Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Eya, who was standing at the counter turned on the sign: 'We are closed! You may game tomorrow!' and looked at the people inside the Vr-cade.

She strode out of the counter and turned on her mic. "Dear customers, due to New Year's Eve celebration, I announce that the Vr-cade will shut down at nine o'clock. I repeat..."

Most of the men were disappointed, half of them had expected it though, and the rest were upset about the announcement.

Eya rested her wand on the side of her skirt and walked inside the staff room. She still had half an hour before Kakashi would arrive, so she decided to change her clothes first.

Only ten minutes to ten when the customers went to the counter and get their cards checked out. Eya bowed to them and added: "Your remaining time will be added to tomorrow's timing. Thank you."

It took her eight minutes to empty the Vr-cade, she had only two minutes-- now one-- before Kakashi would arrive.

Eya opened the security tab and turned off the lights, leaving the New Year decorations outside. She was rather happy tonight, Hitori was safe, and she was going to have siblings' time with Kakashi.

Eya hummed as she locked the staff room and the Vr-cade's main lock, she pulled down the glass doors, and sent the fairy to sleep-- the fairy actually was the result of Eya's conjuring magic.

Before teleporting out of the Vr-cade, Eya decided to take a last look around the Vr-cade. So she opened their status screen which displayed the player who logged in today and who logged out today, then the number of seats available, etc.

"First alley, clear. Second, clear. Third and fourth..." she paused. Eya pursed her lips and lifted her eyes from the screen.

She allocated the fourth alley to Kamiya and Hitori to keep a special eye on Hitori. When the last time Kuzu was bullying Kamiya, she and Kakashi had gone to get their lunch, which prevented her from helping Kamiya.

Kuzu never bullied Kamiya in the Vr-cade, that was the first and the last time they ever did. All the bullying usually took place in the academy.

Eya shook her head and went back to her final checking. "Fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and there goes the te---" her mouth stood open.

Eya squinted at the screen and leaned forward. One of the consoles from the tenth alley was still in use. Eya went back to today's log and found that from the hundred people who logged in today, only one person had not logged out yet.

"Oh god, is he asleep? Or is he dead?" Eya grabbed her coat and walked out of the counter. Eya pulled on her coat as she took quick steps toward the last counter.

When she closed the distance near the tenth alley, she slowed down and lit a small torch on the tip of her index finger.

That person did not even bother to say something when she turned off the lights of the tenth alley, that person did not bother to move when everyone left the Vr-cade. Just who was this person?

As Eya had guessed, there was a glowing light in the dark alley, one of the consoles was still working and a person was still immersed in the game.

"Did he ignore the message I sent to the players who were playing? Ah, another arrogant man, I guess."

It was not Onogi, not Kuzu, and not Tengoku for sure. So Eya dropped her guard and casually walked to the person.

She opened a magical screen in front of her and sent the same text to the person instead of forcefully taking his card out.

Eya lifted her eyes from the screen at the man. There was a magic circle levitating above his head-- he was a magic user at least.

Eya waited for three minutes before tapping the magic circle on the console station. The card popped out and the person opened his eyes full of rage.

"Sorry, sir, but we are closing." Eya bowed. The person got up from his chair. "I did send you messages twice but you would not listen so I had no other choice---"

"Are you fucked up? Are you fucking out of your mind?"

Eya opened her eyes. "Sir, please---"

"Fuck you. I was in the middle of a battle. If I had won it, I would have become huge."

'You can not as long as Onogi, Kuchiki, and Hitori-san are alive. Well, this new Divine adds to the list, I guess, now.' She thought.

"Ah, fuck, what if you want to shut the Vr-cade? I still want to play." The man leaned back to his console. "Hand me my card."

Eya clenched the card. "Sure, sir, let me remove the QR code and I will hand it back to you."

The man clenched his jaw and snorted. "Lady, I am pissed, you fucked my game up. I will be polite and hand my fucking card back."

"I will have to snap it into two, sir, if you do not get out right now."

"And I will snap you into two."

Eya sighed. "The last warning, sir, or I will have to use force against you."

"Force. Force?" The man nodded and threw his hand. "You? You are a woman! A fucking woman, how will you use force against me?" The man pushed his luck and stood right next to Eya's face.

"Step back, sir," she said.

"You know what? Try me, if you manage to throw me out of the Vr-cade, I will walk away without my card. But if I..." he stepped closer, Eya took a step back, "...won." He smirked.

"I am serious, you do not want me---"

"Oh, I do. You messed up with my fucking game, you pay for it."

