Becoming a Behind-the-Scenes Master from The Fruit of Evolution

"Twenty Kabane, and now only a small fraction remain on the radar. Fortunately, it seems there's only one red dot left in our vicinity. As long as we're careful, there shouldn't be any more surprises..."

"Tch, quit dragging your feet."

Ryuen Kakeru, walking at the very front, curled his lip in impatience:

"Five Qualified Ones wielding Black Sphere weapons—if we can't even handle a single Kabane, we might as well just drop out and go home to raise pigs."

"Ryuen-kun..."

Shiina Hiyori, following along the flank of the group, knitted her delicate brows, wanting to warn Ryuen Kakeru not to tempt fate with such flag-raising talk.

But recalling the Kabane they had cleared along the way, aside from their lack of pain and slightly increased strength, they didn't seem much stronger than the Evil Spirits from the last exam, did they?

As long as they weren't ambushed at close range, they were completely crushing them with their Black Sphere weapons.

The only remaining question was whether the hidden monster would appear at the very end, or if it could be found from the start.

While she pondered, perhaps having heard their unmasked discussion, a black shadow slowly peeled away from the darkness directly ahead.

It was a Kabane dressed in tattered samurai garb, wielding dual blades.

Unlike its peers, it didn't roar or charge mindlessly; instead, it tilted its neck, observing the group with turbid eyes, finally fixing its gaze on the weapon in Ryuen Kakeru's hand.

"This is..."

Shiranami Chihiro exclaimed:

"The Kabane that was climbing the wall at the very beginning?!"

"Yes, I remember it too." Ichinose Honami shouted, raising her gun to attempt a lock-on, "Everyone be careful, this one is special!"

"Interesting... a special individual?"

Ryuen Kakeru narrowed his eyes, not arrogant enough to rush forward and clash blades like a brute.

Among a crowd of unarmed Kabane that bit anyone they saw like wild beasts, the appearance of one holding dual blades, looking at the Black Blade in his hand as if it were thinking—anyone could see there was a problem here.

He raised his combat blade in alert, and Yamada Albert beside him had already raised his gun to begin charging.

However, the moment Ryuen Kakeru raised his blade, it was as if it had received an invitation to battle.

The corner of the sword-wielding Kabane's mouth suddenly split open.

Immediately, the floor tiles beneath its feet shattered.

"Swish—!"

With a flash-step, its speed exceeded everyone's expectations!

"!"

Ryuen Kakeru's pupils constricted.

But knowing that Ichinose and the others behind him were still charging, he knew that if he retreated now, all their efforts would be wasted.

Damn it, I'll risk it!

A ruthless glint flashed in Ryuen Kakeru's eyes; he gripped his blade with both hands and braced himself to meet it head-on.

"Clang!"

The blades met, and sparks flew.

The combat blade produced by the Black Sphere cut through iron like mud, and the samurai sword in the Kabane's hand snapped upon impact.

But that was all; Ryuen Kakeru didn't manage to follow through with a strike against his opponent.

This was because the Kabane, upon seeing its weapon break, actually displayed a look of human-like astonishment on its face.

Following that, it performed an incredibly unnatural maneuver, forcibly twisting its waist in mid-air, kicking off the ground, and using the rotational force to slash diagonally at Ryuen Kakeru's neck with the blade in its other hand!

"Get the hell away!"

At the critical moment, Yamada Albert, who had abandoned his charge just like Ichinose out of fear of hitting Ryuen Kakeru, stepped forward.

With a heavy, powerful front kick, the Kabane was sent flying back like a cannonball, slamming hard into the wall.

"Cough... thanks."

Ryuen Kakeru clutched his bleeding arm, marveling:

"What a fast blade... could this thing have been a Sword Saint in its former life?"

"Ryuen-kun, move aside!"

Shiina Hiyori's urgent warning came from behind.

Hearing this, Ryuen Kakeru sidestepped without a moment's hesitation.

Even though the Capture Gun had no delay in firing, it was, after all, long-range equipment provided by the Black Sphere that required a lock-on.

"Zzz—"

The triangular Laser Rope seemed to predict the Kabane's trajectory as it rose, binding it into a tight bundle the moment it drew near.

"Gaa... ah..."

The Kabane struggled frantically; despite its martial prowess, it could only rage impotently in the face of absolute technological suppression.

Ryuen Kakeru exhaled a long, murky breath.

"Your swordsmanship isn't bad... It's fortunate you were a lone wolf, otherwise, you would have been difficult to deal with."

Confirming that Ryuen was unharmed, Ichinose looked at the three green dots on the Black Gun's screen, just about to head to the laboratory to confirm Amikura Mako's presence.

"Ichinose, you go finish it off."

Ryuen suddenly spoke up.

