That's right — manual laborers. For now, that was all Ryuji expected from them — plain and simple workers. Nothing more.
After all, no matter how he looked at it, these two girls clearly didn't trust him one bit. Forcing them to do anything beyond basic labor would only backfire — they'd never agree to it.
"Well, anyway, you're free to explore this world if you want. I can turn you into players right away and provide you with some basic weapons. But if you prefer, you can also become players on your own by killing enough zombies. It's all up to you."
Ryuji spread his hands casually, giving them the freedom to choose.
"There's no need to waste your experience points on me, Mr. Ryuji," Rias replied calmly, without a hint of hesitation. "I can become a player myself. That said, I'll still focus on my current job — helping everyone build up the fortress."
Rias spoke decisively, making her stance perfectly clear.
She didn't plan on wasting any time. Sure, it was necessary to gather intel on this new world — but that was something she could do on her own, quietly, later. No need to get distracted now.
Besides, as a member of the Gremory family, even if her powers were currently being suppressed, Rias was confident she could handle most situations without much trouble.
But voluntarily accepting something directly from Ryuji?
That... she would avoid for now.
Because in this bizarre world, there were just too many strange and ridiculous things that could hurt her in similar ways.
"Alright then... what about you, Lux?"
"Eh? M-Me?"
Lux scratched her head, looking a little troubled. After furrowing her pretty brows for a moment, she finally spoke up in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Um... I guess I'll go with the same choice as Rias-san. I mean... I think I can be of some help too."
She reached out her hand.
Here, she felt much more at ease. Even though there was still this indescribable pressure weighing on her, Lux could feel something inside her gradually awakening.
And so, she pointed her finger forward.
In an instant — a beam of light, as thick as a water barrel, blasted out from her fingertip, striking a distant tree. The huge tree, thick enough that two people would have to join hands to circle it, was instantly burned through before the beam pierced further, slamming into a giant boulder behind it.
And then — the next moment —
BOOM!
The massive boulder shattered into pieces.
Or rather, it was incinerated by an overwhelming heat, before crumbling apart.
Ryuji: "...…"
…Seriously, what kind of ordinary person like me has the qualifications to stand on the same playing field as monsters like these?
Even Rias raised an eyebrow, realizing she had underestimated Lux. But at the same time, her desire to recruit Lux into her own peerage only grew stronger. If it weren't for this strange and unfamiliar environment, she would've invited Lux to become her servant right then and there.
As for Lux herself — she was completely shocked by her own power.
Sure, she'd used magic before. But this level of power? This was definitely a first.
She stared dumbfounded at the devastation she'd caused, mouth agape, unable to believe this was something she had done.
Rias couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Lux's current reaction was all too familiar — the look of someone newly awakened to their own overwhelming strength, struggling to come to terms with it. Rias had plenty of experience dealing with someone like this. So without hesitation, she walked over to Lux's side and extended her hand gently.
"Looks like you and I are the same type of person, Lux-san."
And then — right before Lux's surprised eyes — magic circles began appearing around Rias.
In the next moment, countless fireballs surged towards the already burning grass and the remnants of the trees.
BOOM—!!!
A storm of smoke and flames erupted.
The already devastated land was now completely reduced to rubble and ashes.
Ryuji: "..."
He couldn't help but have a terrifying thought.
If the first zombie horde was calibrated to challenge just him and Erina...
Then now — with monsters like Rias and Lux joining his side — just how ridiculously powerful would the next zombie horde become?
...Or maybe he was just overthinking things?
No, no, no.
Given his luck so far, wasn't this kind of thing basically guaranteed to happen??
Ryuji could feel a sharp pain in his stomach.
When did he... become the obvious dead weight in this party?
Actually, now that I think about it, that was probably already the case ever since the second wave of newcomers.
If Tsunade didn't have hemophobia and all those mental issues holding her back, this world would be basically easy mode for her. And with Kiri backing her up, they could probably wipe out most threats with ease.
