The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

Aisha lowered her arm and stepped out from the shadows, her boots making no sound against the cracked ground as she approached the pile of bodies. She crouched beside the first two men, patting down their pockets and vests with quick, efficient hands. She found nothing but spare ammunition, a half-eaten ration bar, and a cheap trinket that looked like a lover’s gift.

Useless. She moved to the next and still found nothing of value.

Finally, she reached the team leader.

Tucked into an inner pocket of his coat, she found what she’d been hoping for—a Spatial Map, compact and sealed in a protective case, humming faintly with stored energy.

Aisha turned it over once in her hand before tucking it into her storage bag.

Then she looked around.

Five corpses lying in plain sight would only invite questions the moment someone saw them.

She had to do something with their bodies. But there was too little time and too few tools for her to do that.

One by one, she dragged the corpses toward the door. Because they didn’t struggle when they died, there was no mess to clean up. And the blood that had spilled on the ground could be covered by turning over the sand and flattening it.

But she was met with resistance.

The door did not budge despite her strength. No matter how much she tried, it didn’t open. Aisha frowned. She looked at the door carefully and found a strange box on the wall next to it. She lifted the cover of the box and found the reason why she couldn’t open it.

The Susa Merchant Corps had built an access node for the contaminated zone. But Aisha didn’t have the necessary access, nor had she found anything that resembled it among the five men’s belongings. Even the team leader, who the man who died last had said knew what was inside the door, didn’t have anything important on him.

And since terminals were bound to a person and couldn’t be viewed or transferred to another person, the moment someone died, the terminal would automatically combust.

Was her trip a waste? Aisha didn’t want to accept that her journey to find and rescue Zenick would be over here.

”Do I have to blow this thing up?” she muttered, seriously considering it.

But another problem arose. The weapons inside her storage bag wouldn’t be enough to blow up the door. And even if she did end up forcing her way in, it would alert the enemies.

So, what was she supposed to do?

Unfortunately, this wasn’t her real world. It would have been a lot easier to move around and do things without thinking too much and considering the consequences of every action she made. This world was way too difficult to understand and get used to.

Aisha decided to observe the panel and see if she could decode it. Perhaps, she could make use of her brain and see if she could find a way in.

An automated voice spoke as she touched the panel.

[Permit and Access Badge is needed for entry.]

Her eyes quickly lit up. It said a permit or a badge was needed for entry. And she had a permit in her possession. Though Aisha didn’t know if it would work and let her through the door, there was nothing wrong with testing it.

She took out Zeke’s permit, but the moment it was inches away from the access node, she hesitated. If it failed... the permit would self-destruct, right?

What she was worried about was that if she used Zeke’s permit improperly, it might end up losing its only use. And Aisha felt that it was such a shame not to be able to use the Teleportation Array.

But she was already here.

Finally, she pressed Zeke’s permit against the access node.

A second later.

[Access accepted. The entrance to X231 zone will now open.]

”Yes!”

For the first time since coming here, Aisha felt so ecstatic that something had gone her way without any trouble. But Aisha paused in her joy as she wondered... Why was Zeke’s permit accepted?

She looked at it and murmured, ”Was there something special about this thing?”

The permit glinted under the silvery moonlight. Aisha had some questions about how this thing could gain access to a contaminated zone that the Susa Merchant Corp owned, but the only person who could answer that was not at the Association, but was also inside a contaminated zone.

After getting the door unlocked, Aisha made haste and dumped the five men inside. It was better to hide them in there than allow anyone to see five dead men lying there. Especially if a patrolling Association soldier saw that scene, it would only bring her endless trouble. And that was the last thing she wanted right now.

By the time she was done, the small patch of ground where five men were stacked only minutes earlier was empty. Anyone who came here to check would think they had simply walked off duty to mess around.

Satisfied with her work, Aisha stepped through the entrance herself. The rusted door groaned softly as she pushed it further open and slipped into the dark.

But the moment she crossed the threshold, a strange pressure climbed from her chest to her throat, giving her an irritating feeling.

”Cough, cough!”

She covered her mouth to hide the unexpected sound of her coughing. But her brows creased when she felt something fall onto the back of her hand.

When she looked down at it, Aisha coldly exhaled a breath.

Blood.

It seemed that she was almost reaching her limit. No matter how much power was stored inside her, it wasn’t infinite. There should be a point where she would also run out of it.

Besides, she had just come to this world and was new to the power that had awakened within her. There was no way to replenish it in such a short time.

So, for now, she should conserve what was left of her power and only use it when the right time arrived.