7 days had passed, and there were 7 more to go before the second Elimination Round.

The sound of stomachs growling with hunger echoed through the small underground room where Shin and the others stayed.

They hadn't eaten in two days now—surviving only on water. The stalls were completely empty. Shin had been scouting for food each night, sometimes bringing back two dried slices of stained bread... sometimes, nothing at all.

The only supermarkets still stocked with goods were the ones Darren had conquered and made them his own. But stepping near them was like tying a noose around your own neck—instant death.

But hunger wasn't the only problem. They were also unable to level up, and the second Elimination Round was drawing near.

Then, like divine intervention, all their systems lit up with notifications.

"It's a quest!" Shin jumped up before even reading what it was about.

But when he did...

> [Quest: Use Lewd-Reap skill once and steal someone's skill]

[Reward: 50XP + Stolen Skill]

He sighed, glancing down. Same quest like the one the system had given him some days ago. Not only was he completely unprepared to use the Lewd-Reap skill, but the reward wasn't even enough to get him to level 2. He needed 100XP for that.

He put that worry aside and went to check what kind of quests his grandmother and Elena had gotten. They still had a hard time understanding how the whole system worked.

First, he read his grandmother's quest.

[A rare item is hidden at Hikawa Elementary School. The first player to retrieve it levels up to level 2.]

"What?" he exclaimed. "The first player? That means other people got this quest too! That's dangerous!"

His grandmother ruffled his hair gently. "Dear, how does this rare item look like?"

"I don't know." Shin responded earnestly. "But since the system wants you to look for it, there should be clues. But it's really dangerous, Granny!"

"Well, if it's the only way to survive, then I have no choice but to give it a try. If l don't, I'll still die anyway. Its better to die trying than not doing anything at all. Besides, didn't you say I had a badass skill?" Suzune said, flashing an assuring smile. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll go get whatever this rare item is—without your help."

Shin sighed and turned to Elena, stealing a shy glance at her face before checking her system interface. His eyes widened.

"This is insane! The difficulty level is extreme!"

"Read it aloud," Suzune mumbled.

[Quest: Trigger a civil war between two big factions. Watch without getting involved. If war starts, you gain +3 levels.]

"The reward is amazing, but this is way too risky!" Shin exclaimed.

Elena looked down, her hands gripping the hem of her short, blue tunic dress. "I'll do it," she muttered firmly.

Suzune and Shin stared at her, stunned by her resolve.

"Really, Elena? It's too dangerous. I'll help—"

"No, Shin! You've done enough." She cut him off. " You need to start thinking about yourself and stop worrying about everyone else," she said gently but firmly.

"Elena is right, dear. Look out for yourself. It's not a bad thing to do," Suzune agreed.

"Guys…" Shin muttered.

"Anyway, what quest did you get?" Elena asked.

Shin's eyes darted around the room. He didn't want to tell them. He hadn't even mentioned the filthy Lewd-Reap skill to them. He had told them he just got a complicated skill and brushed the topic off.

"Uhh... it's also a dangerous quest. Something to do with enemies. You know... dangerous stuff," he lied, badly.

Both women knew he was lying, but time was running out and hunger gnawed at them. It was best to just attempt the quests while they still had some energy left.

"Alright!" Elena said, standing up. "Your grandma and I will head to the elementary school. She'll search for the rare item, and I'll look for opposing factions. Then, from there, I'll just have to figure out what to do next."

Suzune also got up from the bed, grabbed a metal pole to use as a cane, and followed Elena out.

Shin knew it was dangerous out there, especially in the afternoon. But at least his grandmother's nullification skill gave him some peace—other people's magic attacks wouldn't work on her.

He helped Suzune climb out of the hideout, then got out too.

"Bye, guys. Please, be careful," he said, watching them step into the sun for the first time in a week.

They were shocked to see what remained of their once beautiful town—debris, shattered buildings, chaos everywhere. But the constant gunshots and explosions had already prepared them for it.

Suzune waved. "Be careful too, my boy. I love you," she said, blowing him a kiss.

He smiled faintly, watching them disappear into the ruined streets.

He sighed and turned to walk his own way.

The others' quests were difficult, yeah. But his?

His wasn't dangerous... but it was difficult in its own twisted way.

He couldn't just go out and expect to find a woman who'd be willing to sleep with him so he could steal her skill—for a measly 50XP.

In this apocalyptic world, a woman seeing him might just kill him on sight, especially since he had no combat abilities.

Still, he walked carefully down the broken street.

Maybe... just maybe, he'd find a way to complete his quest.

TBC