If Haruki possessed spiritual abilities like a medium, he could fully suppress even a Ghost-God level entity residing in his arm and turn it into his own power.

  After finishing his daily training, Haruki realized a new "leap" was about to begin. He quickly returned to the apartment, where he found Sakiko Toyokawa just returning from her part-time job.

  He couldn't explicitly tell Sakiko about jumping between worlds for system missions, but he needed to give her a heads-up.

  "I might be gone for a day or two," Haruki said. "Don't worry about it."

  "Is that so?"

  Sakiko was already used to Haruki's sudden disappearances. In the past, he would often spend days and nights away from home just to focus on his swordsmanship, usually without even bothering to tell her.

  The fact that Haruki was actually making an effort to inform her now made her pause. A flicker of worry crossed her eyes, but she quickly masked it with a gentle smile.

  "Understood. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

  "Yeah..." Haruki nodded.

  He retreated to his room and began waiting for the final countdown. As expected, as the timer hit the final second, the world before his eyes shifted violently, pulling him into an entirely new reality.

  In the year 2020, terrifying monsters known as Gastrea suddenly appeared all over the world.

  The Gastrea were incredibly infectious. A single scratch was enough to inject the virus into a human, causing them to mutate and assimite. One became two, two became four, four became eight...

  The virus spread with terrifying speed, quickly engulfing the entire globe. In the conflict known as the Gastrea War, Japan suffered a devastating defeat, and its entire territory was nearly lost to the monsters.

  Fortunately, at the final moment, the government constructed massive structures known as Monoliths to halt the Gastrea's advance. These bck barriers were made of a specialized metal called Varanium.

  Gastrea had an extreme biological aversion to Varanium. By stacking massive amounts of it to create a specific magnetic field, humanity created a natural "holy ground" that kept the monsters at bay.

  But the cost was high. Beyond the Monoliths, the world was now a wastend filled with non-human monsters—and the non-human monsters that used to be people. If a weak human stepped outside the Monolith for even a second, they would be eaten or turned.

  Japan hadn't "survived" the war; it was merely gasping for breath in the face of an apocalypse. A hopeless future could arrive at any moment—even tomorrow.

  Haruki Aizawa slowly opened his eyes.

  Knowledge about the world of Bck Bullet was being funneled into his mind by the System. As usual, it had manufactured a fitting identity for him in this world.

  Haruki was now a Japanese high school student attending Magata High. He was also a registered member of Civil Security.

  "Civil Security" (or Civil Sec) was a specialized profession born from the aftermath of the war. Since public military forces had been decimated, the government relied on powerful individuals from the private sector to assist in the fight against Gastrea.

  To become a full Civil Security officer, one didn't just need strength; they needed a partner known as an Initiator.

  Since he had just arrived, Haruki didn't quite have a grasp on what an "Initiator" was yet. He was more concerned with his primary mission.

  [Mission World Reached]

  [Identity Binding Complete]

  [Current Status: Apprentice Civil Security Officer]

  [IP Ranking: N/A]

  [Mission Details: In this world, there exist terrifying entities known as Gastrea. They possess extreme infectiousness and regenerative abilities, making them impossible to kill with conventional weapons. Gastrea are cssified into five stages (Stage I to Stage V). The higher the stage, the stronger the monster.]

  [Primary Objective: Eliminate the ancient Stage IV Gastrea, Aldebaran. It is a unique entity ranked between Stage IV and Stage V, making it the strongest Gastrea below the legendary Stage V sovereigns.]

  [Hint: To fight Gastrea effectively, you must first become a formal Civil Security officer. Increasing your IP Ranking will make it easier to track and engage high-level targets.]

  "Gastrea... Aldebaran... Civil Security..."

  Seeing the prompts, Haruki understood his path. He pulled out his apprentice license and followed the directions to the local Civil Security organization.

  The organization was known as the IISO (International Initiator Supervising Organization). Its purpose was to manage all Civil Security officers, pair them with Initiators, and maintain the IP Rankings.

  The reason Haruki was still just an "apprentice" was because he hadn't been assigned an Initiator yet.

  After spending some time at the IISO and gathering intel, Haruki finally got a clearer picture of the world's situation. Specifically, he learned the truth about "Initiators."

  During the Gastrea invasion, some pregnant women were infected with the virus. The virus passed into the fetuses, but instead of turning, the children were born with a portion of the Gastrea's power.

  These children possessed incredible combat abilities and near-immortal regenerative powers. They were known as the "Cursed Children."

  Because of the virus, these children were exclusively female. Furthermore, the "curse" meant they usually only lived for about ten years before the virus fully consumed them. This heavy price was what fueled their terrifying combat potential. It was said that the highest-ranked Cursed Children could shift the military bance of the entire world by themselves.

  Therefore, a Civil Security officer (called a Promoter) was required to form a contract with a Cursed Child (the Initiator) before they were legally allowed to hunt Gastrea.

