Ryuji's current mental state? Fired up to the max, his drive and determination through the roof.
That's because, after finishing his training, he came to a sobering realization:
In other worlds, he couldn't afford to be this carefree anymore.
His physical strength was nothing special. The miracle drugs he relied on in the "7 Days to Die" world would become useless once he left—they were like water without a source, destined to run out eventually.
In other words, he couldn't keep doing it day and night like he did now. He'd be just like any other guy.
That wouldn't be so bad… if not for the fact that he had ambitions to build a harem.
And what kind of harem king would he be if he couldn't perform? That would just make him the ultimate cuck!
So, he needed power—no, a body built for greatness. And the blood energy technique he'd been ignoring just so happened to be the key.
As long as he didn't go full berserker—melting his blood essence into lava or worse—the technique was quite efficient at strengthening the body.
Ryuji chose the safer path: strengthening his blood energy to nourish his body from within. Aside from the ridiculous and risky entry method, it was a legitimate way to enhance himself.
The berserkers, on the other hand… they were basically walking time bombs. Their philosophy was, "as long as the blood flows, the body remains." Sure, it sounded cool. But one wrong move and—boom. You're gone. Even if you reached enlightenment, your manhood's probably useless anyway.
Plus, Ryuji didn't like the idea of polluting his own blood with others'. Blood energy wasn't just blood—it held a person's spirit and will. That's why berserker blood was so volatile—it carried the wrath of countless fallen warriors. No wonder it exploded.
The technique Ryuji now practiced focused on refining his own blood energy, increasing its strength, using it to toughen his body, and selectively absorbing or rejecting foreign blood.
As for how to stay alive while doing all this?
Not a word.
Just one ominous line: "Suppress the blood, or die on the spot. Such is the fate of us berserkers."
So yeah, Ryuji was sticking to the early parts of the technique only.
But…
"You know, a normal person would've died at least 300 times by now… and the whole room reeks of blood. Are you sure about this?"
Rias covered her face as she watched blood spurt from Ryuji's body like a fountain. He was deliberately triggering every potential mistake and danger point, testing every angle with a kind of fearless insanity. Was it the miracle drugs giving him confidence, or was he just built different?
This training method was pure madness. Whoever invented it must've been deranged. Sure, the power it offered was immense, but was it even humanly possible to master?
"It's not that bad… at least it's not a waste. I've already made some progress. Besides, thanks to your spell, the pain's only a tenth of what it should be. Piece of cake."
Ryuji coughed and spat out a chunk of what looked like a lung. His expression didn't even flinch anymore.
The reason it wasn't a waste? Simple.
Underneath him was a magic circle. All the blood he vomited or sprayed was neatly siphoned into a container. Even his damaged lung fragments were dragged into a bucket by an invisible force.
Nearby, Rin was silently collecting the bits of flesh and blood, applying them to equipment. When she infused them with magic, glowing runes appeared, visibly enhancing their power.
"Just so you know, with a magician's blood and organs, someone could curse you to death. I know you said you don't mind, but… you really trust me that much?"
She grumbled, still bewildered. After Ryuji started training with that insane technique and bleeding everywhere, she half-jokingly mentioned that some of her own enchanted gear was made from her discarded brain fragments. Ryuji immediately asked her to do the same with his remains—to strengthen his equipment and create attack items.
She thought he was joking at first. But now… she realized this man was seriously deranged in very specific ways.
"Ugh. I'm starting to regret lowering your pain threshold."
Rias shook her head. She, too, had been pushing her own limits—constantly draining her magic reserves to increase her total capacity and recovery rate—but this self-destructive style of Ryuji's? She couldn't accept it.
It was too bloody. Too extreme.
"But it works," Ryuji said calmly.
He raised his arm. Blood energy swirled around it. In a flash, he slammed his fist into a steel plate beside him—ten centimeters thick. It left a deep, clean imprint.
That was just one-tenth of his current blood energy—equivalent to his full strength in any other world. In one night, he'd managed to make his punch rival a shell blast. Which kind of shell? He'd have to test it.
Of course, outside this world, one full-power strike would leave him collapsed unless he downed another potion. He'd be worse off than his enemies.
But compared to how weak he was before? This was a massive leap.
And he had only just begun.
"Well, do as you like." Rias sat down by the window, watching the zombies shuffle across the wasteland.
She was doing the same as Ryuji—pushing limits, figuring out what worked and what didn't. Ryuji was testing and refining his technique, breaking through obstacles. She was exploiting magic glitches to enhance her energy reserves.
But the feeling of depletion wasn't pleasant. Her body, drained from overusing magic, was on the verge of collapse.
That sensation… of being weak, hollow, like her soul had been sucked dry—was maddening.
It also made her want to mate.
All living beings crave reproduction when they're near death, especially under threat. That's why the "hero saves the girl" trope works—biology.
And devils? They're even more primal. They've always used sex to negotiate surrender, to reward victories, to survive.
In the past, pureblood devils solved marriage problems through internal family unions. Later, it extended to alliances among noble families. And now? As long as you agree to become a devil, you could marry into nobility.
Right now, because of her training, she felt that same pent-up frustration. But the only man around…
She glanced at Ryuji, who was still immersed in his training, and sighed.
"If only he'd agree to become my servant."
If he did, she could help him create his own family and noble title. As for the "control" of devil chess pieces?
They barely held any real influence. Most stray devils weren't victims of control—they just rejected their contracts. After all, this wasn't slavery. It was a pact between equals.
Still, some demons abused that, ruining the underworld's reputation.
"If only I could bring more people here for special training…"
Just as she thought that, she noticed something outside.
