Chapter 14 - Even Xena, the Warrior Princess, Started out as a Pathetic Weakling.

Next morning, as Asmund woke up while feeling slightly hot without knowing why, he opened his eyes and soon realised: Shiori was currently hugging him in her sleep, while having her usual creepy smile on her face.

“Uehehehehe… N-No not there, Master you hentai…” -Shiori

Although the situation was pretty erotic (at least for a male virgin at the peak of his puberty), Asmund really felt annoyed for some reason while looking at her.

I’m not really in the mood, it’ll wait for tonight I guess. -Asmund

Even if he wasn’t in the mood, the hug and the sensation of her soft body glued to his still felt pretty good. It made him reluctant to leave the bed, but it was going to be a busy day so he woke her up with a small poke on the forehead, and left the bed to change himself while Shiori was grumbling something about not being lovey-dovey enough as she was holding her forehead which was throbbing in pain.

Finished changing into his gear, Asmund was going to hand her some of his spares when he remembered that he had yet to open all the capsules he gained the other day. Grabbing one of the grey capsules, he handed it to Shiori even though she was still in bed.

“I want to try something out, open that capsule… And don’t worry there’s no danger to it, they’re treasure capsules that are dropped by dead monsters, and from which you can gain items which give bonus stats.” -Asmund

She looked confused when she first got the gacha ball, but after hearing what it was, Shiori completely woke up as she excitedly twisted open the capsule.

*Pop*

“A dud huh? Here, try another.” -Asmund

Saying that, he handed her another grey capsule.

*Pop*

“Oh! W-What is it? It looks like a miniature pants like the one Master is wearing…” -Shiori

“Perfect, grab it and hand it to me.” -Asmund

Perplexed by his request, she still did as he asked…

“Kya!” -Shiori

And shrieked in surprise as the pants suddenly grew in size as she touched it.

“W-Wha?! What just happened?!” -Shiori

“All the equipment gained through the treasure capsules, apart from weapons, come out in miniature form but after coming in contact with someone it then expands into a size perfect for the holder to wear. If you release it, it will go back to its miniature size though.” -Asmund

Trying to do just that, she retracted her hand from the greyish pants and just like he said it reverted to miniature size.

Her curiosity satisfied, Shiori quickly handed the pants to Asmund, who took a step back after obtaining it.

“Looks like it really changed from your size into mine as soon as I was the only one to hold it. And it looks like the items aren’t ‘bound’ to the one opening the capsule, and can be used by anyone. That’s good to know.” -Asmund

His experiment done, he handed the pants back to Shiori as he intended to give her a pair anyway. Asmund then separated his 49 remaining capsules into two stacks, so that both can open capsules at the same time and make the process quicker.

But Asmund obviously started with the one he was the most impatient to open. And that is the one which was dropped by the Death-Hound Beta obviously.

*Pop*

…

[ Rank.1 - Black Dagger ]

[ Effect: Pow+1, Agi+2, Atk+2 ]

[ Durability: 100% ]

“FUUUUUUUCK!” -Asmund

Once again startled by Asmund’s sudden outburst, Shiori who was still half naked in the bed, slightly retreated further inside it, before timidly asking.

“D-Did something wrong happen, Master?” -Shiori

Heaving a really long sigh as he calmed down, Asmund waved his hand at her.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it… I was just really unlucky.” -Asmund

“O-Okay…” -Shiori

Not really understanding what happened, Shiori continued her previous task, and was really getting a lot of fun from it, as every item appearing was incredible in her mind.

Asmund also continued to open the normal treasure capsules, sorting what was appearing in proper piles.

“I’m done, Master! I think I gained a lot of cool things!” -Shiori

“You did?” -Asmund

Taking a look at the items that were spread on the bed, Asmund had a stiff smile.

They’re either trash or average items that I already have a lot of spares of… What did I even expect from this airhead anyway, it’s not like she’d be able to recognise a good item from a bad one for now… -Asmund

“Not too bad I guess… In addition to the ‘Hunter Trouser’ I handed you, take a Leather Shirt, a pair of Leather Boots, a Lesser Health Potion and a weapon of your choice.” -Asmund

“Yes, Master!” -Shiori

Looking eager to start the hunt, Shiori quickly changed into her gears, under the watchful gaze of Asmund, who found out that the nearly skin-tight Leather Shirt and Hunter Trouser, were unexpectedly sexy when worn by a woman.

