I made another story, honestly, I was planning on updating the RWBY/Fallout crossover. And I haven't abandoned that one I have a singular moment that I want to get to that's in volume 8 I think so motivation way down the line.
This got inspire largely by two stories Bless this world with a Stranger by RhineWrites. Which objectively speaking is an absolutely amazing story, very in-depth world building, great characterization, in an alternate universe set up of the Wonderful World. But I do not like it. I got fed up with all the mind control and borderline pseudo NTR moments. Also, Darkness is not in the group of girls Kazuma gets, and that one is my favorite…outside of Yun-Yun.
Also Megumin is the main love interest but somehow seems to do more to sabotage Kazuma than she does in the source material. It is not even actively either it is just things she does without thinking that ends up biting him in ass and Kazuma still prioritizes her.
But as I said it is a great story my grievances are entirely my personal opinions/preferences.
Once again great story. But my sheer disagreement with the authors choice of plot progression up to the point I read where I dropped it.
Then the other story is No Goddesses Need Apply. Which I am pretty sure most people viewing this have read. If you haven't I highly recommend you do. Short summary Aqua abandons Kazuma right after the first day of the toad quest. Which then forces both character and skill development for Kazuma because death does have consequence. But it still remains pretty close to the source material and all the characters are portrayed spot on to how they act in the show.
Even has a reference on the TV Tropes website.
So, I made this one where Kazuma is more experienced, and levelheaded. Not by choice but because that is what he had to be to survive Harran.
A young man around 16 years of age was at the edge of a building overlooking a parking a lot. Now this parking lot was a bit different than normal parking lots. For one all the cars parked there looked like they were bashed around the lot.
And there was also a monster the size of a truck standing in the middle. That thing is called a Demolisher. They are overgrown mutated infected that are extremely tough, and extremely strong. They have hardened skin and body armor that they had when they were human and was somehow able to stretch to accommodate its new size including their helmet.
And usually described as 'Best Left Alone'.
Honestly, that is something the teenager one hundred percent agreed with. Under any other circumstances he would leave this thing alone. He doesn't have anything to prove.
However, a couple months ago antizin drops have stopped. Antizin is a drug that delays the turning of an infected.
Luckily, he himself was not infected, but a lot of people in his survivor group are. Now what little is left was mainly controlled by warlord, but he died around three months ago, and what was left of his group grabbed everything that was not nailed down and scattered.
The Tower group managed to collect some, but they were running out again.
This brings us too now. When Antizin drops were happening they were very quickly picked up by those who reached it first or by those who were able to fight off other survivors.
One however has remained untouched since it first landed.
Reason being because of a Demolisher. This Demolisher.
He has spent days scoping out this area. Trying to figure out if there was anyway to get to the drop without fighting the monster.
But he found no way, the chest was right there in the open, it would be trivially easy to get to. Save for that monster.
So, he began to think how he can kill it. Demolishers are tough monsters, not only because of their hardened skin. But also because of their body armor they had when they were human that for some reason grew with them when they mutated.
So, tools for the current job, a sledgehammer, a pickaxe, and the grappling hook. Along with a machete as his primary means of defense.
He was Japanese. Other runners already had taken to calling him 'Ninja' as nickname. Mainly because most of them could not be bothered to try and pronounce his name.
So how did a Japanese Highschooler end up in a zombie apocalypse in a Turkish city?
Well prior to this he was a shut in. Due to a tanking social life at school where at some point people decided he was the bottom rung. Sure, he did not give them much reason to like him especially when the bullying started. But still he was one that had to take everyone else's crap. A few sadistic assholes and whole bunch not so innocent bystanders who were just glad it wasn't them in his position.
Then his childhood friend ended up dating the schools head delinquent who was one of his primary tormentors. Well, a building full of enemies and not a friend in sight most people would not bother showing up aside from trying to burn the place down.
He chose the peaceful option and just held up in his room after that. His parents already thought he was disappointment, so their opinion did not really change. Honestly if he died, they probably celebrate with his younger brother.
He would not be surprised if they are having the time of their lives right now. He wonders if they collected his life insurance yet.
Anyways by a stroke of luck he won a sweepstakes for a two-week vacation to Harran during the Global Athletic Games. When his parent's found out, they basically packed his bags and forced him out the door. They were probably happy to be rid of him even for a short amount of time.
Maybe if he ever returns home, he should expect to see his stuff sold and his room cleared out.
This was before the outbreak became prevalent. The first few days were normal, then the infections became worse. By the end of the week, it was getting out of the hand with bunch of viral people running around trying to literally tear people apart.
