Multivers, Leveling Up in the World I Created

Ada looked at the construction site next to Kendo's Gun Shop.

It was dug so deep that the bottom was barely visible, as if they were planning to build a massive structure.

It didn't look like a person could climb down there with their bare hands.

"We can't go down this way. We'll have to go through the gun shop."

She glanced down at the construction site for a moment, then began picking the lock on Kendo's Gun Shop next to it.

With the power grid down, the burglar alarm didn't seem to be working.

She opened the door and went inside.

Unlike the original, the gun shop still had its display guns intact.

Judging by the lack of signs of an attack, in the original, Robert must have generously given away the display guns to help people.

Thinking about that, he was certainly someone worth saving.

'I wonder if he's having a good time at Disney with his family.'

Since the group had enough weapons and ammunition loaded on the tank, they didn't bother taking any other gear.

Instead, they started picking up hip packs and belts to carry more items.

"Is it okay to just take these?"

Claire asked, and Jill replied.

"We'll pay for it later. I'll let them know. I know Robert, the owner of this shop."

"That's a relief. I was feeling a bit guilty."

Meanwhile, Ada grumbled.

"This is why working alone is better. Too many people just slows things down."

Leon said to Ada.

"Don't be like that. Try to understand. The monsters we've been fighting aren't ordinary. Everyone wants to be well-prepared."

"I know. The road here wasn't exactly smooth for me either."

"I suppose so."

While Leon tried to soothe Ada, who was clearly dissatisfied, the group finished their preparations and exited through the back door of the gun shop.

Ada took the lead and guided the way.

"This way."

Ada led us along a path temporarily laid by construction workers toward the sewers.

"Ugh... I really hate going through the sewers..."

When I frowned and said that, Jill asked.

"Why? Do you have claustrophobia? Or do you just not like dark places?"

"No. I just really hate bugs. I've had a lot of trouble with them before."

"That's unexpected. I don't like bugs either, but I didn't know you'd be so vocal about it."

"It's not unbearable, so let's just go."

I had already surrounded myself with all kinds of defensive measures like [Force Field], [Unlimited], and [Barrier], so bugs couldn't cling to me.

Still, just seeing them made me feel sick.

The memories of being tormented by bugs countless times during my long bunker life were still vivid.

At that, Ada chuckled and teased me.

"I didn't know you were such a neat-freak prince."

"Try having giant cockroaches crawl on your face while you're sleeping, and then say that."

At my unpleasant remark, Ada frowned.

"You must have lived in some bug-infested countryside when you were young, huh?"

"Something like that."

I couldn't exactly explain living in a bunker for so long, so I just let it slide.

"Anyway, we don't have time to waste here. Let's hurry in."

At Ada's words, we entered the dark sewer and began moving cautiously.

"Phew... the smell is awful."

"It's a sewer, so that's to be expected."

Then, suddenly, the sewer vibrated and the sound of something passing by was heard.

Rumble... splash.

"What the hell... is a train passing through?"

Marvin asked, and Ada replied.

"I wish, but we've seen what's up there. You never know what's down here."

At that, the group tensed up even more and pressed forward.

Before long, a space filled with iron railings, various pipes, massive ventilation shafts, and blower fans came into view.

Dark sewage flowed endlessly below, and we carefully made our way along the iron railings.

At the end of the railing, Leon jumped without hesitation into the sewage below.

Splash!

"Ugh... is this really the right way?"

Fortunately, the sewage only came up to Leon's thighs, but the smell made him wrinkle his nose.

"No, there seems to be another way, but you just jumped in..."

"Wish you'd told me sooner..."

Rumble...

Then the sewer vibrated again, and the sewage suddenly began to surge.

"Wait, there's something there!"

The moment Leon said that while looking into the dark sewer, a giant alligator emerged from the water.

Its massive body, large enough to fill half the sewer, exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Groooar!!!

Thud!

As the alligator slammed against the wall and approached Leon threateningly, Ada shouted urgently.

"Leon! Get out of the way!"

"Damn it!!!"

Leon started running in the opposite direction, and the giant alligator chased after him fiercely.

The rest of us were on the upper iron railing and couldn't help him, so we could only watch.

The giant alligator passing below the railing gave the illusion of a subway train passing by.

"Damn, is there another way?"

As I looked around and asked, Ada pulled out an 'EMF Visualizer' (a remote hacking device) and quickly overloaded the giant blower fan next to us.

Bang! Crash!

The motor exploded, shattering the fan blades and revealing the blocked ventilation shaft.

"This way."

Ada squeezed into the ventilation shaft first and gestured for us to follow.

We immediately followed her through the shaft to the other side of the sewer.

KABOOM!!!

Then a loud explosion echoed from the sewer.

We quickly made our way along the railing to the source of the sound.

"Leon, are you okay!?"

"Yeah..."

Fortunately, Leon seemed unharmed, and the sewer below him was littered with huge chunks of flesh that appeared to be from the alligator.

We lowered the ladder connected to the railing so Leon could climb up.

"How did you take it down?"

"Got lucky. I was running for my life and it bit a gas pipe. I figured it was my chance and set it off. That's the result."

"You really were lucky."

"Phew... I know, right."

Ada asked Leon.

"Why did you jump down there in the first place?"

"Well, the path ended there, so I figured I had to go down..."

