CH 99

Nishino who confirmed the usages of the skill “Mail” immediately shared it with his friends. He sent a “Mail” to every member, allowing them to meet the condition of acquisition, and instructed those with spare SPs to obtain the skill.



(In the end, six people including myself were able to get it.)



The remaining members had no points left, so it was decided that they would wait until their next level up. Nishino checked the list of contactable individuals.



(The list contains the name of people that I met after getting the skill…)



The people displayed in the address book were the names of those that he met after he acquired the skill. No, to be more exact, it was after he met the conditions to acquire the skill. He thought he might be able to send a mail to someone that got separated, but as expected, the skill wasn’t that convenient.



Only the person who first established contact and the people that were around when the skill became available were added to the list. Specifically, it was only those that stood within a 5 meters radius.



(That’s to be expected.)



Nishino didn’t have much expectation to begin with. He just thought it would be “bonus” if it was possible. (TN: to contact his lost friends) (But it’s nice to know the name, especially when you’re dealing with an opponent of unknown origin. It could be used for negotiations.) Just by having the knowledge about the opponent’s name, it could become a card he could utilize during negotiations. Not to mention those with pseudonyms, strangers that they meet for the first time would have the impression that they held more information than them. Despite this being the case, this wasn’t the true advantage of having “Mail”.



(With this skill, fighting against monsters would become far easier.)



In the current situation, communication was a crucial component that could be used strategically and serve as a trump card. Regardless of whether it’s for ambushes, surprise attacks, or team coordination, having this skill would make a huge difference.



(Thanks, Rikka. With this, we can move one step forward.)



Following this, Nishino and his teammates discussed strategies and formations centered around the “Mail” skill. They also established a communication network in case they were separated. If they advantage of this skill well, their group might outshine other groups in the long run. If that happened, their future operations could run smoother.



(When we finish our meeting, we should meet up with Rikka.)



Nishino picked a location and time to meet with Rikka and sent her a mail.



A few minutes later—-



“Okay, let’s depart.”



They were well-rested, and the bags were packed to the brim with canned and preserved food. There was no longer a reason to stay.



“Nishino-san, do we really have to leave? There is still some food left…”



Shibata sounded regretful, but Nishino shook his head.



“It can’t be helped. This place isn’t fit to be a base.”



Not only was the location not ideal, the convenience store was too cramped for this number of people. It was better to set up a proper base before coming back to collect the food.



“Then we’ll join up with Rikka. Everyone, as we have discussed just now….hmmm?” He felt something ominous. It was from below.



(Vibration?)



Rattle. Rattle.



The ground was shaking.



(Earthquake?….No, it’s not!)



In that instant, Nishino was assaulted by an uncomfortable feeling.



“Everybody! Get out of the convenience store right now!”



“Eh…”



Not knowing what Nishino was saying, they stood in place. It happened right after that. A crack ran across a certain part of the floor, collapsing with a loud noise.



“What…!?”



Suddenly, a large hole opened up on the floor. A deep, dark hole which looked as if it led to hell.



“What’s this…?”



It was unlikely that the floor collapsed without a reason. Peering into the abyss, something, there was a glow from within. Something was there.



Kachi kachi. Kasa kasa.



Eerie sounds escaped from the hole.



“Hiiiiiiii…”



No one knew who had raised the voice. A giant ant emerged from the hole. Giant ants about the size of humans crawled out one after another.



“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”



They screamed uncontrollably.



“RUN!!”



With Nishino’s word as their signal, they began moving like water rushing out from a dam. However, one of the boys that was late in his escape stumbled on the floor.



“Ah…”



“Kasai!?”



Nishino shouted. Others also looked towards him. Countless ants were trying to flock towards the location where he fell.



“U……….”



The boy named Kasai gaped at the approaching ants like it was the end of the world. The man who came to his rescue was the middle-aged man, Hachiro Goshogawara. Picking up his weapon, the log, which was placed near the magazine corner, he hurled it at the ants.



“NuoooooooooooooOOOOOOO!”



“Wa….old man!?”



Several ants were pushed back into the hole by the force behind the log. Goshogawara rushed to the boy with that opening.



“Stand up fast! Come on!”



“Y, yes!”



Grabbing onto the extended hand, the duo sprinted outside.



“Is everyone alright?”



“Somehow…”



“We’re good.”



“Fu… fu…”



There were already numerous ants inside the store, looking at them with red eyes.



“Those are… monster, right?”



“Course they are. As if ants THAT huge could exist…”



Killer ants. No, was it better to call them giant ants? Regardless of their name, they had to think of a way to overcome this ordeal.



“Everyone, block your ears!”



Nishino shouted while stepping forward. Understanding what he was about to do, they hurriedly blocked their ears.



“—‘ANTS! DO NOT MOVE FROM WHERE YOU STAND!’”



Almost instantly, some of the ants that were leaning out of the convenience store stopped their movements as if they had heard Nishino’s command. And that was precisely what was going on. This was a skill known as “Command” which Nishino had. It was something that he received upon becoming a “Commander”.



What he could order depended upon his skill level. If there was a significant level difference between his target and himself, the success rate would be go up. At the same time, however, actions that went against the opponents’ will, such as “commit suicide” and “strike each other” had low chances of succeeding. Lastly, the more aggressively he commanded, the more individuals he would influence.



“We should use this time to flee!”



“We, we aren’t fighting them?”



“Of course we can’t. Look closely, only the ones in front have stopped moving.”



To be more accurate, only three had fallen under his influence. Behind them, there were tens of other ants. Once he activated his command, he could not use another command until the previous command’s effects disappeared. Against such a huge group of enemies, Nishino wasn’t strong enough to fend them off.



(If Rikka was present, the situation might have been different, but…)



As a crucial offensive unit, if Rikka was here, they could have fought evenly. Perhaps they might have even been at an advantage. However, there was no point in thinking about such a possibility when the person in question wasn’t even here.



“They seem to be alert after seeing that their friends have stopped moving.”



Fortunately, the rest of the ants only stared without rushing forward. They must have been wary of Nishino’s skill. Honestly, it was a relief. If they had attacked without minding, they might have met their ends here.



(But this also means they have enough intelligence to be vigilant…)



Ants were famous for being insects that formed societies. If this ecology also applied to monster, they could become extremely troublesome.



“The retraint would only last another 10 seconds. We got to start leaving.”



“Ouuu!”



The moment the effect of “Command” wore off, the ants would attack. Knowing that they were in a bad situation, they immediately left the place.