Dang, even though she has only modest curves, they sure are emphasised in those clothes… -Asmund

“I’m ready, Master!” -Shiori

“Did you chose your weapon too?” -Asmund

“Yeah! I was thinking of using this spear, that way I will at least have some advantage when it comes to range against the dog monsters.” -Shiori

A surprisingly smart move, she’s actually able to think, I would have never guessed it was possible… -Asmund

“Master… A-Are you thinking of something really rude about me?” -Shiori

… Is this girl sharper than she looks? Na’, can’t be… -Asmund

“What I think about you only concerns myself. Now come on, we’re going to the vending machines to pick-up something to eat, and then we will start to hunt the mutts.” -Asmund

“Y-Yes!” -Shiori

With Shiori in tow, Asmund left the room, locked the door behind him like usual and then moved in direction of the vending machines. But as he was walking, he felt that he forgot about something…

Ah… I didn’t take my usual morning shower… It’s nothing much but I don’t really feel comfortable when I miss out on my good habits. As expected of someone who lived a life made of nothing but the same usual routine I guess… Oh well, the shower will wait for tonight, I don’t feel like going back when we’re already out and ready to hunt. -Asmund

Giving up on following his morning routine, Asmund moved along in direction of the south, soon arriving at the vending machines.

“Huh? There’s less than I remember in there…” -Asmund

“I-I’m sorry, Master, I-I took some of the things in there while waiting for you to wake up and leave your room…” -Shiori

“Oh… At least you're honest and didn’t try to hide it. That’s fine, there should be enough left so we can hold for some more days. And when we really have nothing left, then we will raid the cafeteria and take the secret stash your brother probably made for himself for when the food runs out there too.” -Asmund

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“Yes!” -Shiori

Seeing that Asmund wasn't angry at her for taking some food without asking, even if it was before she became his servant, she felt really relieved and smiled sweetly.

Like usual, both fed themselves on unhealthy snacks and drank soft drinks which were sadly hot and not that good, even though Asmund cooled them a little inside a bubble of water made with the use of Water Channel. After they were done with their ‘breakfast’ they left this place to move in the direction of Asmund’s usual hunting spot near the hospital’s main entrance.

But that was already 3 hours ago…

“Master? Does it normally take this long for the monsters to appear?” -Shiori

“No… This is definitely taking too long… Are those bastards hiding from me because I killed their Beta? Tch! It’s going to be a pain in the ass if we’re forced to go search for them in the basement.” -Asmund

“The basement? Why there?” -Shiori

“On the first days after the apocalypse, level 1 Death-Hounds or ‘dog monsters’ like you like to call them, cleaned every single floor of human corpses that were killed by mutts with a higher level. The place where they brought those corpses was the basement. I also noticed a huge flow of Death-Hounds moving up and down from it, so I came to the conclusion that their nest was down there.” -Asmund

“Ohhh~.” -Shiori

Asmund looked amused at the impressed Shiori, but he soon was back deep in thought, thinking about what he should do now that the Death-Hounds were trying to avoid him.

Even if their numbers are probably quite reduced thanks to yours truly, they should still need to hunt for food, right? But that doesn't mean that they will necessarily come out of their nest through the hospital’s main entrance. For all I know, they could have very well made another exit leading outside the hospital, directly inside the basement.

What a pain, it looks like we will have to clean up things at the source. But Shiori is still nothing but a level 1 newbie and I never visited the basement until now. There’s also the possibility of encountering the Alpha down there, and when I think about how strong that damn Beta was, I can only fear that the Alpha will be even more absurdly strong. -Asmund

“Looks like we don't really have any choices left… We’re going to visit the basement, but we will do this cautiously, taking the minimum amount of risk and make the maximum preparations. For now we need flashlights, do you have any idea where to find some?” -Asmund

“Hmmm… Wouldn't the security room have some?” -Shiori

“Fair enough, let’s visit it first.” -Asmund

That said, they left their hiding spot and traveled to the security room, which happened to be close to where they were.

Inside was a wall covered in small screens, which were obviously black at the moment since there was no power. There was also a desk in front of the screens, with two chairs, but most importantly, there was a small fridge filled with can of beers!

