Ryuji scanned the extensive list of items in front of him—canned food, bandages, concrete—everything essential for surviving in a post-apocalyptic world.
But one thing stood out.
Duke's Casino Token?
What the hell was that? Some kind of currency, like bottle caps in Fallout 4?
And more importantly…
"I actually have an inventory?"
His eyes shifted to the large empty grid on the right side of the shop interface.
This world was getting more interesting by the second.
On a whim, he retrieved the gold bar he had found in the other room—just a small piece, no bigger than his pinky finger. He had originally intended to keep it as a souvenir.
Focusing his thoughts, he mentally selected 'Press E.'
In an instant, the gold bar vanished from his hand.
A golden icon materialized in one of the empty inventory slots.
Ryuji focused his attention on the floating gold icon. In the next moment, a description appeared before his eyes.
Gold Bar: Merchants might be interested in this. Selling Price: 140.
Without much hesitation, he sold the gold bar. The instant he did, a notification popped up at the corner of his vision.
EXP +420.
At the same time, the empty bar at the bottom of his field of vision—the one he had barely noticed before—shifted slightly, filling with a faint purple glow.
Experience points?
So even trading can grant EXP?
This world was becoming more absurd by the second.
His eyes then shifted to his inventory, where a shiny yellow token labeled Duke's Casino Token had appeared. Curious, he focused on it, and once again, game-like options appeared.
Dismantle (S)
Drop (D)
Ryuji didn't bother with dismantling. Instead, he selected (D).
The next moment, a small linen sack materialized out of thin air, landing with a soft thud on the merchant's desk.
"…"
He reached out and grabbed the sack. A notification hovered above it: Press E to pick up.
Ignoring the system prompt, he instead loosened the drawstring with his hands.
A cascade of yellow coins spilled onto the wooden table.
Ryuji picked one up, turning it between his fingers. The coin was made of brass, engraved with intricate patterns and foreign symbols.
The problem was…
It was all in English.
Which he couldn't read.
His English proficiency had long been forgotten—returned to his teachers the moment he passed his CET Level 4 English exam. If not for the certificate, he wouldn't even believe he had ever learned the language.
"Come to think of it… Erina has been speaking Japanese this whole time."
He glanced at Erina, who was watching him with confusion. She had been speaking fluent Japanese, yet he had understood her effortlessly. Likewise, she seemed to understand him perfectly.
Back in the chaos of their arrival, he hadn't thought about it.
But now…
His thoughts drifted back to the new interface before him.
He closed the merchant's menu and experimented by pressing (B) in his mind.
Immediately, a new interface popped up.
The left side displayed a 3D model of himself—clad in a suit, gripping two axes. The right side, however, was filled with text.
Concussion.
Treated Abrasion – 45h 23m 42s remaining.
Antibiotic Effect: 3.5%.
Healing Minor Infection: 1.5%.
Hunger.
Thirst.
Ryuji froze.
He focused on the Healing Minor Infection status, and a detailed explanation appeared.
Healing Minor Infection: Your minor infection is being treated. Continue using medicine until fully healed. Being attacked by zombies or animals will worsen the infection.
"…I'm being healed?"
His expression turned blank. He vividly remembered getting scratched—his symptoms had suggested an infection. The only things he had consumed since then were canned luncheon meat and… honey.
Wait. Was it the canned meat or the honey?
Was this some kind of life hack?
The system's explanations were surprisingly logical. The hunger and thirst statuses were expected, and the concussion made sense—he had hit his head upon arrival.
But if he could actually recover from the infection…
His hands trembled as he reopened the merchant menu. He scrolled feverishly through the medicine section until he finally found it.
Honey: Food +5, HP +2, No Max Stamina Boost, Heals Infection by 5%.
IT WAS THE HONEY!
A surge of excitement coursed through Ryuji. Without thinking, he grabbed Erina in a tight hug, overjoyed beyond belief. He even kissed her cheek in his excitement before instinctively trying to buy more.
Then, he stopped.
His money wasn't enough.
Even after selling the gold bar, he only had 140 coins. One jar of honey cost 240.
But it didn't matter.
They had found dozens of gold bars back in that room—more than enough to buy a whole stockpile of honey!
Erina, on the other hand, stood frozen.
She pressed her hands to her face, completely bewildered by Ryuji's sudden shift in behavior. Watching the sheer joy on his face, she couldn't understand why he was acting so erratically.
