CH 157

The smoke settles.



The private house that we were in has been crushed into nothing but a pile of rubble.



A huge Golem is standing in the middle of the wreckage.



To us, Golems are a symbol of destruction.



One of them has caused an uproar in the City Hall, destroyed the majority of the city’s center, and smashed us into the abyss of despair.



Although this one’s size is smaller and its presence is weaker than Titan’s, it’s still shocking to know that there are other Golems besides Titan.



Anyhow, my gaze is not focused on the Golem itself.



Instead, it’s on the man standing on top of the Golem.



(…Who is that?)



Its appearance is no different from an “ordinary youth’s”.



Its looks are so average, in fact, that no one would remember it even if people pass by it on the streets.



Nevertheless,“Enemy Detection” tells me that it’s undoubtedly a monster.



Moreover, it’s on a similar plane of existence as the High Orc and the Dark Wolf.



Both my instincts and my skills are screaming that this guy is “dangerous”.



They’re warning me that this one is more dangerous than any of the monsters I’ve ever encountered.



(Not only that, it called me “the owner of ‘Precocious’”…)



How did it know?



…Does it perhaps have “that skill”?



I gulp down.



My back is drenched in sweat, and my breath has become rougher as well.



“You have received a mail.”



Suddenly, an announcement echoes in my head.



Who is it from?



Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan are inside my “Shadow Cage” right now, so it can’t be them.



Is it Nishino-kun?



Sorry, but I’ll check later on.



I don’t have the leeway to take my eyes off this guy even for a moment.



“…Oh boy, someone’s cautious.”



The young man on the Golem’s shoulder shrugs and sighs.



Of course I’m wary of you.



“I didn’t come here to fight, so can you chill and listen to me?”



“As if I can trust your words.”



You’re the one who ambushed us without warning and flattened the house to the ground.



It amazes me how it can say something so shameless.



“I’m telling the truth. That was just a form of greeting. I knew you’d be able to deal with it easily, and —-Woops.”



It blocks the tetrapod that appeared above its head with a single hand.



Chi, it didn’t work.



“…Was this meant to be a surprise attack?”



“A greeting.”



“Ahh.”



It continues to stare at me as I activate another skill.



“Oh?”



“Go~a…?”



Countless tetrapods blanket the sky.



While the attentions of the Golem and youth are directed above, I sneakily “store” the rubble beneath the Golem.



“Go~a~aaaa!?”



The Golem loses its balance and falls head-first onto the ground.



A combo attack that revolves around destroying the enemies’ foothold and crushing them with overwhelming weight.



It’s the enhanced version of the attack pattern we’ve been using to bury many monsters.



“Not bad.”



However, it simply cackles.



Without losing its smile, it throws the tetrapod on its hand as hard as it could, taking advantage of the tetrapod’s newfound velocity to offset a part of the barrage.



(No way…)



It’s reminiscent of the scene where the High Orc blocked all the heavy machinery with a single hand before tossing them away.



Although the youth may look like a human, its strength far exceeds the realm of humanity.



Buildings collapse left and right as the Golem falls and the tetrapods rain down.



Nonetheless, it manages to land on the ground unperturbed by the disturbances around it.



“You have some very intriguing skills. Spatial storage… no, modern humans call it the ‘Item Box’, yes? It’s interesting to witness someone using a storage skill for offensive purposes.”



It stares at me as if I’m something fascinating.



Its eerie gaze seems to be trying to peek into my souls.



In response, a voice resounds in my head.



“Skill proficiency has reached a certain threshold.”



“‘Appraisal Interruption’ has increased from LV4 to LV5.”



“Skill proficiency has reached a certain threshold.”



“‘Appraisal Interruption’ has increased from LV5 to LV6.”



“—!”



The announcements just now… No way.



“…Oh?”



It subconsciously vocalizes its surprise.



“Ah, so you have ‘Appraisal Interruption’? No wonder I can only see a part of your status. You have some good skills indeed.”



“You…You have the ‘Appraisal’ skill?”



My suspicion turns into conviction.



Previously, I did some research about “Appraisal” with “The Right to Question”.



Although it didn’t tell me how I can acquire it, it explained clearly to me its effects.



“Appraisal” reveals the effects of items and skills. In addition, it exposes other people’s status.



The youth nods as if it’s an obvious question.



