higher rating meant more capacity for genetic energy, hence a higher limit for leveling up.
In gaming terms, their current exp was recalibrated to fit this higher exp limit.
It wasn't a problem for Eishi. Having 30 rebate chances everyday filled up his supplies to the brim.
Soon, all thirteen people left the land rover. Eishi swept through the vehicles as they disappeared in thin air.
"I won't join your discussions. I want to see how everyone works."
Eishi's words caused the group of twelve to gather. They are split into three groups led by Saeko, Shizuka-sensei, and Haruno.
Saeko's team, in particular, is handicapped. She took the clumsy Shizuka along with Yui and Mrs. Yuigahama. Shizuka-sensei has Mahiru, Utaha, and Saya as her teammates. Megumi, Yukino, and Airi fell to Haruno.
The three groups headed towards three orange spots. Their brightness did not seem high in Eishi's eyes, though that was due to his anomalous strength—one that warrants the title of a 'Beater' (i.e., Beta Tester + Cheater).
'Whom should I watch first..?'
*****
Yokohama is one of Japan's economic centers. The fusion of various slice-of-life worlds inevitably made it far more prosperous than Eishi's previous Earth. Foot traffic was so high that every department mall present in Yokohama can house ten thousand people with ease.
Naturally, the selection, quality, and quantity of the items are far more abundant. Aside from a minority dirtied by dust and blood, most of the clothes remained untouched.
While Eishi acted like a hamster, frantically filling his spatial backpack, the rest did not have it as easy.
The stench of rotten food and blood swept through their noses. The lack of lighting made natural light their sole illumination. Zombies who haven't encountered living beings twitched the moment they 'smelled' foreign scents.
Their bloodshot eyes turned towards Saeko's group. Some of their bodies are deformed. Some zombies have an enlarged right arm, while there are zombies with stretched out limbs.
Simultaneously, all of them ran towards the group, their speed far outmatching normal zombies.
Sou-!
Sou-!
Sets of knives cleanly pierced their foreheads. Some zombies were lucky to avoid being struck on the brows, though the second knife finished them in.
Saeko glanced at the slightly pale Yui and nodded. The benefit of having a long-ranged AoE teammate is there.
Yui took action most of the time. When she could no longer keep up her consumption, she took out the broken [Stamina Restoration Pill], restoring her reserves to its fullest. She turned into a mobile turret of knives, sweeping through the horde of second-order zombies with ease.
Her already terrifying talent was further complimented by the electromagnetic field control granted by the second-order. It turned her invisible 'mental force' into a sharp blade that can pierce through anything!
The two 'freeloaders' looked guiltily towards Yui.
"How about this, Yui-chan? Let me use my talent on you."
Shizuka proposed, to which Yui agreed. The latter knew that the former wanted to help.
A wave of white glow emerged from her. It then got transferred to Yui, making her a mobile lamp source. Along with it is an enhancement to her 'spirit'.
In an instant, she felt her mind clear up. Her eyes and ears clearly perceived her surroundings, instantly recreating her environment inside her mind.
"Thank you, Marikawa-san."
Shizuka felt happier when she heard of it. Her innate talent was part of the S rated ones, [Augmentation]. It temporarily enhances one's attributes, whether it is an all-around increase or a focused one. Eating the silver chili raised it to [Heaven's Assistance (SS)].
Simply put, she can enhance the others' attributes by two times or enhance one attribute by five times. The consumption is based on the person she used it on.
Mrs. Yuigahama saw this and felt even more guilty.
She decided to make a move.
"Leave some to me, Yui."
"Mom? Okay…"
Yui did just that. She considerately left behind a slow moving muscle-abomination zombie. Mrs. Yuigahama followed everyone's tricks in unfolding their superpower.
The cold temperature inside the department mall dropped further. She was unused to it at first. Narrowing down the range resulted in lesser consumption as well as greater control.
Although she did not possess Utaha's capabilities to instantly turn someone into an ice block, her talent has more flexibility. She can turn everything hotter, just as how she turned things colder. Only, she was no longer using it for 'paltry' bedtime tricks, but real and moving zombies.
Fortunately, her inexperience did not slow down the team. Mrs. Yuigahama could not kill the zombies directly. She did, however, slow them down enough to make them easy targets.
The group proceeded in this manner. The more they got closer to the glaring orange spot, the more mutated zombies appeared. Saeko was forced to make a move, dealing with a few sneaky ones who got past Yui's line of fire. Their composition of one melee, one long-ranged, and two supports did not turn as bad as expected.
It wasn't long before they arrived at a food court. The stench of blood inside was at its strongest.
Contrary to the previous deviants, a normal-looking zombie stood amidst the cafeteria filled with rotting and iron stench. More than a dozen zombies stood behind him respectfully.
The 'air' of dangers around him was thick enough to intimidate the three other girls.
"Marikawa-san."
"Y-yes!"
She immediately cast her skill on Saeko, letting her experience a surge of power.
"Yui-san and Yuigahama-san, do everything to distract his mobs. I cannot stray too far from you, so we'll have to bait him in."
Saeko's calmness allowed them to regain their composure. She then met the third-order zombie's gaze head-on. Behind its madness-filled eyes lay a hint of intelligent light. It hasn't regained its rationality as a human. What it inherited is a layer of cunningness inherently present with every human.
This time, it is used as a weapon to satiate their hunger towards flesh.
Saeko's senses are heightened to the maximum. She swiftly noticed the abnormality beneath the dried pools of blood they stood on. These blood shot up from the ground. Bearing extremely sharp tips, they all went straight towards the four women.
Her canines scratched against the skin on her thumb. A large surge of crimson-red blood spewed out from it, forming a huge blood arc. It confronted the vine-like black blood.
Thus the confrontation between two blood predators began.