An Unexpected Guest
Yuri spread her black wings and soared into the sky. She dodged the swarm of red birds that burst out from between the raid boss’s ribs like furious piranhas, using dazzling aerial maneuvers to shake them off. Somehow, she managed to take shelter inside the garage of an ordinary-looking house.
With a metallic clack and a rattling roll, she expertly lowered the garage shutter. Then she pulled shadows from the darkness and unlocked the sealed door in an instant. She moved through the house room by room, checking for sounds before clearing each area with swift, practiced efficiency. The sight made her look exactly like a veteran survivor who had spent ninety years scraping by in a ruined world.
“Thank you, Sir Kkachi.”
Kkyu!
In truth, Kkachi had taken over control of Yuri’s body. She was both mentally and physically exhausted.
This is the best way to keep a savior who knows nothing about this world alive.
Since there was no one to watch and learn from, Kkachi had no choice but to carve the experience directly into her. Originally, the plan had been to stay hidden inside the robe and only help when danger struck. But this damned world never stopped throwing threats at them.
To survive an entire year, we must conserve mana as much as possible.
That was why Kkachi had tried to avoid mana-heavy flight. Yet that insane bull had forced them to burn through far more resources than intended. Still, more than half of their mana remained. And thanks to the high-quality fear continuously leaking from Yuri, there was more than enough to maintain this physical form.
…The bunker is definitely the best place to find food. But I’m not sure if our current mana reserves are enough to clear out the mutants.
If only they had an ally right now…
That would be difficult. Probably.
In Terraforming, the number of friendly or neutral NPCs decreased as time passed. They were killed, took their own lives, starved to death—there were countless reasons.
Seeing that the Behemoth I dealt with while gathering bio-energy is still alive, it doesn’t seem like that much time has passed since the apocalypse… Hmm. This is tricky.
Pat, pat.
Yuri had collapsed onto a leather sofa after dusting it off and was already fast asleep. She must have been utterly exhausted; soft snores escaped her nose. Kkachi gently patted her with a shadow tendril and swallowed a sigh.
Tap, tap.
Kkachi slipped quietly from Yuri’s shoulder and settled against her side like a mother bird protecting her chick, belly down. Then it began designing a survival plan for Yuri inside its small head. It would continue until she woke up.
Gurgle…
In the dusty, desolate room, the loud rumbling of an empty stomach echoed unusually clearly.
“…I’m hungry.”
The presence of high-end furniture like sofas and beds suggested this oddly styled building had once belonged to at least a noble. But no matter how many shelves or long rectangular boxes Yuri opened, she found only metal utensils and old spiderwebs. Nothing edible.
She stared blankly at the apple-shaped ornament she had bitten into, thinking it was a real apple, nearly breaking her teeth. A weak sigh escaped her.
“Haa… Sir Kkachi, the Demon World is truly barren…”
“Kyu.”
Kkachi let out a short cry in agreement with Yuri’s lament.
But the Demon World is supposed to be inhabited by beings that feed on the emotions of intelligent life. Is there even any food here that humans can eat?
Come to think of it…
Is this even the Demon World…?
“Sigh… I don’t even have the energy to think.”
A momentary doubt had surfaced, but the constant hunger made it impossible for Yuri to pursue the thought any deeper.
Then, at that moment—
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knock came from the front door.
“…?”
“…?”
The suspiciously polite rhythm instantly raised both Kkachi’s and Yuri’s wariness.
Sir Kkachi, are there monsters in this place that knock on doors?
Shake, shake.
Kkachi poked out from her shoulder and silently shook its head at Yuri’s question.
Not a monster? Then… could it be a demon?
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking sounded again, cutting off Yuri’s thoughts.
“….”
“….”
Yuri and Kkachi exchanged glances, nodded once, then moved on tiptoe toward the second-floor window to identify the unknown visitor who kept knocking.
Carefully… carefully…
They lifted the curtain just a sliver and peered at the entrance.
And then—
“…Eh?”
“…Kyu?”
A sound that would drain the strength from anyone who heard it slipped from both Yuri and Kkachi at the same time.
The figure standing at the front door must have heard the noise from the second floor. It slowly lifted its head.
A black crow mask that sent chills down the spine at first glance. A long coat made of some unknown material that covered its tall frame.
“…Sir Raven?”
Father!?
He was carrying a long golf bag over one arm. Noticing Yuri staring blankly at him through the window, he gave an awkward wave.