  Haruki wasn't particurly interested in having an Initiator. He didn't feel like he needed a little girl to help him fight. However, due to the ws of this world, he needed a contract to gain full access to Gastrea hunting grounds.

  Reluctantly, he submitted his application for an Initiator.

  "I'm sorry, but there haven't been any new Initiators born recently, and there are currently no vacancies among the active ones," the IISO official said with a shrug.

  Haruki frowned. "Is there no other way? Or rather, is it impossible to fight Gastrea without one?"

  "Legally, yes. A Promoter is not allowed to engage Gastrea alone," the official expined. "However, there is one other option."

  "Go on."

  "There are certain Initiators who have signed contracts before, but due to 'compatibility issues'—or perhaps just the Initiator's personality—they were rejected by their Promoters."

  "What happens to them?"

  "Either they wait for a new Promoter to take a chance on them, or, if they become too difficult to manage, the IISO proceeds with 'disposal'."

  "Disposal?" Haruki's brow furrowed. The word left a bad taste in his mouth.

  The official remained indifferent. "The Cursed Children are essentially Gastrea embryos. Once they hit ten years old, the erosion rate spikes. If they aren't useful, it's better to eliminate the instability before it becomes a threat."

  "..."

  Haruki remained silent. He could already sense the profound rot in this world, though he didn't have enough context to voice a protest yet.

  He simply spoke: "Whatever. Is there one of those 'difficult' Initiators avaible? As long as I sign with her, I'm a formal officer, right?"

  "Of course. I'll arrange it immediately."

  The official left and returned a few minutes ter, leading a young girl by the hand.

  She had green hair tied into braids and wore a simple white sweater. her eyes were hollow and lifeless—not just empty, but filled with a sort of nihilism that suggested she had already seen through the ugliness of the world.

  Haruki observed the girl as the IISO official brought her forward. She didn't react to his presence at all, standing there like a porcein doll.

  "Her name is Kayo Senju," the official introduced her. "She was originally scheduled to be assigned to a Promoter from the Mishima Royal Guard, but they haven't submitted the paperwork yet. Since you're here, I can introduce you instead."

  "If I sign with her, I can start hunting Gastrea immediately?"

  "Correct."

  "Then I have no objections."

  Haruki didn't care about the girl's background. His goal in this world was to complete the system mission and fight the Gastrea. Ever since he had started his journey, he had struggled to find enemies he could actually kill. In the world of Chivalry of a Failed Knight, he could fight powerful bzers, but he couldn't take lives. This meant his Sword Saint System hadn't been gaining much experience.

  Now that he was in a world where he could kill to his heart's content without consequence, his thirst for battle was becoming harder to suppress.

  "Ahem, please don't be in such a hurry, Aizawa-san," the official said, misinterpreting Haruki's intensity as youthful arrogance. "This Initiator is a bit complex. For the sake of your survival out there, you should listen to her profile."

  "Fine. Go ahead." Haruki reined in his battle intent. Since Kayo Senju was going to be his partner, he should at least know what he was dealing with, even if he didn't pn on letting her fight.

  "First, Kayo Senju is a Dolphin-type Cursed Child. Because of the virus, her brain is far more developed than a normal human's. Her tested IQ is 210. But as they say, geniuses are often misunderstood. Most of her previous potential partners couldn't follow her train of thought, leading to failed coordination. Eventually, she was just... cast aside."

  The official continued in a cold, clinical tone. "Also, you should note that she is nearly ten years old. This means she is close to the limit of virus erosion. If you use her in combat, you must monitor her erosion rate closely. If it crosses the critical threshold, contact the IISO immediately so we can... recycle her."

  "That's enough."

  Haruki interrupted him, his voice sharp and cold.

  He had felt uncomfortable from the start, but listening to this man talk about a young girl as if she were a piece of malfunctioning hardware or a disposable battery was genuinely sickening. Even without knowing the full history of this world, Haruki could see how poorly the Cursed Children were treated. To the IISO, they weren't people; they were tools.

  Haruki was no saint, but he had no tolerance for btant cruelty masquerading as bureaucracy. However, he was still a newcomer. He wasn't going to start a revolution on day one.

  "One more thing," Haruki asked before leaving. "When I go out to fight Gastrea, does it matter if the Initiator doesn't participate in the battle?"

  "Huh?" The official blinked, caught off guard. He paused for a long time before answering. "Well... if you actually have the power to handle Gastrea on your own... technically, there's no rule that requires the Initiator to fight."

  "Good to know."

  Without another word, Haruki turned and led Kayo Senju out of the IISO building. His disdain for the organization was written all over his face. He didn't want to spend another second in that pce.

  Kayo Senju, however, watched Haruki's back with a quiet, observant gaze, her expressionless eyes finally showing a tiny flicker of curiosity.

  ***********************************************

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