Chapter 34: The Call

Raive, Therese, Hershey, and Khamish.

The four of them made their way back to Hershey’s home on foot. Even with the road dark, the path wasn’t hard to remember, so getting home didn’t take long.

Once they arrived, Therese started on dinner.

Raive kept an eye on the group chat he’d made, specifically so the two girls could post their updates.

From the details they dropped every now and then, Shymine was headed for C City, roughly 200 kilometers from where they were.

The city where her parents’ ancestral home stood.

On foot, it would’ve taken forever, but thankfully, she’d "borrowed" a motorcycle from the roadside to get there faster. A car would’ve been safer, but there was no guarantee the roads were even clear enough, with so many vehicles stalled out in the middle of them.

Hazel, meanwhile, was just heading to her nearby apartment complex.

It was about an hour’s walk, so it shouldn’t take her too long.

The problem was how many people kept trying to stand in her way. Just reading her reports on how many bodies she’d left along the road was enough to send a chill down Raive’s spine.

"Dinner’s ready~!"

But all of that got pushed aside for now.

Even if the girls ran into trouble, there wasn’t much Raive could do to help them directly. All he could really do was restart the loop at the right moment if something went badly wrong.

Dinner was lighthearted, with Therese and Hershey chatting away as if trying to brighten the mood.

Khamish even threw in a few dad jokes, earning a consolation laugh out of the little lady. Raive found the whole scene at the table oddly... pleasant.

As the night wore on, and Shymine’s regular updates trailed off—since she was busy driving—the others decided sleep was really their only option left.

Hershey stayed in her room on the second floor, with Therese staying behind to keep her company.

Khamish took the guest room on the first floor, while Raive, with no other option, ended up in the master bedroom on the second floor.

"..."

But Raive couldn’t sleep.

He just lay there, arms crossed behind his pillow, staring up at the blank ceiling.

’A lot happened today...’

Calling himself tired would’ve been an understatement. He felt like a soldier fresh off the battlefield, carrying enough baggage for a few episodes’ worth of PTSD.

At the same time, though, he couldn’t help but feel curious. ℯ

His skill, after all, felt far too overpowered.

Reviving upon death.

Even if he wanted to die, all he had to do was load the last save and start over.

It was almost as if the gods had handed him a guaranteed path to godhood.

And yet...

"A wish..."

Even if he did reach godhood, he didn’t actually have a wish he wanted granted.

He’d asked the others about theirs, but only Hershey and Therese had given him real answers.

Hershey wished for her parents to be brought back, so they could live peacefully again. Therese wished to see her husband and son again in heaven.

Their wishes were similar enough that they’d stuck with him easily.

But Raive had no one he wanted to see.

His parents? He didn’t even have a photo of them.

Relatives were something that only existed in his imagination.

World peace?

Pointless, when almost everyone else was already dead.

"..."

He couldn’t figure out what he actually wanted. Raive bit his lip, restless...

"Fuck..."

Eventually, he gave up and got out of bed, walking out onto the terrace attached to the room. The cold night air hit his face, but even looking up at the sky, all he found was the same cold, mechanical countdown.

The clouds were thick enough to block out even the moon, let alone any stars beyond it.

"Phew..."

Raive took a deep breath, trying to settle his frayed nerves.

The quiet of the night was exactly what he needed right now...

RING! RING!

Only for it to be shattered by a sudden mechanical noise.

Turning around, he saw his phone lit up, ringing loudly with an incoming call. Since only a handful of people could even reach him, he rushed to grab it and answer.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Raive..."

A wheezing sound came from the other end.

It was a familiar voice—but far weaker than it should’ve been. Hazel’s voice.

"Hazel? What’s going on? Are you okay?" He asked, urgency creeping into his voice.

The line stayed silent for a few agonizing seconds, making Raive’s nerves spike. Losing one of their fighters now would be a serious blow to their strength.

"I... messed up."

Her answer finally came.

She sounded anguished and furious all at once.

"My parents..." She gasped, breathing hard, before forcing herself to continue. "My parents were taken by some strange group. I fought them, but... I lost. There were too many."

"I see."

Even without many details, Raive understood the situation immediately.

"Location?"

"No. 6043, Sunrise Apartments, Pine Street."

"Got it. Stay put."

Raive didn’t hesitate for a second.

He grabbed nothing but his sword and leapt straight off the veranda.

Right now, he had the strength of someone who’d consumed 61 stat-up candies. Which meant—

WHOOSH!

Every one of his stats sat at roughly six times that of the others.

Even if he was just running, he was faster than a speeding motorcycle. His stamina was high enough that the pace didn’t even leave him winded. His senses were sharp enough that he never missed a single obstacle along the way.

With his stats, he’s basically a superhuman already.

He tore forward in a straight line, vaulting over anything in his path.

Buildings included.

At that speed, he reached his destination in just five minutes.

Leaping from the neighboring rooftop, he landed atop the Sunrise Apartments. The moment he did, Raive’s expression darkened.

"The smell of blood..." He murmured.

The scent was so thick he couldn’t help but wonder how many lives had already been lost below.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Raive walked over to the door leading to the stairwell and twisted the knob—locked.

BAM!

Not for long.

One solid kick sent the door flying open, clearing his path to the stairs.

"WHO’S THERE?!"

Naturally, the noise alerted whoever was inside.

"Phew... Alright!"

Raive exhaled, drawing his sword from its makeshift sheath, a thin smile crossing his face.

"Let’s see how well I do against human opponents."