CH 162

“G…GAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?”



The Dragon howls as blood drips from its right eye.



It twists and flutters its wings rapidly, perhaps because it is unaccustomed to such an intense pain.



…It worked.



The bullet shot by Ichinose-san definitely wounded the Dragon.



“Yes!”



I subconsciously perform a guts pose.



Bullets seem to be effective on parts that aren’t covered by its hard scales.



In games and light novels, Dragons often possess skills or blessings that can deflect projectiles.



Thankfully, this one doesn’t appear to possess those kinds of skills.



Attacks are effective.



That information alone can be considered a big harvest.



…The problem is elsewhere.



“Ichinose-san, can you hang on?”



“Hm… it’s tough, but I’ll be fine for another shot or two.”



Ichinose-san replies with a slightly strained face.



“Ichinose Special Ver 2.0” is a monstrous rifle which Ichinose-san has crafted and modified in her capacity as a “Weapon Craftsman”.



Although it boasts an extraordinary power, huge recoils accompany each shot.



Even with the support of Aka and Kiki, there’s a limit to the number of times Ichinose-san can shoot.



While it has become more bearable after her evolution, a limit still exists.



(I can’t have Ichinose-san fight alone.)



But what can I do?



I’m not capable of shooting guns like she could, and I don’t possess any means of attack that would reach the Dragon.



Neither “Advanced Ninjutsu” nor the Item Box would reach the Dragon’s altitude.



Assuming that I got close enough to attack, I’d be burned to crisps by its breath attack before anything else.



(A strategy that would force the Dragon to come at me or allow me to approach the Dragon without being noticed …)



I can’t think of a good idea no matter how hard I try.



If only my clones could activate “Advanced Ninjutsu” and some other skills.



The number and duration of clones that I could have at any given time increased thanks to “Profession Enhancement”.



Even so, the restrictions set on the clones have not been lifted.



“Profession Enhancement” amplifies the effects of occupational skills.



It does not unlock new effects.



(Neither side has any decisive cards…)



Our attacks can’t deal fatal damage on the Dragon.



On the other hand, we’ll be unharmed as long as we enter the “Safety Zone”. Its breath attacks will only cause some heat waves to spread and boulders to crumble.



It’ll be a battle of attrition.



“Gururururu…”



Understanding this, the Dragon glares at me and groans.



…I’m scared.



The Dragon’s eyes are really scary.



Even with resistance skills, scary things remain scary.



(No, wait…scared?)



Are we the only ones scared here?



Aren’t we a sufficient source of threat for the Dragon as well? We’ve crushed one of its eyes after all.



I observe the Dragon once again.



Now, I’m no expert in Dragontology, but I can tell that there is fear mixed-in with hostility and anger in its eyes.



It’s very subtle. So subtle, in fact, that I wouldn’t have realized if not for all my skills.



If we can make good use of its fear—



“Huu…”



I take in a deep breath to calm myself.



Then, I “glared back” at the Dragon with a fearless smile on my face.



“What’s wrong? Never expected yourself to be injured from an attack?”



“…! GRRRRRRR!”



I doubt my voice reached the Dragon; however, the Dragon figures out what I’m trying to convey through my facial expression.



The Dragon roars, annoyed.



….So scary.



Nonetheless, I pretend to be confident (at least on the surface) and laugh boldly at the Dragon.



(Kudou-san, are you crazy? Ohhh—did you come up with an idea to defeat it?)



Ichinose-san whispers at me with an expectant look.



I nod.



“Of course.”



Sorry, that’s a lie.



…I have absolutely no clue what to do from here.



I’m simply bluffing.



My brilliant plan is to act as if we have a lot of leeway. That’s all there is to it.



(…It’s showing its effect.)



The Dragon didn’t know about the “Safety Zone”.



That means it doesn’t know how many shots Ichinose-san can fire either.



Make the Dragon arrive at the conclusion that Ichinose-san can fire similar shots without end.



I’ll take advantage of the fact that I can’t attack to bluff my way out by pretending to be an unfathomable opponent.



Bluff the enemy into retreating.