So, he tried to leave, but he could not because the airlines were backed up and he could not schedule a flight to Japan and the exits from the city were backed up with traffic for miles due to military checkpoints. Then that resulting in him trying to deal with the local government to get out.
Turns out paperwork and government bureaucracy can damn you just as much as the zombie outbreak.
Up until they put the quarantine wall up and no one was allowed to leave. By this time, he spent three weeks in Harran.
So, then he started trying to survive. He learned to move quietly, think quickly and not to get too cocky.
He got a few scars learning that last lesson.
Eventually he joined up with the Tower. Which was named for a pair of apartment buildings in the slum districts that were being used as a survivor stronghold.
He became a runner. Which was someone who went out to scavenge supplies and retrieve airdrops. Parkour was also an especially useful skill he learned. Because when the streets are overrun with the dead running across the roofs like a ninja tends to be useful.
Hence his nickname.
And he was good at his job. Not because he wiped out hordes of zombies on his own, which he didn't without good reason. But because he was able to get supplies and come back alive. Not enough to last them forever but enough to keep them going.
Yes, he realizes how ironic it is that a shut-in will hole himself up in his room to refuse going to school, but during a zombie apocalypse he is willing to go out and cheat death on daily basis.
Well, here is the thing, he has made friends here, has found a purpose in his life, and for the first time in almost a year, he is happy.
To sum it up, yes, he does prefer going out and fighting for his life against zombies, bandits, and other forsaken souls like himself more than going to school. He is not sure if that says more about him or his school.
Anyways, he has put this off long enough. Time to ignore every self-preservation instinct in his body and fight the Demolisher.
He descends from the buildings in a manner that is almost second nature to him now.
As he reaches the street and in order to silent the rational part of his brain telling him to not what he was about to do, he remembers why he is doing this.
In the Tower there is a girl. Not a girl he is romantically attracted to, she is way to young for that. She is around ten years old and has lost both her parents during the outbreak. She somehow attached herself to him as big brother sort of figure.
Honestly, it was nice be relied on in such a manner. First time anyone has done that since his childhood friend abandoned him.
But here is the catch she has been bitten, and she is running out of time.
This means him getting this last bit Antizin will determine if she will live, or if she will have to be killed.
He has seen infected children before. He really does not want to see that happen to her.
So, a suicidal plan to save an innocent girl on the verge of death. It makes him feel like a goddamn superhero.
He hopped the concrete wall that was around the perimeter of the parking a lot. Only to be met by a slab of concrete flying right at him. It was only thanks to his honed reflexes that he narrowly dodged it.
It seems he is expected.
By the way demolishers are strong enough to rip chunks of concrete out of the ground and throw them.
Nevertheless, the plan must go on.
Step 1; Engage.
This involves dodging the now charging Demolisher. Simple enough to do. He has to make sure he doesn't dodge to early so it can correct its path, but also not too late for obvious reasons. After dodging three times in this bizarre dance of death the demolisher slowed having tired itself out for the moment.
This was what he was waiting for.
Step 2; Attack.
He charges in with his sledgehammer drawn and swings hitting the momentarily exhausted beast in the side of the head, but it was protected by helmet. This was part of the plan. The hammer slammed into the helmet cracking it, he quickly reoriented on the follow through striking the other side and cracking it. Each time its head jerked as if being punched.
He tried for a third strike, but this is where he pushed his luck, and was rewarded by being backhanded by the Demolisher and sent flying, hit the ground a half way across the lot, and slid a few feet before being able to roll and recover.
Once again, it is important to not get cocky.
That is when he heard a howl. Like an someone screaming bloody murder.
Here come the Virals. Recently turned humans, that still have some of their human senses and reflexes. They are relentless and charge at their victims with the speed of an Olympic sprinter. They are attracted by loud noises, so there is no question why they appeared now.
Unwanted, but not all that unexpected.
Right on cue two of them came over the wall and charged right at him. He drew his machete and with practiced ease decapitated the first one once got close. When the second one reached out to strike, he grabbed its arm and threw it past him where it landed on the ground in a heap before rushing to finish it off to make sure it will not be getting back up via head removal.
He was able to accomplish this fast enough to have scant few milliseconds to dodge another slab of concrete thrown at him by the Demolisher.
He then reoriented himself to a better position.
The monster charged again, once again he dodged this time though he was in front of a wall. As he quickly got out of the way the monster slammed into it. The wall held and the monster stumbled back dazed.
