In the blink of an eye, Tatsuki found himself back home.
He plopped onto the couch and checked his phone. Only one second had passed.
"…"
Time had indeed paused. But as Tatsuki thought about it more, he couldn't help but wonder:
"Does messing with world time like this really not cause any disruptions?"
During the Apocalypse Game, he had spent seven days with Yukino. Yet upon returning to the real world, time remained unchanged. However, in the worlds of the other members in the chat group, time had progressed.
When he went on another Apocalypse Journey, time in his own world paused again, while other worlds' time continued moving.
Wasn't this incredibly strange?
Unable to discern any logic in the system, Tatsuki decided not to dwell on it. Overthinking wouldn't help. Instead, he turned his attention to the rewards he had anticipated from this round.
"150,000 Apocalypse Points!"
Honestly, he hadn't expected to earn so many points. The key factor was the doubled rewards for his first Apocalypse Journey.
"This is what you call catching a break," he chuckled softly.
Opening the chat group, Tatsuki navigated to the ability enhancement section. With a total of 157,000 Apocalypse Points, he made the decision without hesitation—he invested 150,000 points entirely into upgrading Vector Manipulation.
"!!!"
A wave of warmth coursed through his body, and Tatsuki immediately felt his control over surrounding vectors improve.
Clenching his fist, he was amazed at his newfound strength. With a single punch, he was confident he could use vector manipulation to easily crush a hundred-meter-tall skyscraper.
Additionally, the permanent reflection vector layer on his body had strengthened. He felt as though he had reached a level of invulnerability akin to Accelerator's, capable of withstanding even a nuclear explosion.
However, there was still a significant flaw—like Accelerator, he required oxygen to breathe. Being able to withstand a nuclear explosion didn't mean he could survive in its aftermath. The intense heat from a nuclear explosion would consume all nearby oxygen, and without oxygen, survival was nearly impossible.
Still, Tatsuki wasn't overly concerned.
With Apocalypse Points at his disposal, he believed that one day, he would overcome this weakness.
Tatsuki glanced at the Apocalypse Points required to upgrade Vector Manipulation to the next level and went silent.
[Gemstone – Vector Manipulation Upgrade to Level 6 requires 500,000 Apocalypse Points.]
"Damn!"
500,000 Apocalypse Points. Half a million.
He checked his remaining balance.
Only 7,000 Apocalypse Points left.
For now, upgrading his ability was out of the question.
After some thought, he decided to try his luck on the Apocalypse Roulette.
Opening the roulette, he spent 1,000 points for a spin.
With a ding, the roulette stopped spinning.
But when he saw where the pointer landed, he was speechless.
It was a miss—an empty result.
"…"
This was the first time he'd ever experienced an empty spin.
Then came the second spin... another miss.
The third spin... yet again, a miss.
By the fifth spin... still a miss!
"What the—? Is this the normal probability?"
With only 2,000 points left, Tatsuki refused to give up.
He spun again. The roulette spun and stopped with a ding.
[Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained A-Rank Intuition!]
"It hit!"
Tatsuki was thrilled. After spending 6,000 points, he had finally gotten something.
[A-Rank Intuition]: Comparable to a sixth sense, enabling the body to instinctively issue warnings in moments of danger.
It was an excellent ability, similar to Spider-Man's Spidey Sense.
"Integrate!"
After integrating the ability, Tatsuki didn't feel any noticeable physical changes. This ability was passive and would likely be difficult to test.
With his remaining 1,000 Apocalypse Points, he decided to upgrade Intuition to Level 2.
Satisfied, he opened the chat group.
March 7: "@Exusiai, have you all returned?"
Exusiai: "Yes, the journey has ended."
Aqua: "Was there any good food?"
Saeko Busujima: "Uh, things were pretty chaotic here. There wasn't much to eat."
Saeko Busujima: "However, after completing the Apocalypse Journey, we received Apocalypse Point rewards. Exusiai and I each got 30,000 points, while Tatsuki earned 150,000."
March 7: "150,000! That's a lot! What did you use your points for?"
Tatsuki: "I upgraded Vector Manipulation to Level 5 and then spun the Apocalypse Roulette to get a new ability: A-Rank Intuition, a sixth sense-like ability."
Saeko Busujima: "Tatsuki-kun, thank you for your help. If you don't mind, I can give you the points I earned."
Tatsuki: "There's no need for that. I've already gained plenty from the Apocalypse Chat Group. You should use them to grow stronger instead. That way, you can repay me even more in the future. Don't you think?"
Saeko Busujima: "…I understand! Tatsuki-kun, if you ever need me, just say the word. I will follow you to the death!"
Tatsuki: "Haha, alright."
After a short while.
Saeko Busujima: "I've gained some new abilities. One of them is somewhat similar to your Intuition, Tatsuki-kun. It's called B-Rank Foresight, a skill that uses experience to see through movements."
Saeko Busujima: "In addition, I've acquired another superpower: B-Rank Physical Enhancement, which I upgraded to Level 3 using my points."
Saeko Busujima: "It's incredible! I feel so strong now. I can easily move through hordes of undead and slaughter them, with strength and speed far beyond what I ever imagined."
Tatsuki: "Physical Enhancement is a very powerful ability. If you use a sword, it pairs perfectly with Foresight. Both suit you well."
Exusiai: "Hehe, I got an A-Rank ability: Firearm Creation! I can create guns and various types of ammo anytime, anywhere."
Exusiai: "After upgrading it to Level 3, I can even create heavy firearms and etched bullets! I absolutely love this ability!"
Exusiai had always dreamed of owning a vast collection of firearms.
Now, her dream had come true—she could create firearms anytime she wanted! With life energy, she could manufacture etched bullets as well.
She no longer had to worry about running out of ammunition. Just imagining herself in Overdrive Mode, wielding dozens or even hundreds of firearms, made her so excited she could laugh in her sleep!