Rebuild World (light novel)

Rebuild World (リビルドワールド, Ribirudowārudo) is a light novel series written by Nafuse with character designs by Gin, world designs by Waishu and mechanical designs by cell. A manga adaptation started in 2019 by Kirihito Ayamura.

Light Novel
This section would likely to have  SPOILERS  comparison storyline between WN & LN, open at your own risk!

Volume 1 Part 1
1.Episode 1 Akira and Alpha

A monster attempts to devour a boy. He struggles with all his might and manages to push back the monster's head with his left hand with debris found around him. He shoots at the monster with the gun held in his right hand. The beast continues to attack despite the shots. Once the magazine is empty, the boy taps the monster's head with his gun. Finally, the beast has fallen and rests upon the boy. He musters the rest of his strength to get away from the monster. Once back on his feet, he cleanses himself of the monster's blood, and reloads his weapon. He proceeds through the ruined buildings, in an oppressive silence. The boy knew very well where he was venturing despite the fact that he was practically dead a few moments prior. He had no idea how dangerous this place called the Ruins of the Old World could be.

Autonomous weapons, security machines, descendants of biological weapons, mutated plants and animals that attack everything indiscriminately. They are called monsters by the people of the East. The ruins are their homes.

Despite all this, this boy is willing to risk his life to retrieve an object of great value.

That boy's name, Akira.

This area is known as the ruins of Kuzusuhara. It’s the closest ruins to Kugamayama City. Akira wondered if he should go deeper into the ruins. He saw some buildings in the distance in perfect condition and he imagined the relics he could bring back if he went there. He immediately changed his mind, thinking that his death was assured. The inner part must have an advanced Old World maintenance system and repair functions that are still in use. There's a high risk that there are very powerful security machines nearby that will attack any intruder. A child like Akira, would not stand a chance. Akira continues to explore the ruins without success. From time to time, he comes across remains of those who dared to venture but, they hold nothing of value for Akira.

After a while, Akira noticing the setting sun, hesitates to go further. All of a sudden, he sees a particle of light pass in front of him and head, towards the corner of an alley. Akira didn't want to leave empty-handed, so, he decides to investigate despite, the fear created by what may be hidden at the end of that alley. Once he arrived, he is star struck by the view ahead. A naked woman stands in front of him. He falls under her spell instantly. Akira admired the women's body whose body is more beautiful than anything he had ever seen, or imagined in his short life. The woman smiles at him and inches foward. Akira panic raises his weapon and warns her not to advance under penalty of shooting her. After hesitating, he prepares to shoot but the woman disappears from his field of vision. Suddenly he hears a soft spoken voice next to him: "Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you". Panic-stricken, he tries to aim at the woman but realizes that her hands are going through his body. Akira freezes in panic.

The advanced civilization that had once dominated the world had ended. All that remained were the ruins of fallen cities. It was a world where even raindrops were modified. They could eat away at buildings and grow trees to the heavens. That civilization was known as the Old World. It left behind unknown materials, floating ruins, medicines that could grow back limbs, and weapons so powerful that it could slaughter things other than humans. They were named Old World relics tools so powerful, they were compared to magic. Humans, over long periods of time, had recovered these pieces to rebuild their broken world.

In the far eastern part of the human civilization, there are countless corporate cities managed by a group called the governing corporate. And Kugamayama city is one of these corporate cities.

Kugamayama City consists of two major parts, separated by a big wall. Inside the wall, there are two sections : the upper part composed of rich and powerful people and the middle part composed of relatively rich people. Outside the wall is the lower part composed of those who cannot afford to live inside the wall and, near the wilderness there are the slums.

