Ch.169[Chapter 169] Simulation

“This is new.”

Sir Dominic couldn’t help but marvel at this new experience as he walked through the plaza.

The fountain that had been covered with moss and algae just moments ago transformed into a dazzlingly white marble fountain, and the rickety wooden roller coaster was completely replaced with a new one.

Dented and abandoned trash cans disappeared, replaced by the latest models.

Roads that had been in disarray everywhere were neatly repaired.

Sir Dominic watched it all from the airship.

The sight of GachaWorld changing its appearance repeatedly in the blink of an eye was so brilliant that he couldn’t take his eyes off it.

But that was only for a moment. The airship carrying Sir Dominic stopped in mid-air.

Then it slowly began to descend and completed parking.

Sir Dominic disembarked from the airship and looked around.

It was an entrance.

An entrance between the wasteland and GachaWorld.

Of course, it wasn’t the same entrance where Sir Dominic had arrived.

According to Don Castello of Greed, GachaWorld boasted an area almost as large as GachaLand.

As such, GachaWorld had multiple entrances, and this was one of them.

When they had departed from where they first arrived, the sun had still been up, but now darkness was gradually settling over the wasteland.

Considering the time it took to reach the closest entrance from the first one, one could understand just how massive GachaWorld’s original form was.

“Good.”

Sir Dominic muttered as he looked out at the wasteland.

“So I just need to block this place.”

Sir Dominic recalled Don Castello’s request.

…

‘To move the Ferris wheel, we need to charge all of its batteries.’

‘Why batteries? Well, the Ferris wheel originally needs power from all sectors of GachaWorld to move.’

‘It’s a method designed for emergency use for about a day in case something goes wrong in one sector.’

‘With the capital I can urgently pull together, two sectors is the limit. In other words, it means supplying power equivalent to thousands of sectors with just two.’

‘We need to charge the batteries to move the Ferris wheel.’

‘But attackers will surely come to interfere.’

‘That’s precisely when I need you all.’

‘Friends, stop their attack.’

‘Fortunately, or unfortunately, the sectors are separated from each other, so they can’t enter except through the entrances. That’s the basic rule of GachaWorld.’

‘…I’m not sure if it will work properly yet, but anyway, it means you just need to block the entrances.’

‘Since there are two sectors, please take one each. I’m counting on you.’

…

Recalling Don Castello’s words, Sir Dominic looked back at the wasteland.

The entrance on this side was quite unique, with a bridge placed between the entrance and the wasteland, like a drawbridge.

“Honestly, I don’t think they’ll come this way…”

Sir Dominic drew his sword and shield and watched the front.

“But you never know.”

Sir Dominic scanned the increasingly darkening wasteland, not letting his guard down.

However, the wasteland quickly became so dark that he could only see as far as the light from GachaWorld reached.

This was the same for Sir Dominic.

Perhaps that’s why?

Sir Dominic failed to see something moving in the darkness of the wasteland far away.

A group slowly approaching GachaWorld.

…

Sir Dominica arrived at the entrance.

Of course, not the entrance Sir Dominic went to, but the original entrance they had come through.

“So I need to guard this place.”

Sir Dominica looked back.

Lights growing brighter, seemingly indicating power production.

Evidence that Don Castello was working with all his might.

Sir Dominica looked beyond the entrance again.

Having become accustomed to the bright light, her vision was a mess with afterimages of light remaining even as she looked into the darkness.

The night of the wasteland had become so dark that one couldn’t see an inch ahead.

The area where light leaked from GachaWorld was sufficiently illuminated, but even that was visible only in a very narrow area.

“I’m glad I brought this.”

Sir Dominica casually tapped the spider tank she was riding.

The front of the spider tank had large lights attached, which, while not illuminating the entire surroundings, provided sufficient visibility to the front.

Moreover, the situation was truly reassuring due to the collision size of the spider tank, which was large enough to almost block the entrance.

