BANG—!!
The explosive gunshot unique to the Colt Python suddenly rang out.
The Hunter shrieked in pain, its right arm struck by the bullet, instantly spurting a large amount of filthy blood.
Under intense pain, it immediately fled frantically into a corner.
Utaha, who had already fallen into despair, opened her eyes, only to find that Tsubasa and Yukino had returned sometime unbeknownst to her.
Tsubasa's expression was calm, collected, and effortless; in the nick of time, he had shot and wounded the Hunter.
This highly agile monster was truly extremely vigilant. As soon as it heard the gunshot, it was already soaring strangely through the air, attempting to dodge the bullet. Nevertheless, it still sustained an injury under Tsubasa's shot.
At this moment, Yukino also rushed in, drawing her compound bow taut, the arrowhead aimed directly at the back of the head of the zombified Yūko, who was currently gnawing on Midori's corpse.
WHOOSH—!!
The metal arrowhead accurately pierced the skull, splattering red and white matter and scattering skull fragments everywhere.
Zombified Yūko trembled twice, finally collapsing beside her friend Midori.
"Everyone get down!"
Before Tsubasa's roar finished, the muzzle of his gun was already aimed at the constantly moving Hunter; his finger was just about to pull the trigger.
But the monster abruptly turned its head and lunged toward him at an indiscernible speed.
Its speed was so fast that everyone present froze in place, their breathing nearly stopping!
Hayato's eyes widened, his heart nearly stopping: "This is bad!"
But instead of retreating or panicking, Tsubasa revealed a confident smirk. He slightly raised his free hand; the magic power within him surged abruptly and circulated rapidly along the magic circuit in his body, instantly brewing violent lightning in his palm.
The crackling sound of lightning instantly drowned out everyone's heartbeats.
"What is that...?!" Hayato's eyes widened; he stared incredulously at the lightning in Tsubasa's palm, utterly stunned.
Amidst the dazzling lightning sparks, a three-inch-long lightning arrow quietly materialized, and it seemed ready to break free from its constraints.
Tsubasa swiftly raised his hand and flicked it.
WHOOSH—!!
The Electro Arrow shot out, accurately striking the chest of the charging Hunter.
In that instant, the lightning exploded with blinding light, almost stealing the vision of the entire classroom!
BZZZZZZT—!!
In the dazzling white light, the Hunter shuddered violently, and its body was instantly covered in dense electrical sparks. Its previously swift movements suddenly froze, and its limbs began twitching uncontrollably; it had perfectly triggered the Electro Arrow's paralysis effect. This pause lasted barely half a second, but it was enough to be fatal.
Tsubasa's eyes sharpened, and the muzzle of his AK105 instantly lifted. He pulled the trigger firmly after aiming at the Hunter's open hood.
BANG—!!
A gunshot rang. The bullet accurately shattered the Hunter's skull.
The Hunter's body paused in mid-air before smashing heavily onto the floor. It twitched twice and then went still, though the residual lightning on its surface continued to crackle.
[Player 'Tsubasa Shiraha' has defeated a Special Infected ∙ Hunter! 500 points are awarded!]
The entire classroom fell silent. Only the heavy breathing of the crowd remained.
Everyone froze in place, their eyes widened and were filled with disbelief as they were staring intently at the Hunter's corpse on the ground.
They hadn't expected it. In the crucial moment, it was still Tsubasa who returned to save the day.
CLICK—!
Tsubasa reloaded his gun, then turned to look at the pale-faced Hayato, who was kneeling on the floor. He asked the blond young man: "What happened here? How did you manage to attract a Hunter just by staying put?"
The effect of adrenaline gradually wore off. Hayato finally recovered his senses. Looking at the chaotic scene, he couldn't help but swallow; his voice trembled as he said, "Shiraha-san... thank goodness you came, otherwise we..."
Hayato truly felt ashamed to face Tsubasa. 19 people, excluding the zombified Yūko, even with guns, nearly suffered a total wipeout...
If Tsubasa hadn't arrived promptly, perhaps no one would have escaped that strange, cat-like infected creature.
"Deal with the bodies first," Tsubasa interrupted Hayato's self-reproach, pointing at the corpses on the floor. "Clean them up quickly; the smell of blood will attract more zombies."
"Alright..." Hayato responded. It was only then that he realized some of the students who had been bitten to death were already starting to turn into zombies.
✱✱✱
After a flurry of activity, the surviving group finally rested.
Looking at the blood-soaked classroom filled with human remains, everyone's mood became extremely low.
"Waaah... Mom! Dad!"
Some people couldn't bear the desperate atmosphere. They couldn't help but cover their faces and weep uncontrollably.
As if a signal had been sounded, the painful sobbing gradually spread to all the students.
Even those who held back their tears felt deeply sympathetic and lowered their heads in despair, making the atmosphere extremely bleak.
"Shiraha-san, I'm sorry, I was too conceited before." Hayato looked miserable, clenching his fists as he looked at the silent Tsubasa.
Suddenly, under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Hayato knelt down in the form of a dogeza. "This is my way of expressing my apology to you. Because of my arrogance, I failed to keep everyone alive, and this is all my fault."
"..." After a beat of silence, Tsubasa rubbed his forehead and said, "Hayama, you truly are a hopeless good guy."
For a moment, Tsubasa didn't know what to say. Hayato, this guy, actually blamed himself for the lives and deaths of everyone. Such a mindset was truly hard to judge.
"Kneeling to me won't bring the dead back to life. It's meaningless," Tsubasa said, frowning slightly.
"Regardless, this is what I want to do right now. At least... it makes me feel slightly better." Hayato looked up miserably and sighed deeply: "I was blind and failed to truly see reality. Shiraha-san, I want to ask you again, do the conditions for joining your team that you previously proposed still stand?"
"They do."
"Then I decide to join and obey your commands!"
Hayato accepted the conditions without hesitation. Previously, he had thought Tsubasa overestimated himself... but now, he only regretted his own ignorance and failure to see the situation clearly, wondering why he hadn't cooperated with Tsubasa sooner. Perhaps...this way, everyone could have survived.
"That...that... Excuse me, may I join?"
"Me, and me too!"
"Shiraha-sama, please let me join your team!"
"Shiraha-san, we know we were wrong... From now on, we will absolutely obey your orders. If you say one, we won't say two!"
With Hayato leading the way, students who had previously been too embarrassed to ask also rushed forward, wanting to join Tsubasa's team.
"..." Kakeru was hiding in the crowd. His face turned from red to white, and then from white to green. Regret, like ants gnawing, constantly surged in his heart.
Previously, Kakeru had thought Tsubasa was too willful and conceited... but now, he was the one being harshly smacked down by reality. Tsubasa's capability far exceeded his imagination.
On the other side...
"Tsubasa Shiraha... will he let me join his team?"
Utaha looked at Tsubasa's tall figure, her heart also filled with mixed emotions. She had originally thought he was just showing off. But that decisive and clean kill just now completely overturned her perception.
The young woman lightly bit her lip. A hazy mist appeared in her ruby-like eyes. Intense regret and a hint of an inexplicable flutter simultaneously spread quietly in her heart.
After calm consideration, Utaha realized that Tsubasa had not been perving at her earlier. Rather, she had misunderstood and wronged him.
✱✱✱
Translator's Corner:
This chapter has 1280 Words. Other than the word count report, I have nothing else to share! Thanks for reading!