The Value of S Points

The bound Evil Spirit in the corner had already been transported away, to who knew where.

[Target eliminated.]

[Mission complete.]

A cold prompt sounded.

"Haah... haah..."

Ichinose Honami slumped onto the floor, gasping for breath. The dopamine flooding her brain temporarily blocked out the intense pain of her wounds.

"Is... is it over?"

She stared blankly at the chunks of flesh scattered across the floor.

Was it dead?

Chihiro and the others... and that monster...

Just then, hurried footsteps approached.

Horikita Suzune came charging around the corner, panting.

But what greeted her was not a victory cheer. It was a floor drenched in blood, fallen comrades, and a revolting pool of minced flesh.

"This..."

Horikita came to an abrupt stop, her face deathly pale.

Was she too late?

And was it really this bad?

A powerful wave of regret and self-loathing welled up inside her.

She had come here specifically to steal the points...

And in the end, she'd achieved nothing. Could she only stand by and watch this tragedy unfold?

Horikita slammed her fist against the wall in frustration.

If only she'd been a little faster... if only she hadn't hesitated...

"Don't just stand there! It's not over yet!!"

A hoarse roar erupted.

Ryuen Kakeru, who had been watching the corpse without letting his guard down, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Its right hand! It's still moving!!"

Everyone looked over at once.

Among the pile of flesh, the still-intact right hand twitched. Then, as if it had a mind of its own, it broke away from the torso and turned into an independent lump of slime.

"It's not dead yet! Finish it off!!"

Katsuragi Kohei and Ichinose Honami froze for a moment, then tried to pull the triggers.

"Beep—beep—"

Damn it!

The X-GUN was out of energy!

The six-shot burst just now had completely depleted its charge. The red targeting circle was now flashing wildly in warning.

Seeing this, Horikita Suzune didn't care that the light of teleportation had already crept over her chest. She immediately raised the Black Gun in her hands.

"I'll do it!"

But she was too slow.

The three seconds it took to charge were more than enough for the Parasite to carry out its plan.

It sprang up, like a venomous snake striking at its prey, and lunged at the nearest person—the badly wounded Ichinose Honami!

It wanted to take over her body!

It wanted to survive!

"No..."

Despair was reflected in Ichinose Honami's eyes as she watched the grotesque mass of flesh flying toward her.

The gun was still cooling down, and her body wouldn't move.

Was she going to die?

Just like Chihiro...

At that very moment.

"Ah..."

"Sorry, but I guess I'll have to step in."

A sharp sound tore through the air right behind him.

"Whoosh—!"

A long, dark shape flashed past Ichinose's ear like a black bolt of lightning, cutting off a strand of her hair.

In the next instant,

the Parasite's lump of flesh, about to burrow into Ichinose's wound, was intercepted with pinpoint precision in midair. Like a specimen pinned in place, it was sent flying backward by the tremendous force!

"Thud!"

A muffled impact rang out.

The Parasite was pinned firmly to the concrete wall opposite them.

Ichinose Honami swallowed and turned her head stiffly.

Only then did she realize that it was the black Combat Knife in Su Wei's hand that had sent the Parasite flying.

No.

It was less a knife than an infinitely long black spear.

It stretched across the entire corridor, like a bold stroke of ink casually drawn across rice paper, suspended between life and death.

Their eyes met. His expression was inscrutable, his deep blue eyes carrying a hint of menace—cool and clear, bright as the stars.

Ichinose tried to thank him.

The light of teleportation swallowed her voice.

Author's note:

I have a question. When a Parasite fails to parasitize someone, it permanently fuses with the cells of that body part. For example, Migi became a right hand after failing to parasitize the brain. So if its host dies and it tries to parasitize a new host, can it only parasitize the right hand?

I couldn't find any information. I asked AI, and Hachimi gave me one answer while Doubao gave me another.

For my version, I've decided that the location where it parasitizes is fixed, so it wouldn't attack Ichinose... Also, in the original, Gotou—a Parasite composed of several others—was an artificially created parasite.

This three-in-one combination is my own take, included to serve the plot. There's no reason the Black Sphere's technology should be inferior to Tamura Reiko's.

Finally, it's been featured in recommendations! Please follow and recommend it—this really means a lot to me!

orz

Chapter 15: The Value of S Points

When Ichinose Honami opened her eyes again, she adjusted to the shifting lights and shadows.

The stench of blood at the tip of her nose was replaced by the Black Sphere Room's distinctive musty smell.

"We're back..."

After a brief daze, Ichinose looked around.

When she saw that Shiranami Chihiro and Shiina Hiyori were still standing there, unharmed despite their dazed expressions and pale faces, the heart lodged in her throat finally settled.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness."

"Ichinose!!"

Before she could fully calm down, Shiranami Chihiro threw herself into Ichinose's arms, her voice choked with tears.

"Waaah... It hurt so much just now. I thought I'd never see you again..."

Feeling her friend's trembling body, Ichinose Honami gently stroked her back and softly comforted her.

But inside, she wasn't nearly as calm as she appeared.

Although they had made it through this time, it also meant that both of them had lost their extra life. There was no room left for mistakes.

Their lives were now hanging by a thread.

What should we do about the next trial?

Their classmates might sign up for the points, since everyone had a famous sword.

But there was also that completely uncontrollable "random slot"...

What if Shiranami Chihiro got picked again... or a classmate who'd already lost a life...

Just as Ichinose furrowed her pretty brows and sank into anxiety,

a lazy voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You're back pretty quickly..."

Sakayanagi Arisu had somehow already composed herself. She watched them with a half-smile.

"Judging by how you all look like you've just survived a disaster, did you find and kill that hidden monster?"

Ichinose came back to her senses and nodded slightly.

She let go of Shiranami and walked over to Su Wei, bowing deeply.

"Thank you so much for what you did just now!"

"If Su Wei hadn't stepped in at the last moment... I would probably have been taken over by the Parasite."

"Don't."

Ichinose.jpg

Su Wei looked away and discreetly switched off the [Spectator] that was still running.

"Forget about thanking me."

"Just don't blame me for stealing your kill."

"How could I!" Ichinose hurriedly shook her head.

"It wasn't really stealing."

Katsuragi Kohei rubbed his bald head. Though he still felt a lingering sense of dread, he gave an objective assessment.

"Our X-GUNs were either charging up or experiencing a delay before firing. If you hadn't finished it off, we really would've wasted our chance."

"Hmph."

Ryuen Kakeru leaned against the wall.

He said nothing, simply putting on an air of aloofness.

Even if reason told him Su Wei had done the right thing, somehow it was D Class that had swooped in to reap the rewards again. He'd really taken a loss this time.

"Heh."

Hearing that, Sakayanagi Arisu let her gaze wander over his face.

"Looks like Su Wei has stolen the show once again."

"Could you tell me what happened?"

"I'm really curious~"

Su Wei gestured with his fingers: