Chapter 19: Ira's powers
Evening descended, casting long shadows across the campus. In the warm glow of lanterns and magical lights, everyone gathered at the Mess Hall for the nightly item exchange. The rules were simple but strictly enforced:
No theft. No scheming. If caught—three days without food.
Everyone technically had money, but by now, they all knew: cash was useless here. In this world, the true currency was gear, skills, and survival value.
Sam strolled through the mess hall, scanning tables and blankets laid out with gear. Swords, potions, armor pieces, strange trinkets—everyone had learned how to examine items for rank and skills. He moved methodically, occasionally stopping to inspect something, his sharp eyes always evaluating.
After some thought, Sam made a trade.
He exchanged Emmy's Black Grade Leather Armour and his own Right Arm Guard (Black Grade) for two common-rank mana arrows imbued with "Fire Shot." A risky trade, but a calculated one.
He had already given Emmy a small arsenal:
[Arm Guard (Right) – Black Grade]+Defense
[Leather Armour – Black Grade]+Defense
[Mana Bomb – Common Grade]Mana Burst
[Ring – Rare Grade]Wind Shield, Wind Radar, +Mana
[Long Knife – Rare Grade]Wind Cutter, +Sharpness
All of it was carefully selected for her safety and skill compatibility. Emmy was his first girlfriend—his first real connection in this chaotic new world. Protecting her wasn't just strategic; it was personal.
While browsing further, Sam noticed someone striding confidently through the crowd, weapons strapped across his back like a walking armory.
It was Blake.
Blake had more items than anyone else—possibly even more than Sam himself. Rumors circulated that during the mission to rescue the girls, Blake fought like a whirlwind, switching weapons mid-battle with uncanny efficiency. His mastery of mana and skill usage was unmatched.
Sam figured it had to do with Blake's initial gift—something that gave him in-depth information about skills, mana flow, or maybe even the gear itself.
An idea sparked.
Sam pulled out his phone and quickly typed it into his notepad. Just in case he forgot later.
Beside him, Emmy was doing her own browsing. Several students approached them, asking to trade for their gear—especially the armor pieces—but Sam rejected them all without hesitation.
Later, Sam managed to make another trade of his own:
He exchanged a [Sword – Common Grade] (+Sharpness) for a pair of [Leather Pants – Common Grade] (+Defense). A fair trade, and one step closer to upgrading his full set.
Dinner and Planning
After wrapping up the exchange, Sam and Emmy grabbed dinner but decided to eat privately in their room.
They sat on wooden chairs near the window, casually chatting while eating from metal trays. After dinner, Sam went for a quick bath. When he stepped out, he let Emmy go in next, and while waiting in the hallway, he spotted his squad gathered nearby.
They had also just finished eating.
"Yo, Captain. Everything all right?" Max grinned, giving Sam a playful nudge.
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, all good."
"Jokes aside," he continued, shifting into a serious tone, "Tomorrow we hit B-7 Hostel. If anyone has questions, now's the time."
"How many people are there?" Peater asked.
"From what I've gathered… at least 50."
"Then why's our group so small?" Nathen asked, eyebrows raised. Other teams had 30–40 people, but Sam's unit was barely over a dozen.
Sam nodded, already expecting the question. "Because when we breach the building, we'll be working in cramped spaces. Smaller groups are more flexible. Once the outer area's cleared, we'll get backup—and don't forget, we might find survivors inside willing to fight alongside us."
He didn't tell them the real reason: he hated managing large groups. Too chaotic. Too noisy.
They reviewed the plan a bit longer, then everyone began to disperse.
Sam returned to his room and knocked lightly."Emmy?"
"Come in," her voice called softly.
Inside, he found her sitting on the bed, brushing her hair. Both of their pets, Ira the slime and Lumi the tiny flying creature, were curled up on a spare sheet on the floor. Emmy had even pushed their beds together into one.
The moonlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting a silvery glow across the room. Outside, distant zombie groans mixed with quiet footsteps in the hall. But inside—it was peaceful. Almost sacred.
Sam sat on the edge of the bed and began checking his equipment for cracks or wear. Then he called softly:
"Ira."
The little slime slithered over cheerfully.
Sam held out a Common Grade Sword. "Can you eat this?"
Ira responded immediately, gobbling it up without hesitation.
"Now, transform into it."
With a shimmer, Ira reshaped herself into a near-perfect replica of the sword. Sam tried to scan it—nothing appeared.
He frowned.
Not giving up, he handed Ira a glaive. She consumed it just as easily. This time, after transforming, Sam fed a tiny bit of mana into the weapon's core.
He felt it respond—mana surged from his hand to the blade's tip.
He swung gently.
Ssshhhkk!A shallow cut—2–3 millimeters deep, nearly 10 inches long—sliced clean across the wall.
"Sam… this is awesome," Emmy whispered, eyes wide.
Sam grinned. "Yeah. Looks like I just discovered a whole new use for Ira."
Ira, sensing his excitement, returned to slime form and wobbled up to his shoulder, nuzzling him with affection.
"Yeah, yeah, you're amazing," he said, chuckling as he massaged her soft body.
Not to be outdone, Lumi flew over and perched on Emmy's shoulder, flapping her tiny wings with pride.
They kept experimenting for a while and learned a few things:
Ira needed time before she could use a weapon's skill after consuming it. She couldn't eat anything that wasn't made of metal—she outright rejected wood, bone, or plastic components. However, Sam could command her to replicate missing parts when transforming—and the skill still worked as long as the core components were metallic.
It was a major breakthrough. Sam now had a shapeshifting weapon with customizable skills.
As the excitement faded, both of them finally settled into bed. Everything felt awkward at first—being this close, in one bed—but slowly, the weight of the day caught up with them.
Outside, the night hummed with quiet danger. But inside, wrapped in warmth and moonlight, Sam and Emmy drifted into sleep—slowly, gently, together.