System Breaker: Surviving Apocalypse with Nine-Tailed Kitsune-Chapter 15: Central Station

"Can we use it on mana?"

Damon debated the question for longer than he would’ve thought he needed. Raising mana would definitely come useful. With half of it stolen by Kitsune, he wouldn’t be able to use black ice as often as he would’ve liked. At the same time, raising other stats would also be of great help. His dexterity or stamina, or even luck, could finally catch up to his strength.

Finally, Damon shrugged. "We’ll see,"

He didn’t feel pressed to make a choice now, besides, giving Kitsune what she wanted right away, didn’t sit right with him. He could almost feel her pouting in his head thanks to their connection.

Before long, they finally reached the outside of Damon’s apartment building. Or rather, where his building was supposed to be. Somehow, among his neighbourhood, his building was completely destroyed while the buildings right next to it remained standing.

He lingered on that sight for longer than necessary, his thoughts scrambling for what he should do next.

He stood there for so long that even Victor approached him.

"Is.. Is this where you lived?" he asked.

The question finally cut through Damon’s daze. He turned to see Victor standing there with a worried expression, as if doubtful if approaching Damon was safe.

"Yeah," Damon muttered in an answer.

A moment of silence followed before Victor decided to break it.

"You know, we, my group and I, were staying in the Central Station. A group of people sealed off all the exits and created a safe space for humans. There are hundreds of people there."

Damon raised a brow. ’Central station?’

He knew that station, just like everyone else. It was the biggest station in the country. It featured over 15 platforms and over 50 shops. It was so vast that many tourists often got lost inside it.

Damon lingered on the idea for a moment before shaking a thought away.

"I promised someone I’d meet them on the next sunrise. I’m running a bit late, but I should get there in time if I leave right away."

"Th-Then I’ll come with you. It’ll be safer this way, I won’t be a hindrance."

"Do as you wish, but don’t expect me to save you," Damon replied as he turned and began walking toward the place he was supposed to meet Ivy.

The night has descended upon the city. If the time inside the rift passed the same as it did on Earth, then it meant that the next sunrise was when the two-day deadline was.

The path toward the crossroads he had last seen Ivy was fairly calm. Most of the streets on the way back were in rubble, with only a dozen undead humans standing in their way. Damon dispatched each of them with ease, not even gaining a single level up from the weak monsters.

’It looks a bit different,’ Damon noted, standing in the middle of the crossroads where he had last seen Ivy. The road was cracked, and the buildings around it turned to piles of rubble.

"You know there are still a few hours before the sunrise..." Kitsune began, "Maybe we could... use our Rift Shards?"

Damon let out a long exhale. "One, we can use one."

Kitsune’s giggle echoed in his head as he opened his inventory window and called for the rift shard.

In an instant, a small, crystal-like shard of black materialised in the palm of his hand. It felt heavier than it looked.

"All you have to do is crush it with your hand and focus on which stat you want to raise," Kitsune said, excitement clear in her tone.

Damon, however, had no time to consume the shard as a voice suddenly cut through his focused expression.

"Is that a Rift Shard?" Victor asked wide-eyed.

Damon raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"Wow! I never saw one so up close. Only the strongest groups in Central Station dare to enter Rifts."

’He knows about rifts?’ Damon lingered on the thought for a moment before a far more pressing question entered his mind. ’There are others who can clear rifts?’

He recalled his deadly battle against Ice Terror, how he wouldn’t have made it without Kitsune’s help.

A spark of intrigue ignited in Damon’s mind. ’Perhaps after we reunite with Ivy, we should check out that Central Station.’

Victor’s eyes glistened as they remained locked onto the Rift Shard.

"If you never had one, how did you see one?" Damon suddenly asked.

"Huh? Oh, I liked to hang out in the Relic Market. Rift Shards are basically the main currency right now."

’Relic Market? Do people sell relics for these things?’

Damon’s gaze dropped toward the shard. Then, after a moment of thought, he dismissed the item. ’If I can trade it for items late,r it’s best to keep it.’

"How cruel..." Kitsune murmured in his head, her voice soft and wounded in a way that was clearly exaggerated. "...Making a girl get her hopes up, only to snatch it away at the last second."

Damon sighed. ’Next stat point I get, I’ll put into mana.’

Her disappointment melted in an instant, replaced by a giggle. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Mmm... You better," her voice purred in his head, "I’ll remember."

***

With time to kill, Damon summoned his status window.

[Name: Damon]

[Level: 14]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Error-!]

[Attributes: System Breaker, Dark Evolution (Dark Mage)]

[Classes (2/2): Divine Beast Tamer(Active), Dark Mage]

[Abilities: Black Ice Manipulation (Dark Mage)]

[Stats:

— Strength: 31 (with [Nameless Tachi] equipped)

— Dexterity: 17

— Vitality: 27

— Stamina: 17

— Mana: 20 (Available: 10)

— Luck: 1]

[Stat Points Available: 0]

His stats had improved quite a bit. If he could exchange his two rift shards for some type of armour, he would be confident even facing something like the Ice Terror alone.

Sun slowly began to rise above the ruined outskirts. Just as it began to paint the rubble around them with golden radiance, Damon jolted awake.

After Victor insisted on keeping the watch, he allowed himself to rest for a while. It’s not that he trusted the young man he just met, it’s more like he didn’t consider him a threat, and so he took him on his offer, using that moment of peace to recover.

But with the sun risen high, Damon couldn’t help but frown.

’She’s not here,’

"Perhaps she’s running late," Kitsune said in an almost disinterested tone, still half asleep from her own slumber.

Minutes quickly turned into hours as the morning sun turned to late afternoon.

"Are... are you sure it’s today?" Victor finally asked, even though he grew tired of the long wait.

Damon’s unease reached its final point with the question.

"Wait here in case she shows up. I’ll be back soon," He said before turning and leaving without uttering another word.

"W...Wait here? Alone?" Victor’s words hung emptily in the air as Damon was long gone.

He moved toward the grocery store not too far off, where he and Ivy took a quick stop. He searched through the items until he found a piece of viable paper and pen and returned to the crossroads.

He wrote a few things on a piece of paper and left it in the middle of the crossroads.

"Let’s go," He said the moment he put the paper down.

"Go? Where are we-?" Victor began to ask, but his question was cut short as Damon continued.

"We’re going to the Central Station."