Akira is a child from the slums of Kugamayama City. He is a completely normal child. He is not a cyborg, he has no biomechanical modification or nano machine enhancement. He has no education, no specialized skills. He is an orphan, has no money or food. He would be one of the first individuals to die in a monster raid. Akira has survived three monster raids. He resisted the first and second attack by running and hiding. He barely escaped each time thanks to a stranger, who gave him time and died in his place. In the third attack, he shot a monster that looked like a dog. Three of these bullets luckily hit the monster's head while it was being chased. The monster didn't die on the spot, it threw itself on Akira and opened its mouth to kill him. Luckily, he managed to put his gun in the monster's mouth and shoot inside its head. He killed the monster on the spot but got his arm mauled. Akira survived and kept his arm. After this attack seeing that he was able to kill a monster, he decided to become a hunter.

The wilderness is located right outside the cities, a dangerous place where monsters lurk. Even the most dangerous of slums, are much safer than the wilderness. It is also a place of great wealth and power.

Monsters are also considered relics of the Old World. Biological monsters are examples of an advanced biotechnology, and mechanical monsters are a treasure trove of valuable mechanical parts. By bringing them back to town, hunters can earn wealth and prestige. The most valuable of relics can even bring forth such a fortune that one may be able to purchase an entire city. If a hunter manages to take over and completely control Old World ruins, especially military installations, which are still in use, he can even create his own country.

A good hunter has a lot of power and money. As they bring back valuable relics from dangerous ruins, they increase their money and power, and go to even more dangerous and profitable ruins. At the end of this process, those armed with exceptionally powerful equipment made in the Old World can become individuals whose power and strength can exceed that of a city.

Akira stood stunned for a long moment. The woman smiled and waited for him to regain his composure. After a while, seeing Akira calm, she asked him if he was okay? If he can see and hear her? Does he know where he is ? And what is his name was ? Akira, seeing that he was not in immediate danger, answered all the questions. The woman smiled as heard Akira's answer and gave him, her name: Alpha.

Akira thought she was a ghost to which Alpha answered that she is a form of augmented reality. Akira doesn't understand, so Alpha explains that his brain has the ability to send and receive radio signals that correspond to specific forms of information. It is not known if this is innate or generated by a mutation. Alpha also explains that she has been seeking for someone who can see her. If possible, she would like him to be a hunter, a little disappointed when she sees Akira. When Akira tells her that he is one, she doubts it and Akira tells her that it has only been one day that he is officially one. Akira, who had low self-esteem, realized that this was not what Alpha expected and started to walk away. She stopped him with a smile and asked him to at least listen to her request. Akira doesn't consider himself a serious hunter. Alpha feels that too but he is the only person who can see and hear her. Besides, Akira is immature which is a very good point for Alpha. She will be able to shape him as she sees fit. Alpha's request is to secretly conquer ruins that she designates. As an advance payment, she will support Akira in many ways. As a reward at the end, she will give Akira a very valuable relic.

Akira, who is surprised, can hardly believe it. Alpha, who is chuckling inside, continues saying that Akira used all the luck of his life to receive such a proposal. She tells him that she will try to make up for his lack of luck with her support. The twisted part of Akira, doubted Alpha's proposal. He didn't see Alpha trying to trick him though. He thought to himself, that was no benefit for tricking him. He has no money. Even if she's laughing at him, she has nothing to gain. Ignoring the unknown circumstances of Alpha, he decides to accept the request.

Suddenly, with a very serious expression, Alpha warns him that in the next 10 seconds, if he doesn't want to die, he must rush into the building on his right. She started a countdown. Akira hesitates looking at her with a questioning look. Halfway through the countdown, he started running as fast as he could. For Alpha, Akira's reaction was too slow but it wasn't so bad considering that they had just met. Akira arrived just in time inside the building. At the end of the 10 seconds, the area was ravaged by explosions.

Once safely inside, Akira received further instructions from Alpha leading him to the roof of the building. He immediately carried them out. Alpha was very pleased that Akira reacted much faster. Once on the roof, Akira was out of breath and asked Alpha what had happened. She asked him to see for himself. Akira on the advice of Alpha leans on the edge of the roof and sees a pack of dogs different from those he had met. Alpha explains to him that the were a pack of "WeaponDog(s)" created to guard the city, which are in charge of this area. They have weapons that become more and more powerful as they grow. Akira is more surprised by the fact that there is a weapon growing on its back. Alpha explains to him that the biological part of the monster contains nanomachines. When the monster eats metals, a weapon is created from the ingested metal. It then mutates into something completely different from the original. Akira did not realize that this is information that many people in the East would like to know. Akira realizes that he can tell if he is safe by the expressions on Alpha's face.

