CHAPTER 58: 58. FOOD TASTES BETTER WHEN SHARED

Arriving at the safezone, Shin and the girls were welcomed by the thick scent of smoke in the air. The moment they passed through the gate, they noticed fire burning from almost every corner. Small stores were destroyed and engulfed in flames. Shin looked around with a calm expression, but the same couldn’t be said for the two girls with him.

Sylvia broke into a sprint the moment she spotted the dwarven blacksmith shop near the gate. She searched frantically through the wreckage, her boots crunching over scorched debris. Nothing. No survivors. Her kin had been reduced to glowing motes, drifting through the air like vanishing embers. The forge was looted clean—every weapon, every blade, stolen.

Yet, she didn’t cry.

She only stood there, her fist clenched tight, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the remains with a simmering sorrow that refused to be loud.

"Stay close to me," Shin muttered as he passed the crumbling smithy.

Sylvia gave one last look at her shattered past, then turned and followed her new master without a word.

"Our world... it’s turning into the outside world," Lilian whispered in dread as she walked beside Shin. "Even the god’s blessing... it’s fading. I can feel it. It’s not as strong anymore."

Shin gave a small nod, his eyes sweeping over the ruins. Piles of mangled flesh and shattered bones lined the cobbled path, still slick with blood. Flies swarmed over them in a frenzy. The remains were too symmetrical, and too sudden like people had simply burst. He remembered the second Elimination Round—those who failed to reach Level 2 in time had imploded into grotesque heaps like this.

These weren’t the result of being killed by other players. This was the system’s doing.

Idiots. He thought grimly. Probably tried to kill others in the safezone. Broke the rules and paid the price.

Yet despite the carnage, laughter echoed through the night.

Drunken voices spilled from the windows of scattered houses—people feasting, toasting, laughing like maniacs. From where Shin stood, he could see them: faces flushed with drink, hands clumsily digging into piles of food they’d hoarded for themselves. Survivors who celebrated with gluttony while the world around them burned.

The small gates etched into each street still glowed faintly in the night. He noticed a few people entering them. It seemed the chaos had settled. Most of the weak had died. Only the strong remained.

And strong players didn’t attack each other carelessly—unless they were cocky enough to gamble everything.

The safezone felt empty now. Shin couldn’t tell whether most had died or if most had managed to reach the second-tier zones. But the silence was telling.

He kept walking until he reached his room. Along the way, he hadn’t seen a single NPC.

All killed. Probably by the lunatics who rampaged through the zone earlier.

He pushed the door open and gestured for the girls to enter.

He tossed the keys to Lilian. "It’s not exactly safe anymore. Lock the door behind me. I’m going to check on Yuki."

Lilian nodded as she shut and locked the door, her fingers trembling slightly.

Shin stepped into the hallway, approaching the room next door. He knocked once, then harder.

"Yuki. Hey—Yuki, you alive in there?"

A muffled groan came from within. "Geez... would you keep it down!?"

He exhaled, relief flickering across his face. "Good. Still breathing."

"Is that a joke?" she snapped. "One of these days, you’re all gonna drop dead and leave me stuck here playing babysitter."

Shin pushed open the door and stepped inside. The room was dim, lit only by a soft bedside lamp. His gaze immediately fell on Ayaka, seated on the floor like a monk—hands together, eyes closed, legs folded beneath her in a rigid meditative posture.

"What’s this?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"She’s meditating," Yuki said flatly. "Part of her training. Don’t bug her."

Yuki leaned against the wall behind her bed, arms folded beneath her massive tits, barely covered by the sheer, almost see-through nightgown she wore. Shin could clearly make out the color of her panties beneath it... and the shape of her nipples poking through, with no bra underneath.

He walked to the edge of her bed and sat. "Thought I’d find you gone to the second-tier tier safezone."

She scoffed, chest puffing with smug pride. "Not before I get my reward. That kid killed a lunatic vampire with a machine gun today. I trained her. I deserve it."

Ayaka twitched on the floor, haunted by the brutal training that still echoed in her bones—kegels, one-legged meditations, the threat of being left standing forever unless she awakened her True Sight Domain.

Shin gave Yuki a nod. "Yeah, you’re one hell of a Sensei."

"Tch," she muttered, turning to open her wardrobe. She pulled out a large pot and set it down on the bed.

"Managed to snag this earlier. Supplies came in the afternoon, right after the chaos. People were tearing each other apart for food. I fought off two guys just for this."

Shin raised an eyebrow. "You kept some for me? That’s sweet. You growing soft?"

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. If you don’t want it, starve."

"Nah, I’ll eat." He gave her a sly grin. "But only if we eat together."

She scoffed. "It’s not poisoned, brat."

"I didn’t say it was," he muttered. "And besides, you can’t poison me here. That’ll still count as killing another player, and you know the result of that. Still... food tastes better when shared, don’t you think?"

"Ugh, fine."

She opened the pot. Rice and beef stew, all stirred into a messy blend. No utensils. They used their hands, digging in like scavengers in the aftermath of war.

[Yuki’s Loyalty Level has risen to 23%]

The notification blinked across Shin’s vision, but he didn’t let it show. He simply smiled inwardly and kept eating.

He leaned back afterward, patting his stomach with a satisfied groan. "I’d forgotten what it felt like to be full. That was the best meal I’ve had in days. Thanks, Yuki."

Her brows knit together. "Don’t get sentimental. I just didn’t want you passing out before giving me the reward you promised."

Shin raised a brow. "Really? That’s the only reason you kept food for me?"

"Y-yes!" she stammered, cheeks tinged with red as she turned away.

Despite her hardened tone, he saw something in her eyes. Something soft. Maybe she wasn’t all ice. Not toward him, at least.

And that was useful.

Because loyalty meant leverage. And leverage meant survival.

"Now," Shin said, voice dropping to a low drawl. "About that reward. You ready?"

Yuki tilted her head toward Ayaka, still silently meditating on the floor.

"I’ll take her to Lilian," Shin assured her with a smirk.

Even though he acted like this was all to repay Yuki, Shin knew full well he was looking forward to it too.

Because his Filthbound System would reward him with EXP... if he fucked Yuki good.

That’s what made Yuki a valuable piece on his board. Beautiful, strong, completely obsessed with his dick..... and now, steadily becoming his loyal servant.

One way or another, he’d use her for as long as he needed.

TBC