NTR Rogue in the Apocalypse-Chapter 272: SS-Rank

John and Zara followed the man as he led them through the camp. He took them to an empty tent and said, "Here you go. If you need anything, just come find me."

John thanked the man and entered the tent.

John sat down and sighed. "This place is weird."

Zara nodded and said, "Yeah, it’s like they’re all in a trance or something."

John shrugged, "Maybe they’re just scared."

Zara shook her head, "No, there’s something wrong with this place."

"Well, whatever it is, we will find out. At least we found our way in here. This New Earth Guard thing sounds like an easy way to gain their trust," John said.

Zara nodded. "Yeah, but I don’t know why we need to prove our worth. We’re the ones who are supposed to be helping them, right?"

John nodded. "I know, but maybe they just want to make sure we’re not going to betray them or something."

"Yeah, that must be it," Zara said, heaving a deep sigh.

"Well, we should try to get some sleep. I think it’s going to be a long day tomorrow."

Zara nodded and lay down to sleep. John did the same and soon drifted off to sleep, but he woke up to the system’s notification in the middle of the night.

[Quest: Comfort the Weeping Daughter (Zara)]

[Description: Zara is suffering from PTSD and is having nightmares. Comfort her.]

[Reward: The system will give you the skill of your choice.]

John was jolted awake by everything on the quest screen. First off, Zara was suffering from PTSD? Second, the system was going to give him the skill of his choice? That sounded like the best reward yet, and for such an easy quest, it seemed too good to be true.

He turned to Zara, who was shivering in her sleep, her face contorted in fear. John reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake.

"Zara, wake up. It’s just a dream."

Zara’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up, her breathing ragged and her body covered in sweat.

"W-what happened?"

John patted her on the shoulder and said, "It’s okay, you were having a bad dream. You’re safe now."

Zara nodded and looked at John, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"T-thanks," she said.

John smiled and said, "Don’t mention it. Are you okay?"

Zara nodded and said, "Yeah, I’m fine."

But she was still trembling, sweat trickling down her forehead.

John knew that she needed more than just a few words of comfort.

"Come here," he said, holding his arms out.

Zara hesitated for a moment, but then she leaned forward, burying her face in his chest.

John wrapped his arms around her and held her close, gently stroking her hair as she cried.

"Shh, it’s okay, I’m here now. Everything’s going to be alright," he whispered, his voice soothing and calm.

After a while, Zara’s sobs subsided, and she fell asleep in John’s arms, her body finally relaxing. John kept holding her, gently stroking her hair as he stared out into the darkness, his thoughts drifting to the strange world they found themselves in.

What was this place? Who were these people? And why did they seem so terrified? John didn’t know, but he was determined to find out, no matter what it took.

As dawn broke, John felt Zara stir in his arms. He opened his eyes and saw that she was still asleep, her face peaceful and serene, her goth makeup smeared by her tears.

John smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her face, marvelling at how beautiful she looked, even when she was a mess. He carefully extricated himself from her embrace and sat up, stretching his muscles.

Zara stirred again and slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times before focusing on John.

"Good morning," John said with a smile.

Zara rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking around in confusion.

"What...what happened?"

"You were having a bad dream, so I comforted you," John replied.

Zara looked at him, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude.

"Oh...I see," she said, averting her gaze.

"I’m sorry you had to see that," she muttered.

"Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen a girl cry before," John said with a smile.

Zara fidgeted awkwardly, and John sensed her discomfort.

"Look, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m here if you do," John said.

Zara looked up at him, her expression uncertain.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem. Now, let’s get ready for the day."

"Can you step out of the tent for a minute?"

John nodded and stood up, stepping out of the tent. He sat on a rock next to the tent and brought up the system’s notifications.

[Quest: Comfort the Weeping Daughter (Zara) Completed!]

[Reward Obtained. Pick a skill from the list.]

John was faced with an overwhelming list of talents and abilities that appeared to go on forever. It was an exhaustive list of every possible skill, from the most routine chores to the most amazing achievements. And buried deep inside this vast spectrum were a few specific abilities that really stood out to John—skills that were unattainable yet genuinely special.

"Woah."

[Dagger Mastery (C-rank): Increases damage dealt with daggers by 10%.]

[Fear Aura (B-rank): Passive. Your presence instills fear in all those around you, making it difficult for them to approach you. The stronger the presence, the greater the effect.]

[Stealth (C-rank): Increases your ability to remain hidden in shadows. The higher the rank, the harder it is to spot you.]

[Sense Presence (C-rank): Enhances your senses, allowing you to detect the presence of others.]

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[Shadow Manipulation (B-rank): Allows you to manipulate shadows, forming them into various shapes and solidifying them. The higher the rank, the more control you have.]

[Night Vision (C-rank): Allows you to see in the dark. The higher the rank, the better your night vision.]

[Shadow Step (C-rank): Allows you to move through shadows. The higher the rank, the further you can travel. The higher the rank, the less energy it consumes.]

"All of these are good and I’d love to have any of them, but the reward said I could choose any skill. That means there must be some S-rank skills," he muttered, scrolling down the list faster.

[Shadow Armour (S-rank): Allows you to create an armour made of shadows, providing you with increased protection.]

[Shadow Stealth (S-rank): Grants you the ability to conceal your presence and move through shadows, making it more difficult for others to detect you.]

[Shadow Teleport (S-rank): Allows you to teleport through shadows. The higher the rank, the further you can travel. The higher the rank, the less energy it consumes.]

"Shadow Teleport would be very useful, but I can still get a teleport skill from Zara," he mumbled.

[Shadow Domain (SS-rank): Creates a domain of shadows, which you can use to manipulate the surroundings. This skill also increases your strength and speed within the domain and anyone else stepping into the domain will have their motor functions inhibited.]

John’s eyes widened at the rank of Shadow Domain. It was his first time seeing an SS-rank skill. He smirked, knowing what he had to do.