After Akira had calmed down and thanked Alpha for her support, she decided to talk to him about the future. He will have to conquer ruins which are extremely difficult to reach. At the moment, even with Alpha's support, it would be impossible. As a first step he will have to get equipment and skills. Akira, however, cuts her off to tells her that he will talk to her about it when he is safe. Realizing that he had cut her off, he feared that she would be angry at him for leaving him behind. Alpha gave a big smile and agreed. She asked him to come back down right away. Akira was surprised, thinking that he would be attacked if he came down immediately. Alpha told him that if he doesn't trust her support, she won't force him and then she disappeared in front of the staircase entrance. Akira is afraid to go down the stairs, but he thinks about Alpha's instructions that allowed him to survive the previous attack, and decided to follow her down the stairs. He sees Alpha smiling at him as if she knew he was coming. Following Alpha's instructions, he asked her why he had to go back down right away and if is it still dangerous. Alpha replied that it was obviously dangerous since, they were in ruins. Akira was frustrated that she answered something obvious and wants her to explain her choices in more detail. Alpha tells him that he will have a better chance of surviving if he does what he's told. She doesn't want to force Akira and if he hesitates to follow her instructions she won't support Akira, she doesn't see any point. Alpha stares at Akira waiting for her answer. Depending on his answer, his relationship with Alpha could end. Finally, Akira apologized and reconfirmed their commitment. Alpha was happy, and Akira relieved.

Akira to calm his anxiety, once more asked Alpha the reasons for her choices. Alpha explained that the WeaponDogs had several functions. There are those that track the enemy anywhere, those that have a specific area assigned to them, those that search the area even though they have lost sight of the enemy, and those that return immediately to their posts. WeaponDogs have limited amounts of ammunition. Once depleted, it would take some time before they ccould fire again. If Akira is spotted by a WeaponDog, he has a better chance of survival. So she made the decision to go down based on all these factors. Akira, jaded, found the explanation too long and replied that she could have explained all these details to him on the roof. Alpha went on to explain that in a situation where he was going to be shot between the eyes within three seconds, she could not explain her orders to him. She would ask him to do an emergency maneuver or Akira might die. She can't control Akira, so sometimes she can't explain everything.

When Akira arrived at the bottom, he saw the traces of the explosions with a sinister face. Alpha warned Akira, he must listen to the letter of her instructions or greatly risking death. Akira nodded his head. Alpha told Akira that he had 30 seconds to get out of the building, turn left and run as fast as he could without looking back. Alpha started the countdown, but Akira froze looking at the traces of the explosions that had happened earlier. When he had 5 seconds left, he imagined what would happen to him if he stayed in the building and decided to run as fast as he could. Akira sprinted at full speed through the rubble. His legs and lungs were reaching their limits. After a while, Akira could not hear any noise and could not see any monster. He gave in to the fatigue of his body and convinced himself that he was safe. He started to look around. He disobeyed Alpha's orders, stopped and turned around. Akira immediately stiffened as he saw a large WeaponDog. It was much more massive than any of the other WeaponDogs he had encountered before. It had eight asymmetrical legs, two vertical eyes on the right and one on the left. The monster spotted Akira and shot at him repeatedly. The shells exploded a short distance from Akira. The debris softened the force of the explosion, hitting Akira only slightly. The monster tried to fire again but ran out of ammunition. It rushed at Akira. Akira was frozen but thanks to Alpha who shouted at him he came to his senses and started to run. The monster was not fast because of its eight legs. Alpha asked Akira what he had not understood in her explanations. Akira apologized immediately and asked Alpha to do something. Alpha told him to be ready and in five seconds he had to turn around and shoot. His timing had to be almost perfect. Akira didn't believe he would be able to kill the behemoth with a single gun and complained to Alpha about it. Nevertheless, she started the countdown. When Alpha finished the countdown, Akira turned around and shoshot. He saw a huge eyeball, pierced by the bullets he had fired. The bullets pierced the monster's head. The monster screeched and succumbed to its wounds. Akira remained on guard. He gradually began to calm down as he saw the blood pour out of the beast. Suddenly, Alpha started yet another countdown. Akira rushed forward immediately.

