The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 35: The Next Move

The school doors creaked as they swung open.

The sky stretched out above them, a muted blue tinged with streaks of pink. The sun had barely begun to rise, its light spilling lazily over the broken streets and shattered windows.

Jin stepped out first, fingers flexing unconsciously, feeling the absence of a weapon in his hand.

Behind him, the others followed.

Joon stretched, arms lifting over his head until his spine cracked like firecrackers. "Alright. Let's go get some points."

Echo bounced on his toes, shadowboxing the air. "I feel weirdly excited for this. It's like we're going on a field trip, but with more violence."

Seul pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, her gaze steady as she scanned the street. "We should map a route. The last thing we need is to walk into a monster nest on the way."

Jin nodded, his body still stiff from sleeping against the wall. But for the first time in a while, he felt... ready.

They had a plan.

They had a goal.

They were moving forward.

His fingers twitched, and he exhaled slowly, pushing down the leftover tension from the last fight.

This time, he'd stay in control.

Joon rolled his shoulders, sparks faintly crackling around his fingers. "Man, I hope we run into something. I need to let loose."

Jin gave him a tired look. "You almost fried your arm yesterday."

Joon grinned. "Yeah. But I didn't, though."

Echo grinned, throwing fake punches toward Joon. "Let's hope we find a weak group. Ease back into things, y'know?"

Joon smirked, dodging the playful punches. "What, like a tutorial monster?"

Jin shook his head. "I don't think the system gives tutorial monsters."

Joon snorted. "It should."

For a moment, it almost felt normal.

Like they were just friends messing around on the way to school.

Then Joon's stomach growled. Loudly.

Everyone froze.

The sound echoed down the empty street like a wounded animal, bouncing off cracked buildings and abandoned cars.

Joon clutched his stomach, face contorting in betrayal. "Okay. Food first."

Echo immediately turned around. "Yeah, can't fight on an empty stomach. That's a recipe for death."

Seul sighed, already heading back inside.

Jin rubbed his eyes. "We made it five steps."

The school's cafeteria smelled like dust and expired preservatives.

Tables were still shoved aside, and plastic chairs lay overturned. But the supply room held enough school-safe survival food to keep them going for a while.

They dumped the cans and frozen packs onto a table, sorting through the options.

Joon tore into a plastic-wrapped sandwich like it was a five-star meal. "Oh my god. This is amazing."

Echo ripped open a snack cake and shoved half of it into his mouth. "This is trash. I love it."

Jin chewed through a stiff protein bar, the cardboard-like texture barely registering as he ate.

It tasted awful.

But somehow...

It tasted like the best meal of their lives.

The bland cafeteria food reminded him of school days — rushing through lunch periods, sitting in uncomfortable chairs, trading bits of food with kids who had better food.

It was bitterly nostalgic.

But right now?

It felt like a luxury.

Joon wiped crumbs from his face. "I don't even care if this stuff expired. Tastes better than ration bars."

Echo grabbed another snack and inspected it. "If this thing's older than two weeks, I don't want to know."

Seul quietly finished her food, her gaze flicking to Jin. "So. What's the plan?"

Jin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting the weight of the morning settle on him.

"First," he muttered, leaning back against the chair, "we figure out how the hell to get territory points."

The food didn't last long.

Not because they were out of supplies — the school had enough canned goods and frozen meals to last around two months if they rationed. But they devoured everything in sight, bodies desperate for fuel after days of fighting and barely surviving.

Jin leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "Okay. Let's figure this out."

Joon wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Figure what out?"

Jin swiped through his interface, the territory menu glowing in front of him. "The system said we need territory points to upgrade anything. But we haven't earned a single one since we claimed the school."

Echo leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs. "Maybe it just... takes time? Like a passive income thing."

Joon snorted. "What, like interest? You think the system's a bank?"

Echo shrugged. "Would be nice."

Seul tapped her fingers against the table, eyes sharp and focused. "We fought monsters on the way here. Cleared out the school. Nothing gave us points."

Joon stuffed the rest of a sandwich in his mouth. "Maybe we gotta fight something stronger," he mumbled through the bread.

Jin shook his head. "If killing monsters gave points, we would've gotten at least one by now."

Seul nodded. "So, it's not just combat."

Echo tilted his head, chewing on a stale granola bar. "Maybe it's about territory influence. Like, the more land we control, the more points we get?"

Jin sat up straighter. That made sense.

The system highlighted territories on the map. Why show those areas if they didn't matter?

He flicked his interface open, pulling up the map menu. A grid of streets and buildings appeared, with the school glowing faintly in the center. But around it were other blips — small, faintly pulsing dots.

Jin expanded the map.

There were four nearby locations.

Shopping Plaza (Neutral)

Fire Station (Neutral)

Old Church (Occupied)

Hospital (Occupied)

Joon squinted at the screen. "What's the difference between neutral and occupied?"

Seul crossed her arms. "Neutral probably means no one controls it. Occupied means another group claimed it."

