Chapter 18
Momo and I walk through the city again.
Because of yesterday's rain, puddles have formed here and there.
I casually avoid them as I search for monsters I might be able to hunt.
Ideally, I'd find a lone goblin or zombie.
If there are two... no, even three, I should be able to finish them off quickly with a combo involving Momo's 'Shadow.'
The problem is what happens if a monster other than those shows up.
Especially an orc.
Judging from yesterday's battle, not only that High Orc but ordinary orcs as well have extremely high combat abilities.
It'd be nice if they had some kind of weakness...
In fantasy stories, zombies are often weak to fire and vampires can't stand holy water, but orcs don't really have any distinctive weakness like that, do they?
If I had to name one, all I can think of is their strong sex drive—the standard female-knight trope.
Well, if I run into one, I'll have no choice but to run or avoid it.
At least, not 'now.'
"There sure are a lot of corpses..."
They're just lying around out in the open, abandoned.
Nobody's here to clean them up, after all.
"Come to think of it, I wonder what the government and the Self-Defense Forces are doing right now...?"
It's already been two full days since the world became like this.
I imagine rescue operations are taking place in various areas, but with television and the internet unavailable, there's no way to find out.
"I mean, is the government even functioning properly in a situation like this...?"
In the movie Shin◯Gojira I saw before, they established a special countermeasures office and mobilized the Self-Defense Forces and various other officials.
I wonder if they can really pull off something like that in real life.
Well, maybe I just have a biased image of politicians and bureaucrats.
I picture them saying, 'To hell with this! I'm getting out of here!' and making a beeline for a shelter or safe zone.
And only then, they'd abuse their power for no good reason.
Maybe I've watched too many movies.
For starters, did monsters only appear in Japan?
Or are they appearing all over the world?
Somehow, it feels like monsters are overrunning the entire world.
"Maybe more people are surviving in developing countries than you'd expect."
'Being safe' and 'surviving' are two completely different things.
People in conflict zones might not even bat an eye if monsters appeared.
"They're not going to use nukes, are they...?"
Wipe out the monsters along with their own citizens...
Then the news would report something like, "They made a noble sacrifice. We must etch their lives into our hearts and live on."
Ugh, just thinking about it is terrifying.
And it's even scarier because there are countries that might actually do something like that.
I really should gather information as I level up.
But the internet and television are unavailable.
Not being able to use electricity at all really hurts.
The water and gas are still working, but electricity is completely out.
Is it only this area, or are other places the same?
If electricity is available elsewhere, I should head there.
"It really makes you appreciate civilization all over again..."
Electricity really is amazing.
And precisely because it's so amazing, we become dependent on it.
Homes in this area that run entirely on electricity must be hell by now. Their occupants would have no choice but to leave.
Battery-powered devices, like flashlights and alarm clocks, still work, but even so, the range of household appliances we can use must be pretty limited.
"Woof."
Oh.
While I was lost in thought, Momo barked.
Looking over, I spotted a goblin at the edge of my vision.
Just one.
Perfect target.
"All right, Momo. Let's hunt."
"Woof!"
I approached without being noticed, then jabbed it with a quick thrust and twisted.
I took it down without difficulty, but I didn't level up.
How many more do I need to hunt before I level up next?
After that, Momo and I continued through the city, hunting three zombies and two goblins.
The encounter rate seems lower than it was yesterday...
I haven't encountered many living people, either.
The reason was―――
"There are surprisingly many people holed up in their homes."
As I walked through the city, I noticed many people hanging SOS flags or towels from apartment balconies and the windows of houses. They seemed to be preparing to hole up.
Enough time has passed that it feels like the 'people fleeing,' 'people fighting,' and 'people staying put' are clearly sorting themselves out.
"But, you know..."
If this were a zombie story, they might be able to hold out that way until rescue arrived.
But the city is currently overflowing with monsters that actively hunt people.
Isn't it pretty pointless to hole up against things like that?
When I went outside yesterday, the goblins were searching apartment rooms on their own.
"Well, it'd be a different story if they had a 'Job' or 'Skill' like that..."
For example, 'Shut-In,' which was among my Job candidates.
That kind of Job probably works best when you stay cooped up at home rather than going outside.
Not that I'm a 'Shut-In,' though.
I would never choose it, though.
Even if someone defeated monsters and leveled up, would any idiot really choose such a 'joke Job'?
Surely not.
"Still, you basically just ignore people like that, right...?"
Getting involved with people who are just waiting for rescue like that doesn't seem to offer much benefit.
At worst, I'd end up having to babysit them, too.
That's impossible in a situation like this.
I mean, what a pain.
I might consider teaming up with people who have levels, though.
So I pretended not to see their distress signals and moved on.
Well, you know.
Just pray that some 'good person' shows up before the monsters attack you.
Momo and I continued hunting any monsters we thought we could take.
Then, when we took down two goblins that were wandering around together, it happened.
≪You have gained enough experience≫
≪Your LV has increased from 5 to 6≫
Nice. The level-up announcement echoed in my head.
When I checked, 20 SP and 10 JP had been added, as usual.
That brought my JP balance to 15.
I immediately raised 'Spy' to Level 10.
≪Spend 10 JP to raise Spy's LV?≫
Of course, I selected Yes.
Now... what will happen?
≪Spy's LV has reached its maximum≫
≪Advanced and derivative Jobs are now available for selection≫
≪Second Job unlocked≫
≪Advanced Job 'Assassin' unlocked≫
≪Advanced Job 'Agent' unlocked≫
≪Advanced Job 'Thief' unlocked≫
≪You have met certain Job requirements≫
≪Derivative Job 'Informer' unlocked≫
≪Derivative Job 'Hunter' unlocked≫
≪Derivative Job 'Disaster Looter' unlocked≫
≪Derivative Job 'Beast Tamer' unlocked≫
A new possibility.
A new stage.
That was what had been presented to me.