Akira didn't realize that the WeaponDogs attacked him as soon as he had accepted Alpha's request. Akira was too focused on surviving to notice the coincidence. Alpha smiled at Akira's actions. She disappeared and joined Akira.

Akira couldn't see what was going on behind him. The monsters were attacking Alpha who was standing right behind him. Alpha was drawing the monsters in so that it would be easier to target their weak points and gave Akira the signal to turn around and shoot the monsters.

After successfully escaping a multitude of attacks, Akira emerged from the ruins of Kuzusuhara. Alpha reassured Akira that he was safe. Akira collapsed from exhaustion. Alpha explained her plans again. Akira would have to earn enough to purchase equipment or he would have to get it in the ruins. Alpha would train him to acquire real combat skills. She assured him that he would progress very quickly with her high quality support. Akira was concerned that she would be giving him all this for free. Alpha reassured him that it was an advance for his application and if Akira thought he was recieving too much, he would just have to endure his training. Alpha's first goal was for Akira to become a profitable hunter.

Alpha saw Akira's hunter's card and wanted to make sure that he was registered as a hunter. Akira explained to her, his registration. In a branch of the hunters' office located in the slum, Akira made his registration. The employee just asked him his name and gave him a paper a bit annoyed. Akira asked him if he had to fill in other information to validate the registration finding it strange to fill in only his name. The man answered him that he had nothing to do with a kid of the slums, that had no care if he did or did not provide him with false information. He just said that Akira would die very quickly like the others. Akira, upon hearing this, left the office with a face of low self-esteem.

Hearing his story, Alpha added to Akira's training, learning to read and write. Akira was surprised that Alpha knew he couldn't read. Alpha answered him by smiling that on his hunter's card the name Ajira was written. Until Akira could read, Alpha would give him all the information he required. On his way back to Kugamayama City, Akira is surprised to learn from Alpha that the big monster he defeated was also a WeaponDog. Thanks to Alpha's support, he was able to find a weak point that even Akira with a simple weapon could kill. Akira was embarrassed and thanked Alpha for making up for his mistake. Akira returned safely to the city at Alpha's side.

It was from this day on that Akira and Alpha's strange career as hunters began.

