My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 268: Ch 268: It’s down

"Molly grinned and hummed a happy tune as she focused on the task she was doing. The monitor behind her hummed, reminding her that she was still at work. But she did not let it distract her from the fact that she was so close to her goal.

She...no, they had started to increase the pressure on Rin. He already had a majority of the system’s core, but only a few more parts were left before he would be ripe enough to be absorbed.

"Now, the only problem is the other researchers. With Karina gone, they are even more alert. Mrs. Audit is especially ferocious and lingering far too close to me for my comfort."

Molly complained to the system, but it did not reply to her. But that was fine, because simply being close to the system made Molly feel better.

"Anyway, I should start directing Rin toward Mrs. Audit next and clear her out. I should also begin being generous with Rin and reward him with more cores. After all, the more he has, the more connected he will become to you, my dear."

The system did not show any signs of having heard Molly, but she just smiled at the lack of response.

Soon, she would be recognized by the system and then she would gain its trust. She did not have a goal beyond that...

At least, not for now.

__________

Rin twisted and tossed in his sleep as he tried to get comfortable. But he was not able to get a good night’s sleep no matter what he did.

The shadows in his dreams kept chasing him, and the lack of sleep was driving him mad.

It was too late for him to head to Reina and ask for sedatives, so he decided to take a potion to knock himself out instead. He decided to down the one he had given Serena before and waited for it to kick in.

He waited and waited, but nothing happened.

Sleep did not come to him, so he ended up working on his skills and creating more weapons. After all, he was running a little low on them at the moment.

Rin spent the rest of the night inside the workshop.

The more he crafted, the more tired he became.

And since sleep refused to come no matter what he tried, he decided there was no point in lying awake any longer. Instead, he poured all of his attention into forging new weapons.

His mana flowed through the molten metal as he carefully shaped another sword and brewed another potion, which he pocketed.

By the time he finished, several new potions lined his inventory. Only then did Rin finally stop.

His shoulders felt heavy, his eyes burned from exhaustion, and even lifting his arm felt more difficult than usual.

’I didn’t sleep at all...’

He let out a tired sigh before sitting down on the nearest chair.

The settlement had been one problem after another lately. First the laboratory, then the calamity, then the unrest inside the settlement. Every time one issue was resolved, another immediately appeared to take its place.

[Your exhaustion level is reaching a critical point.]

[Current exhaustion level: 60.]

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

’Maybe I should at least try to rest for an hour.’

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

A familiar mechanical chime echoed inside his head.

[Ding.]

Rin’s eyes immediately snapped open.

"...Seriously?"

A bad feeling settled inside his chest. The system was announcing itself, which meant it was likely about another task.

Sure enough—

[Attention, Hunters. The preparation period has ended. The next task will begin in thirty minutes.]

Rin froze.

"...Thirty minutes?"

He instinctively looked outside the workshop window.

The sky had only just begun to brighten. Dawn had barely arrived, yet the system had already decided to throw everyone into another task.

[Task Announcement. Humanity has grown comfortable within its temporary shelters. Complacency slows growth. Therefore, all settlements will now participate in the next evaluation.]

Rin’s expression became serious.

The next task was a settlement-wide defense task that would require teamwork and planning. Rin currently lacked the mental capacity to deal with other people.

Besides...

"What’s with this weird wording? It says it’s an evaluation. But I doubt the system would go easy on us."

[Task Name: Settlement Defense.

Objective: Protect your settlement from the incoming monster tide.

Time Limit: Six Days.]

[Failure Condition: If the settlement core is destroyed, every registered resident will be eliminated.]

Silence filled the workshop.

Even Rin felt his heartbeat quicken.

’A monster tide...? Isn’t this event repeating itself?’

That was far different from the previous tasks.

This time, they would not be traveling somewhere dangerous.

The danger would come directly to them.

[Additional Notice. Every settlement across the world will undergo this task simultaneously. The higher your completion rating, the greater your rewards.]

[Special rewards will be distributed to settlements that successfully eliminate elite-class monsters.]

Rin slowly stood up.

The exhaustion weighing down his body had not disappeared, but his mind was fully awake now.

There was no longer any time to rest.

’I knew the peaceful period wouldn’t last forever.’

It was finally time to get started on the mass protection they had been preparing for. They had been working on a settlement-wide barrier that was designed specifically to protect this place in case of such a widespread attack.

But Rin never expected that time to come so soon.

He was busy planning his next move when sleep finally threatened to overtake him. His eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next time Rin woke up, the sun was already high in the sky and breakfast time had long since passed.

He dragged his body out of bed and immediately called for Collin and the others. It was time for them to decide what they should do for the next mission.

Unfortunately, another problem arose that he did not see coming—both Kyle and Mira decided they were heading back to their own base, effectively reducing their settlement’s strength significantly.