Lewd skill in a filthy world
Chapter 92. A tsukuma

Chapter 92: 92. A tsukuma

"This place is done for," Shin muttered as he cast a glance at the smoldering ruins around them. "I think it’s time we moved on to the next phase."

The wind howled low outside the cracked windowpanes, scattering ash across the bloodstained floor. Lilian straightened and gave a short bow, her long hair swaying.

"Anything you say, Master!" she said loyally. Then her eyes dropped to the oozing wound on Shin’s shoulder. "But... will you be able to move? Your, um..." She hesitated, her throat tightening at the sight. "Your shoulder looks bad."

The wound was worse than it had looked before. Shin’s shoulder was split open, a jagged crack of torn flesh glistening with blood and it reeked faintly of rot and ozone.

Sylvia snorted and jabbed a thumb toward the tiny figure nestled in her front dungaree pocket. "And it’s all because of her!"

Gegee barely peeked out over the edge of the pocket, her miniature hands clutching the rim. Her face was pale, lips pressed tight. The guilt etched into her tiny expression was almost comical, if the situation weren’t so grim.

Shin’s breathing was ragged. The pain was getting to him. His body was a machine of war, yes, but even machines needed maintenance.

Gegee’s eyes suddenly caught a glint of something beneath a collapsed shelf—glass, perhaps. Her tiny finger shot out. "There! That bottle—pick it up and bring it here!"

Sylvia’s brow rose. "A toy giving orders to its master?" she scoffed, folding her arms.

Gegee clenched her teeth, her tiny fists trembling with fury. If she’d been in her full-sized body, she would’ve socked Sylvia across the face with no hesitation.

"That ’toy’ is trying to help! So get your ass up and bring me the bottle!" Gegee snapped.

Lilian squinted toward the bottle. "That’s alcohol Lilian brought from the supply shops about three days ago. No one here drinks, so we just stored it away."

Gegee whistled low. "Perfect! It’s labeled 43%—strong enough. I’d have drank it without a second thought if this damn pocket-sized body wouldn’t keel over at a single sniff."

She turned serious. "Find a clean cloth. We’re washing that wound out. Otherwise, tge punk is going to start rotting in front of us."

Shin gave her a half-lidded look. "Punk? Thought you promised to start calling me Master?"

Gegee rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Give it some time, brat. Old habits die hard."

Shin chuckled dryly and turned to Lilian, who still looked hesitant. "Do it," he muttered, lowering himself onto the least bloodied part of the mattress with a wince.

Lilian obeyed, fetching the bottle and a clean strip of cloth. Gegee supervised from her cotton throne like a general commanding soldiers in the field. As Lilian poured the alcohol onto the cloth, Shin shoved the handle of one of his daggers into his mouth to bite down.

The moment the cloth touched the wound, a violent jolt shot through his body.

His back arched.

His fingers curled into claws.

His teeth ground against the dagger handle as the sting of the alcohol burned into raw flesh.

His Spiritual Healing was still locked as a penalty.

[Skill: Spiritual Healing – LOCKED! Remaining: 38 hours]

This would have to do.

Gegee winced along with him, her eyes tightening. She knew all too well how useless she was in this state,.especially since she was the one who gave him that wound, but this was the least she could offer.

Once the wound was cleaned, Lilian helped wrap it in tight black bandages. They helped Shin into his clothes. His face remained unreadable, save for the faint smirk tugging at his lips as he slid his daggers into their scabbards and swung his firearm onto his shoulder.

"Alright, girls... let’s move," he said, going through the shattered door.

Gegee bounced awkwardly with each of Sylvia’s steps, the movement dizzying in her current size. Everything was massive to her—the trees, the bricks, even Sylvia’s chin above her looked like the edge of a cliff.

The Safezone had turned into a ghost town now. Most civilians had fled, others had been caught in last night’s hell fire of Decimation that caused a destruction, and the rest had taken shelter somewhere far.

Those who remained saw Shin and instinctively backed away, whispers trailing after him like smoke.

Rumor had spread that he was the one who fired a fire beam last night, and that made them.fear to even look at him in the eyes.

Even his presence seemed heavier as though the air bent around him like he was some kind of god cloaked in ragged leather.

He kept walking, ignoring the stares. But inside, the pain pulsed, threatening to make him fall to his knees and scream in oain, but he stayed strong, not wanting people to realize he was injured, or else fools like Tan and Lan would pounce like vultures.

