Of course, this passage could only be activated with Lynn's permission. Under normal circumstances, it just looked like a decorative door.
Even if someone outside his peerage (familia) saw it, they wouldn't think anything was strange.
Even if they tried walking through, they'd just appear on the other side of the room instead of actually traveling between worlds.
Once the setup was complete, Lynn @-tagged all the club members in their group chat, telling them to meet at the Supernatural Research Club room after class.
After that, he teleported to the shopping district, bought two smartphones, and registered two new numbers.
These were for Saeko and Shizuka so they could join the familia chat group and stay in touch more easily.
By the time he returned to the clubroom, Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yotsuya Miko were already there.
Utaha looked at him with a wounded expression. "Oh? You actually decided to come back?"
Lynn scratched his chin and replied, "Actually, I'm staying in that new world again tonight."
Utaha's face stiffened. She opened her mouth to say something, but then, like a deflated balloon, she lost all color.
"Utaha-senpai, get a hold of yourself!!" Miko shook her in a panic, afraid something was seriously wrong.
"By the way, Miko, you should let your family know that you'll be staying over there for a while too." Lynn said while looking at Utaha.
"Huh?" Miko froze.
Meanwhile, Utaha, who had just been depressed, instantly lit up again, fully revived.
So they were all going to be staying in that world together?
As long as she wasn't too far away from Lynn, that was fine!
Utaha clenched her fist, her eyes burning with determination.
She absolutely wouldn't let that sneaky cat get too far ahead!!
—
Lynn had arranged a training plan for them.
At 3 PM, they'd head to the Apocalypse World, then spend the entire night fighting zombies.
Once they got tired, they'd rest there and return to the main world in the morning, arriving directly at school in time for class.
Lynn mainly wanted to prevent them from falling too far behind Saeko. Miko was fine, but Utaha's personality was more competitive.
That said, some differences couldn't be overcome by sheer effort alone.
At the very least, he wanted to make sure Utaha didn't fall too far behind before she came to terms with it.
Besides, with Shizuka the Ultimate Support around, leveling up his familia was going to be easy.
During his incredible experience with her yesterdayafter hours of trying things for the first timeLynn had, by chance, already figured out how to make use of Shizuka's abilities.
Mainly her incredible milk output.
After tasting half of it himself, he confirmed its miraculous effects.
Not only was it deliciously sweet, but its recovery boost was insane. Because of it, he could go all day without sleeping.
The remaining half? He planned to save it for when Utaha and Miko ran out of stamina while fighting monsters.
Just one sip and they'd be back to full power!
Of course, this couldn't be overused.
Their bodies wouldn't get tired, but their minds still would.
Once per day should be enough.
After Miko explained things to her mother and got permission to stay over at a friend's house for a few days, Lynn led them to the dimensional Gate marked as Apocalypse World.
Utaha and Miko curiously examined the portal.
Hearing Lynn talk about another world in their group chat hadn't really felt real before.
Especially for Utahashe had been too focused on competing with other girls and hadn't paid much attention.
But now?
The realization that they were about to cross into another world made her nervous and excited.
An isekai, huh?
From the photos Lynn had shared, it didn't seem like a pleasant world.
But still
Their first-ever interdimensional trip was about to begin!
"You two ready?"
Utaha and Miko took a deep breath, their expressions turning serious.
"Ready!" x2
A flash of white light filled the Supernatural Research Club room.
—
Apocalypse World
White light flickered in the living room.
Miyamoto Rei and Takagi Saya exchanged a glance, still unable to process what they were witnessing.
Earlier, when Lynn left, his sudden disappearance had already stunned them.
And now?
Seeing him return in the same way, but with two new girls, was even more shocking.
They were told that Lynn could travel between worlds?!
Their minds raced.
If he could move between worlds, did that mean he wasn't originally from theirs?
Could it beThat all the supernatural powers they'd seen so far came from Lynn?
After all, aside from him, Saeko, and Shizuka, there was no trace of supernatural abilities in this world.
At that moment, they felt as if they had discovered the truth!
No wonder Saeko and Shizuka treated Lynn with such respect.
And even called him MasterIt all made sense now!
This realization led them to another thoughtBack at their Academy, Lynn wasn't wearing their school uniform.
That only added to the credibility of their theory.