“…”



“…”



An instant that felt like eternity passes by as we glare at one another.



The Dragon retracts its gaze before I do.



“Gururu…RUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”



With a roar filled with loathing, it flapped its wings and disappeared into the sky.



The Dragon’s figure fades away into the distance.



Confirming that the Dragon is indeed gone, I flop down onto the ground.



“We made it through alive…”



“I thought we’d die here…”



Ichinose-san also collapses on the spot, probably because she could finally relax.



That, was terrifying.



I’ve had enough of real Dragons.



Seeing the newly formed craters outside the “Safety Zone”, I can’t help but feel relieved that we made it through the catastrophe.



Fortunately, the plan worked.



If the Dragon insisted on continuing the battle, it would have soon noticed that Ichinose-san could only fire a few more shots.



I’m grateful that things ended before things progressed that far.



The Dragon would have continued the fight if it was a battle junkie like the High Orc.



Luckily for us, the Dragon was wary of us.



“Observation” had hinted at the Dragon’s cautious personality, but I wasn’t very certain of it.



Anyway, thank God things turned out well.



(Then again, since it chose to escape, it should be rather intelligent…)



I bet it’s as intelligent as the High Orc and the Dark Wolf.



Another annoying monster to add to the list.



“Wan!”



“Kyu!”



Sensing that the Dragon has left, Momo and Kiki leap out of the shadow, land on my lap, and begin to lick my face.



“Good work out there, Momo and Kiki. It must have been frightening. You guys did well enduring it.”



“Wan! Wan! Wanwan!”



Momo shakes her tail and requests for “more compliments”, so I spoil her by stroking her fur.



Cute.



I can sense my tired heart being healed.



“Kyu……”



“C’mere, Kiki-chan!”



“Kyu!? Kyu… Kyuu…”



Kiki, who was watching Momo being stroked enviously, jumps into Ichinose-san’s embrace.



The mofu-mofu commences immediately.



Kiki’s dissatisfaction fades away under the hands of Ichinose-san.



Kiki looks like she’s having a good time.



“Aka, you did well too. We couldn’t have done it without you.”



“Furu furu ♪”



Hearing my compliment, Aka shakes its body in delight.



Aka contributed immensely by serving as “Coordinate Points”.



Of course, Momo’s “Shadow Migration” and Kiki’s “Support Magic – Buff” played a great role as well.



If any of them were missing, things may have turned out differently.



I’m really blessed to have them as my companions.



(I’ve put a marker on the Dragon. No matter where it goes, I would know its position.)



The marker from “Tracking” hasn’t been erased.



That means the Dragon doesn’t have any skills to interfere with the tracking like the intelligent Zombie did.



With this, we won’t have to worry about surprise attacks from the Dragon.



In fact, we can launch surprise attacks instead.



(Oh, I should release Nishino-kun and the others.)



I let Nishino-kun and his friends come out from the “Shadow Cage”.



“Is it over?”



“Yes.”



Nishino-kun is evidently relieved.



Rikka-chan who is next to me closes in on me.



“Onii-san, did you defeat that Dragon? For real? That’s so cool~!”



Rikka-chan’s eyes are sparkling and looking at me with respect.



I laugh bitterly.



“No, what happened is –”



It wasn’t defeated, it simply retreated.



Their expressions become cloudy when they hear this.



“The source of threat hasn’t been eliminated…”



“Then we won’t be able to leave the ‘Safety Zone’ freely anymore?”



“That’s not the case. As I said, I’ve placed a tracker on the Dragon. As long as we analyze its behaviors, there’s nothing to fear. We can even take the initiative to attack when we’re adequately prepared.”



“You mean we could ambush the Dragon when it’s at its nest?”



“Precisely.”



Ichinose-san picks up on my intention quickly.



We could employ the hit-and-run tactic that we used against Titan.



The strategy relies on Momo’s “Shadow Migration” and Aka acting as “Coordinate Points”.



