Game On! [One Punch Man Fanfic]

Chapter 8

(A/N: Is this still going to be discontinued? I honestly don't know. ┐(~ー~;)┌ )

     Mieko nibbled on her fingernail nervously, still counting down the amount of time she had for the attack. She only had one chance and would have to take it.

     She had frequented the slime dungeons more, even progressing to other mobs like skeletons and hobgoblins. Even when the blood splattered onto her clothing or when her hair turned brown from the dirt, Mieko no longer complained.

      Genos was even more surprised to find her sitting in her desk at school instead of hiding out in the computer lab on a laptop that she hacked into. 

      The more she grew closer to the destruction of their town, the more the purple-haired girl was training.

      The System, although it was a cheeky little thing, still managed to create more curiosities.  

<Congratulations! The Hidden Quest has been completed by the Host!

Gains:

- 100,000 Exp.

- 20 Tr. points

- Skill Scrolls >

     She hadn't even known of the quest's appearance before it appeared onto her screen. The Exp. went into a safe place, leveling her up to a beautiful, even 50. Yes, 50.

     Any grinding that she had done in games she played before could now be considered a mere child's play. In going out to dungeons she was putting her life on the line and battling for her own survival. Nothing could compare at that point.

      Regular games then... became boring.

     What scared her, even more, was her own skills that she had earned, traded in for, created, or learned accidentally. Oddly, by wielding a gun at the arcade she was able to gain the 'gunslinger' skill. When receiving scrolls from other quests, she managed to gain fire attribute magic such as Fireball, Inferno, Magma Crush, and some unattributed magic that created physical things out of her mana. 

      On the other hand, she managed to trade in some points for creation magic, allowing her to make different types that don't preexist on the tree. Most great magic was there, but there was always room for improvement. One she created allowed for her to change her composition of magic, not into another element, but into something more ghost-like. It can phase through solid objects while also cutting the enemy. 

      When she finished the creation, Mieko decided to give it an original name of 'Ghost Blade.' It was the most powerful magic that she had created so far that didn't imitate the other magics on the skill tree.

     Everything she had so far was attack magic, though she focused on also upgrading the shield that she had from before. 

     Scribbling in her notebook at school instead of listening to one of the lectures, Mieko tried hard to remember what exactly she had seen in the vision. She could remember the flashes of rubble on the ground, blood, and the eerie red eyes that made her very soul tremble in fear.

     As she was sketching it out and adding random doodles, it then came to mind of the exact location of where it was. It had come back to her, something that she saw but wasn't able to fully register or comprehend. Lying in the rubble was a nameplate for someone's home.

     'Ishikura.'

     That was her last name. Though Mieko never really cared to be called by her last name- as she was American born first- she could still remember that small marble sign that hung next to the front gate of their home.

     Her stomach churned heavily as she realized what exactly she had seen. There was no way that she could forget the blood that was sprayed everywhere and stained the concrete and rubble. There was no way she could say it was someone that she didn't know.

     There was no doubt in her heart that it was her mother who had been squashed underneath the thousand pounds of rubble, not even knowing that her life was about to be taken at that moment. 

      Mieko had to run to the bathroom with her face as white as a sheet.

     While emptying her insides into the toilet, she vowed to protect her mother. Mieko was finally at level fifty anyways, neither too weak nor too strong.  It wasn't as though life would throw her a world boss to fight on her own when she was only at level fifty with somewhat decent equipment.

     She didn't leave the bathroom until the bell rang. With that, she traveled down to the nurse's office to get something to calm down her stomach. 

      Returning to class with a nurse's pass in hand and excuse ready to tumble from her mouth, Mieko was able to sit down without much fuss.

     Crumpling up the paper that she was doodling on, she got a new sheet out and titled it heavily in a black marker 'Plan to Escape Annihilation.'

     The rest of school time was spent devising different battle plans and trying to use the weaknesses in her abilities as strengths. She couldn't afford a single mistake.

      She wouldn't allow herself to make a single mistake.

      With decent abilities, she shouldn't be making any in the first place.

      As the final bell rang, Genos tapped her on her shoulder. "It's time to go now... What are you doing?"

      Covering up the page she was on quickly, she smiled to him. "Just drawing a bit. Class is so boring, after all. I really couldn't care less."

      He sighed, sweeping through his blond hair, "Seriously, no matter how smart you are, you should still listen to your teachers."

     "Hai, hai~" she replied back automatically while putting her books away in her schoolbag, "I'll listen to you, teacher~."

     Putting her bag over her shoulder, Mieko headed straight for the door. He followed right after her, then falling into a steady pace while walking side-by-side with her.

     "Are you still feeling sick?" he then asked, expression clear with worry.

     "I'm fine, " she laughed, "I think that I ate something bad earlier."

     "This is why you need to check your dates on food, " he scolded, "I've already prevented you from eating expired food before so you need to really listen. If I need to, I'll write you a book on what you need to remember-"

     "No thanks, " she smiled, "Everything is going to be just fine. Don't worry about it."

      Those words could have never been more wrong.