If Lynn really was the source of their powersDid that mean they could obtain power too?
The more they thought about it, the more their gazes toward Lynn burned with intensity.
They wanted that power.
Even if it meant calling him Master as well.
As the white light faded, Utaha and Miko curiously looked around.
"Huh Doesn't seem all that special?"
"Welcome to the Apocalypse World familia Base!" Saeko greeted them warmly.
Apocalypse Worlda name Lynn had coined to represent this world.
Saeko found it quite fitting.
Hearing the voice, Utaha's eyes naturally fell on Saeko.
The sneaky cat's scent
She scanned the four girls in the room, her eye twitching.
'Did everyone in this world have insane harmonies?!'
'They even rivaled Rias and Akeno!'
'Damn it'
Utaha, once again, lost to reality.
'Hah The world is truly unfair.'
She spiraled into self-doubt.
Miko quickly introduced herself: "Yotsuya Miko. Just call me Miko. I only joined recently, so I'm not really a senpai."
Utaha collected herself and added, "Kasumigaoka Utaha. You can call me Utaha."
"Busujima Saeko. Just Saeko is fine."
"Uh! Shizuka is my name"
Introductions finished, they were all somewhat acquainted now.
Utaha and Miko quickly realized only Saeko and Shizuka were official familia (peerage) members.
The other two?
Temporary extras?
But probably not for long.
The way they looked at Lynn practically screamed, Please make us yours!
Utaha smirked. 'Tch, typical.'
Lynn clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, let's get started."
The best way to bond?
Fight together.
"Time to grind some EXP!"
.
.
.
Master, I'm Out of Magic...
[Ding! Saeko Busujima has joined the group chat!]
[Ding! Shizuka Marikawa has joined the group chat!]
Before heading out to farm experience, Lynn handed the phones he brought from the main world to Saeko and Shizuka.
This world was still a modern world, so they were familiar with phones and group chats. However, the phones in their world no longer had any network service.
Upon entering the chat, the first thing they noticed was the very eye-catching name of the group.
Saeko Busujima chuckled, finding the name quite fitting. After all, everyone in the group was a part of their master's wings.
"Yay! I'm officially part of Master's harem too!"
Shizuka Marikawa reacted enthusiastically, clearly thrilled to be a part of Lynn's harem family.
'These two women...'
Kasumigaoka Utaha folded her arms and analyzed them closely.
'Did they not have any normal modern societal values?'
When she first saw this name, she was speechless for quite some time.
'Hmoh! Women in an apocalyptic world truly couldn't be judged by normal standards.'
—
Leaving the faction's base, a desolate cityscape unfolded before them.
Utaha and Miko paused in their steps, a strange feeling rising in their hearts.
What lay before them was a street covered in blood and...many zombies.
The stench of decay filled the air, making it thick and suffocating. Both Utaha and Miko felt an instinctive wave of nausea.
On the other hand, Saeko and the others remained unfazed.
They had already seen plenty of this yesterday. Even Rei Miyamoto and Saya Takagi, who were mainly in charge of logistics, were used to such sights by now.
"You good?" Lynn asked, walking ahead of them.
"Inhaleexhale"
"Cough, cough!"
The two took deep breaths in an attempt to relax their bodiesonly to get choked by the pungent smell.
Covering their noses, they forced themselves to respond, "W-We're fine!"
"No way I'm gonna lose to the others!" That was Utaha's thought.
"I can't disappoint Lynn!" That was Miko's thought.
Seeing this, Lynn gave a command. "Saeko, make some noise and lure the zombies here."
"Yes, Master!"
Saeko unsheathed her katana and swung it, sending an energy slash toward a nearby building.
Boom!
A three-story building in the distance was sliced open, a fine crack appearing as part of the wall crumbled down with a loud crash.
Utaha paid close attention to Saeko's abilities. Inwardly she declared her victory.
"That flying slash must be her power, huh?"
"Doesn't seem like much."
"My Archivist Devil abilities are way better!"
"This time, the victory is mine!"
As the noise rang through the streets, the zombies began to gather once again.
"So these are... actual walking corpses....real zombies." Seeing them for the first time, Utaha and Miko both shuddered.
"Alright, time to fight!"
Saeko licked her lips, excitement flashing in her eyes, before charging ahead.
"Damn it!" Utaha refused to be left behind.
