Investing in My Harem in the Apocalypse Makes Me Stronger

Before she could understand what he meant, he raised his hand and placed it on top of her head.

Evelyne immediately frowned.

”What are you doing?”

”Comforting you.”

”I don’t need comforting.”

”You looked like you were about to start sulking when Maya received two things.”

”I was not sulking!”

Cain ignored her denial and casually patted her head.

The empty classroom was quiet enough that Evelyne could hear his faint chuckle, which only irritated her further. She raised a hand to push him away, but Cain moved first and pinched her cheek.

Her eyes widened.

”Cain!”

She slapped his hand away and covered the abused cheek.

”What the hell was that for?!”

Cain looked completely innocent.

”You looked cute.”

Evelyne froze for a fraction of a second before a faint redness crept across her face.

”You think calling me cute will make me forget that you just pinched me?”

”No.”

Cain smiled, ”But you stopped sulking.”

”I wasn’t sulking in the first place!”

”Of course.”

”You bastard...”

Evelyne rubbed her cheek while glaring at him.

Cain merely chuckled before leaning against the edge of a nearby desk.

He had not brought her away from the auditorium simply to tease her. There was something he had been keeping inside his inventory for quite some time, and with everything that had happened today, there was little reason to hold onto it any longer.

”I actually called you here because I have something for you.”

Evelyne lowered her hand.

”I knew you wanted something.”

”I said I have something for you.”

”That’s even more suspicious coming from you.”

Cain’s eyebrow twitched, ”You really have a terrible opinion of me.”

”You spent most of our childhood earning it.”

”That was mostly you.”

”You deserved it.”

Cain decided there was no point arguing about something that happened years ago.

He opened his Inventory.

A rolled Scroll appeared in his hand.

The moment its golden-yellow surface came into view, Evelyne’s expression changed.

Her attention immediately left Cain and settled entirely on the Scroll.

She recognized it.

There were not many items of that rank in their group, and she knew Cain had received a Yellow Scroll from the World Announcement after killing a 1st Echelon being while remaining Unranked.

He had never opened it.

Until now, Evelyne had assumed he was saving it for himself.

”That’s...”

”The Yellow Scroll.” Cain extended it toward her.

Evelyne looked at the Scroll before slowly raising her eyes toward him.

”Why did you bring that out?”

Cain raised an eyebrow.

”What do you think?”

A possibility immediately entered her mind, but she dismissed it almost as quickly.

”This is the reward you received from killing that 1st Echelon zombie.”

”I know. I was the one who killed it.”

Evelyne ignored his sarcasm.

”And you’ve kept it all this time.”

”Yeah.”

”So why are you showing it to me?”

Cain pushed himself away from the desk and held the Scroll closer to her.

”Because it’s yours.”

Evelyne stared at him.

For several seconds, she seemed unable to process what he had just said.

”What?”

”I’m giving it to you.”

Her eyes immediately returned to the Scroll.

A Yellow Scroll was far more valuable than the Blue Scrolls Cain had distributed earlier. Even without knowing exactly what it contained, its rank alone made its value obvious.

More importantly, Cain was about to challenge a 2nd Echelon zombie while still remaining Unranked.

Evelyne’s expression quickly became serious.

She pushed his hand back.

”No.”

Cain blinked.

”No?”

”Use it yourself.”

”I’m giving it to you.”

”And I’m telling you to keep it.”

Her refusal contained none of the playful irritation from moments earlier.

Evelyne looked directly into his eyes.

”You just told everyone what you have to do. You’re going to fight that 2nd Echelon zombie alone.”

”I know.”

”Then why are you giving something this valuable away?”

Cain extended the Scroll toward her again.

”Because I want you to have it.”

Evelyne immediately pushed it back.

”You need it more than I do.”

”If I thought that, I would’ve already opened it.”

”Then start thinking properly.”

Cain stared at her.

Evelyne continued before he could answer.

”You already said you don’t know whether you can kill that zombie in a direct fight. What if this gives you another powerful Talent or Skill? Even if it only makes you slightly stronger, that could still matter.”

Cain remained silent for a moment.

There was no trace of her previous dissatisfaction anymore.

Evelyne was genuinely trying to make him keep the Scroll.

That realization softened his expression slightly.

Unfortunately for her, Cain had already made his decision.

”Take it.”

”No.”

”Evelyne.”

”No.”

Cain moved the Scroll closer.

Evelyne moved his hand away.

For several seconds, the two childhood friends stared at each other in silence, neither willing to concede.

Eventually, Cain sighed.

”Giving it to you will help me too.”

Evelyne frowned.

”How?”

”Mentally.”

Her expression went blank.

”...What?”

Cain almost laughed at the way she looked at him.

”If you become stronger, I’ll have one less thing to worry about.”