Fortunately, one of the gates leading to the next tier safezone wasn’t far—barely a five-minute walk.

Shin took a deep breath, standing before it. He couldn’t trust the system but he had no choice now except to go through it.

Survival was all that mattered now.

"By my authority as the Filthbound," he whispered firmly, "I command these two NPCs to pass through the gate with me."

The gate pulsed, responding with a deep, resonant hum. Magic crackled faintly across its runes.

Shin nodded to Lilian. "You go first."

Without hesitation, Lilian bowed and stepped through the portal. Her figure shimmered and vanished in a ripple of light.

"It worked..." Shin whispered to himself, relief washing over him.

He turned to Sylvia and peeled back the flap of her pocket. "Yo. Still alive in there, or did you suffocate?"

Gegee had her arms crossed over her chest, still naked, and hiding what little remained of her once-impressive bust which were now reduced to a size barely bigger than a small pimple. Her glare could have melte

"For someone who used to have massive tits," Shin teased, "I gotta say those look pathetic now."

Her face turned crimson. "Tch! I’ll grow back to full size in three months, tops!"

"Three months?" Shin blinked. "Isn’t that a little long? Well... whatever. Just hope you’ve got the level and coins to get through the gate, or we’re leaving you behind."

Gegee rolled her eyes and lounged back into Sylvia’s pocket. "I lost my body, not my stats, you jackass!"

"Good to know." With that, he gave Sylvia a gentle push. She stumbled into the portal—and vanished.

Alone now, Shin turned back to face the remnants of the Tokyo Safezone. Broken roads. Collapsed buildings. Ash in the air.

He smirked.

"It was fun while it lasted. The sex. The killing. The chaos... exhilarating."

With that, he stepped into the portal—backwards.

The sensation hit instantly as he immediately felt weightless.

The wind rushed past his ears like a jetstream. His eyes widened.

He was falling.

Crimson clouds swirled overhead, two monstrous red orbs hovering like twin suns. The world below rushed up to meet him—forests, jagged mountains, a twisted terrain that seemed to ripple and breathe.

He opened his mouth to scream just as the ground came into view.

But instead of impact that he was bracing himself to feel, reality before him twisted.

The color of the world bent as blue and black stripes swirled like vortexes around him, warping his descent. The world inverted.

Then he crashed.

Hard.

"Ughh..." he groaned, struggling to sit upright. The pain in his shoulder flared tenfold, and his muscles screamed in protest.

The terrain beneath him shifted unnaturally, like standing on the back of a giant beast.

He braced himself, crouching low, hands spread to balance.

"What the hell is this place..." he muttered.

There was no sign of Lilian or Sylvia. Not even Gegee.

He was alone.

The trees, the mountains, and all that vegetation he’d caught a glimpse of while falling was gone. All around him now was a wide, stone-arched terrain that stretched endlessly to both ends like a vast tunnel, curving upward in unnatural ways. Green veins of glowing crystal ran across the rocky-walls like arteries, lighting the place.

A screen flickered into view before him.

[Welcome, Shin Takamura]

[You have entered a Trial Zone.]

[Objective: Complete this challenge to ascend to the next Safezone Tier.]

The ground rumbled.

Shin jumped back with a flip, landing on flat ground just as a massive shape emerged from the terrain. At first glance, it looked like a statue with rough stone, and about ten feet tall. But as it straightened, pieces of rock fell from its joints. Its back and limbs were carved from jagged stone, but its front, the chest and the face were disturbingly human. Feminine, even.

But the eyes... they were hollow like empty sockets filled with black mist.

Another system alert popped up.

[Enemy Identified: 1 A-rank level Tsukuma]

[Trial Mission: Defeat the Tsukuma or Perish.]

A Tsukuma. Shin’s brows furrowed.

He’d heard that name somewhere before... but where? His memory was still a haze, just like all his memories of last night.

He cracked his neck and planted his feet to the ground firmly.

His shoulder throbbed, but he welcomed the pain. It was a reminder that he was still alive.

Calculations raced through his mind—chances of survival: less than 10%. Odds of victory? Lower.

But the thrill of it all—the uncertainty, the risk—that’s what made life worth living in this filthy world.

Shin grinned, eyes locked on the looming Tsukuma.

"Alright, stone bitch," he whispered. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

To Be Continued...