Episode 2 Akira suddenly wakes up from a nightmare and threatens Alpha with his gun. He dreamed that he was being chased by a "WeaponDog" and that there was no Alpha at his side. His shots did nothing and he ended up being eaten by the monster. After calming down, Akira heads to the ration station. The city provides two free meals a day. These meals help to keep the slums safe. Once in the queue, he confirms that no one but him can see Alpha. Akira picks up his sandwich and stays close by to avoid having his food stolen. He hesitates to eat his sandwich. He is vaguely aware that the food in this sandwich is being tested. If no mutation or disease occurs, it will be declared safe to eat and put on sale in the city. Akira finally eats it with a grimace. He has no choice, he eats or he dies of hunger. After his meal, Akira returns to the ruins of Kuzusuhara. He follows Alpha's indications to the letter, going deep into the ruins. But after a while, Akira complains to Alpha about her indications. She answers him that it is because of Akira's bad luck that he has to make detours. Frustrated, Akira decides to check if he can see what Alpha was avoiding. Instead of turning back, Akira glances at the end of an alley. Alpha yells at him to go back. Just then from a seemingly empty space, light flashes! A warhead hits a building not far from Akira. A huge mechanical monster appears after deactivating its camouflage function. Thanks to Alpha, Akira manages to get to safety. Akira apologizes to Alpha with an expression of self-disgust. She replies that she doesn't expect Akira to trust her right away and smiles to comfort him. To appease Akira, she tells him that she won't let Akira die. With Akira in a better mood, Alpha decides to wait for Akira to recover completely before resuming the exploration. While talking with Alpha, Akira is surprised to hear that she is able to guide these monsters. Alpha proudly replies that Akira was lucky to have stumbled upon a self-contained weapon that attacks in automatic mode. He uses surveillance equipment in the area to retrieve the information. Alpha had only to hack these images sent to create a false image of Akira and change the target of the attack. Akira asks Alpha what would have happened to him if she hadn't done so. Alpha tells him that he would have died of course. Akira freezes. Alpha asks him if he has another question, Akira asks her why she was naked when they met. Alpha gets naked instantly. Akira is embarrassed and tells her to get dressed immediately. Alpha is happy that Akira reacts like that. Then, she explains to him that it's to avoid having those who can see her, fleeing. If she shows that she is not armed, the people who can perceive her will not flee immediately. The best way to do this is to be naked. Alpha goes on to say that her image is created with a lot of computing power. She changes her appearance from young to old, with short and then long hair. She puts on a multitude of clothes. Akira, who had no entertainment in the slums, was watching with attention. Without him realizing it, Alpha adapted her age, the shape of her body, her hairstyle and her clothes to Akira's taste. Alpha then asks her in a teasing voice if Akira wouldn't prefer her to be naked. Akira asks her why she wants to be naked all the time. She answers him that it is to keep Akira from being trapped by a women's charm. She wants to accustom Akira to the nudity. Akira, embarrassed, answers her that nobody would be interested in a child of the slums. Alpha says to him that it is perhaps not the case for the moment but that people crack more easily in front of talented hunters. She explains that many hunters who earn a lot of money are often dead because of women. Akira shyly asks if he will ever become that kind of hunter with an obvious lack of confidence in his voice. Alpha assures him that he will, with her support. The only thing she can't handle is his will, his motivation and his determination. Akira, after a moment of silence tells her that he will take care of the will, motivation, and determination. Alpha smiles as she recognizes her influence on Akira. After the autonomous weapon attack had calmed down, Alpha decided to resume the exploration. She warned Akira again to respect her decisions, and to follow her orders. Akira reassured her that he had learned his lesson. Alpha smiled with satisfaction. Alpha guided Akira through the ruins. She showed him the place where he would collect relics. Akira could not see how this ruin could contain relics. Akira moved into the commercial building. He saw battle marks everywhere, human and monster bodies scattered about. Alpha explained that she had chosen those ruins because they were guarded by mechanical monsters thus, making it easier for Alpha to predict the movements of mechanical monsters which observable battle patterns, instead of biological monsters whom had none. The second reason was that she could select the relics more accurately so that they didn't clutter up Akira when upon his return. Alpha went on to mention that the area Akira had explored by himself previously had no valuable relics. Akira who realized that he had risked his life for nothing, made a sullen face. Alpha reassured him it was thanks to that that they could meet. Akira calmed down and smiled at Alpha. Alpha failed to mention that the relics, where Akira was looking, were of poor quality for an experienced hunter but for a child from the slums, they were valuable. Akira had risked his life for nothing. Alpha knew this but she deliberately led Akira deep into the ruins. When a ruin is discovered, companies and their private armies explore the area at their own expense. This often leads to conflicts. The companies fight to find industrial production machines. Then come the ordinary hunters who recover the relics and sell them to the companies. In the end, only the strong hunters remain, those who fight the monsters to collect the last relics die to greed. There are still some valuable relics where Akira was looking. It was proof that the area where Akira was, was very dangerous, even experienced hunters would hesitate to go there. Akira was only alive because of Alpha. Akira followed Alpha's instructions having no idea of the value of the relics he had put into his paper bag. Akira was worried that the bag would tear on the way back. Alpha told him that it was made in the Old World and therefore much stronger than a normal bag. Inside the bag there was a knife in its scabbard, some mechanical parts, some medicine boxes, bandages, a watch and some other things. Alpha had chosen only relics that were easily transportable for a child. Akira took out the knife and asks what is special about it. Alpha told him that it is a sharp knife with a safety. She asked him to put it away before he made a mistake. Akira wondered how much money would be made. Alpha answered that he would not selling all the contents of the bag. He would keep the medicine, the bandages and the knife. Akira was disappointed that he can't sell everything but Alpha requested that he be patient. She wants him to be able to heal himself and to defend himself in case of attack. Akira returned safely from the ruins. On the way, Alpha explained that the city of Kugamayama was built to conquer the ruins of Kuzusuhara. Akira is amazed at the amount of knowledge Alpha has. She answered that she knows a lot of information about the East. Seeing Akira interested, she decided to add to Akira's training, in addition to reading and writing, some general knowledge. Once he arrived in the city, Akira went directly to the relics purchase office. He placed the relics on a tray and Alpha pointed out to keep the knife, the bandages and the medicine boxes. The man at the reception, Nojima, he took the tray and gave him 300 aurums in return. Aurum is the currency in circulation in the city of Kugamayama. It belongs to one of the five big companies: Sakashita Heavy Industry. The money received was barely good for a cheap meal in the lower part of the city. Akira was clearly displeased and Nojima who noticed gave an explanation. "The first deposit is made when you are a rank 1 and is worth 300 aurums no matter how good the relic is." He told him that the relics must be estimated and that he will have to come back tomorrow and make another deposit to be able to recover the money of the relics sale. Seeing Akira displeased, Nojima then warns Akira saying that he doesn't know how reckless he was but if he wants to live as a hunter, he will have to do it for the rest of his life. Nojima knows that very few children from the slums come back to make a 2nd deposit. There are only a few people who managed to make the 10th deposit. Nojima's attitude was stern but there was a hint of concern. He tells Akira that "if this is enough to discourage him, he better stop right away or he will die". Akira answered with a very serious expression that he didn't intend to stop and that he will come back tomorrow. Nojima smiled and told him to take care of himself. He knows that determined people gain the strength they need and that this strength increases the chances of survival. Akira sighed as he left the purchasing office. He looked at the 300 aurums. Alpha told him to be patient. Akira then told her that he wanted to go back to the ruins the next day. Akira went back to the place where he's to sleeping. However, Akira could not go to the ruins the next day. He was attacked during the night. Akira won but was hit in the stomach. It was a wound that would have been fatal if he hadn't had the healing medicine he had kept. He stayed quiet during the day to recover from the attack. As he left the next day, Akira was aware that he had almost died in the slums. He renewed his determination to become a hunter.
 * 1) Being responsible for the determination
 * 1) Episode 3
 * 2) The Price of Risking Your Life