"I can't believe you..."

This part was quite different from the original.

In the original, Ada told Leon that was the right way, but this time she didn't.

My personal guess is that Ada, being thorough, wanted to send Leon ahead to check first rather than risk facing the alligator herself.

At best, he was a scout; at worst, a meat shield.

But the situation was different now.

Leon was the only one in the group who sided with her.

So Ada probably couldn't just ignore it when he went down into danger.

'Leon, you're in for a rough ride. This is why you need to choose your women carefully.'

Sherry, glad to see Leon back safely, tried to approach him, but then covered her nose and said.

"Brother, you smell."

"S, sorry... I just rushed in."

From then on, Sherry stayed close to me or Claire.

Poor Leon.

We continued along the underground passage.

Ada led the way again, as she had been doing, and we just trusted and followed her.

"By the way, what was that device you used to hack the fan?"

I asked Ada about the 'EMF Visualizer' she had used earlier.

"It's a remote hacking device. It can't handle anything too complex, but it can get past simple locks."

Ada was surprisingly forthcoming with her explanation.

The EMF Visualizer was Ada's custom device that could detect electromagnetic fields in real time, visualize wiring and electronic devices behind walls, and remotely hack certain electronics.

It looked like a slightly bulky pistol, but its performance and utility were impressive.

"Really? Can I take a look? I'm an engineer, so I'm curious."

I asked, and Ada readily showed me the device.

"Just look, don't try to use it. We need to save the battery in case something else happens."

"Okay."

While saying that, I had already used [Matter Copy] to duplicate it and store it in my inventory.

With this, even without the [Hacking] ability, I could hack various things to open doors or operate devices.

"Interesting device. Where can I get one?"

"That's classified."

"Too bad."

I examined the EMF Visualizer for a moment and then handed it back to Ada.

Ada then asked me in return.

"You should show me something too. That pistol on your left holster. It doesn't look like a standard model. Where did you get it?"

The gun Ada was referring to was the 'Yukimura.'

So I took it out and showed it to her.

"I made it myself."

"Impressive. A top-loading box magazine... it seems like it would jam often."

Ada, who also seemed knowledgeable about guns, pointed out the same issue Barry had mentioned.

"I thought about that when I made it. It hasn't jammed once so far."

"Really?"

Ada aimed it in various directions, removed the magazine, and examined it thoroughly.

"The balance is good, and it's fully automatic... I really like it. Could you make one for me later? The high capacity would be reassuring, especially in situations like this."

"Well, since we've met like this, as long as you cover the material costs, I could make you one."

When I agreed, Ada returned the Yukimura and said.

"Good. I'll contact you after this is over. You're Jin of S.T.A.R.S., right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Though I've retired now, so I'm unemployed."

While Jin and Ada were talking, the gazes of Jill and Leon, watching from behind, grew noticeably colder.

Sensing that continuing the conversation would only lead to misunderstandings, I decided to end it there.

We continued walking along the underground passage until we found an elevator.

It was an unusual facility to see in a place like this.

The elevator showed clear signs of heavy use over a long period, indicating it was an old facility.

"An elevator in a sewer is definitely strange."

"I know. Maybe the researchers used it?"

"That's probably it."

Leon then asked.

"So Umbrella made and sold those monsters we fought? But to who? The military? Or someone else?"

Ada answered that question.

"To be precise, they don't sell the monsters themselves, but the viruses that can create monsters. Umbrella made them, and the Birkin couple developed this evolved version."

"Why would anyone make such a virus? If the whole world gets contaminated, nothing will be left."

"Because powerful weapons come with money and power. That's why."

At that, Sherry's expression darkened.

It was about her parents, and even though she was young, she could tell right from wrong.

We took the elevator down.

Fortunately, the elevator was large enough for all of us to go down at once.

But the place we arrived at still didn't look like a lab.

The group was a little disappointed.

"We came all this way, and I thought we'd finally reach the lab..."

"It's not that easy to get in, I suppose."

Still, we were clearly on the right track.

Various supplies were piled up all around, and from this point on, zombies started appearing more frequently.

But the group, having been through so much already, dealt with them easily.

Grrr!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Splat! Thud!

"This is going to take a while. I think we should split up and search."

We moved as a group in case something jumped out, but the underground facility had many narrow corridors, which could actually be a disadvantage.

If a large creature appeared, we could be trapped and wiped out before we could even fight back.

That's probably why Leon suggested this.

The group, agreeing that Leon's point was valid, began to split up.

Leon and Ada would go together, Claire and Marvin, and I, Jill, and Sherry would form a team.

Ada had wanted me to keep an eye on her, but Leon had subtly pressured me, so I had no choice.

If anyone found something, they would leave a note or wait at the office in the center of the underground passage.

"Ammo might run low, so take plenty, and grab a grenade each too."

Before the teams departed, I opened my backpack and distributed ammunition and grenades I had brought from the tank.

"And if you encounter another monster like that alligator, don't fight it alone. Come to the office and get help from the others."

"Got it."

The other teams left first, but our team was delayed because Sherry kept staring at the chocolate bars in my backpack, so I gave her some chocolate and a hot bar.

"Is it good?"

"It's delicious! I've never had this before. Mom says stuff like this is junk food, so she never buys it for me."

Judging by Sherry's words, I could roughly guess what kind of person Annette was.