Ryuji saw the confusion in her eyes… and, for some reason, he kissed her cheek again.
"We're saved, Erina! If this is all real, then we won't turn into zombies!"
"Eh?"
Erina blinked, still dazed.
But just as he basked in his relief, a troubling thought surfaced.
What if honey doesn't work on Erina?
His smile faltered slightly.
His eyes drifted toward the top of his interface, scanning the various menu tabs.
- Crafting
- Character
- Map
- Skills
- Quests
- Log
- Players
- Creative Mode
If he truly wanted to survive… he needed to understand everything about this game-like world.
Ryuji quickly clicked through each option, checking the functions of the items he had acquired.
The "Crafting" option opened a blank interface with nothing in it, while the "Character" tab showed the inventory he had accessed earlier.
However, when he tried to open the "Map," a bright red message popped up:
"Insufficient permissions."
Ryuji didn't dwell on it and moved on to "Skills" only to receive the same "Insufficient permissions." message. The "Log" section was also inaccessible, leaving only the "Players" tab available. When he clicked on it, a spreadsheet-like interface appeared.
Nakamura Ryuji: Level 1, Game Stage 1, Party: None, Allies: None, Enemies Killed: 12, Players Killed: 0.
Erina Nakiri: Level 0, Game Stage 0, Party: None, Allies: None, Enemies Killed: 0, Players Killed: 0.
"Level zero... Is it because she hasn't killed enough zombies?" Ryuji muttered.
He clicked on the "Party" option next to Erina's name, but nothing happened.
Closing the interface, he kept the game screen in view and stared at Erina. As she looked at him with a mix of confusion and embarrassment, he silently held down an imaginary "E" key in his mind, targeting Erina.
A new prompt appeared before his eyes:
"Consume 11,240 experience points to make Erina Nakiri a player?"
A smile spread across Ryuji's face. Overcome with excitement, he planted another kiss on Erina's cheek, completely unaware of the shock it caused her.
"Nakamura-san! What is wrong with you?!" Erina clutched her flushed face, utterly confused by his sudden enthusiasm.
"In short, it looks like we really can survive here together!" Ryuji exclaimed, embracing her in joy.
Erina, while not resisting, showed an expression of mild disgust. "W-Who would want to stay with you, you…"
Her heart pounded. She had always imagined her future partner to be someone who could create a dish so exquisite it would lift the "God Tongue" curse she bore. But now, she found herself thinking that even if that never happened, living alongside Ryuji might not be so bad.
After all, honey mixed with canned luncheon meat wasn't that bad... as long as she got used to it.
Yes, in a world like this, she could adapt!
"Come with me, Erina! I need you to take down a few zombies to test something!" Ryuji said excitedly, grabbing a Duke's Casino token and stuffing it into his inventory before pulling her along as they rushed out of the store.
If gold bars could be exchanged for money, and merchants had an array of goods for sale, that meant other items might also have value!
However, as they exited the building, a thought nagged at Ryuji.
"Do I really not have any kind of cheat ability?"
This game-like system had clearly manifested because of this world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to invite Erina to become a player. While it could be a developing feature, he felt it was more likely tied to this world itself.
So, as a transmigrator… was he really just an ordinary person?
"How disappointing."
Shaking off the thought, Ryuji led Erina back to their previous shelter. He swiftly stashed the gold bars in his inventory and began searching for anything else that could be sold.
Unfortunately, he couldn't store items like sofas or refrigerators, but smaller things—like folding chairs and flowerpots—fit just fine.
What disappointed him most was the lack of lootable treasure chests. No matter how many times he mentally pressed "E" while staring at cabinets and fridges, nothing happened.
Throughout this process, Ryuji was no longer afraid of zombies. Instead, he eagerly explained his discoveries to Erina.
"So, we're in a game world. If we perform actions consistent with the game's logic, we gain the corresponding abilities. And the honey we ate is actually an anti-infection medicine?"
Erina clutched her head. "Mr. Takahashi, this is just too strange! But then again… we've already been transported here, so I suppose anything is possible."
She took a deep breath and looked at him seriously. "So… you mean neither of us has to die? We can keep living here?"
Excitement and anxiety swirled in her heart. She had seen many strange things—the vanishing casino tokens, the eerie female merchant, and the automated doors.
