Glorious Vanity (SI LitRPG)

It took a lot of fast thinking and acting, but I eventually managed to sort out how I knew where we were.

To sum things up:

1. This was Earth, a place where gods originally didn't exist.

2. Mana didn't exist in this world, and all humans were pretty powerless unless using tools of some sort.

3. Currently, the world was undergoing the apocalypse caused by foreign gods who created a 'system' and wanted to use the world to prevent their myth's end.

4. We had been transported here at the start of the apocalypse where the dead had started to rise and had to sort our way out.

5. Because of Earth's suppression force, all abilities except those of an ordinary human were being suppressed.

6. Finally... I was the exception to the rule since my abilities were technically the culmination of human knowledge and attributable to human ingenuity than external power.

That last part was 100% a lie. But it was also kind of true, so... Maybe not 100% a lie?

Either way, that was the tl;dr that I gave to Gale and Aqua to get them up to speed.

Gale still seemed a bit suspicious, as a loyal knight ought to be. But Aqua had completely taken the bait and was treating me with respect now for apparently being the survivor of an apocalyptic event just like her.

...Which made me think that Aqua reminded me a lot of a certain other priestess from a world of infinite competitive dungeons, but that was a side tangent.

The main point now was...

"So what is our course of action, Vain?" Gale whispered to me as he surveyed the corridor ahead. "Do you intend to take down all of these undead?"

I followed his gaze and then scratched the back of my head.

We... or rather, I, had cleared out the zombies on that floor we were at. But as we made our way downstairs, more started to appear, shambling out of the apartments.

Now, since I was the MC and could take care of the living dead- I mean, the zombies, one possible solution was clearing out every floor.

It would help too, since if I remembered right, the condition for the first awakening should be to kill about ten or so zombies.

I wasn't sure if that applied to party members though... Actually, it definitely didn't apply since I had killed more than enough to meet that quota.

But it was too dangerous for them to try and fight right now. While I didn't think that zombification spread through getting bitten or wounded, I didn't put it past whatever entity sent us to this setting to not have that as part of the scenario.

And considering the number of zombies I saw that seemed to be wearing fantasy clothing... Yeah, that part seemed pretty much confirmed. Too risky.

For now, the priority was catching up with my dear Freyr and making sure she was okay.

She should be fine since I was the MC and the system had labeled her as my wife... Which was a thing.

But still, regrouping was for the best. After that, we could sort out what to do.

[You realize that you're spacing out again, right?]

Dammit. Thanks, Alice.

I shook my head and then focused, idly twirling around my knife in my right hand.

"First, we get to the basement. Assuming I'm reading the flow of events right, that'd be where Freyr is."

After all, the mutated zombie was set to spawn there. And knowing how much Babel hated Freyr, it would definitely try to put her somewhere close.

She basically had plot armor though so she'd be fine. Still, this was the plot where the MC rushed to find his beloved only for her to be perfectly safe. And since I was the MC right now, it was better for me to stick to the script. At least until everyone I cared about was back together.

Aqua shivered, clutching her bag of candy close to her chest. "D-Do we have to?" She peered over at the shambling zombies and said, "C-Can we not just find shelter and avoid those creatures?"

I shook my head. "No can do. Even though this seems like another world, it's still just a 'scenario', remember? And since it is, wasting time will only make things more dangerous."

Gale nodded and then turned towards Aqua. "Rest assured, Princess. We will make it out of this alive."

"Gale..." Aqua let out a faint smile and then nodded. "F-Fine. But you can't get hurt. Promise?"

"Of course."

...Was this what it was like for other people watching me and Freyr? This pink atmosphere was a bit...

[Oh, *now* you're self-conscious about it?]

A little reflection goes a long way. And speaking of reflections...

I eyed the number of zombies in the hallway and then checked my bag, mentally calculating the number of knives I had left. After that, I stared at the zombies and started doing some rough sketches of knife trajectories and ricochets...

Yeah. This should work.

Seeing as Gale and Aqua were still in their own world... The suspension bridge effect really is effective, huh? Though considering my situation with Freyr, maybe I shouldn't knock on it so much...

Anyway.

Since those two were busy, and since it was best if we hurried, I palmed the rest of my knives and stepped forward.

[Are you going to play the role of a cheat MC again?]

Obviously. Isn't that how these settings are supposed to play out? In webtoons and Korean webnovels...

I swung my arms and threw the first volley of knives.

"...The MC has to always trounce on the mobs in his path."

Flashing silver. Beautiful chimes echoing as the steel knives ricocheted and cut through the zombies after being strengthened with <First Night: Slash (Fake)>.

And then the hallway was cleared out, the zombies vanishing into smoke as they were shredded.

Aqua flinched and then pointed at me. "Warn me when you do that!"

I picked up my bag and shrugged. "I'll remember it for next time. You're still pretty useless right now though, so just sit tight and watch."

"Grk... I-I'm not entirely useless! If I could use magic...!"

I walked over to collect my knives... Well, 'knife.' All of them had shattered except for a Wustoff brand fillet knife.

Which was weird considering that fillet knives were thin and should have easily snapped...

But anyway, a knife was a knife.

[Except when they aren't, like apparently everything you pick up.]

Huh? What do you mean?

[...I forget that you can't read item information right now. Here.]

I picked up the knife and frowned as a window popped up in front of me.

-V-

[Wootz Steel Knife <Wustoff> - Unique]

Originally a blade with decorative Damascus steel patterns, affinity with <A Different Path> and <First Night: Slash (Fake)> has refined the blade.

Enhancements: Infinite Durability

-V-

...Alright. Maybe I am a cheat character after all...

[You think?]

I spun around <Wustoff> to test its weight before holding it at my side.

The floor was silent.

I could hear faint groans from outside and from somewhere below, but nothing on this floor.

Glancing out the window nearby, we seemed to be on the... third floor? We didn't seem to be too high up.

Of course, my plan was to eventually head to the roof since I had an easy way of clearing this scenario in mind, but until then we had to make our way down.

Gale made his way towards me and then frowned when he saw the shattered knives. "...My apologies, Vain. If my abilities were unsealed..."

"Don't worry." I smiled and said, "I'm planning to have you and Aqua carry us in a bit."

[...Wait. Don't tell me you're planning to use <World-]

Hey! No spoilers! You'll ruin the plan!

[What? You seriously think that-]

Alice's voice suddenly cut off before continuing. [...Actually, that's smart. Probably the first smart thing you've done.]

I agree. Also, how's Avalon? Is she asleep right now or something?

[Well, since someone's just gathered a bunch of exp, Avalon's busy digesting it all.]

...Huh?

[Just focus on clearing this stage, idiot.]

Kk. Love you too, Sis.

[Go screw your-]

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

An indescribable roar. At the same time...

[The Abomination has awoken. Urgent mission <Survival> has started.]

"Hmph! A weakling like you dares to stand between my reunion with my husband?"

...A familiar female voice called out. Although, one that sounded a lot haughtier than I remembered.

Aqua blinked and said, "Did I just hear Lady Freyr?"

I sighed and said, "Yeah. Looks like Wifey got too excited."

"Wifey!?"

I started walking forward and said, "If you're surprised about that, you're in for a hell of a ride, Aqua... Now come on. It'll be bad if those two manage to wreck the building."