"I messaged you---"

The man jerked and reached for his wand. "Fuck your messages." He raised it, but to Eya's surprise, his wand went further up, pointing at the roof.

Eya raised her eyes, she saw a flare break through the Vr-cade's roof and her eyes popped. A man's flare broke through THEIR Vr-cade's roof.

"And now let us wait till they arrive."

"Ah, fuck." She stepped back and bit her lip. "I will be late."

Kakashi appeared in front of the Vr-cade, he glanced around but did not spot Eya waiting for him. 'These women.' he shook his head. 'When will they take less than an hour to get ready? The next century?'

Kakashi shook his head and was about to teleport inside the Vr-cade when he heard a snapping sound. He raised his eyes and saw a red color flame flaring high in the sky.

Kakashi lowered his eyes at the Vr-cade. He pulled his wand to his ear and disappeared. "Eya, what the heck is up?"

Stepping back, Eya answered, "Kakashi, I need support." Eya turned and ran to the main entrance.

The man's jaw dropped. "Fucking woman! Give me my card!" he ran to chase her. He could not teleport in the Vr-cade as Eya and Kakashi could.

Exactly at nine-thirty, Hitori logged out. He stayed inside the game for a few hours even after everyone had logged out. Senso logged in after an hour and reported to Hitori about Kamiya's situation.

He was safely sitting inside room 333 with his sister.

Hitori was relieved to hear that the counter lady had not made a move yet. Hitori opened the game's website while the game was still on in the background.

In the 'Hot' tab of the website was Hitori, Reon, and Kamiya's name at the top. Below him were the names of two people he knew from the very start: Rotten Mind and Ronin Samurai.

They were named The Unbeatable Duo. Hitori knew he would have to face that duo anytime soon.

On the third number was the news about Onogi's defeat. He lost yet he was in the top three.

Hitori was curious about the Divine Valley, when he scrolled, he saw Divine's name at the fourth spot. Named as the Strategist Streamer.

Hitori stared a the name for a few seconds before he closed the website. He was about to shut the game, pull out his card, and leave for the Vr-cade when he heard a notification ping.

Hitori opened his inbox and saw a name he knew he would see but did not want to. The Emperor's Scrap Picker.

"Be ready with your partners, Hitori, we are coming soon. Happy New year."

Hitori sighed and rubbed his eyebrow. "Shame, my partner will not be with me."

Hitori pushed his chair and tapped his table. The metallic gaming card popped out, and Hitori grabbed the card, then dug it into his hoodie's pocket.

Hitori strode out of his room, locked the door behind him, and raced towards his coat. Hitori pulled on his coat and walked out of his house. He locked the main door behind him and took off towards the Vr-cade.

It took him five minutes to walk to the bridge over the city river. Hitori could feel the New Year celebration taking over the city's people.

People were throwing parties everywhere, the decorations were neatly done, and the ministry was blowing magical fireworks from their building on the west border.

Most of the shops were closed except for the liquors and restaurants. Kids were running around the roads carefree of horse wagons tonight.

Adults were on the roofs of their houses, some were making love, and some couples were being romantic in a restaurant.

Teenagers were finding the best chance to confess their feelings to their dream girl, others were busy with their families, and a few were hanging out with their gang.

In the midst of this busy city, Hitori walked over the bridge, and through the shops and people.

Hitori, once again, encountered the levitating signboard with the directions to the Vr-cade. Hitori, once again, chose the left path.

The man who tried to harras Eya was now lying lifelessly on the floor. Eya kicked the dead man and walked Kakashi, out of the Vr-cade. "That fucker dare to use the Shinigami's curse!"

"And is he dead now?"

"Yeah. I used the blood curse."

"I am surprised by how many people know about that curse despite being banned."

"Oh, no, he was not just a person." Eya shook her head. Kakashi was looking at the horizon, waiting for the dead men's men to arrive.

"Then?"

"He broke through our roof. He was a graduate, wasted life."

"Wasted, indeed." Kakashi nodded. "But, is his men coming or not? We are already half an hour late."

"And it will take us another fifteen minutes or so to take care of them?"

Kakashi nodded. "Ah, fuck, why tonight?" he threw his wand back into his coat's side pocket, into the metal scabbard.

"Can not we just... leave?"

"You said he was powerful." Kakashi turned to Eya. "Then maybe his men would be powerful too. Our Vr-cade will be in danger, we need to protect it, at least."

Eya sighed. "Even when I thought everything was set for tonight..."

"Eya-nee, next time you see someone misbehaving in our Vr-cade, you may banish them permanently."

Eya's mouth dropped but she was happy when Kakashi granted her permission to use a spell from the Abjuration School of Magic.