Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

He shook his head and dropped it over the screen. "I am sorry, I will transfer the money back to your account."

Just when he was about to process the transaction, she leaned forward. Instead of kissing him, she grabbed her card and pulled it.

"Hey! Don't!" he shouted, but it was too late. The transaction was in process, so the slot would not leave the card until the transaction is complete, unless– you guessed it– you break it.

She snapped the card into two on the way. She did not bother to swing her arm and throw the card into the dark alleys behind her. Then she leaned back and pulled down her hand.

She took her hand to the back of her skirt, pushed the flap of her T-shirt, and grabbed a thick, gray metal rod's butt. She held it there.

Kakashi shrugged. "What in the god's name was that?" He stared at her, she was staring back at him. Then he noticed it– the smile was gone. And she did too, so the smile climbed back soon.

Now that she was leaning away from the counter, he realized she was no taller than Eya, perhaps the same height.

"Look, woman, I don't know what is wrong with you. But I am sorry. Fifty-thousand, two-hundred yen per hour, that equals two-hundred and fifty hours. You have 250 free hours to play, I hope that is okay."

He looked at her and she was standing so close to him that one flick of a finger from behind and they will share a kiss. Kakashi looked past her and saw she was holding something behind her.

His eyes widened. He took a step back and raised his hand to cast a spell. She drew the rod from her skirt and held it at him.

He would have attacked her first, but after seeing the gun's barrel pointed at him, he took another step back and forgot how to pronounce the spell he was going to use.

It was not because of the fear, but it was due to the shock. He was expecting the lady to pull out a wand, and never thought she would be a scientist with a gun with her.

The pretty lady who flirted with him turned out to be a hitwoman. And he thought things would last– that maybe he has a chance. No wonder losing money did not bother her. No wonder she kept up the smile.

She pushed the safety off the gun as he circled his hands and created a defense shield. She pulled the trigger and the firing started.

He jumped toward the staff room and started rolling to the door. He tried to focus on getting into the room by somehow ignoring the shouts of a few.

He saw the door he was approaching and right at that instant, the lady stopped to reload. The heavy magazine, which can carry about fifteen bullets, fell on the floor as she pulled a new magazine from her skirt.

Kakashi tightened his core and got his knees ready to make a sudden stop. He was raising his hand but then thought about rolling into the door. But what if the door does not open when he hits it?

He discarded that idea and went back to his original plan. He used his hands, then forwarded to the weight of his body to change the acceleration and hence come to a stop.

She raised the gun and he grabbed the door handle. He pulled it open, now he had to roll again to enter the room, then prepare for a counter.

His hand fell from the handle and his face opened in a twisted manner. He collided with the door jab. He was not hurt, thanks to the defense barrier, but a clutching pain flew from his forearm.

He rolled at the doorstep and grunted in pain, trying to cast a healing spell on himself to deal with the pain. The lady was left terrified by what was happening, she took a step back, and fired a bullet.

The barrier protected him from the outside, but the pain was killing him from the inside. He let out a scream and pulled his forearm in front of him.

For a second, he could not feel the pain, all he could see was a man swinging his katana, and cutting down the woods one by one. It took him no more than a second to recognize to man.

When the realization hit him, the pain returned, and he started churning like a worm whose tail was cut off. He shrunk into a ball and cried in pain.

NOW the lady was scared shit. Although the bullets in her gun were poisonous and would spread the poison in the body of whoever was unfortunate enough to be a victim, she knew he had not taken a hit and the effect was not due to her bullet.

When it happened at first, she thought he was playing a game on her– acting and stuff– but she was a way better actor than Kakashi, so she knew he was not acting– something WAS hurting him.

She took another step back. What if this is a trap the mages set? Like, self-destruct? That idea terrified her. She was still young and she had a life ahead of her, no way she would want to die this early.

She took another step back and pressed her finger against her ear. "I am out of this. The man is on the floor, crying in pain. I am leaving." She loved money and beauty, not fame. She turned and blasted out of the Vr-cade.

A few players followed her out of the Vr-cade. No one bothered to look at Kakashi, the pain was eating him. He wished for Eya to come back and wished Tengoku would just stop cutting the woods.

He wondered if he heard a bullet shot. He was not sure, he turned to the door and watched as a bullet blew from it. He was too exhausted and hurting to express the fear. "That girl…" he muttered, then the pain kicked in again.

The pain was the same as the last time– although they were in tens last time, now it is only him.

When he saw the lady rush out, he gave up. A bullet hit his defense shield, followed by another, and when the third bullet hit his defense, he let his shield shatter into pieces.

He was feeling hopeless. He had given up his hope when a hand reached for his wand, then pointed it at him. A voice rang in the Vr-cade, and then everything went black.

"Iyashi!"

Reon was in the kitchen preparing for supper, Hitori and Eya would need something as soon as they get back, and she was almost done when she heard the gunshots outside.

He bent down and covered her head, supposing the bullets were meant for her. But they were not. It continued for fifteen shots that she stayed hidden under the workplace.

When the lady stopped to reload, Reon was prepared to see bullet holes in the door. She came out, but the door was as good as before– just that it was ajar. She was unarmed, she realized, she gulped, and went to her bed.

Her gun was lying under the bed. She pressed the button on the side and the magazine popped out. She checked the bullets– twelve of them– and no extra magazine. She pushed the magazine back and took her stance.

She walked to the other side of the room, away from her bed, to take a look at the ajar door. Because she was sure the door was closed when Kakashi left after lunch.

Her heart was still beating at the speed of a racing car, she wondered if this is how it beat during the Midnight Battle, forget it, she can't recall it.

She reached the other end of the room, but the view was still fugue. Then she heard another gunshot. Right after the gunshot, she saw the door push a little and a hand fall from the handle.

She panicked, she jumped back, pointed her gun at the door, and fired three shots. It took two bullets to create a hole in the door, and the third to get through the door.

She closed her eyes and pulled her finger off the trigger. "God, what am I even shooting at? I thought you knew!" she muttered.

Although her heart was still beating as fast as before, she opened her eyes and dared to go near the door– her gun still loaded with nine bullets– she was prepared to face Onogi on the other side.