"What a wonderful surprise gift this is..."
Ryuji couldn't help but complain in his heart.
Those two girls had left clean and unharmed, only to come back bringing this whole disaster right to their doorstep. He honestly didn't even know what to say anymore.
But right now, there was a far more pressing question staring him in the face.
"Should I save them?"
He tightened his grip on the M60 machine gun that Kiri had scavenged earlier. The weight of the solid weapon gave him some much-needed reassurance… but charging straight down there?
That would basically be suicide.
His hesitation didn't go unnoticed. Kiri, who was crouched beside him covering one of the shooting windows, raised an eyebrow and asked curiously,
"Judging by that look… you're thinking of saving them?"
"Yeah… I mean, they are pretty powerful. And besides, all those monsters have already come this far. It's not like this is a blood moon — who knows if they'll just leave or disappear on their own."
While talking, Ryuji rummaged through their supplies and tossed Kiri a bunch of spare clothes — not exactly top-tier armor, but at least something to help block those zombie birds from tearing through bare skin.
"But the key thing is — their strength could be a huge help. They can do a lot of things that we can't... Anyway, I'll go out there alone. You stay here and cover me."
As he threw on makeshift protection and headed towards the door, Kiri shook her head and shot him a look.
"You serious? My combat ability's way higher than yours, you know. And besides, like it or not, you are kind of special."
Ryuji nodded without hesitation.
He was the one insisting on saving them — there was no way he'd ask Kiri to risk her life for that.
Besides, the sooner he moved, the safer it would be. Hesitate too long, and things would only get worse.
"There's still Tsunade here — someone has to stay behind to protect her. And if something unexpected happens, at least with you here, this place won't fall into total despair."
Kiri snorted coldly but didn't argue further. Instead, she tossed a small pouch to him.
"There's a motorbike inside. You know how to use it."
He didn't waste any time — every second was precious now.
He burst out the door, pulled the motorbike from the storage pouch, and in one smooth motion, swung himself onto the seat, revving the engine.
Behind him, Kiri was already open firing without hesitation, her precise shots picking off the zombie birds diving down toward Ryuji one by one.
That's right — in just this short span of time, zombie birds had already started swarming their position too!
Twisting the throttle, he sped forward on the motorbike, charging straight toward the dirt slope — their usual route for climbing in and out of this giant pit. It was steep, dangerously so, but with his current strength, handling the bike was no problem at all.
Meanwhile, Rias and Lux, who had crash-landed nearby, weren't exactly idle either.
Though Rias was practically out of magic power, she still managed to barely hold up a defensive barrier, shielding them from being instantly torn apart by the ravenous crows.
Lux, on the other hand, gritted her teeth and struggled to lift Rias' curvy body onto her back, desperately staggering toward Ryuji's direction.
But no matter how hard she tried — without the same monstrous physique her brother possessed — there was simply no way Lux could outrun danger in time.
Thankfully... Ryuji had arrived.
Revving the motorbike like a charging beast, he managed to reach them just before the dense tide of zombie birds behind could catch up — but even so, the scene before him sent chills down his spine.
The zombie birds were frighteningly close now. Any more delay and there was no doubt — they'd all be ripped to shreds right here.
But there was a problem — there was absolutely no way he could get both of them back on the bike in time!
Glancing at the endless horde of incoming zombie birds, then back at the exhausted Lux and Rias, Ryuji gritted his teeth and shouted toward kiri, who was still covering him from above.
"KIRI! Get back inside! Protect yourself and Tsunade! I've got my own plan!"
Kiri visibly froze for a split second but ultimately followed his command without argument, retreating into the building.
"Don't you dare die out here! I'll cover you as much as I can!"
With that, the suspended door slammed shut behind her — but the gunports above burst into a hail of muzzle flashes, Kiri's covering fire lighting up the sky.
Ryuji didn't waste a single second.
Without hesitation, he whipped out his iron shovel and began furiously digging into the ground beneath his feet. Dirt and rocks flew in all directions as, right before Rias and Lux's astonished eyes, he quickly carved out a pit large enough for a grown person to fit inside!
"W-What the..."
Lux's jaw dropped in disbelief, while Rias instantly understood what he was planning.
Glancing at the swarm of zombie birds closing in—now less than a hundred meters away—and listening to their ear-piercing screeches that seemed loud enough to tear through the sky, Ryuji roared at the two girls.
"Jump in! NOW!"
Without hesitation, Lux grabbed onto Rias and leapt into the pit.
The very moment they were down, he withdrew his motorcycle back into his inventory space, pulled out a small pouch, and — upon landing — quickly opened it.
From within, he retrieved a hollow steel block.
Seeing that chunk of metal slam heavily onto the ground while the terrifying bird horde rushed at him like a black tide, Ryuji gritted his teeth, hoisted the steel block over his head, and immediately jumped down into the pit himself.
In an instant, the pit was sealed shut, the three of them now buried underground — save for the half-exposed steel block poking above the surface like a crude bunker lid.
"Thank god... I maxed out my Strength stat back when I was fighting Tsunade…"
Bracing the hollow steel block with all his might — something that easily weighed three tons —Ryuji's arms felt like he was holding up a full-grown adult with only his bare hands.
The sheer weight nearly sent him crashing down, which would've smashed this enormous block directly onto the two girls beneath him.
But somehow, he held on.
With the power of the 7 Days to Die system flowing through him, he managed to support something that, under normal circumstances, should have crushed him instantly.
Outside, the ear-splitting cries of the zombie birds echoed relentlessly, mixing with the never-ending gunfire of Kiri's rifle.
