Infinite Undying [Post-Apocalypse LitRPG]

The room was actually pretty comfortable.

On one side sat a bed that was much softer than any bed Zeph could remember sleeping on. There was a sink against the wall, and he even had a private bathroom, even if it wasn't particularly spacious.

Meals were delivered three times a day, and the food was surprisingly good.

The only downside was the single, narrow window set high on the wall above his bed. Everything else was enclosed by thick steel walls, clearly designed to keep prisoners from escaping.

The one thing that made staying here truly uncomfortable was the device locked around his neck. It completely suppressed his Core, leaving him unable to use his abilities at all.

He had been here for two nights now, and yes, this was the temporary detention facility inside Hunter Center. He had been brought here after illegally sneaking into a Rift Expedition.

Unlike him, Madou had legally purchased another’s expedition slot. They had both joined the same expedition, but only Zeph had broken the law.

It wasn't like Zeph had never considered this possibility. He knew this risk existed. He just hadn't expected things to go this far. Now he didn't even know what would happen to him after this. It wouldn't be funny if he ended up spending years behind bars.

Even so, he had made a huge contribution during yesterday's Rift Expedition. He had done enough to help the entire team make it back safely, and he had prevented a Rift Break that could have easily claimed countless lives.

A sharp beep echoed from the heavy steel door in front of him. At the same time, the red light mounted in the corner of the room switched to green.

Zeph straightened himself and looked toward the entrance, waiting to see who was visiting.

The door slid open.

A young woman stepped inside wearing a clean white medical uniform. Her shoulder-length pink hair framed a youthful face, and she appeared to be around Madou's age.

"Good morning, Zeph. How are you feeling today?" she asked as she stopped in front of him, a tablet resting in her hands.

"I've fully recovered," he replied.

The young woman lowered her head slightly before tilting it to one side.

"Excuse me for a moment."

She gently lifted the fabric covering his shoulder and carefully examined the wound.

"You recover incredibly fast," she said. "Does your Core have something to do with your recovery?"

"Yeah. Kind of."

"This is far beyond normal regeneration. I've never seen anyone heal this quickly."

She entered a few notes into her tablet before looking back at him.

"By the way, are you planning to enroll at Hunter Academy?"

"Yeah." He gave a small shrug. "Assuming they let me out of here. Do you know anything about my current status?"

She shook her head with a reassuring smile.

"Not yet. But try not to worry too much. I have a feeling everything will work out."

She took a few steps back before giving him a small wave.

"See you later, Zeph. I'll stop by to check on you again."

The door closed behind her with another metallic sound.

Zeph let out a long sigh before dropping himself back onto the bed and closing his eyes.

"This place is getting pretty boring... even if the facilities are surprisingly nice."

Zeph waited there for quite a while. Honestly, there wasn't much to do except waste time. Even so, he had spent most of his time cultivating his Mana Core, and surprisingly, he had gained two levels in just those two days.

Fortunately, the suppression collar around his neck didn't interfere with his ability to cultivate his Mana Core. It only prevented him from activating his Sigil.

It wasn't that surprising when he thought about everything that had happened inside the Rift. Starting with the miraculous way Lena had restored his battered body, all the way to defeating a Tier 3 Rift Boss.

Although… He had honestly expected to gain even more levels than this.

Come on, couldn't the system have pushed him straight to Level 20 or something? He had defeated a Tier 3 monster while he was still only a Rank 1 Apprentice.

Wasn't that worth a little more?

Another sharp beep echoed through the room, causing Zeph to sit up once again. Hopefully, whoever was coming this time would finally bring some good news.

A moment later, the door opened wider than usual.

Standing in the doorway was the same brown-haired man who had ordered his arrest two nights ago.

"You seem to have made a full recovery in an impressively short time," the man said in his usual calm, emotionless voice.

Zeph gave a small shrug. "So, what brings you here this early? Are you finally letting me go? I've already answered all your questions. I don't have anything else to tell you."

The man gave him a faint smile.

"You really are pessimistic."

He stepped aside and gestured toward the open doorway.

"Get up, gather your things, and let's get out of here."

Get out?

Seriously?

Zeph shot to his feet without another word. It wasn't like he had anything to pack anyway. Everything he owned was safely stored inside his dimensional storage.

Zeph stepped out of the cell, and the man reached over to unlock the suppression collar around his neck. A soft click echoed as the restraint came loose, allowing Zeph to finally take a deep, unrestricted breath.

The two of them walked down a long corridor lined with identical detention cells on both sides. After climbing several flights of stairs, they arrived at a spacious reception hall near the facility's entrance.

Several people were already waiting there.

The moment Zeph recognized them, his eyes lit up. Madou. Lena. Brann. Even Koka was there, looking far healthier than the last time he had seen him.

Zeph and the brown-haired man stopped in front of the group.

The man folded his arms before speaking.

"Madou, Lena, Brann, and Koka have all given their statements regarding the incident. Their testimonies, along with the investigation results, have significantly worked in your favor, Zephion."