Episode 4 Ghost of the Old World

After a day of rest, Akira walked very carefully through the ruins of Kuzusuhara. He is determined to follow all of Alpha’s instructions. He feels really good. One could doubt that he was shot the day before. He doesn't feel any fatigue. He even feels stronger. Alpha told him that he had taken a very large dose of medication. In addition to his injury, they treated the after-effects of living in the slums and poor nutrition. Akira realized that he has been slowly dying. Alpha explains to him that what he thought was a normal condition was in fact the opposite. Akira changed the subject and asks her a question that had been on his mind for a while. He asked Alpha why she was wearing a white dress. Alpha always had a reason for decisions. He wanted to know why she was not wearing the outfit she had been wearing since they met. Alpha hearing this, takes off her clothes. Akira blushes and tells her to get dressed. He tells her that he is far more attracted to food than sex. He asked her seriously why she was dressed like that. Once dressed, Alpha lost her smile and explained that she was a kind of augmented reality. She runs on the Old-World information network. If anyone has a device that can pick up on the information, they could see Alpha. As she says this, Alpha's expression becomes very serious. Alpha dressed in such a way to make people who can see her react. Akira asked her with a sinister expression if someone was watching her. She answered him that there were two people who had started following from a moment prior and had been keeping their distance. Alpha asked Akira not to turn around.