He quickly took this opportunity to deliver another hammer blow to its helmet. This time the helmet shattered. He quickly backed away from it to the other edge of the parking lot as it tried to swat at him in retaliation. He discarded the hammer as it served it purpose in the current plan. He needed less weight so he could maneuver better.
The monster roared in rage. And then walked over to one of the destroyed cars.
The Demolisher once again demonstrated its amazing strength and tossed a car at him.
Yes, a whole car.
He saw it fly towards him instead of dodging he ran at it and slid under as it neared him and quickly got up.
The Demolisher roared and charged at him as they were about to meet. He quickly got out his grappling hook and shot it at a streetlamp right above him.
Step 3; Finish it.
The monster skidded to a halt and looked up. Its eyes blinded by the sun which was overhead.
It did not see the runner coming back down with a pickaxe in hand.
And it hardly felt it when that pickaxe was driven into its skull.
As he landed, he watched the Demolisher collapse and lie motionless. He waited for a few moments in case it ended up having a bit more fight left in it.
After a few seconds he let out a sigh of relief. He also had to suppress a shout of triumph in case any more Virals or worse other survivors were around.
Sure, zombies were bad, but you knew that they were a threat and could react accordingly. Survivors range from a friendly stranger to a concealed knife to your back. And he essentially just found the last bottle of water in the desert.
So, keep it quiet and hope no one is watching.
He went to unlock the drop box. He felt immensely proud of himself, today definitely qualified as the coolest thing he ever did in his life. He took on a Demolisher one on one (With a few interruptions) and won.
Sure, there were some minor hiccups. But he did it. And sure, he is going to be feeling that hit tomorrow. But who cares he got the antizin and there is no conceivable reason he would ever need to face a Demolisher again.
Unless he goes on a run with Crane, who seems to run into the worst Harran has to offer. But he went to the countryside to follow up lead on a way that survivors can resist turning without antizin.
He opened the orange crate, and there they were. A neat row of blue containers. Exactly what he hoped for. Those were the antizin containers.
They are going to be alright, and that little girl is going to live, along with the other numbers in the tower.
He was about reach down and start loading all he could take into his bag, when-
*KABOOM*
A bright flash happened, and earth-shaking noise was heard, and the ground did indeed shake. He quickly turned behind him to see something.
There was a mushroom cloud there.
Those typically only came from nukes.
He could not form any thoughts, due to sheer shock at what he was witnessing.
He remained rooted in place unable to move as the nuclear blast neared and finally consumed him.
Kazuma Satou: Tower Runner. Survivor of the entire six-month quarantine of Harran.
Cause of death: Nuclear Detonation.
Next thing he knows he is in chair a space that seemed to be a void save for a floor another occupied chair and floating cube behind it. The other occupant was a girl who appeared similar in age to himself she had long blue hair and had clothes that were a dark blue along with a raiment that seemed to hover behind her. Objectively speaking she was beautiful.
"Welcome to the afterlife Satou Kazuma, you passed away moments ago, your life was short one," Said the girl "But you have options now!"
The girl got up and struck a dramatic pose with her arms extended outward.
"I, the powerful and wise goddess Aqua, will guide you through your afterlife choices. One you can reincarnate into a new life with new family but without your memories of this life, two you can go to heaven, I do not recommend this as it is boring up there and people just lay around all day."
'That doesn't sound to bad…' Thought Kazuma, fighting for your life tends make you appreciate moments of peace. Though another part of him that actually somewhat enjoys the adrenaline rush of defying death made him think he'd get bored.
"And finally, you can go to another world under attack from the Demon King!" She said trying to sell this as the best option.
"Why in the hell would I want to go there?" asked Kazuma flatly.
"You like games, right?" She asked with smirk that implied she knew something he did not. It kind of pissed him off.
"Yes…?" Said Kazuma not knowing where she was going with this.
"Well, this world operates on logic similar to games where you can select a skill and learn it instantly." She said handing him pamphlet "Plus we will send you there with the worlds language installed into your head and your own cheat skill."
Kazuma looked through the pamphlet, it basically said everything Aqua did with an added bit at the end.
*Warning: I rare cases a transferred soul may react negatively to having so much information implanted in their head upon arrival and may have their head explode. *
'I don't know if I should be worried that's possible, or appreciate the fact they are upfront about it…' Thought Kazuma 'Though being an isekai protagonist with a cheat skill sounds like a pretty good afterlife.'
He lowered the pamphlet.
"Alright I'll do it." Said Kazuma "It can't be any harder than surviving a zombie outbreak."
Aqua on the other hand paused at that and gave him a blank look that seemed to indicate she did not comprehend what he just said.