So I guess I've been nothing but a mascot character since that point, huh.
Still—
It kinda felt good though.
"Well, then, you two go ahead and do whatever you like," Ryuji said, spreading his hands in resignation.
Since it had come to this, he might as well let these two big bosses do as they pleased.
After all, if things actually came down to a fight, his side was clearly the weaker one.
But for surviving through the Blood Moon? This wasn't a bad thing at all.
"Then we appreciate your understanding," Rias responded with a smile, doing her best to maintain her composure.
Truthfully, she'd already pushed herself to her limits. The suppression from this world was just too intense.
Right now, she could barely use even one percent of her power.
Her gaze shifted slightly toward the silent blonde woman — the one called Tsunade.
From the moment she laid eyes on her, a sharp sense of danger had been screaming in her mind.
This woman could kill her.
Easily.
That sense of warning was what stopped her from trying to seize control of the situation from the start or acting recklessly.
"Well then, thank you for your generosity."
Without sparing Ryuji much attention — just an ordinary human in her eyes — Rias didn't bother considering his thoughts at all.
The fact that he sneaked a glance at her chest? Completely beneath her notice.
After all, they came from two completely different worlds.
Instead, she gently grabbed Lux's hand, pulling the confused girl aside to start exploring the area.
As for mining?
Please — she was the heir to the Gremory family! Manual labor was out of the question!
Watching their figures disappear into the distance — Ryuji turned back to look at Tsunade.
"Yeah... they're pretty amazing, huh?" he said, mostly just trying to fill the awkward silence.
Tsunade let out a helpless sigh, staring at this very ordinary man.
"You don't need to worry about what happened yesterday. That was my mistake."
Shaking her head, she stood up.
"But... since it's already happened, there's nothing more to say. Even if I made that decision in a moment of panic, it was still my decision.
I'll keep doing... that... with you, until you've gathered enough energy to send me away.
But I'd like you to give me a rough estimate — how many times are we talking about here? And how long is this going to take?"
Her voice was calm — after all, she'd already mentally prepared herself for this.
"About fifty times, probably," Ryuji answered honestly. "Since you and I don't really have any romantic feelings for each other, the emotional energy generated is pretty low — less than a quarter of what Erina produces.
So... yeah. It's going to take a lot."
Tsunade was silent for a moment. Then she shook her head.
"I can't see the exact number... but don't make me wait too long. And with that number…"
She gave Ryuji a serious look.
"Let's do it ten times a day."
Ryuji immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
But after thinking about it for a moment, he looked back at Tsunade.
"Are you sure you can handle that?"
For him, it wasn't really a big deal — as long as food supplies were sufficient, ten times a day was doable. But Tsunade…
Her face instantly flushed bright red. The moment Ryuji said that, it reminded her of her utterly embarrassing state from the night before, and she clenched her fist tightly.
It hardened.
Her fist hardened.
"Shut up! Just do it! A ninja is someone who endures anything! Don't underestimate me! I carry the title of one of the Legendary Sannin, after all!"
She declared proudly — but then muttered in a much smaller voice:
"…Worst case, I'll just use my Byakugou Seal."
Fortunately for her, Ryuji didn't catch that last part.
After saying her piece, she waved her hand, gesturing for Ryuji to go do his tasks.
"Alright, go handle your stuff. I've got things to do too."
Ryuji nodded, but just as he turned to leave, Tsunade suddenly called out to him.
"Come to my place at noon. That way I can at least have some rest time."
"Got it."
The distance between them gradually widened. Just as Ryuji was about to step through the merchant's doorway, he heard Tsunade's final words drifting over from behind him.
"And also… take it slow next time, I…"
"Hm?"
"…I've healed."
Healed?
Ryuji froze with his hand on the doorframe.
Healed what exactly?!
~~~~~~~~
Next Bonus chapter target: 500 PS.