"All powers need to be developed," Lin Moze explained.
"Take your Yellow Temperence as an example. Its defensive limits, transformation range, growth methods, and precision control—all of these can be researched and expanded."
He added, "Sometimes, an ability that seems simple can have the scariest results if properly refined."
"That… actually makes a lot of sense."
Kitagawa Marin blinked and nodded slowly. Then, as if something occurred to her, she glanced at him curiously:
"Lin-kun, you're not ordinary, are you? The way you took out those monsters was so clean and professional. Plus, you seem to know a lot about superpowers—and you're a foreign exchange student from China too. You're just like one of those mysterious protagonists from anime!"
Lin Moze smirked.
"If we're talking impressive, I think you're the unusual one."
While gathering the scattered food and water, he added:
"Most girls would've panicked or tried to run home crying in a situation like this."
"Well, actually…" Marin blushed, waving her hands.
"I was terrified at first. I tried to blend in with the monsters and sneak out, but I was scared to even breathe too loudly."
She sighed and smiled awkwardly.
"But I knew crying wouldn't fix anything, so I just kept pushing forward."
"That's already amazing."
Lin Moze nodded but shifted gears.
"Now that the world's gone to hell, have you thought about your plans? Are you going back to Saitama to look for family?"
This was a crucial question.
If Marin insisted on leaving Tokyo, Lin Moze wouldn't risk following her, no matter how much he liked her.
Tokyo, at least, was familiar territory—but Saitama? He'd be wandering blind.
Fortunately, Marin's response didn't disappoint him.
"Plans? Um… I guess I'll just focus on surviving for now."
She hesitated, then continued:
"My dad's always traveling for work—probably overseas right now. I can't even contact him, so there's no reason for me to go back."
Hearing this, Lin Moze immediately suggested:
"In that case, why don't we stick together? As Saviors, we can look out for each other."
"Really? That would be awesome!" Marin's eyes sparkled.
"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing, but I was afraid I'd slow you down."
Relieved, she patted her chest, causing her ample curves to bounce noticeably.
Lin Moze noticed but didn't linger.
He wasn't a novice.
Moments like this didn't distract him. Right now, he had something more important on his mind.
"Marin, does your Savior Panel have the Decompose and Convert functions unlocked yet?"
"Huh? What's that?" Marin tilted her head in confusion.
"So it's not activated yet."
Lin Moze smiled.
"Wait here and help me with an experiment."
Before Marin could respond, he leaped over the rooftop railing and vanished.
Moments later, he jumped back onto the rooftop—this time holding a Kabane corpse.
"What the—?!" Marin stumbled back as Lin Moze dropped the body in front of her.
"Touch it," he said.
"See if your panel reacts."
Marin froze, staring at the grotesque corpse with its gaping chest wound.
Her instincts screamed "no."
But knowing Lin Moze had a reason for this, she forced herself forward and touched a cleaner spot on the Kabane's arm.
Immediately, a light screen popped up in her vision:
[Notice: Savior has contacted dimensional monster corpse. Decompose and Convert modules unlocked. Redemption Store activated.]
Lin Moze noticed her reaction and asked:
"Well? Did anything happen?"
"Yeah! My panel unlocked Decompose, Convert, and a store interface!"
"Good. Now try decomposing the corpse."
Following his instructions, Marin activated the function.
The Kabane's body vanished in a flash of energy.
Seeing this, Lin Moze nodded thoughtfully.
Marin, however, was still confused.
"Wait… this whole thing was an experiment?"
"Exactly."
Lin Moze crossed his arms.
"I wanted to test if Saviors can use their panels to process monsters they didn't personally kill."
"And that's important because…?"
"It means Saviors don't have to fight alone."
Lin Moze elaborated:
"If we could only process monsters we killed ourselves, it would limit how many points we could earn."
"But if even normal people can kill monsters and let Saviors process them, then things change."
Marin's eyes widened.
"So… as long as people work together, they can farm points and exchange for resources?"
"Exactly."
Lin Moze grinned.
If only Saviors could earn points, most would turn into lone wolves—surviving in small groups at best.
But if ordinary survivors could help generate points, entire settlements could form.
Weak monsters like Kabane, zombies, goblins, and slimes could be hunted by organized teams.
In such a world, Saviors wouldn't just be fighters—they'd be resource hubs.
And whether willingly or not, weaker Saviors might even get forced into roles as resource processors for larger groups.
The apocalypse could rapidly evolve into a wasteland society with camps and territories—and beyond that?
Who knew.
The real dangers weren't Kabane or zombies.
Mechanical armies, alien creatures, necromancers, demons, and malevolent gods could all appear.
Even Lin Moze wasn't sure if he could handle those.
But that wasn't something he'd tell Marin.
No need to give her nightmares.