At a certain distance from Akira, there was Kahimo and Hahya. They are two experienced hunters. Hahya had a part of his body mechanized. He has two telephoto cameras instead of eyes. Kahimo was surprised to see a defenseless child so deep into the ruins. Hahya tells him that he is an idiot who had found a relic by chance. The area that Akira is exploring did not contain any more relics. He would rather attack him to make him confess where he found his relics. But Kahimo was afraid that Hahya would kill Akira. They decided to follow Akira because a child from the slums brought a valuable relic to the buying office. There are normally no more relics in the outskirts of Kuzusuhara. If an unarmed slum child was able to find a valuable relic, there may still be some left. The only possible place for a slum child to walk to, is the ruins of Kuzusuhara. So they waited in the ruins and came across Akira. Kahimo finally got tired of following Akira. He changed his mind and asked Hahya to capture Akira to make him confess the location of the relics. He is just a simple child without a powerful weapon. Hahya remains silent. Then he asks Kahimo if he was really alone. Kahimo looks at him questioningly. Hahya tells him that he sees a woman next to him. Seeing Kahimo's suspicious face, Hahya defends himself by saying that he was a serious hunter. He would never get drunk during an exploration. After a moment, Kahimo comes to the conclusion that it is surely a projection that belongs to the ruins. Hahya is surprised, it didn’t give the impression of an illusion. Kahimo tells him that it is normal. With the technology of the Old World, we can achieve realism, beyond comprehension. Kahimo adds thatit was probably the ghost that was often heard of in hunter stories. A ghost that lures hunters into the depths of the ruins. The commonality in all these stories is that the hunter died in the end. Hahya wondered if he continued to follow the ghost, would he die. Kahimo had another theory. A guide who does what he is told. For example to go to seek ruins without meeting monsters. Akira having returned from the ruins without dying, they say to themselves that there is not a great danger. Without any certainty, they remained on their guard while following Akira. The temptation to recover a relic of great value was far too strong.

Akira became impatient and asked Alpha why he was being followed. Alpha told him that they may have seen or heard that Akira had brought valuable relics to the buying office. Once the rumor starts, they are hard to stop. They followed him to see where the relics were. Akira sighed with a very grim expression. On the first day of exploration, there were WeaponDogs, then powerful autonomous weapons, and now, hunters. Akira held his head in his hands. Alpha asked him to enter a building as naturally as possible. Once inside the building, Akira sat down against a wall. He asked Alpha if he could run away. Alpha told him that if he ran away, they would hunt him down again and again. Akira would have to fight them and kill them. Akira concentrated, and tightened his expression. Akira subsides the anxiety within him. Alpha smiles as she sees Akira's fighting spirit. She told Akira that if he couldn’t “overcome a test like this”, he would never be a great hunter. Akira answered that he would take care of the will, determination, and motivation. It was all Akira could offer Alpha. He didn't want to disappoint Alpha. By repeating these three things in his head, Akira was even more determined. Alpha smiled and told him that she would show him how great her support was. She still adds that she didn't expect the confrontation with the hunters to come so soon. Alpha tells Akira that it is probably due to Akira's bad luck. Akira nodded and answered that he thought so too.

Kahimo didn't want to follow Akira into the building trying to avoid any trap attempt. Despite this, after a while, Kahimo asks Hahya to go in and look for Akira. Kahimo still fears that it is a trap and he doesn't trust Hahya, so he stood in front of the entrance to the building.

Alpha warned Akira that one of the two hunters had entered while the other one was watching the entrance. Alpha asks him if he was ready. Akira didn't flinch and answered with determination that he was ready to kill.