She had hoped it wasn’t true, but a demon really had come. And not just any demon—her precious one.
“Sir Raven! Sir Raven!”
Crash, thud, thud!
Yuri dashed down to the first floor in the blink of an eye. She undid the front door’s latches with a speed that even earned Kkachi’s quiet admiration and flung the door open.
“Huuup…!”
The moment the door opened, a familiar, nostalgic scent that had stung her nose the first time she met Raven wafted over her.
This nauseating smell definitely belongs to Sir Raven!
Thinking something that would have hurt his feelings if he knew, Yuri approached him without hiding her joy.
But then—
Click.
“Stop right there.”
As if to block her advance, he instantly aimed the barrel of an automatic pistol at her forehead.
A wand?
It was a little shorter than the one Raven used, but the design was similar.
“…Sir Raven? Why?”
The sight of Raven treating her with caution sent a pain through Yuri’s chest as if it were being torn apart. Tears welled up instantly, but she clenched her teeth and held them back.
Yet he seemed unaware of her feelings. He simply spoke in a polite but distant voice, calm and detached.
“My name is not Raven, little dark mage.”
“Little dark mage…? I am not a dark mage! And I am certainly not little!”
His reaction—treating her like a child—made Yuri’s voice rise for a moment. The textbook childish response seemed to ease his wariness a little. He lowered the gun slightly and spoke with clear amusement in his tone.
“Heh heh, all right. I won’t call you little anymore. But… is it really okay to shout that loudly? What if the Meat Pie bastards passing by hear you?”
“Meat Pie?”
“…You don’t even know what a Meat Pie is?”
“Are you talking about a pie filled with minced meat?”
“…You really don’t know what a Meat Pie is?”
What is this? A newbie?
— Distorted Voice —
— Newbie? I’ve only been an adventurer for a short while… —
— You’ve only been a survivor for a short time? Then… are you really a Player? —
— Yes. As you can see, I’m human. —
— Oh my god… You really… are a Player? —
In Terraforming, the way to distinguish between NPCs and Players was extremely simple. You just asked them directly.
NPCs were designed so they literally could not register the word “Player.” If the other person was an NPC, you would never get a proper answer.
— Yes. As you can see, I’m a Player.
But that kid just answered me.
That meant… she really was a Player!?
Heh heh, no wonder the appearance looked like someone went all out on customization!
A neutral, androgynous face that made it impossible to tell if they were male or female. A fantasy-style robe that had clearly been bought from the cash shop. And above all, very few people used an Asian character model in this apocalypse game.
Most players prefer sturdy African-looking black characters for their high stamina.
Of course, Raven himself was a proud Korean who had chosen romance over pure performance…
To think there was someone else like that. It makes me oddly happy.
Just as he was feeling an internal sense of closeness toward Yuri—
Gurgle, gurgle…
An extremely unfortunate sound rumbled from Yuri’s stomach.
“…Hmm?”
“….”
I can’t look weak…
Yuri felt more embarrassed than ashamed for a moment.
“Oh…? Are you hungry?”
At his teasing tone, Yuri answered irritably.
“Would my stomach make that sound if I were full?”
“Then I suppose I should fill that empty stomach a little.”
“Pardon?”
He put away the automatic pistol and spoke with a low chuckle.
“Lead me to the kitchen. I brought a housewarming gift.”
“…Don’t tell me everything in that huge bag is…”
“That’s right. If you eat sparingly, it’s enough food to last two months.”
“Ooooh…!”
“I went through a lot of trouble to get it, so be more impressed.”
“That’s really amazing.”
“I can’t sense a single trace of a soul in you?”
Even so.
“…I don’t feel that bad about it.”
“….”
Yuri, who had been quietly observing his behavior and speech, now had certainty in her eyes.
No matter how I look at it, that person is definitely Sir Raven.
His tone and atmosphere felt a little lighter, but Yuri was sure. This man was her demon.
But then why…
Doesn’t he remember me?
Along with that question, fragments of the past resurfaced.
[Contractor’s Experience Partially Borrowed]
Ah.
She had forgotten for a moment.
The place she was standing on right now was the past that her demon had already lived through.
“Hey, you.”
“Please call me Yuri.”
“Right, um… Yuri…?”
“Yes…!”
“So, by any chance…”
Would you like to learn how to survive from me?
“…Oh?”