Sir Dominica idly fingered the musket at her waist.

With a strange sense of anticipation.

…

The wasteland completely descended into darkness.

However, Boss and Z could clearly see where their target was.

The only place shining brightly in this dark wasteland.

GachaWorld was emitting strong light without any intention of hiding its existence in this darkness.

“So…”

Boss asked Z.

“What are the chances?”

“Well, we’ll have to test the first phase to know.”

Z shrugged.

Z, who was now wearing a bulletproof vest over his shirt and watching the front with a baseball cap and headset on.

Looking alternately at the darkness of the wasteland and his watch, Z eventually said quietly.

“It’s begun.”

With those words, the darkness of the wasteland began to ripple.

No, the darkness remained the same.

Within the darkness, an impossibly large number of something was moving.

…

“Huh?”

Sir Dominica, who had been closely watching the front, suddenly noticed something moving.

She slightly moved the spider tank to look around.

“Grrrr…”

That’s when it happened.

Unexpectedly, from quite a close distance, a low, dull growling sound was heard.

“!”

And something suddenly jumped out along the wall.

Surprised by the sudden ambush, Sir Dominica aimed the musket she had been fingering and fired without proper aiming.

The effect of the special skill [Shock and Awe] triggered, stunning whatever it was.

When it stopped moving, Sir Dominica could finally see the attacker’s appearance in detail.

“…Good heavens. God almighty.”

Sir Dominica called upon a god she normally wouldn’t seek.

That’s how shocking the attacker’s appearance was.

“Grrrr…”

Pale skin with black, rotting bruises and stains all over.

A stiff body with bullets embedded here and there, yet not a drop of blood coming out.

Dull, dead eyes and wounds that were remarkably still alive.

Sir Dominica realized the identity of this intruder.

She couldn’t not know.

It was one of the things she had seen to the point of tedium when fighting against demon tribes in Feralant.

Sir Dominica controlled the spider tank and began to stomp on that something with its large front legs until it was unrecognizable.

The complete way to kill them was to burn them or crush them to the point where they couldn’t rise again.

You’ve probably guessed it by now.

Yes.

The identity of the intruder attacking from this darkness was none other than a zombie.

Sir Dominica glanced down.

And felt relieved seeing the zombie gradually digitize and disappear.

“…A zombie appearing suddenly.”

Then she raised her head to look at the darkness-covered wasteland.

The area illuminated by the spider tank’s lights.

Looking at that place, Sir Dominica sighed.

“Don Castello’s concerns might have been right.”

There, more intruders were dragging their messy bodies toward GachaWorld.

More than expected… no, even more zombies than that.

…

Sir Dominic was not spared from attack either.

However, Sir Dominic… made one mistake here.

“…I’m done for.”

Sir Dominic said, looking at the clear teeth marks on his forearm.

Beside him was a corpse smashed beyond recognition.

Just now, Sir Dominic was attacked from the darkness.

Unlike Sir Dominica, he had to rely only on the light leaking from GachaWorld, making his field of vision even narrower.

In that situation, Sir Dominic failed to deal with a zombie that suddenly jumped out.

Blue veins clearly appeared from where Sir Dominic was bitten, gradually changing to a green color.

But Sir Dominic couldn’t give up.

Trying to delay the mutation as much as possible, he tore his clothes and tightly tied them above the wound.

The arm, which had turned pale and then red due to the lack of blood flow, now had green veins wildly thrashing about.

Yet the reason Sir Dominic didn’t give up was simple.

The sound of growling echoed from all directions.

The zombies that had come like rippling darkness finally revealed themselves in GachaWorld’s light, having approached that close.

And Sir Dominic had been asked by Don Castello to block this entrance.

To fulfill that request until the very last moment, Sir Dominic raised his shield.

And walking out onto the bridge that existed between the wasteland and GachaWorld, he began to prepare to face the zombies.

Beside him, for some reason, a carousel slowly began to move.

With splendid music and lights.