Nice! -Asmund

At least, Asmund was really happy with this discovery. As for the flashlights they were hoping for, by searching the desk they did find one. It was the only one left, but it had a spare battery for it though.

“One should be enough, with my current eyesight I should have no troubles to walk in dark places, so you keep it, Shiori.” -Asmund

“Heh?” -Shiori

“What? Is there something wrong?” -Asmund

“No, no! I’ll keep it, thank you.” -Shiori

Kyaaa! It’s the first time he said my name! -Shiori

Why does she have that stupid grin on her face again? I seriously don’t get this girl… Is she this happy over a simple flashlight? -Asmund

Not thinking too much about it, Asmund grabbed a marker pen which was left on the desk, a beer because he had the urge to drink one, and left the room while thinking about what they should do next.

Is there anything else we need to visit the basement? A map would be good, but I don’t think we’ll find that easily… Anything else? I did say that I wanted to make as much preparations as possible, but I can’t think about anything else…  Let’s go then, if I can’t think of anything it’s probably that I don't need anything else. -Asmund

“Let’s go, we’re going to go down through the less used staircase.” -Asmund

Shiori just answered with a nod before walking next to him, getting fired up. Imagining herself slaying hundreds of Death-Hounds like Asmund… But as her imagination went a little too far, she ended up seeing herself devoured by a horde of monsters. Naturally, this made sweat run down her back, as she finally realised that it wasn’t a game and she was going to put her life on the line here…

“M-Master…?” -Shiori

“What? Do you need to visit the toilet before going to the basement?” -Asmund

“Well… Now that Master mentions it there is that too, but… I was thinking, Master wants for me to fight monsters alongside him right? But the thing… Is that I’m not really confident about it, and afraid that I’m going to be in the way more than anything.” -Shiori

Listening to her, Asmund stopped walking and stared at her with eyes which made it clear what he was thinking about her at the moment, but in case that she didn’t get it he still said it outloud.

“Are you an idiot?” -Asmund

“Uhhh~... I-I know I’m not exactly the brightest person in existence, but still… Did I say anything wrong?” -Shiori

“Damn straight you did… Did you seriously think that I was going to let you participate in fights right from the start? What are you stats exactly?” -Asmund

“I-I have 4 in Power, 6 in Agility, 5 in Constitution, 7 in Mind and 3 in Spirit…” -Shiori

Does Mind really affect intelligence somehow? Her having a Mind base stat lower than average would make sense then… Sadly I’m afraid that putting free points in it wouldn’t change anything for her case… -Asmund

“Well… You’re damn weak! I did expect it from the fact that you were malnourished for a while and so you're still in a period of weakness, but damn! I can’t believe you only have 4 in Power, even when I was on the border of death and not much better than a zombie, I also had 4 at the time… Anyway, if I were to let you fight alone against something as low as a level 1, even with the help of the items I gave you, with your inexperience you would get slaughtered no matter how I see it. And what I would need help with would be monsters MUCH stronger than those, so what could you even do? I wouldn’t even be able to use you as a meat shield.” -Asmund

“Urg…” -Shiori

Being faced with Asmund’s honest judgment of her capability, Shiori became really depressed, and maybe a little ashamed to have even thought that she would be able to battle monsters easily just because she started to follow Asmund.

“For now you’re definitely a weakling, that’s why I will cripple weak monsters that wouldn't give me much experience or Credits anyway, and leave them for you to finish.” -Asmund

Asmund’s plan brightened Shiori’s mood as she now realized that she wouldn’t have to really fight monsters head on for now, and will still have a chance to grow stronger.

“Thank you, Master! You’re the best!” -Shiori

Snorting, Asmund answered seriously.

“I just hope that you’ll not make me regret to have to put this amount of effort in raising you. I also hope you won’t kick the bucket without my permission.” -Asmund

“Leave it to me!” -Shiori

Fired up again, Shiori raised her spear over her head, full of fighting spirit. She also tried to make it spin around and stab the air as if she was doing shadow training, but looking at her messy form and the fact that she almost tripped more than once, Asmund slightly frowned.

Just looking at you isn’t exactly reassuring… But at least she didn't drop it, I guess? -Asmund