“Attacking and then withdrawing back to the ‘Safety Zone’… Wow, that’s dirty.” (Rikka)



“But it’s also the most effective. In that case, should the people at the City Hall be warned not to go out carelessly?” (Nishino)



“Yes. Can I have Nishino-kun handle that?” (Kazuto)



“Sure. It’s one of my responsibilities as the mediator after all.” (Nishino)



Even if the battle drags on, it’ll be to our favor owing to the presence of the “Safety Zone”.



We must make the Dragon hesitant about approaching and invading the “Safety Zone”.



Of course, it’ll be ideal if we can hunt it down in the process.



“With that out of the way, let’s return to the – ah, right…”



“What’s wrong, Kudou-san?”



“Aren’t we forgetting our purpose of coming here?”



“Eh?….Oh.”



Nishino-kun probably remembers it now too.



He makes a difficult face.



“…Um, is Ono still inside?”



“Yes, he’s unconscious inside ‘Shadow Cage’.”



Every time he shows signs of waking up, Aka tightens its hold around him and knocks him out again… he should be fine.



We stepped outside the “Safety Zone” to speak with Ono, but we forgot about him because of the Dragon.



After much hesitation, Nishino-kun presents his opinion.



“…We should report back first. Something of this magnitude would take a lot of time to explain…”



That’s a valid point.



I feel sorry for Ono-kun, but he’ll have to remain inside “Shadow Cage” for another while.



We return to our base.



*****



– A Dragon invasion.



The news spread throughout the City Hall like wildfire.



The mysterious explosion at the borders of the “Safety Zone”.



The craters that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.



People despaired when they learned that it was the work of a single Dragon.



Their trauma from the Golem incident has yet to fade away.



Believing that nowhere was safe, some residents became paranoid and lost heart, resulting in several suicide attempts.



Mayor Uesugi and Fujita-san had to step up to suppress the turmoil.



They desperately encouraged and inspired the dejected citizens.



Our achievement of repelling the Dragon also served to boost the people’s morale.



“No matter how strong the monsters are, there will be ways to fight against them and survive.”



The people believed in Mayor Uesugi’s words.



We must struggle for our survival.



Residents that looked away from the reality also became resolute after the consecutive attacks from Titan and the Dragon.



Many volunteers emerged, eager to raise their levels.



– A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies.



Such a quote comes to mind.



Unfortunately, raising a level or two won’t make any difference when faced against the Dragon.



Nonetheless, it’s true that the overall power of the City Hall would experience a sharp increase.



They can do things at their own pace while we do ours at our pace.



(For now, we have three things that have to be addressed…)



The Dragon, the intelligent Zombie, and Ono-kun.



Ono-kun’s case can be put on hold, but the Dragon and the intelligent Zombie must be dealt with promptly.



Not to mention the Dragon, the intelligent Zombie with its “weapon” and its ability to control monsters is a big threat.



(We also have to address the “trees” and the town’s “population”…)



They almost slipped away from my mind again.



That’s right. We’re planning on investigating the stupidly huge trees that are growing outside.



Our consciousness appears to gloss over them unknowingly.



It’s also worth checking out the matter regarding the town’s population which Nishino-kun pointed out.



There’s a lot that has to be done.



I guess I’ll start out by asking some questions through “The Right to Question”.



(Not that I expect any proper answer…)



“The Right to Question” is notoriously nasty.



I type in my question, knowing full well that the answer won’t satisfy me.



Kacha kacha kacha kacha.



“How will it reply? …? Is the system taking its time?”



Answers usually return in a heartbeat.



This time, however, there’s some delay.



Around 10 seconds later, a change occurs on the screen.



The “answer” to my question is displayed.



“….What?”



I can’t believe what I’m reading.



What? For real?



I type in the question again, only to receive the same response.



I read it again and again and again and again.



“…Uuupu…”



What the hell….



What’s the identity of the trees outside? What happened to the citizens that disappeared?



The answer is enough to make me nauseated.



-At the boundary of the “Safety Zone”-



“We returned safety this time as well…”



“Yes…but I’m spent…”



Two office ladies were talking.



These ladies were Shimizu Yuna and Nijou Kamome, both of whom were Kazuto’s former colleagues.



There were several young men and women standing behind them.



They were part of the group that expressed their desire to raise their levels following the Dragon’s “visit”.