Ichinose turned her head, looking at him with some confusion.

"Don't misunderstand."

Ryuen waved his hand impatiently.

"We're carrying a layer of debuffs; even if we kill it, we won't get many points."

"Since that's the case, we might as well let you, the one with the highest score, take the points to see if we can maximize the gains for a Reinforcement Suit."

Ichinose Honami was somewhat surprised, but she didn't act coy.

"...I understand. Thank you."

She raised the X-GUN, aimed at the Kabane on the ground that had already given up struggling and was merely staring at Ryuen with turbid eyes, and pulled the trigger.

Facing that gaze which felt almost like mockery.

Ryuen Kakeru was slightly surprised.

At this moment.

Perhaps having heard the commotion outside, the ajar door of the laboratory was carefully pulled open a crack from the inside.

Amikura Mako poked her head out, and upon seeing Ichinose, she was instantly overjoyed.

"Ichinose...! I finally waited for you to come back! I knew it was you!"

"By the way, Hirata from Class D was seriously injured and fell unconscious while trying to lure the monster away... He urgently needs medical assistance now..."

As she spoke, she prepared to push the door open and come out.

"Don't come out yet, there's a situation."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's voice rang out abruptly, cutting through the joy of the reunion.

Ryuen frowned, looking at Ayanokoji, who was standing at the doorway holding a container of unknown reagents.

"Speak plainly."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head.

"I'm not sure either, I just remember... there should be something important here, or something important happening."

"But I can't recall it no matter how hard I try."

Ichinose Honami, having just finished off the target, looked down at the radar again and asked in confusion:

"But... I was watching the radar just now, and apart from that Kabane, there were indeed no other signals nearby."

Shiina Hiyori seemed to think of something and speculated:

"During the last exam, we only responded to the signal representing the Parasite at the very end."

"Perhaps it's the same this time? Will the radar only display them once specific conditions are met, or when we reach the end?"

"Before then, we can only rely on ourselves to search."

Upon hearing this, Ryuen Kakeru looked at the strangely behaving Ayanokoji, then at Amikura Mako, who seemed completely unaware of any abnormality.

He raised his hand to signal Shiina Hiyori to swap weapons with him.

"I still have three lives left; let me take the vanguard. You all stay alert."

Ichinose Honami followed suit, stepping aside to let Amikura Mako leave the danger zone before following Ryuen into the room.

The two raised the Capture Gun and the X-GUN, their eyes fixed on the screens.

The Black Gun provided by Gantz came with a built-in X-ray vision function; while it couldn't penetrate walls, it was enough to prevent sneak attacks hidden in cabinets or shadows.

Better safe than sorry.

Behind them, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, clutching a homemade Molotov cocktail, finally loosened his clenched teeth.

The sharp pain from biting the inside of his cheek served as a constant reminder that something was wrong.

As someone who had undergone rigorous training, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew exactly what this cognitive dissonance meant.

Naturally, the moment he realized this, he had instructed Amikura Mako to remain vigilant of the door, ensuring she didn't give anything away.

Meanwhile, he had used the excuse of dealing with the Kabane to utilize the laboratory's ethanol and chemical agents to craft a Molotov cocktail to buy time.

From start to finish, he had never intended to face them head-on.

He just hadn't expected Ichinose and the others to eliminate the Kabane outside while separated by a door.

Although he had no right to point fingers at them.

But this massive commotion had clearly disturbed that "guest."

Now that the die was cast, there was no need to keep pretending he hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Following the direction pointed by the muzzle of Ryuen Kakeru's gun.

Everyone's gaze finally settled on the corner of the laboratory, beside that slightly ajar curtain.

"Oh, finally facing off against The Silence?"

"Hmm... still too naive. They could have easily taken one out in seconds, yet they're getting soloed without a scratch?"

Facing the floating screen visible only to him, Su Wei sighed inwardly before turning his attention forward.

Hampered by the X-GUN's pathetic range and delay, and in order to compete for time and points, Horikita Suzune was practically acting as the vanguard, charging at the very front.

As for Su Wei.

He only stepped in to help when it was absolutely necessary, such as when a straggler tried to launch a sneak attack from the flank.

As the Main God, how could he be like Xiang Zhili, a Deity Transformation stage expert running off to snatch opportunities from juniors?

More importantly...

He still had to provide enough experience to cultivate pillars of talent for this land!

Besides, there was still a nest of The Silence waiting on the roof; he could just make a move then to satisfy his need to show off, and that would be about enough.

There was no helping it; as a group with high attack but low defense, The Silence were indeed suitable as advanced monsters for novices.

In a sense, their ecological niche was similar to that of a Parasite.

Even though they weren't exactly full-blown villains in Doctor Who.