My Reality Became a Zombie Game World, but Only I Can Use the Game System

Chapter 12: No Turning Back

I entered the library and witnessed the moment when Gouta pulled Yume-nee off the bookshelf.

Zombies were swarming around Yume-nee, and I couldn’t help but shout.

“Yume-nee!”

I forcefully pulled the zombies off Yume-nee, who was resisting, and I split their heads with the machete. I left the other zombies to Kenzaki-san, and I was about to reach out to Yume-nee—when I noticed her injury.

“Yume-nee, that…”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was bitten.”

There was a tooth mark on the base of Yume-nee’s left little finger, and it was bleeding.

Since Yume-nee had been bitten by a zombie, there was no one who could save her.

—Except me.—

In “Dead Land 4,” there was a setting where the player could give others immunity by performing a certain act with them. It was a method that could only be used on the opposite sex. Yume-nee might cry and resist, but I was determined to do it, no matter what.

I grabbed Yume-nee’s shoulder and looked into her eyes.

“I have a way to deal with that. Just wait a little.”

“…… Okay. I understand.”

It was convenient to have a childhood friend like Yume-nee.

She must have realized that my words were not lies, because she nodded, trusting me.

First, I had to deal with the problem in front of me, and then I would treat Yume-nee’s injury.

A rough voice echoed in the library.

“Hey, Karamine, you’re actually useful for once! Just leave the weapons and the girls here and get out.”

“Gouta-kun, I don’t mind leaving the weapons, but what do you plan to do with the girls?”

“Huh? What do you think? I’m pissed off. I lost track of Kokuso and the others, too! First, I have to relieve my stress by using those girls’ pussies!”

Gouta-kun directed a lecherous gaze at Yume-nee and Kenzaki-san. His pants were tented.

“Hehe, come to think of it, this isn’t such a bad world! I’ll steal food, kill annoying people, fuck good girls, and live freely!”

I sighed inwardly as I looked at Gouta-kun, who was shouting with bloodshot eyes.

“It’s really a pity, Gouta-kun. If this world hadn’t become like this, I thought you had a chance to reform.”

“Huh? What’s that, do you want to be killed?”

I thought that was the most appropriate thing to say after what he just said.

The reason I hadn’t submitted the video of the bullying incident to the academy was probably because I couldn’t bear to see Gouta-kun and the others destroyed. Everyone had a chance to become a decent human being, and until now, I had been able to wait patiently.

But now, it was different.

I threw away the machete. Gouta-kun smiled, pleased to see me following his instructions, but he made a puzzled face at my next words.

“I’m really sorry. This is mostly my fault, and I’m very sorry for that.”

“What are you talking about, speak clearly.”

I backed away, protecting Yume-nee and Kenzaki-san, and I said it concisely.

“I’m really sorry. I’m going to kill you now.”

Gouta-kun turned his face red and raised his fists.

“You’re fucking with me!”

With a powerful step, he entered my range, and he struck my face with his trained fist. It was a familiar movement, as his anger and his fists were almost directly connected, without any hesitation.

Gouta-kun had used his strength to bend me to his will many times during our school life. His fists had hurt me countless times. So, he probably intended to make me listen to him with his fists, as he always had. Judging from his serious step, he might have even intended to kill me.

But that was now impossible.

“………… Huh?”

Gouta-kun, who had been grinning, let out a voice of shock.

It was a serious blow from a giant over 190 cm tall. If I, who was a little smaller than him, had received it, I should have been no match for him. Before I gained the abilities of a player, I would have been knocked out at best, or even killed at worst.

But now, I didn’t move an inch, even after receiving Gouta-kun’s full-power thrust. Of course, there was also no damage to my face, which had received the punch.

Confused, Gouta-kun punched me repeatedly.

However, my health bar was barely depleted.

I was glad I could test it on him. If I wasn’t defeated by Gouta-kun, who was unarmed, it seemed unlikely that I would be defeated by anyone without a weapon.

“This can’t be…! This can’t be…”

Gouta-kun looked at me with eyes that seemed to be seeing a monster.

“What is this? What is this? This can’t be… What the hell are you…?”

I didn’t let him finish his sentence.

My fist must not have been visible to Gouta-kun.

My fist sank into his cheek in an instant, and it blew away the giant’s body.

A thunderous sound. Gouta-kun blew away, taking several bookshelves with him. His broken teeth rolled on the floor.

“Ah… Ahh… Hiaaaahhhhhhhhhh…”

Gouta-kun rolled on the floor, pressing his mouth, which was dripping blood, as he couldn’t bear the pain. He couldn’t even speak properly, as his jawbone was probably broken.

I mounted him and raised my fist.

His heart was already broken by that one strike, and he was crying and shouting something.