At some point, the blood moon had risen again.
The zombies that had been shambling aimlessly… suddenly raised their heads—all of them staring straight at the building.
"As expected… the Blood Moon has arrived earlier, and it's lasting even longer than before."
Rias had barely voiced her observation when her eyes widened in shock.
Because at the very moment the Blood Moon rose, with the roar of countless zombies echoing through the air, new and terrifying variants began to emerge.
One was dressed in tattered military fatigues, but embedded in its chest was a constantly blinking explosive device. Another had no genitals, no clothing, only pale gray skin and bony armor-like plates—its entire body glowing with a sickly green hue.
And beyond them—a boar and a bear, each the size of a compact car, charged forward with thunderous force.
"Ryuji! Everyone! This isn't like the previous nights—we can't just sit back and watch!"
A chilling sense of foreboding gripped Rias's heart. She silently gave thanks that she had been pouring her magical energy into reinforcing the barrier these past few days—otherwise, there was no way the shield would hold against this.
"So you're saying we fight," Ryuji said, stepping up to the firing slit and peering outside. His eyes immediately locked onto the bomb-laden zombies. Wasting no time, he pulled out his sniper rifle. After dropping a few nearby stragglers, he carefully lined up a shot—and fired at one of the explosive carriers.
Boom!
The blast shook the earth. The zombie was vaporized, and everything within a five-meter radius was flung skyward. Even the ground beneath it was left with a crater. All that remained were a few scraps of gear and twisted metal.
Ryuji's expression darkened.
That level of firepower could seriously damage even their steel-reinforced walls.
One or two might be manageable—but this was a horde.
A quick glance told him the ratio was dire: roughly 1 in 10 among the regular zombies was now an explosive type.
No time to hesitate. Ryuji dropped into position behind the slit, set up his rifle, and opened fire.
"Rias! How's your side holding up? If it gets bad, let me know. Give me ten minutes' warning, and I'll evacuate the others!"
His words were calm, steady—but the implication was heavy.
These fortifications might not be enough. If Rias's magical barrier couldn't withstand the onslaught either, then it was time for contingency plan Z.
Evacuate those he could. Leave the rest to fate.
"I can't say for certain until they breach the walls," Rias answered grimly. "I'm confident we can hold out for the day—but if it goes longer, I'm not so sure."
If it were just a few dozen—hell, even a couple thousand—she would have no worries. The barrier had taken her days of intense magical crafting and could resist even ten thousand explosive charges.
But the problem wasn't just the number—it was the duration. And what came after these variants?
"Got it! Everyone—help me out here!"
Without another word, Ryuji focused on targeting the bomb carriers. The three women beside him didn't need any prompting—each grabbed a weapon and joined the fray.
Thanks to their earlier excursion, even the lowest-leveled among them—Mai—had activated the game system. That meant no training needed. They could instinctively use firearms.
Gunfire lit up the night as they opened fire on the swarming horde below. Ryuji eventually set aside his sniper rifle—it was too slow—and switched to a machine gun, sweeping the enemy ranks.
Zombies with glowing green skin fell in droves. Every time an explosive zombie went down, the ravine below lit up with fireballs, temporarily halting the advance.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Rin yelled, holding an M60 and laying down suppressive fire. "If other magi saw me now, they'd say I've thrown away the Tohsaka family name—maybe even the honor of all mages!"
But despite her words, Rin's trigger finger never slowed. And the more she fired, the more she realized—this was far more effective than her cursed bullets.
Sure, those took effort. They required mana, training, and the power of intent. And at the beginner level? Barely stronger than a regular bullet.
But the thing she held now? With this world's odd systems, she could use it flawlessly, with minimal practice.
And more importantly—its firepower was overwhelming.
Ryuji couldn't help but laugh. "You're better off ditching that old-school thinking. In this world, the best path is simple: use what works!"
He was a firm believer in that philosophy.
That's why he trained in both magic and blood energy—a mystical martial force that enhanced his physical body, stamina, and even magical reserves. In turn, his magic fortified his body, allowing him to endure the chaotic surges of blood energy.
It was a feedback loop. Efficient. Brutal. Effective.
As for "Qi" or other powers? He'd look into that later. From what he'd seen across different worlds, most magical forces were combinations of willpower and life energy—just in various forms.
And blood energy? Pretty much the same. A blend of spiritual and physical energy.
Weirdly enough, Ryuji felt that it leaned more toward the spiritual side—something even he found strange. After all, the term "blood energy" implied vitality, life force.
But the feel of it was… mental. Energetic. Like it even shared some traits with magic.
He found it bizarre—but it worked. And that was all that mattered. Next month, when he returned to Arad, he planned to find G.S.D and ask about his condition. Compare notes. See how his blood energy matched up against other Berserkers.
For now? He was just glad he had meds and power to spare.
But the idle banter ended abruptly—because despite their fierce defense, less than twenty minutes later, the zombies began to break through.
They stacked themselves into a massive wall of bodies, scaling the ravine and smashing into Rias's barrier.
Explosions erupted. Blinding fireballs lit up the night.
Ryuji and Rias could do nothing but watch as the tide surged forward, a flood of death wrapped in fire and decay.
Rias could feel her barrier glyphs flickering, her magic draining with every second. Her frown deepened.
Especially troubling were the giant boars and bears—they were as strong as low-class devil, and the bomb blasts were even more powerful than she had anticipated.
"Their speed and strength… they've all been enhanced. And Ryuji," she said grimly, "have you noticed the spacing between the explosive ones?"
She slowly rose to her feet, raising her arms.
"These zombies… they're not acting on instinct."
"There's someone directing them."
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.