Yet down here, in the suffocating darkness, Ryuji didn't stop for even a moment.
After all, this thin layer of dirt above their heads wouldn't hold forever.
They had to go deeper.
Still holding the massive steel block above his head with one hand, he quickly pulled out his shovel with the other and stabbed it into the dirt beneath their feet.
With a loud crunch, the ground beneath them gave way, and the three of them dropped slightly deeper into the pit. The sudden fall forced he to hurriedly adjust his grip, straining his right arm to stabilize the heavy steel block overhead.
Even so, he couldn't help but grumble under his breath.
"You two sure know how to make my life difficult... Now squat down! Both of you!"
Taking a deep breath, Ryuji waited for Lux and Rias to obediently crouch down. Once they did, he wasted no time opening his inventory and switching the shape of the structural frames in his crafting menu.
A horizontal beam quickly materialized in his hands.
With practiced ease, Ryuji installed it right above their heads, locking it into the walls of the pit. He then carefully rested the hollow steel block on top of the beam, finally allowing himself to release his aching arms with a sigh of relief.
But it wasn't over yet.
Without slowing down, he dug even deeper, then tunneled sideways to create a cramped underground chamber. Once the space was big enough, he sealed it off using another steel block just like before.
Only then did he finally relax a little.
Now, at least for the moment, they were safe — shielded from the monstrous birds above and hidden away in their hastily crafted underground bunker.
After finishing everything, Ryuji finally lit a torch crafted from materials they had bought from the trader, illuminating the pitch-black underground space.
This wasn't just any torch — it had no time limit, wouldn't go out no matter how violently he waved it around, and glowed steadily even in this cramped, suffocating hole. It was a standard nuclear-powered torch, perfectly suited for survival in this world.
With the warm light spreading out, Ryuji finally got a good look at the two girls.
Rias was gasping for breath, her face pale, her ample chest rising and falling like a pair of bellows — every heavy breath sending shockwaves through her soft curves, almost enough to make one's imagination run wild.
But despite the tantalizing sight, her condition was far from good. Her clothes were torn, scratches marred her cheeks, and even sitting on the ground she looked like she might collapse at any moment.
Lux, on the other hand, was in relatively better shape. Her face was pale as well, but she could still move freely. Even so, her body bore its fair share of wounds.
It was clear — the two of them hadn't lured the zombie birds here on purpose. They'd simply been forced into a desperate escape, driven to the brink by that endless swarm.
"You two really are…" he let out a long sigh.
He planted the torch firmly into the ground, then pulled out a medical kit and some bandages, preparing to treat their wounds.
As for scolding them or demanding answers — that could wait until after their injuries were dealt with.
Come to think of it, this medical kit was pretty impressive. Once materialized from the system, it contained not only gauze and bandages, but also basic surgical tools, morphine, and various medicines — basically a portable emergency room.
However, just as he took out the gauze and crouched beside Rias, ready to start treating her, Rias spoke up weakly.
"I'm sorry... we dragged you into danger because of us... Once I recover, I'll take care of this mess myself."
As Rias spoke, she let out a rough cough. The aftereffects of exhausting her magic were hitting her hard, leaving her in obvious discomfort.
She had indeed been overconfident.
She thought that after flying Lux all the way to Ryuji's location, she would still have enough strength left to deal with the zombie birds chasing after them.
But... she had underestimated the horrors of this world.
She thought she had a grasp on the speed at which those birds appeared. She believed that no matter how many came, there would be a limit.
However...
This world didn't care for logic or mercy.
The number of zombie birds hadn't just increased — it had multiplied exponentially. And before she knew it, things had spiraled out of her control. In the end, she had no choice but to use the last of her magic power to accelerate, barely managing to escape the deadly swarm.
"Hah... Just saying 'sorry' isn't going to cut it," Ryuji said bluntly. "You're going to have to repay what you've done with action. By the way... is it safe to disinfect a devil's body with iodine?"
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of iodine. Before, he'd been forced to use alcohol because it was all he had — rough and painful as it was. But now that he'd found iodine, of course he would use that instead.
But to his surprise, Rias shook her head. She lifted her delicate face, her deep blue eyes staring at him with a rare, serious expression.
"I understand. I'll repay my debt with real actions, not just words," she said softly. "But...Mr. Ryuji, I have a request. Will you hear me out?"
Ryuji found her attitude a little strange, but he still carefully took her hand and began to disinfect her wounds.
"Go ahead. But don't forget the position you're in right now."
"I know," Rias nodded firmly. She took a deep breath, her expression growing even more solemn.
And then, without the slightest hesitation, she spoke.
"Please... kiss me."
"...Oh."
He nodded instinctively — only to freeze a moment later, staring at her in shock.
"Wait, what? Are you trying to seduce me?!"
Rias's face instantly turned bright red. And right beside them, Lux finally processed what Rias had just said. She covered her mouth in disbelief, staring wide-eyed at Rias like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
Panicking a little, Rias quickly explained herself.
"T-That's not it! It's not like that at all! I only... I only need your life energy to restore my magic!" she hurriedly clarified. "After all... I can't just bring trouble to your doorstep and expect you to clean up my mess for me."
As she spoke, Rias looked at him with utmost seriousness. Then, reaching into the valley of her chest, she pulled out a strangely shaped chess piece.
"As compensation," she declared solemnly, "I'm willing to offer you one of my pieces. With it, I can turn you into a devil — granting you incredible power and an extended lifespan!"
Ryuji silently nodded, and for a brief moment, Rias thought he was considering it.
But then—he opened his mouth.
"I refuse."