My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 240: Ch 240: Task 12

"10%? That is...shit! Is there nothing I can do to help these people out?"

Rin was not one to put his neck on the line, but he had assumed responsibility for this camp. As such, he felt responsible for their well-being.

No, scratch that!

The real reason he did not want to lose his people was because of his leadership skill.

He had worked so hard to cultivate it by gathering people from all over. He did not want to have his hard work stolen by the system because these people were weak.

[You wish to help these people? The system won’t say that there is no way to do that. However, it would require the user’s own trial to become harder.]

[Not that the system would ever allow you to die! But the hardship will likely not be worth it.]

The system warned him, trying to get Rin to abandon his people in exchange for his comfort. And he had to admit that he felt tempted.

But then he looked at his skill window and realized that he could not do that.

"I...would like to make the next task easier for my people. I will take you up on your offer."

Rin told the system, and it almost looked disappointed by his decision.

[Sigh You are far too soft-hearted, Rookie. But since it is connected to your skill, I guess I can cut you some slack.]

[Let this senior pull some strings for you to ease your tension. Don’t worry! Your worries are this company’s worries.]

The system was either trying to trick him or it was genuinely trying to help him with no ulterior motives.

Rin was not sure which one he found more disturbing.

Still, he had to admit that the system worked fast. He had a contract in front of him before five minutes were even up.

"What’s this?"

He asked as he read the contract terms. There were only two pages, but they were written in complicated language that was difficult for him to decipher.

Rin had a feeling he was falling into a trap, but he had no way to prove it yet.

[Don’t be so suspicious, Rookie. This is just your standard industry contract stating that you are going to increase the difficulty of your stage to ensure the others have an easier time. You can take your time reading through this.]

The system assured Rin, not that time was going to help him. The reason he was confused was not because he did not have enough time to read it.

"Can I show this contract to someone else?"

Rin asked the system in a worried voice.

[You can ask someone for help. But if you do, then they will share the burden of the stage becoming harder. Please don’t blame the system for not warning you beforehand.]

This was a bastard move from the system.

It was telling Rin that it was fine for him to ask for help, but asking for help would mean dragging the other person into his fate as well.

Still, there was one person Rin could think of who would help him out.

’I don’t think I should involve ordinary people in my mess, but Kyle should be fine. He can handle a slightly harder task...maybe.’

...

Kyle was hanging around the site, helping Mira out with mundane tasks, so it did not take long for Rin to find him.

Still, it was startling for Rin to see Kyle because they looked so much alike, and he could see the surprise in everyone’s eyes when they first saw Kyle.

Most people had adapted by now, but some still showed hesitation while looking at the younger boy.

Not that it was any of Rin’s business.

He was here for one thing, and that was to recruit Kyle for help.

"Rin, are you here to see me? Did...something happen?"

Rin had not even said anything yet, but one look at him and Kyle seemed to understand what he had left unsaid.

"I need your help for a few seconds. Do you think you can spare them for me?"

Kyle quickly looked around at the group he had been helping all this time before nodding and following Rin out.

The group he had been with easily let him go and told Kyle that he was free to move around. They seemed to have taken to him quite a bit.

Rin led him farther away before stopping. Kyle also followed him without asking many questions until they were alone.

"Did something happen? You have a tense look on your face."

Kyle immediately asked, his eyes fixed on Rin’s face with concern. Rin only sighed, wondering whether he was doing the right thing or not.

But he had already come this far, so he decided to swallow his nervousness and bring out the contract.

"I want you to look through it and see whether it is alright to sign. But before you do, I must warn you that reading this will make the next task much more difficult for you."

Rin warned Kyle to the best of his abilities. He felt like he was doing a bad job, but he still must have gotten his point across.

He waited for Kyle to give him an answer, and Kyle did not take long to think about it.

"I will take the chance and read it. Since you brought it to me, I might as well take a chance on it. As for making the next task more difficult? I doubt it will make much of a difference for me."

That confidence felt dangerous. Rin had a feeling this overconfidence might get Kyle killed one day.

[Hmm, checking User Kyle’s stats and his performance so far, the system has concluded that he would have no problem clearing the next task, even at a higher difficulty. The user does not need to worry unnecessarily.]

The system reassured Rin, but he did not feel reassured.

In fact, he felt even worse.

But Kyle did not give him time to dwell on that guilt because he grabbed the contract and read through it.

He looked confused as well, but not nearly as confused as Rin had been while reading the contract.

"Hmm, it looks like a trap. But I doubt the system will let you die. What do you want to do? Sign it? I will respect whatever decision you make."