Echo tapped the table. "So we can either take over neutral zones... or fight whoever has the occupied ones?"

The room went quiet for a second.

Jin traced a finger over the shopping plaza, his brow furrowing.

"We start here," he muttered.

Joon wiped his hands on his pants. "Cool. We go in, wreck some monsters, grab the points, and come back heroes."

Seul tilted her head. "What if there are people there?"

Joon shrugged. "Then we say hi?"

Seul gave him a flat look. "People shot at us the first time we left the station."

Joon blinked. "...Oh. Right."

Jin leaned forward, fingers interlocked. "We try to talk first. If people are there, maybe we can trade, form an alliance, or convince them to join us."

Echo lifted a brow. "And if they don't wanna talk?"

Jin's eyes darkened. "Then we decide what to do after that."

The table fell quiet again.

No one argued.

Jin rubbed his eyes. "One of us should stay behind to guard the school."

Joon immediately pointed at himself. "Not it."

Echo grinned. "You didn't even hesitate."

Joon shook his head. "Dude, I almost died, like, five times already. I need field experience. I can't get stronger sitting on my ass."

Seul rested her chin on her hand, thinking. "I should go. My gravity can control crowds if we run into trouble."

Jin nodded, then turned to Echo. "You stay."

Echo blinked. "Wait, what?"

Jin leaned back. "Your skill covers the most ground. If something happens, you can handle it without much issue."

Seul tilted her head. "Plus, if monsters get in, you can disorient them with your sound traps."

Joon smirked. "And you can scream real loud if you get scared."

Echo sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "I feel like I'm being punished for something."

Jin shook his head. "We're trusting you with the school."

Echo's grin faded slightly, his posture straightening just a bit. "Yeah. I get it."

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "If anything happens, I'll let you know."

Jin nodded. "Good."

Jin closed his interface, the map's faint glow lingering behind his eyelids.

They had a plan.

They had a location.

Now they just needed to move.

Joon stretched, standing up. "Man, I hope that place has vending machines."

Seul stood, rolling her wrists. "I hope it has people who don't try to kill us."

Jin grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's go find out."

Echo stayed seated, watching them with a lazy grin. "I hope you guys bring me back something good."

The three of them headed for the door, their footsteps echoing through the hallway.

The rising sun spilled light through the shattered windows, casting long, jagged shadows across the floor.

Behind them, Echo propped his feet on the table, popping open another snack cake.

"If you die, I'm taking your stuff," he called out.

Joon laughed. "Fair."

The door swung shut.

They stepped outside.

The morning stretched out in front of them, quiet and endless.

The streets lay in ruin — shattered pavement, abandoned cars, and buildings leaning against each other like tired corpses.

Jin led the way.

Seul walked beside him, scanning every shadow.

Joon trailed behind, humming some off-tune song as he kicked a piece of concrete down the road.

The silence weighed on them like a second skin.

Jin's fingers twitched by his side, restless and empty. He kept glancing at the debris — pipes, broken metal, wooden planks — knowing he could turn any of them into a deadly weapon.

But he didn't pick anything up.

Because he needed something more.

Jin flicked his interface open, scrolling through the system shop as they walked.

His eyes scanned the options, page after page.

Weapons lined the screen like an armory.

Blades — No. Too dangerous.

Clubs — Too brutal.

Chains, whips, hooks — Too unpredictable.

None of it felt right.

He needed something that would let him fight without drawing blood.

Something he could control.

His fingers hovered over the menu, scrolling slower.

Then — something caught his eye.

The description was short.

The design was deceptively simple.

But something about it tugged at the back of his mind, like a half-remembered story.

A legend.

Jin frowned, trying to place the memory.

A man who fought with nothing but that weapon in hand.

A figure who defied the heavens themselves.

A battle so fierce it cracked the sky.

He couldn't remember where he'd heard it.

Maybe it was from a comic he read as a kid.

Or a myth someone told him in passing.

He clicked 'Buy'.

The points drained from his balance.

The weapon materialized in his inventory.

Jin closed the screen, his fingers clenching unconsciously like he could already feel the weight of it against his skin.

He didn't summon it.

Didn't say a word.

But something in his chest shifted.

Like a door had just opened.

Joon jogged to catch up, walking backward in front of Jin. "Okay, serious question. What would you do if the plaza has, like, a vending machine still working?"

Seul adjusted her gloves. "Wonder what kind of idiot stocked it during the apocalypse."

Joon grinned. "Wouldn't even care. I'd kill for some ramen."

Jin barely heard them.

His mind lingered on the weapon in his inventory.

The feeling of familiarity he couldn't shake.

It wasn't just a weapon.

It felt like a warning.

Or a promise.

They rounded a corner, and the shopping plaza loomed into view — dark, broken, and impossibly silent.

Jin's fingers twitched.

He didn't draw the weapon.

But as they walked closer, he couldn't help but feel like he'd need it soon.