"Zombie outbreak…?" she asked.
"Yeah…well technically infectious mutants." explained Kazuma once again not sure where this conversation was going. "I died because they nuked the city I was in."
"WHAT!?" screamed Aqua "Japan got nuked again!? The sheer amount of overtime I had to do the last time that happened nearly killed me. What happened to you guys be sent here due to a bizarrely high rate of traffic accidents involving trucks?!"
"I wasn't in Japan though." explained Kazuma, noting how for a goddess she did not seem to be up on current events, or all that bright to be honest.
Aqua stared at him with a blank expression seemingly trying to work out the information he just gave her. She then snapped her fingers and a manila folder appeared in her hand. Kazuma noted that it had his name on it.
"Location of Death: Harran, Turkey. Cause: Nuclear Detonation." Aqua read out loud. She then closed it, and it disappeared most likely back from where she summoned it from. She then had a cheery look on her face. "Okay if you did not die in Japan then it is not my problem, I do not need to give you a cheat and since you already elected to go to the other world, I will send you on your way!"
A pillar of light surrounded him, and he began floating.
"Hey! Wait, what about my cheat skill!" Shouted Kazuma as he began to rise.
"Not my problem." Replied Aqua with a grin "Oh I should probably say the line…Good luck brave hero in your quest to slay the Demon King."
"Screw you, you useless goddess!" retorted Kazuma pissed off at the treatment he received.
"How rude!" she shot back indignantly "Well not like I expected you to do much anyways. Most of the time you guys end up giving up and do your own thing or dying before getting anywhere near the Demon King."
That was the last thing he heard before a bright flash filled his vision and the next thing, he knew he was in a town. A primitive town judging from the architecture. There were people walking wearing a mix of armor weapons, some of them had long pointed ears and some of them had animal features.
If anyone thought, it was weird or noticed how he was suddenly there they did not comment on it. Or really pay him any mind.
'Did I just become forsaken by god(ess) in the most literal of ways?' Thought Kazuma trying to wrap his head around the absolutely insanity that was the last five minutes of his life…existence…metaphysical comprehension?
He took stock on what happened in the simplest terms.
He died via nuclear warhead. Went to the afterlife. Got scammed into going into a new world while bickering with a useless goddess that according to her follows an RPG like set up.
Well at least is NEET lifestyle which included a large amount light novels and RPG's prepared him for this moment. Which is another thing to ponder.
"What the hell even is my life…?" sighed Kazuma hanging his head before beginning to explore the town.
He still had his clothes he was wearing when he got nuked. That being a pair of camouflaged pants, military boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. For equipment he still had his military machete and the grappling hook.
Which was great because that thing has literally pulled him out of dangerous situations in Harran. Wheather it be from zombies or humans.
First step is to find the adventurers guild. After walking around aimlessly he asked a local who was willing to point him in the right direction.
Honestly, him being in a different was not the most unsettling thing to him.
It was the crowds.
Before going to Harran, he was anti-social to the extreme due to his shut-in lifestyle after a half a year of that social interactions were uncomfortable. Then he was in Harran, large crowds were usually biters wanting to, you guessed it, bite him. Repeatedly.
Sure, there were survivor groups but those were maybe a dozen people at most per group outside of the Tower.
Being around large crowds is going to take some getting used to. Even if they were not trying to kill him.
He reached the Adventurers Guild. Which was a large building in the middle of the town. He found one of the Guild staff and asked how to become an adventurer.
Turns out he needed money. Which is called eris after the mainstream goddess over this world. He did not have any because that other useless goddess did not give him any.
Reason for the fee was that they issued him a magical adventurers' card that would monitor his stats and skills.
He figured fair enough. This was not the worst thing to happen to him all day.
He had US dollars which oddly seemed to be Harran's choice of currency despite being in Turkey. But he was fairly sure they wouldn't accept that here.
The staff member was nice enough to show him more mundane jobs that are always looking for part timers.
Like construction, no experience required.
He found the crew near the outer wall of town doing maintenance. They were exactly as you'd expect them to look. A bunch of big burly men who looked like they spend all day in the sun.
His first job was to move bricks from the cart to the collection point.
Three days of this later he had enough money to pay the adventurer's fee.
The card device was blue orb over a conical the device that engraved the card with his stats via what seemed to be a magical laser.
The staff member he talked to earlier who was overseeing the process goes by the name of Luna, she was a young woman in her early twenties with wavy blonde hair tied in a bun and hazel-colored eyes. She wore what seemed to be the guild's staff uniform which was a low cut off the shoulders top that revealed a good bit of cleavage and some high-rise jean shorts.