The irritation in Evelyne’s eyes faded slightly.

Cain continued, ”You’re coming with us when we leave the university, and I already know the journey isn’t going to be safe. I can’t stay beside you every moment just to make sure nothing happens to you.”

He placed his hand on her head again.

This time, Evelyne did not immediately push him away.

”You’re stronger than when I found you in the hospital, but you’re still primarily a healer. If something gets through the people protecting the rear, being able to heal wounds won’t help much if you’re the one getting bitten off.”

Evelyne’s lips twitched.

”Couldn’t you say that in a nicer way?”

”You understood what I meant.”

”That doesn’t make it better.”

Cain smiled in response.

Her Vital Restoration had made her far more capable as a healer, while Restorative Light gave her a reliable method of treating injuries.

However, neither changed the fact that Evelyne lacked real combat power.

Even though it probably wouldn’t give her combat talent or skill, the most important reason why he wanted to give it to her was obviously because of the investment rewards.

However, Evelyne’s stubbornness was genuinely giving him a headache.

”If the Scroll gives you something that improves your survivability or makes your healing stronger, that’s already useful.”

Cain lightly ruffled her hair.

”And if you’re harder to kill, I don’t have to worry about you as much.”

A faint redness slowly appeared on Evelyne’s cheeks.

”So yes, it helps me.”

Cain tapped the side of his head with his free hand.

”Mentally.”

Evelyne lowered her gaze.

Cain was normally the last person she expected to say something like that.

He irritated her whenever the opportunity appeared and had never treated her with the careful politeness most people used around her.

Yet that only made his words harder to dismiss.

She knew Cain well enough to understand that he would not say something like this merely to make her happy.

Her gaze returned to the Yellow Scroll.

For a moment, her fingers moved as if she were about to accept it.

Then she stopped herself.

”No.”

Cain’s smile immediately disappeared.

”Seriously?”

”You should use it.”

”Did you listen to anything I just said?”

”I did.”

Evelyne finally looked up again.

The redness had not completely left her face, but her expression had become stubborn once more.

”And I still think you need it more.”

Cain’s eyebrow twitched.

”You can worry about me after you survive your own fight.”

”I’m planning to survive.”

”Then make it easier for yourself!”

She pushed the Scroll back toward his chest.

”You’re still Unranked, Cain. That thing is already at the 2nd Echelon.”

”And?”

”And you’re trying to give one of your best resources to me before fighting it!”

Cain looked at the Scroll in his hand.

”You already know I’m strong.”

”That isn’t the point.”

”You’ve seen me fight.”

”That still isn’t the point!”

Cain almost laughed.

Evelyne glared at him.

”You’ve already done enough for me. You upgraded my Talent and Skill, and both of them are much stronger than before. I don’t need to take every valuable thing you find.”

The irony nearly made Cain smile again.

The entire purpose of his Investment Harem System was to make exactly those kinds of investments.

Giving Evelyne valuable resources strengthened her, while meaningful investments could return something equally valuable to Cain, sometimes even better.

The Yellow Scroll was not a loss.

If anything, Cain was extremely curious about what kind of Investment Return an item of this rank could produce when given to Evelyne.

Naturally, he had no intention of explaining that.

”Evelyne.”

”No.”

”Just take it.”

”No.”

”I’m not asking anymore.”

”And I’m still not taking it.”

Cain tried pushing the Scroll into her hand.

Evelyne immediately placed both hands behind her back.

Cain stared at her.

”You’re acting like a child.”

”You’re the one who refuses to listen.”

”I’m trying to give you something valuable.”

”And I’m trying to stop you from doing something stupid.”

”How is making you stronger stupid?”

”Because right now, you need to become stronger first!”

Cain slowly exhaled through his nose.

He had fought mutated creatures far above his Level.

He had killed multiple 1st Echelon beings.

Yet somehow, getting Evelyne to accept a gift was beginning to feel more exhausting than any of those things.

Cain made one final attempt.

”Take it.”

”No.”

Evelyne raised her chin stubbornly.

”You can stand there all day and I still won’t take it.”

Cain stared at her for a moment, then his expression relaxed.

”Fine.”

Evelyne blinked.

She had expected another argument.

Instead, Cain withdrew the Scroll and shrugged.

”If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else.”

Evelyne hesitated briefly before nodding.

”That’s better. Give it to someone who needs it more.”

”Good idea.”

Cain looked toward the classroom door thoughtfully.

Then he turned around.

”I’ll give it to Elara when we get back.”

Evelyne froze.

Cain casually began walking toward the door.

”She’ll probably accept it. I doubt I’ll have to waste ten minutes arguing with her.”

He had barely taken another step when a blur moved beside him.

Whoosh!

The Yellow Scroll disappeared from his hand.