He paused for a moment.

"As a result, all charges against you will be dropped without the need for a formal trial. This was your first unauthorized Rift Expedition, and despite your illegal entry, your actions during the mission made an exceptional contribution to the operation. However..."

His expression turned serious.

"You will remain under observation for the time being. Consider this your final warning. Do not ever attempt to infiltrate another Hunter Expedition without authorization."

Zeph nodded with a wide grin. "Yes, sir! Thank you very much!"

Brann laughed as he walked over and threw an arm around Zeph's shoulders.

"You little brat, you really know how to cause trouble, huh?" he said with a loud laugh. "Let's hope I don't have to see you getting arrested again."

Koka jabbed a finger toward Zeph. "You owe me a huge meal, got it? I'm not letting you off until I'm completely stuffed."

Zeph laughed awkwardly before turning back toward the brown-haired man.

"So... we're really free to go?"

The man gave a small nod.

"Yes. You may leave now. Whatever you want to discuss, continue it outside the detention facility."

Without another word, he turned around and walked away.

After chatting for a little while outside the detention facility, Zeph got into Madou's car with Lena. Before long, they drove away from Hunter Center.

Some time later, the car came to a stop in front of the inn owned by Madou's family.

Zeph stepped out of the car and immediately noticed a large pickup truck parked outside. Boxes and furniture had already been loaded onto its bed. Standing beside it was Madou's father.

"Hey, Zeph. You're finally back," the man greeted with a smile. "Looks like you're doing just fine. I'm glad to see that."

Zeph glanced between the truck and the inn.

"What's going on here?"

The three of them walked over to him.

"My wish has finally come true," Madou's father said with a satisfied smile. "Madou and Lena have both ranked up, and before long they'll be attending Hunter Academy. That means my job here is done."

He looked back at the inn before letting out a relieved sigh.

"I'm retiring. I'm going to find a quieter place to live and spend the rest of my days taking care of a small farm."

"I didn't know that," Zeph muttered, clearly caught off guard.

"It's all thanks to you, Zeph."

The older man gave his shoulder a firm pat.

The four of them chatted for another few minutes before saying their goodbyes. After that, Zeph, Madou, and Lena got back into the car and drove toward their next destination.

Not long afterward, they stopped in front of a cozy-looking bakery.

As soon as they got out, Koka walked out through the front door, still wearing his apron.

"So, you kids are finally done with your business?" he asked.

Zeph looked up at the sign above the entrance before turning back to Koka.

"So this is your bakery?"

Koka snorted.

"Just look at your face. You're already dying to try my cookies, aren't you? I guarantee you've never tasted cookies this good before."

He then looked at Madou.

"So, have you two made up your minds?"

Madou nodded.

"Yeah. We'll be staying here for a few days until the Hunter Academy entrance test begins. While we're waiting, we'll help out at the bakery."

"Good."

Koka nodded in satisfaction before pointing toward the upper floor.

"There are two spare rooms upstairs. You can use them while you're here."

He looked at Zeph and clicked his tongue with a grin.

"You really are a troublesome kid, you know that?" Koka said with a helpless sigh. "Somehow, every time you show up, I end up with more work."

Madou and Lena had mentioned that they would be staying with someone they knew for a few days, but they had never told Zeph that it would be at Koka's place. Apparently, Koka had been the one to offer all three of them a place to stay.

So, Zeph ended up spending the night there as well. The second floor of the bakery had a few bedrooms. They were usually empty at night anyway since Koka went home after closing the shop.

Later that evening, Zeph's Awakener Device suddenly vibrated. A notification appeared on the screen.

It was a money transfer.

"What's that?" Madou asked, glancing over at him.

"That brown-haired guy offered to help sell everything I got from the Rift. The monster cores and the other materials." Zeph turned the screen toward Madou. "This is what he paid me."

Madou's eyes widened slightly.

"Well... that's not a small amount."

He looked back at Zeph.

"It should be enough to cover all the equipment you'll need for the upcoming Hunter Academy entrance test. If you're careful with your spending, you could probably live on that money for the next year."

Zeph nodded slowly.

"I've never had this much money in my life."

Madou smiled.

"You'll get used to it. Hunters with your kind of potential earn far more than that."

Zeph nodded as he started thinking about how he wanted to spend the money he had just received.

At first, he had offered to split part of it with Madou and Lena since they had gone through the expedition together.

Both of them immediately refused.

They insisted they already had far more money than he did.

In fact, Lena casually mentioned that she had inherited a considerable fortune from her parents. According to her, it was worth even more than everything Madou and his father owned combined.

...Okay.

Apparently, Zeph was the only one who was genuinely poor.

No wonder he had looked at that amount of money and thought it could completely change his life. It was enough that he had even considered sharing it with the two of them.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow so he could finally go shopping.

He didn't have anything too extravagant in mind. Buying some spare combat gear sounded like a good idea. Besides, with his dimensional storage, he didn't have to worry about carrying extra equipment around. He could simply store everything inside and pull it out whenever he needed it.