Hahya searched the building cautiously when he came upon Alpha. After consulting with Kahimo he followed Alpha. Very quickly, Hahya fell under Alpha's spell. He lowered his guard. Alpha stopped in the middle of the corridor and smiled at Hahya. Alpha turns her head towards a window. Hahya follows her gaze. At that moment, a gunshot rings out. It is Akira who has emerged from a shadow. The first shot could not be dodged by Hahya, the 2nd lands on his foot and the 3rd hits Hahya but his protective clothing absorbed the shock. Akira immediately ran away dodging the barrage of bullets. Hahya noticed blood on the ground and laughed. Kahimo asks what's going on and Hahya tells him that everything is fine. He explains what happened and Kahimo tells him to be on guard and not to get distracted by Alpha. Alpha was still in the same place waiting. Hahya tells Kahimo that he cannot hear what Alpha is saying to him. Kahimo wants Hahya to go and check that Alpha is not an automaton under optical camouflage. Hahya checks and confirms that Alpha is just an image. Hahya goes on to say that it is torture for the eyes not to be able to touch her. Kahimo gets angry and tells him to give Alpha an order. Hahya asked her to show her the closest person besides Hahya and Akira. Alpha points to the place where Kahimo is. Hahya realized that Akira knew that he was being followed and that he had wanted to trap him. Kahimo told Hahya that Alpha was a kind of guide who carried out any request made to her. They concluded that it was thanks to Alpha that he was able to find all these relics. Hahya, on Kahimo's order, asks Alpha to take him to Akira to kill him.

Akira was seriously injured after being hit by Hahya's retaliation. He used the recovery medicine orally and then opened a capsule to put the powder in it, on the wound directly as he did when he was shot in the slums the day before. Akira was not far from fainting but, he held on. Alpha, who continued to guide Hahya, apologized to Akira telling him that she should have told him to leave after the 2nd shot. Akira told her that wasn’t her fault. If he had shot without trying to aim precisely, he would not have been injured. Akira was depressed due to his lack of ability. Alpha comforts him by saying that he survived an attack from an opponent much stronger than him. Alpha told him to be ready. The next time he shot, he would kill him for sure. Seeing Alpha's confidence, Akira renewed his determination and prepared to attack Hahya once more.

Hahya is furious and doesn't let Alpha distract him anymore. But like the 1st time, he starts to lose his vigilance again as time goes by. Alpha suddenly stops and points to an entrance. He runs to the entrance and opens fire. A barrage of bullets land on the floor, wall and ceiling of the room. Hahya empties his magazine. He reloaded believing Akira dead. He realized that there was nothing in the room. Hahya, mad as hell, yelled at Alpha asking her to give Akira's position again. Alpha points behind Hahya. Hahya turns his head but there is nobody there. Suddenly, a shot rings out. Hahya is hit in the abdomen, several more shots followed. Hahya had no strength left to stand. He was confused, he did not understand what was going on. Hahya wondered if it was Alpha who shot him. He then saw Akira coming out of Alpha's image. Hahya realized that he had been trapped all along. Hahya smiled in spite of the fear and whispers that he succumbed to the invitation of a ghost. Akira shot Hahya between the eyes. Akira heard Kahimo's voice through the information terminal that Hahya had. Alpha told him to get Hahya's weapons, the information terminal and to throw Hahya's body out the window.

Kahimo was alert after hearing the shooting. He wondered if all it was not part of Akira's plan. Suddenly he sees Hahya's body falling on the ground. He tried to rush, but he thinks of a trap. He forgets all his thoughts and answers the provocation. Kahimo took out his information terminal and saw that Hahya's was moving in the building. He smiles and thinks thought he had the advantage.

Akira was surprised that he was able to kill one of the two hunters. Alpha asked him to take out the knife he had in his bag. Akira breaks the safety of the knife by pulling it with his gun.

Kahimo arrives at the place where the information terminal is. He picks up the terminal with a grim face. He thought he had the advantage but his instinct tells him that it was a bad idea to rush to kill Akira. The next moment, Kahimo is cut in two.

Akira remained frozen seeing that he had just cut the wall with the knife. The blade turned to dust. Alpha told him with a smile that he was now safe. Akira exhausted recovered some remnants of very low valued relics within the building, and returned to Kugamayama.