Even though this was her first time facing zombies, and she hesitated for a moment, she quickly reminded herself
She had already fought curse spirits before, so a bunch of zombies were nothing!
More importantly, she refused to let that sneaky cat steal the spotlight!
Summoning her Devil's Grimoire, she commanded
"Lightning Strike!"
Boom!
A bolt of blue lightning crashed down from the sky, instantly frying seven or eight zombies gathered together.
Seeing the result, Utaha's tension eased significantly. She even snuck a glance at Saeko as if to sayPretty cool, huh?
Saeko simply smiled and praised, "That's a powerful ability. As expected of the first member to join the faction."
"..."
Utaha felt like she had just punched cotton.
'Damn it! This woman... totally ignored my provocation!'
Saeko then advised, "The zombies' weak point is the head. Aim there, and it'll be easier."
"Thanks for the tip."
Although she had her issues with the sneaky cat, she still appreciated the advice. She was just feeling a little conflicted.
She was here first. The first to meet Lynn. The first to become his follower.
"Utaha, don't forget to train your other stats too," Lynn reminded her.
She sighed. "Yeah, yeah..."
With a snap, she shut her grimoire to use it physically.
(Devil's Grimoire: ...)
By evening
Smash!
Utaha crushed a zombie's head using her grimoire.
She stared at it in silence. "Can I still use this again?"
(Devil's Grimoire: I wasn't made for this You
* * *
* * *
...
* * *
!)
Utaha felt a slight pang of guiltbut it quickly faded. After all, her magic had already wrapped around the grimoire, preventing it from actually touching anything dirty. It just looked disgusting.
"Ugh..."
Another zombie shambled toward her.
She prepared to repeat her previous move but suddenly staggered.
Her magic... was running low.
Whoosh!
A sharp slash cut through the air, instantly decimating the approaching zombies in a clean line.
Turning around, Utaha wasn't surprised to see the sneaky cat standing there.
"Thanks."
After fighting alongside her, she had at least gotten used to her presence.
But a sneaky cat was still a sneaky cat!
She glanced downonly to see those things bouncing wildly.
Utaha deadpanned. "That unnatural bounce frequency... you should seriously apply for a Guinness World Record."
Saeko: "?"
"Utaha, take a break and recover your stamina."
"Phew..."
Utaha let out a breath. She was exhausted.
Her body was still fine. But keeping her grimoire active constantly drained her magic.
Looking up at the darkening sky, she realized
Today had been the most physically active day of her life.
Endless hordes of zombies. Just making a noise attracted more of them.
This place was literally a perfect grinding spot.
For three straight hours, she had been fully immersed in farming!
"Here, drink this."
Saeko handed her a bottle of milk.
"What's this?"
"...It restores stamina."
Saeko's expression was complicated.
She and Lynn had 'enjoyed' some earlier.
The results had been... remarkable.
Utaha hesitated.
With that look on her face, this definitely seemed fishy.
"No thanks, I'll just replenish my magic."
"Replenish... magic?" Saeko was confused.
Utaha scanned the area.
Found him!
She took a deep breath.
After holding back all night, she was definitely collecting some interest today!
'Hmph! Just watch, sneaky cat!'
Lynn was busy analyzing his team's growth.
Next thing he knew, Utaha was standing before him, looking up at him with those deep scarlet red eyes, filled with an unreadable emotion.
"Master... I'm out of magic..."
.
.
.
The Dignity of the First Wife & The Tragic Loser
"Master... I'm out of magic..."
Even though she was trying to regain some ground in front of Saeko, this "begging for a kiss" posture still made her cheeks heat up.
Lynn glanced at the milk cans carried by Rei Miyamoto and Saya Takagi, who were in charge of logistics.
Then, he noticed Utaha Kasumigaoka looking at him with puppy-like, expectant eyes.
Forget it, he might as well do it himself.
After all, his saliva had the same effect.
Lynn increased the dose and activated the fluid-based restoration effect of his [Healing Devil] ability.
"Mmmph!"
Utaha's eyes widened slightly.
Not just her magic powerher stamina was also recovering?
"Did Lynn's replenishing skill get an upgrade?"
Fully refreshed, Utaha was filled with curiosity.
But she didn't forget what was more important to her.
After wiping her mouth, she returned to Saeko's side.