But until she experienced these game mechanics herself, she couldn't fully believe them.
"Exactly! But just to be safe, I need to turn you into a player first. Otherwise, I can't be sure if the honey's cure works on you."
Ryuji still felt a bit feverish, suggesting that the status screen didn't directly affect his physical condition. He needed to confirm if this was all just a hallucination or reality.
"So, you're going to fight those creatures?" Erina asked hesitantly.
She had prepared herself for zombie battles, but the thought of Ryuji fighting them still made her nervous.
"Yep! If the infection really isn't a concern, then zombies won't be scary anymore. As long as we avoid nighttime hordes or getting surrounded, they'll just be our prey. No need to worry! Also, making you a player doesn't require much experience—only… hmm, how much was it again?"
Ryuji reassured her with a hand on her shoulder while calling up the interface again. He mentally pressed "E" on Erina.
Nothing happened.
Frowning, he pressed "E" repeatedly in his mind, trying to trigger the menu.
Then—
Erina's clothes disappeared.
"Eh?"
For a moment, Ryuji was frozen in shock.
Her outfit—her dress, shoes, socks—everything had vanished in an instant under his rapid mental "E" spam.
His palm now rested against smooth, silk-like skin. His eyes took in the snow-white peaks, the soft pink hue of delicate features, and the golden field below hiding its own mysteries.
"They're… not sagging at all… Truly remarkable—"
He muttered absentmindedly.
Then, realization struck Erina.
She glanced down at herself. Then at Ryuji, who was openly staring at her exposed body.
A second later, a sharp scream pierced the room.
"NAKAMURA-SAN!!!"
Panicked, Erina crossed her arms over her chest, pressing into the softness as she shielded herself. Her hands also blocked the golden wheat fields, and she squeezed her legs together tightly to hide any further "accidents."
Ryuji gulped.
This… might take some explaining.
"What are you doing?!"
Erina's voice was nearly a shriek, her rationality crumbling under the overwhelming shock.
If kissing and hugging could still be brushed off as excusable, then this—this was absolutely too much!
"Uh… Sorry, I accidentally used the wrong game system…"
Ryuji hastily turned his back, fumbling through his inventory before retrieving Erina's clothes. They materialized in a small bundle of fabric on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed the bundle, tore it open, and handed it to the red-faced girl.
"Here! These are your clothes! I swear it wasn't intentional!"
Even after turning away, his mind still replayed the scene from moments ago—but not because of Erina's blushing, curvaceous figure. No, what truly occupied his thoughts was the potential of this strange ability.
"If I had this ability in the real world, it'd be insane."
He pondered its applications. This power could instantly cause someone's social death… and it would make an unparalleled tool for theft!
Even in ancient times, during the age of cold weapons, if he faced an enemy clad in full armor, he could strip them bare in an instant—completely defenseless!
What a terrifying ability!
"This is practically a god-tier skill… If I had lived in medieval times, I could've become a legendary hero, written into history books…"
Ryuji stared at his own hands, murmuring to himself, completely lost in thought.
As for Erina's body?
Thinking about that now would only add unnecessary troubles…
He glanced down at his hands, already rough with callouses and fresh wounds from the past few days. He let out a helpless sigh.
If he were in a normal world, maybe he'd be celebrating this absurd ability. But in this reality, where survival was the only concern, even contemplating such things felt pointless.
Besides, where would he even…? The beds here were filthy—who knew if a zombie had lain on them before? The thought alone was revolting.
And demanding such things from Erina? There was no need. They might end up spending their entire lives together in this world. Ruining their relationship over something so petty would be foolish.
Meanwhile, Erina was fuming.
She did have a faint, unspoken fondness for Ryuji, but that affection definitely wasn't strong enough to justify him stripping her naked out of nowhere!
At first, she was just furious. But then she overheard his mutterings…
A different kind of anger began burning inside her—embarrassment-fueled rage.
"Idiot… What the hell is going on in your head?! Of all times, you're thinking about THAT?!"
Erina, now fully dressed and her face burning red, began furiously kicking Ryuji's leg.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot! You absolute moron!"
But just then—
A deep, guttural growl echoed from outside the building.
The unmistakable sound of zombies.
Erina immediately froze, her frustration vanishing. Without hesitation, she grabbed the axe from the side and thrust one toward Ryuji.
"Nakamura-san… I think I made a mistake!"