บท 19: Protect the Waifu!
'A-Aki?' Haru's voice caught in his throat as he stared into Aki's crimson eyes, struggling to grasp the reality before him.
"Growl..." As he was stunned in shock, Aki pounced on him.
'Why, Aki!? Did the process fail!?' Shock rendered Haru unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events, and as Aki leapt on him, they both tumbled to the ground together.
Guilt, despair, frustration, rage, helplessness, and a whirlwind of negative emotions flooded Haru's mind as he gazed brokenly into Aki's face. He seemed to know the truth, but accepting it was hard.
"Growl!" In the midst of his shock, as Aki sitting on top of him, she quickly seized his bleeding right hand and bit down on it, sending waves of pain and shivers throughout Haru's body.
'Is this the end...?' Tears welled in his eyes as he watched Aki, now transformed into a zombie, gnawing at his hand, shattering all his hopes.
It was then that his System chimed in with a slightly disappointed tone,
["What's with the pathetic-looking face? Gosh! Are you actually stupid? No wait, you already are. Why are fretting over her drinking your blood? This is ritual, nothing is wrong in here, just think of it as a... umm.... what do you humans say? Yeah! Sharing the vows and a kiss of wedding ritual! Well, zombies have different customs, and they prefer it bloody."]
"What do you mean?" Haru's voice trembled with disbelief as he gazed at Aki, still drinking his blood. "We weren't too late to help her?"
["Yes stupid! Congratulations on getting married to a Zombie! You are now a legit Zombie's Husbando!"] A sound of capping followed right after she said that.
Ignoring his System's words, Haru's eyes welled up, not with negative emotions this time, but with genuine relief and joy.
'Thank goodness!' He wiped away his tears and directed his attention solely to Aki, feeling slightly lightheaded as she continued to consume his blood. Despite the sensation, he didn't mind it in the least.
In that moment, Haru wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice his life to save Aki if someone had asked. His unwavering dedication was a proof to how deeply he loved and cared for her. It wasn't long before Aki ceased drinking his blood and shifted her crimson-glowing eyes to gaze at Haru.
"Aki?" Haru called out to her with a mix of excitement and worry. However, Aki didn't respond.
Her crimson eyes gradually closed, and she fell backward as if she had lost consciousness.
"Aki!" Haru shouted, swiftly rising from the floor to catch her and prevent her from falling.
"What's happening!?" he asked, his voice laced with panic.
["Don't worry, it's a normal procedure."]
Right after she said that, multiple messages began appearing in front of his eyes.
[Ritual Completed! Congratulations on marrying a Zombie Waifu!]
[First Quest - Completed!]
[Reward – Husbando's Aura!]
[WARNING!!]
[Zombie Waifu has fallen in deep slumber!]
[Zombie Waifu is undergoing an evolutionary process!]
[Please wait...]
"So, what now?" Haru couldn't help but ask his system after reading the messages.
["Now you wait. Hmm... Considering the evolutionary process, I think it will take few hours at least and will probably end by tomorrow-"]
But as she was explaining Haru, something strange occurred.
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[ANOMALY DETECTED!]
[AN ANOMALY IS DETECTED! An existence is being born which defies the standard evolution and process!]
[COMMENCING PROPER PROTOCOLS!]
Huge blue-colored hologram screens suddenly materialized throughout the entire classroom, only to vanish quickly as if they had never been there.
["They sure are quick, huh?"] his System suddenly remarked.
"What's going on?" Haru asked, filled with uncertainty.
He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss with those unusual messages, as they were different from the ones he usually received. His own system messages always glowed in a golden hue.
Ting! Just as the blue screens vanished and his doubts intensified, his personal system screen promptly appeared before him.
[An anomaly has occurred!]
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest – Protect the Waifu!
Description -
Since the Zombie Waifu is undergoing an evolutionary transformation, all the monsters and zombies within a one-mile radius will be able to sense her transformation and will rush to devour her until the process is complete! As the Husbando, protect your Zombie Waifu at all costs!!
Reward – A new Skill!]
"What!?" Haru was stunned as he read the quest about protecting Aki.
Despite his unwavering determination to defend her with all his might, facing numerous terrifying monsters and zombies within a mile's radius was no small feat. Even battling a single Level 5 monster had taken everything out of him, and he had needed help from others at that time. The thought of confronting countless such creatures shook Haru not because of fear, but because of his concern for Aki, knowing they would be targeting her, and he wasn't strong enough to face them.
["What are you worrying about, stupid? I gave you an EX-Rank Class! You can smash those weaklings with just your fists!"] She retorted.
"Are you sure I got stronger? Because I can't feel anything special or different," Haru replied, sensing no changes within his body.
["Oh... wait... I think I forgot to do that!"]
"What do you—!!"
Before Haru could finish his sentence, he felt something stirring within his body.
Thug! Thug! Thug!
Suddenly, his heart began pounding loudly, and an excruciating pain erupted from within it, coursing through his entire body as his temperature surged.
[Stats are increasing at an incredible rate!]
Messages continued to appear before him, but due to the pain gripping his chest, he couldn't focus on reading them and embraced the unconscious Aki in his arms, hoping to ease some of his discomfort.
"Ha Ha Ha," he exhaled after a while, the pain gradually subsiding, leaving him mentally drained and perspiring.
"Why did I suddenly feel pain?" Haru inquired of his system, carefully laying Aki on the ground and weakly rising with the support of the wall.
["Given the urgency of the earlier situation, I hadn't increased your stats, which serve as the source of your powers. Now that I've assigned the values and you've experienced a leap from level 1 to 5, you underwent a slight transformation"]
A hint of pride crept into her voice as she continued, ["See, I was considerate, right? Aren't I more reliable, better, and more intelligent than those low-tier Systems!?"]
"Certainly, I do feel different now..." Haru responded, sidestepping her last seemingly narcissistic comment. He indeed felt entirely altered, even sensing a change in the atmosphere within the classroom, as if it were infused with something.
[How mean... you keep ignoring my best efforts... Anyways, you can access your Status now. Call it within your heart"]
Following her instructions, Haru summoned his Status, and a comprehensive screen materialized before him.
########################
*** Personal Information ***
Name – Haru Fujiwara
Class – Zombie's Husbando (EX)
Gender – Male
Race – Human
Level – 5
EXP – 0/10000
Rank – Awakened
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** Character Status ***
HP – 200/200
Prana – 780/780 -> 1950/1950
STR – 45 -> 112
AGI – 34 -> 85
STA – 31 -> 77
DEF – 27 -> 68
Charm - 20 -> 50
INT – 29 -> 73
LCK – 30 -> 75
Stat Points – 60
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Skills *****
????? (Rank - ???)
Husbando's Aura (Rank - EX)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Spells *****
None
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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