“Stop… It’s over… I lost… Huh… Please…”

It seemed he was saying something, but it didn’t stop my fist. But it was unexpected.

“Did you think, Gouta-kun, that you could hurt Yume-nee and go home unharmed?”

“…… Hih… Hihhh…”

I struck Gouta-kun’s face, which was distorted with fear, repeatedly.

Gok! Gok! Gok!

The sensation of crushing flesh, and sometimes the sound of bones breaking. The man in front of me was shouting something, but nothing remained in my ears.

I struck him repeatedly, again and again.

Gok! Gok! Gok! Gok! Gok!

Eventually, Gouta-kun stopped screaming.

His face, which had been deformed beyond recognition, was making a wheezing sound.

Although we had attacked each other, the mini-map only displayed a simple terrain and warnings about zombies.

It seemed that humans, even if they were taking hostile actions, were not displayed on the mini-map. I had to be careful.

The test was over, and it was time to end it.

I got off the man, whose resistance had been broken, and I picked up the machete.

As I raised the machete to strike the finishing blow, Kenzaki-san stopped me.

What do you intend to do? What do you intend to do? Of course, I was going to kill him, for hurting Yume-nee.

“Once you kill him, you won’t be able to go back. I don’t want you to become like that, Karamine-kun.”

There was a hint of worry in Kenzaki-san’s voice. She was a kind person. As a battle buddy, she was concerned about me.

“Hey, please. Please put down your weapons. You’re a kinder person than that, aren’t you?”

There were tears in Kenzaki-san’s voice. Her blue eyes were wet and shaking.

As I felt her heart, which had been with me through this battle, my head, which was filled with anger, began to calm down.

“Thank you, Kenzaki-san. My head has cooled down. I was about to do something I shouldn’t have done, out of anger.”

“I’m glad… You understand.”

Kenzaki-san showed a relieved expression as she looked at me, who had lowered the machete.

Yes, I shouldn’t do something out of anger. I had to stay calm and judge whether to kill or not.

First, I needed important information to make that judgment. I asked Ai in my mind.

“(*Sigh* Ai, based on the information you know, what are the chances that this zombie hazard will end?)”

“Less than 0.01%. … This is my personal opinion, but I recommend killing hostile people.”

“(*Sigh* You rarely have an opinion like that.)”

I swung the machete at Gouta-kun without hesitation. Blood splattered. Gouta-kun, whose head was split open, died instantly.

“Karamine-kun!”

Kenzaki-san let out a scream-like voice, but this time, her stop was too late.

If this zombie hazard ended in a few days or a few months, there was a choice to let Gouta-kun live. Because I would be judged as a murderer after returning to the original society.

But if this zombie hazard didn’t end, the risk of letting Gouta-kun live would increase. He might come for revenge, and even if he didn’t, judging from his words just now, he would kill many people in the end of the world.

Above all, he was the one who caused Yume-nee to be bitten by a zombie. I couldn’t let a person who would put Yume-nee’s life in danger live.

However, even so…

—I killed a person for the first time, but it wasn’t a big deal. I thought my heart would be more moved.—

I didn’t feel any nausea like when I killed my father who became zombie. If this was the case, I could probably continue without any problems.

“Oh, what have you done…”

Kenzaki-san collapsed in a daze.

“Kenzaki-san, this zombie hazard won’t end. From now on, there may be battles between humans over food and supplies. Every time you encounter people who are hostile to you, will you forgive them, as you said?”

“…… Yes, you’re right. Maybe I’m wrong. So, this is my ego. Still, I… I wanted you to be a kinder person…”

“……..”

A little while ago, I was trying to be decent, as Kenzaki-san said, but how did I end up like this?

I once told Ai something like this:

—“I guess you could say the leash could come off. I’m afraid that if I attack someone once, I’ll become a monster who won’t hesitate to attack others.”—

When did this leash come off?

When I killed my father’s zombie? When I killed many zombies on my way to the academy? Or did I become a monster just now, when I killed Gouta-kun?

The only thing I knew was that every time a person appeared who put my loved ones in danger of their lives, I would kill them.

And I probably wouldn’t feel any guilt about it.

That should be the case, but as I looked at Kenzaki-san, who was sitting on the floor, powerless, my heart hurt a little.

Yume-nee hugged me from behind, as if to comfort me.

“Thank you, Ritsu-kun. You did it to protect me, didn’t you?”

“…… Yeah. Because Yume-nee is important to me.”

I noticed Yume-nee’s hand injury. It was painful, with blood flowing from the tooth mark.

I had to do what I had to do.

First, I had to treat Yume-nee’s wound. Then, I had to explain the game system.

I decided to tell everything to Yume-nee and Kenzaki-san.