As Roy entered the bus, Shizuka Marikawa floored the accelerator. The bus pushed through the zombies and drove out of the school. The street Roy had previously cleared had very few zombies, making the journey smooth and unimpeded.
But the mood inside the bus was anything but good.
After Roy boarded, a deathly silence fell over the bus. The girls looked terrified, huddled in the corners, their bodies trembling slightly, not daring to look at Roy.
The blonde student who had shouted earlier didn't dare utter a sound, earning glances of contempt from the others.
After killing hundreds of zombies, Roy was inevitably stained with zombie blood. He looked like a man of blood, and the concentrated metallic smell was bone-chilling.
Only a few people could remain unafraid with such a ferocious killer standing next to them.
Saeko Busujima was one of them. She examined Roy's medieval attire, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"What is your name?"
"Roy."
Saeko Busujima and Roy exchanged a few words.
Just then, a sleek, effeminate-looking man wearing glasses approached them, interrupting the conversation. He spoke excitedly, "What marvelous swordsmanship! Are you a student from a kendo dojo?"
Rei Miyamoto watched the scene coldly from the side.
Roy's gaze swept across the compartment. The occupants were divided into two groups: the small team consisting of Takashi Komuro, Saeko Busujima, and others, and Koichi Shido's teacher-student clique.
Facing the incessant Shido, Roy merely glanced at him and said coolly, "You are very good at manipulating human psychology."
Upon entering the instance world, his spoken words automatically translated into the local language, and he could understand their language. Roy had noticed this in the previous Titan world, so communication was not an issue.
Koichi Shido feigned an innocent expression.
But Roy wouldn't fall for such petty tricks. In his previous life as a financial worker, dealing with people was routine, and his social stats were maximized.
Shido had fearlessly approached Roy while everyone else was terrified, which was the first step to gaining favor. He then praised Roy to earn goodwill and express harmless intentions, before deliberately asking about his background.
Even though he had witnessed Roy's superhuman physique and swordsmanship, Shido called him a kendo student. Any normal person would feel annoyed and retort, which would allow Shido to continue the conversation.
If Roy didn't know this man's true nature, he would have subconsciously raised his favorability towards him by 10%.
Realizing the young man in front of him was not easy to fool, Shido slightly lowered his head, his glasses reflecting the light. "In this chaotic world, we must have a strong leader to guide everyone to survive."
"Please become our leader!"
Shido bowed in a very standard Japanese ninety-degree fashion, his body bent low before Roy.
However, Shido, with his head bowed, did not see Roy's face grow increasingly cold. Shido was still showing off his petty cleverness, thinking that by disguising himself as harmless, he could use Roy's power to pursue his interests in this turbulent world?
"I don't have time to indulge your nonsense."
Roy swung the Muramasa Sword. A sharp light flashed, and the blade cut across Koichi Shido's neck. Blood splattered onto the window, steaming slightly.
Clang!
A round head dropped to the floor. Shido's eyes were wide. Even in death, he couldn't believe that a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy would kill so easily.
Roy was expressionless. Are you kidding me? He had lived in the DanMachi world for over ten years, seeing more dead people than living ones each year!
Monsters that escaped the Dungeon a thousand years ago, bandits from all directions, adventurers with twisted hearts, temperamental Gods, the Black Dragon—the symbol of the end...
A friend laughing with him yesterday could turn into a cold corpse today.
He had no psychological barrier to killing!
"Aahhhhhhhhhhhh—"
Roy's action was an intense shock to these sheltered students. A barrage of super high-decibel screams erupted in the bus compartment.
Even Takashi Komuro and the others, who had advocated for Roy to get on the bus, changed their expressions and watched Roy warily.
The girls' piercing screams nearly ruptured Roy's eardrums. He looked at them emotionlessly and said indifferently, "If you make any more noise, I'll kill all of you!"
Silence instantly fell over the compartment.
Everyone's eyes were filled with fear. They knew this young man was truly capable and willing to follow through!
"Is there an American military base in this city?" Roy asked. This was his true objective.
Killing zombies one by one was too slow. It would take at least three or four days to complete the instance quest, and he would miss what was happening back in Orario.
He intended to use heavy weapons to wipe out the zombies in one swift sweep!
No one in the compartment answered. Just as Roy was about to grow impatient, Saeko Busujima stepped forward. "Yes, there is."
"Take me there!"
Roy's tone was unquestionable. A map or verbal description wouldn't satisfy him.
"Alright, but only I will go, and you must not harm anyone else," Saeko Busujima stated.
"Saeko-senpai!"
Takashi Komuro and the others looked anxious and distressed. Saeko Busujima was clearly protecting them with her proposition.
Roy agreed. He wasn't some psychopath or serial killer.
Shizuka Marikawa pulled the bus over to a convenience store. Roy and Saeko Busujima jumped out.
Saeko said goodbye to the others with her eyes.
Roy casually dispatched two zombies, entered the convenience store to forage, tore open the packaging, and swallowed an unexpired loaf of bread in one bite to replenish his energy. "You should eat something too. We probably have several hours of travel ahead of us."
Saeko Busujima did not refuse. Since the zombies had appeared in the school, she had only managed to drink a little water.
After they had eaten and recovered their strength, they found a truck at the intersection. The driver had turned into a zombie, and the keys were in the ignition. Roy sat in the driver's seat. The right-hand driving position in Japanese cars was slightly unfamiliar to him, but beggars couldn't be choosier about the vehicle right now.
Roy started the truck and, following Saeko Busujima's directions, drove towards the military base.
After a long silence, Saeko Busujima spoke first. "Do you know the truth behind this disaster?"
Saeko was surprised. The young man's abnormal martial prowess, his medieval clothing, and the long sword he carried all suggested something out of the ordinary.
"No idea. Probably contamination of the air or water," Roy said casually. Given modern thermal weapons, if the zombies relied on biting to infect others, a large-scale breakdown of order wouldn't be possible.
If the major world powers were truly desperate, a single nuclear missile could flatten an entire city.
Only a virus spread through the air or water could cause world-level chaos.
He wasn't interested in any of that, however. He was only here to hunt zombies and obtain instance rewards.
As for the extra quest, "Save the World," Roy didn't even bother looking at it. Didn't he know his own limits? A single hand grenade could severely injure him!