[Observe]
[Name: Mara Kiba]
[Age: 16]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: Devil]
[Level: ???]
She didn't even give me a sideways glance. She just glided past, eyes fixed forward.
Well, I thought, suppressing a sigh. That explains a few things. Yuuto Kiba is a girl too.
I made it back to my classroom just as the girls began to swarm my desk again, asking about where I went and who the "friend" was. I deflected with vague answers until the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the break.
For the rest of the day, Rias and Sona kept their distance. No mysterious summons to the Occult Research Club, no Student Council interrogations. They were playing the long game, observing me just as much as I was observing them.
The lessons dragged on. Biology, History, English. I tuned it all out, focusing on the blue box floating in the corner of my vision as I analyzed everything from the eraser on my desk to the teacher's chalk.
[Skill Level Up!]
[Observe has reached Level 4.]
….
The final bell was the sweetest sound I'd heard all day.
I didn't waste a second. My bag was already packed. While the rest of the class was slowly waking up from their afternoon daze, I was already at the door.
I made it halfway to the gate before the interception squad arrived. The captains of the track, swim, and basketball teams, all looking at me like I was a fresh piece of meat. Apparently, having high physical stats made me look like an Olympian even when walking.
"Not interested," I said, sidestepping them before they could launch into their recruitment speeches. "I have family matters to attend to."
I didn't wait for a response. I had a schedule to keep. I needed to grind.
I stepped out of the school gates, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Then, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Ding.
[Skill Created: Presence (Passive) - Lv 1]
[Description: Alerts the user if they are being followed, specifically detecting magical signatures hiding in plain sight.]
I didn't break stride, but a smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.
So soon? I thought. My guess is Koneko or Kiba. If they want to waste their time stalking a "weak human," I'll give them a show.
I kept my pace casual. I didn't head straight home. Instead, I stopped at a convenience store, bought a vanilla ice cream, and strolled over to the local park. I sat on a bench, licking the ice cream like I didn't have a care in the world.
I pulled out my phone. "Nice lighting today," I muttered loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
I started snapping pictures, trees, the sky, the fountain. Then, I casually angled the phone toward a shop across the street with tinted, reflective windows. I snapped a burst of photos, zooming in on the reflection.
Satisfied, I finished the ice cream and walked home.
Once I was inside with the deadbolt thrown, I leaned against the door and opened my gallery.
"Gotcha," I whispered.
In the reflection of the shop window, clear as day, was a petite girl with white bobbed hair peeking out from behind a vending machine.
"Koneko Toujou," I chuckled. "If it wasn't for that skill, I never would have noticed you. You're good."
I went upstairs, shut the blinds, and dumped my books on the desk. I tore through the homework assignments. With my Intelligence stat at 10, high school algebra felt like basic addition. I was done in eight minutes flat.
"Now," I said, closing the notebook. "Let's check the perimeter."
I focused on [Presence].
Koneko was still there, perched on a telephone pole down the street. But there was another signature now, smaller, fainter. A white cat sitting on the wall of my neighbor's house, staring directly at my bedroom window.
A familiar, I realized. Rias is thorough. Okay, let's give them something to watch.
I went back downstairs and turned on the TV. I found an action movie and cranked the volume until the floorboards vibrated. To anyone outside, it would sound like I was settled in for a marathon.
"That should buy me a few hours," I said.
I stood in the center of the living room and raised my left hand.
[ID Create]
[Select Dungeon: Instant Dungeon (Zombie)]
"Yes."
I braced myself for the purple light. The world twisted, colors inverting, gravity lurching.
When the vertigo passed, I opened my eyes.
I was... still in my living room.
"What?"
I looked around. The TV was off. The furniture was the same. The silence was absolute.
"Wait," I muttered, panic starting to creep into my chest. "Am I stuck? Did it fail?"
I ran to the window. The street looked the same.
"No, no, no. Don't tell me I can't go back to Skyrim?" My heart rate spiked. "I didn't grab a weapon from the inventory. I have spells, but they're Novice level. I don't have a sword, or an axe, or even a mace. If I'm stuck in the hub world of the dungeon without enemies to grind..."
I started pacing, wiping sweat from my forehead. "How am I supposed to level up if I can't access the content?"
I rushed to the kitchen sink to splash some cold water on my face, trying to cool down. I wrenched the faucet handle.
Nothing. Not a drop.
I froze.
"This can't be right... unless?"
I raised my hand and cast [Observe] on the room itself.
[Location: Instant Dungeon - Residential District (Zombie)]
[Creator: Shiro]
"Wait a minute," I exhaled, the panic vanishing instantly. "I'm in the dungeon. It's just... mapped over my neighborhood."
I sprinted to the front door and threw it open.
There they were.
The street wasn't empty. It was crawling. At least fifty of them, neighbors, mailmen, random civilians, all shuffling aimlessly with gray skin and rotting clothes. The Walking Dead, right on my doorstep.
The nearest one, a guy in a torn business suit, snapped his head toward me. He let out a gurgling hiss.
I smiled, a genuine, feral grin spreading across my face.
"Well," I said, "I wanted to grind levels. Skyrim can wait."