They were informed that the Dragon wasn’t nearby and decided to embark on a short expedition to the outside.



Very little skills were available at LV 1, but there was still a fundamental difference between being at LV 0 and being at LV 1.



More importantly, two people were able to acquire the “Item Box” after they leveled up.



(Procuring supplies would be much easier now…)



Shimizu inspected the two people who got the “Item Box”.



Their occupations were “Carrier” and “Marauder” respectively, with “Item Box” being one of their occupational skills.



(I was disappointed that they didn’t get combat related occupations, but this may have been for the better.)



They had decided on converting to support roles because they were not given options like “Warrior” and “Adventurer”.



However, the results turned out better than expected.



Shimizu expected the two of them to become cornerstones of supply gathering.



They chatted along the way while being alert of their surroundings.



“Chief Shimizu, do we have any urgent business to attend after this?”



Nijou asked as she fidgeted unnaturally.



“…Lots. We must first gather data about people with new skills and report to the mayor. Then, we have to get in touch with others that wish to level up. Next, we’d have to…”



“Y-you’re right…”



Shimizu smiled sympathetically when she saw how depressed Nijou was.



“Are you getting impatient because of the lack of development in your relationship with that man?’



“Eh!? No, I’m not concerned about Kazuto-senpai or any—Ah.”



Nijou’s face turned bright red when she realized that she had dug her own grave.



It was obvious to anyone watching that Nijou had feelings for Kazuto.



(That incident only served to intensify her emotion…)



She was talking about the abominable incident where they were almost enslaved by their colleagues (Inoue and co.) after being paralyzed by poison during the Alpha・Titan subjugation mission.



Not only were two of their colleagues brutally murdered, the two women were about to be sexually assaulted.



Thankfully, Kazuto entered the scene and saved them in the nick of time.



Nijou favored Kazuto even before the incident, so in her eyes, he must have looked like a prince in shining armor.



(How hasn’t he noticed yet? She’s like an open book!)



Nijou was partially at fault for always retreating at the most critical juncture.



Still, how could a man remain so oblivious to a woman’s advancement?



Was that part of his withered?



Was his head made of stones?



(Not to mention that he has this more-than-friends-less-than-lovers relationship with his party member…)



The sniper rifle girl, Ichinose Natsu, did not seem to be dating Kazuto.



They certainly cared for each other, but they had yet to cross the line.



Honestly, it was frustrating to watch.



Shimizu wanted to criticize them for behaving like elementary school students; however, as a single woman in her thirties, she didn’t have the right to say anything about them.



“…Hm, how about this? You’ll be free for the day when you finish writing the report about the people behind us.”



“Really? Thank you very much!”



Nijou’s complexion brightened visibly.



Good grief…



“But you can’t cut corners simply because there are only a few of them, okay?”



“Got it. We only have four people with us, so the report should be done in no time!”



“…Wait a minute. Shouldn’t the report include ‘five people’?”



“What do you mean, Chief? We’re only leading four people, right?”



Nijou pointed at the group of “four” that was following them.



Nijou wasn’t mistaken.



““““?””””



Everyone else also cocked their heads.



(Weird… Didn’t we have five people with us when we left this morning…?)



Was she remembering things incorrectly?



Wasn’t there someone who left the party in the middle?



No, then they would have noticed for sure.



Whatever, she was probably just mixing things up.



“….Y-you’re right. Sorry, I was perhaps recalling something else.”



“What a rare occasion. Chief Shimizu barely makes any mistake.”



“…”



Despite Shimizu’s unnerved heart, they continued walking.



Soon, Nijou raised her voice as if she noticed something peculiar.



“…Ah.”



“Something wrong, Nijou-san?”



“Chief, over there. Look at the tip of its branches.”



There was a huge tree there that had swallowed up an entire house.



Its branches had penetrated through the concrete walls as if they wanted to boast the tree’s existence.



Nijou gestured at the tip of one of the branches.



A small “change” had occurred to the tree.



“A flower has bloomed.”



There was a red flower on the tree’s branch, a red flower that was reminiscent of human blood.