“It was among the first list of skills that I could get. I received it as my first skill, and it has been an immense help. Unlike you, ‘Item Box’ was not an option for me.”



For a long time, I have been looking for someone with the “Appraisal” skill.



I didn’t expect us to meet this way.



“Aaah, but I’d like make one correction.”



It raises its finger.



“I didn’t have to use ‘Appraisal’ to figure out that you’re the owner of ‘Precocious’.”



“Wha—!?”



It cackles as if it finds my flabbergasted expression entertaining to watch.



“Such an honest reaction. Have you ever been told that you’re not suitable for negotiations?”



“That’s none of your business.”



When I was still a corporate slave, Chief Shimizu said the same thing to me, but what’s so bad about it?



Everyone has a thing or two that they aren’t suitable at.



“But I want to mind your business. After all, you’re the owner of ‘Precocious’. I feel a certain sense of familiarity from you, so I’d appreciate speaking with you for longer.”



“What have you been trying to get at from a while ago?”



I deploy even more tetrapods above its head and extend my shadow towards its feet.



Once again, my attacks are effortlessly blocked.



“I was the first monster in this world to kill a human.”



My movement stops in that instant.



What…?



“I was granted a skill called ‘Pride’. It’s a skill that is given to the first monster that manages to kill a human in this new world. On the opposite side of the same coin is ‘Precocious’, a skill that is given to the first human who manages to slay a monster in this new world. You see, you and I are similar.”



“…”



“Well, it was mostly a coincidence. Immediately after the two worlds merged, there was a person nearby. I had no ego to speak of at the time, but I killed the person based on my instincts and gained skill and intelligence. It was by chance… yes, I was just lucky. I’m assuming that this was the case for you as well?”



Despite being stunned by its explanation, I nod inside my head.



What it said is right.



I happened to be returning back home from work when I ran over a Shadow Wolf and gained “Precocious”.



That’s why I don’t think I’m anyone “special”.



I was simply lucky, so I often imagined there being others with similar skills.



Today, I have met one such being.



“That’s the reason why I feel a sense of familiarity from you. Neither of us was originally talented. Neither of us had a special lineage. Neither of us put in painstaking effort. As fellow individuals that obtained strength though ‘luck’ alone, is it so weird for me to wish to get along with you?”



“However,” it continues its monologue.



“Our growths afterwards are the results of our own efforts. I’m convinced by the array of skills you’ve shown me today. How many bloodbaths have you been through in the past 10 days? Honestly, you must have fought much harder battles than me. You are deserving of praise.”



It applauds as if to prove that its words are genuine, but it gets on my nerves instead.



Suddenly, it stops applauding and stares off into the distance.



“That said, can you tell her not to shoot from afar?”



Its right arm gets ripped apart the next second.



A heartbeat later, the sound of gunshot is heard.



The youth rolls on the ground due to the resulting shock-wave, only coming to a stop when it crashes against the fallen body of the Golem.



“Haha… it sure packs a punch. My right arm was blown away even when I managed to prevent a direct hit… I should’ve known this would happen. That was careless of me.”



Its smile hasn’t disappeared despite its missing arm.



“Is this why you bothered to speak to me for so long?”



“…I have the right to remain silent.”



That’s pretty much how it is.



While we were having our conversation, I had Ichinose-san leave the “Shadow Cage” and head to a location where she could snipe.



She made use of Momo’s “Shadow Migration” to instantly move to one of Aka’s “Coordinates”.



It was the right call to set up some “Coordinates” where she could snipe.



(Considering the power behind the bullet, it should’ve been from the “Ichinose Special”…)



A monstrous rifle that was effective against Titan.



She could somewhat handle it now thanks to Kiki’s “Support Magic – Buff”, Aka’s assistance, and Ichinose-san’s own growth, but I didn’t think she’d use it from the get-go…



That means that Ichinose-san also found this guy to be a source of big threat.



I’m not one to miss an opportunity either.



(We must absolutely kill it here and now—)



My skills and instincts tell me that I definitely shouldn’t allow this guy to escape from our grasps.



It’s a menace that is incomparable to any of the Named Monsters I’ve slain.



What’s more, its strength is like a bottomless pit; I can’t sense its limit.



I cast a “Ninjutsu” immediately.



“—‘Duplication’.”



Ten of my clones manifest themselves and rush towards the monster.



Seeing this, it sighs.



“Aii… Guess we won’t be having any more conversations. It can’t be helped then —- Tairan!”



“GOGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”



The Golem which hasn’t moved until now takes action.



(It’s fast—)



It’s just as fast as Titan —- No, if we compare speed alone, it’s above Titan.



With a speed that doesn’t match its size, the Golem returns to its master’s side and curls up into a sphere, enveloping its master inside.



“Let us meet another day. Until that day arrives, please take care of ‘that boy’ for me.”



“As if I’d let you go!”



ZUGAAAN!



Asound of destruction spreads to the surrounding.



There’s a large hole on the Golem’s body.



It’s from Ichinose-san’s bullet.



“Hahaha…you have a really good companion.”



It murmurs in amazement, and its smile seems a little strained.



The hole disappears in the blink of an eye, but my clones reach them before it closes up completely.



“—Item Box, Open.”



One of the clones attaches the pile bunker to its arm.



Thank God we repaired it ahead of time.



The other clones grab onto the clone with the pile bunker to act as support.



The “stake” gets released.



ZUTTON!



Once again, there’s a sound of impact.



The impact spreads throughout the area, blowing away all the clones.



What I conducted just now was a suicide attack utilizing the clones to activate the pile bunker.



It wasn’t something I could do before, but it has become possible now that my status has improved and the effects of my Ninjutsus have been enhanced.



Even so—



“Damn it….”



Apparently I was a step too late.



The inside of the Golem that has curled up into a sphere is hollow and empty.



It probably escaped through the ground using a skill like “Earth-Style Ninjutsu”.



(It’s fine… I’ve already marked him with “Tracking”.)



Signs of its underground activities are transmitted to me.



With this, I can tell what it’s doing at any point in time,



Since that’s the case, it shouldn’t be too difficult to think of a plan to eliminate it.



Just as I am about to commence the chase—



“…!?”



Something snaps.



At the same time, the monster’s presence that I’ve been keeping track of disappears.



“No way… it erased the mark that I planted?”



A mark from “Tracking” can only be removed by me.



That must mean that it has a skill that can prevent “Tracking”.



“What the heck…”



I scratch my head.



According to its claims, it was the first monster to kill a human.



Not only does it possess the skill “Pride”, it has a Golem following it around like a minion.



It’s an unknown existence that is more dangerous than any monster I know of.



“Just as we were celebrating Titan’s demise, this happens…”



Please, no more…



What’s going on?



Is this world purposely designed to wear down people’s hearts…?



Although I have “Mental Distress Tolerance”, I may become bald from all the stress that’s been accumulating.



“Wan!”



Momo appears from the shadow besides my feet.



Ichinose-san and Kiki also appear as well.



“It escaped…”



“Yes.”



“What was that? It looked no different from a regular human, but its true nature shouldn’t be that of a human’s at all…”



Ichinose-san arrives at the same conclusion as I did.



I inform Ichinose-san about what the monster told me earlier.



“…Seriously?”



“Dead serious.”



Ichinose-san’s face becomes gloomy.



“This world is a shitty game.”



“I can’t agree more with your opinion.”



Ichinose-san breathes out a deep sigh.



“‘Pride’…Isn’t that one of the Seven Deadly Sins that is classic in games and manga?”



“It probably is.”



“Pride”, “Envy”, “Gluttony”, “Wrath”, “Sloth”, “Lust”, and “Greed”.



The Seven Deadly Sins that everyone loves to see in light novels.



It’s almost like a “promise” from the authors to their readers.



This game-like world has not forgotten to go through with this “promise” either.



“Pride” should definitely be a powerful skill.



After all, it’s the skill that is entrusted to the first monster that kills a human…



First, we met Glasses-kun who mutated into a monster.



Then, a humanoid monster with powerful skills showed up alongside a Golem and said something concerning before it left.



Damn it, my head is about to explode from all the information that is flowing in.



(Oh right, didn’t I receive a “Mail” a while back?)



I haven’t read it because I wasn’t in the position to do so, but it should be fine now.



I click on the “Mail” after opening the status screen.



The one who sent it was… Nishino-kun.



What does he want?



I tap on the screen to check the “Mail’s”content.



“…….Eh?”



“…? What’s wrong, Kudou-san?”



“We should hurry back. Nishino-kun is also experiencing an abnormal situation.”



Trouble never comes alone… Ahhh, I’m getting fed up with everything.



We quickly return to the City Hall.