She was not even the most suggestively dressed person he has seen walking around. So, his hormonal side is happy or at least satisfied he's come here at least.
When device was done she picked up the card and looked at it.
"Your physical attributes and intelligence are above average while your luck is amazingly high." She said "You qualify for any basic class, but due to your luck I'd recommend a merchant class."
Kazuma looked through the class list, there was warrior, archer, thief, and ..
"There's a class called adventurer, what's that about?" asked Kazuma.
"Oh, that class, it's not really a popular class." Explained Luna "It has the ability to learn any skill, but the skill point requirement is higher for those outside the general category, also you have to see the skill be used or have it taught to you."
'What the hell? That class sounds amazing!' Thought Kazuma beginning to wonder about this worlds sense of value. Both his gamer sense and his survivors intuition were both telling him this class was a great choice. "I'll go with that one."
"Are you sure?" Asked Luna, surprised that anyone would want to take that class, especially if they had other options. "Well, you can always switch to another job once you level up enough."
'Unlikely, but good to know.' Kazuma filed that information away for later. He used the leftover money to get a short sword.
It was a standard sword. It was straight, double edged, and it had no engravings or decorations.
He still had his machete, but he knew enough that the mass-produced blade did not compare to actual forged weapons. No to mention the machete has already seen some rough use during his time in Harran and has already gone through some jury-rigged repairs.
That is to say it is on its last legs. It is good for dismembering maybe a few more biters, aka unarmored brain dead bodies with poor motor skills.
But he's willing to keep it around partly due to his survivor instinct of not leaving a functional weapon behind, and nostalgia. Maybe he will hang it over his fireplace…Once he gets a fireplace.
He walked to the job board ready to start his first real adventure.
Back in Heaven
"Eris-sama we have an urgent message requiring your attention." Said an angel as she flew in and knelt in front of the goddess Eris.
Eris had the appearance of a young girl in her mid-teens. She had long sliver hair that reached nearly to her feet, and purple eyes. She wore a dress and a habit that were also purple in color.
"What kind of message?" asked Eris, this usually never happened. Heaven was a peaceful place, boring, but peaceful.
"It appears that Aqua-sama has made an egregious violation of protocol." The angel said as she handed Eris a file which she took and opened.
There was a picture of a young man with brown hair and green eyes. His name was Kazuma Satou, Age 16. If she wasn't mistaken this was the most recent soul to be transferred to the world she oversaw.
The file did not seem to indicate anything to out of the ordinary for a soul who opts to reincarnate to the fantasy world. That is until she got to the cause of death and the circumstances of reincarnation.
"This…This is…" Eris was shocked speechless a soul that has gone through what he has should have just been offered a mind wipe reincarnation with a new family or eternal peace in Heaven. Being sent to fight the Demon King should not have been an option. Especially for one who faced such hardships in the last months of his life.
Aqua habitually breaks or bends the rules. It is mostly overlooked by the rest of the gods and goddesses because she keeps a steady stream of souls sent to the fantasy world to fight the Demon King.
Also, her power due to her followers who despite being less than Eris's own followers are much more fanatical. This point of view is not due to jealously or annoyance at the fact that Aqua off loads work onto her. Eris has been down to the fantasy world; she can objectively say that the members of the Axis faith are insane! A sentiment agreed on by the vast majority of the population.
That level of fanaticism is usually attempted to be curbed due to the tendencies to incite holy wars. But once again since their belief is focused solely against the Demon King's forces it is again another thing Heaven overlooks in regards to how Aqua runs things.
But the fact that she also sent him over without a cheat item was step too far. For most people from Earth that almost guarantees undue suffering and an untimely demise.
She closed the file and looked back at the angel.
"Aqua-sama has been placed on probation by the Council." Explained the Angel. "I will be taking over her role until she has been released from her punishment."
With that the angel left.
Probation in Heaven is more equivalent to grounding or house arrest. No entertainment, no leaving heaven, and no alcohol.
It may sound like a slap on the wrist. But for Aqua it is probably more like hell for her.
Eris sighed in exasperation and looked down at the file once more.
'Worry not Kazuma Satou.' She thought. 'You may think yourself abandoned, but I will not forsake you in your journeys among this wonderful world.'
So done, you may think Kazuma is a bit different here. He is, he is a bit more tempered than at he would be as his NEET self. He is a little more mature now, though I do have plans to demonstrate he can get payback out of sheer spite for people who annoy him.
Also, he is going to have some emotional baggage. Mainly nightmares but it will manifest in other ways.
