118 Episode 118 "When I Was Moving At High Speed In A Crowd With Full Skill, I Was Challenged By A Mysterious Group.".Txt
"We haven't bought 'solid soap with seaweed' for washing (hair) (brother) (hair) (back), the most important thing, yet!
Aine and Iris hummed delicately and declared.
...... That one, huh?
I actually remembered it. It was just a hassle.
I looked across the market.
The shops selling soap and herbs are in the center of the market.
But the center of the market is the most crowded and the crowds are huge. Besides, the guards have been shouting at me for a while now.
'A group of high-spec pickpockets is on the scene! Please be careful!
I heard that a group of pickpockets are working behind the scenes over there.
I don't think it's necessary to risk going to buy 'solid soap with seaweed'.
You can go to ...... if you want to.
...... I wanted to get to know you before we separated, but ...... I didn't have a choice. ......
But Iris and Aine are disappointed.
As a master, I'd like to give the slaves as much of a wish as possible, but it's this crowd .......
If you compare it to the ...... original world, it's like a festival right now, and it's crowded with tons of people.
Suppose we think of a strategy that would allow us to get through the situation smoothly--
..................... hmm?
...... Huh? I'm starting to feel like I have a shot.
"Okay. Let's do it.
Brother! Nay-kun!
Form a line. Aine will take the lead. I'll be the last one. We'll use our respective skills to get through the crowd as fast as possible. Aine will activate her skills all the time, and Iris will have ...... in case of an emergency.
I give them instructions.
Aine and Iris nod seriously.
Maybe I'm being too cautious. We don't have that much money, and there's a chance we won't fall for the pickpocket army's antennae. Let's hope so.
"Then Operation Crowded Infiltration, Operation Super-Speed Shopping begins.
And so we plunged into the crowd, in a single vertical column.
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The High Spec Pickpocket's Army is one of the lowest ranked bandit guilds.
It wasn't because they weren't going to make a lot of money, nor were they going to change the world.
But they took pride in their skills.
They would slip into the marketplace and take the wallet without even being aware of it. They would extract only the minimum amount of coins necessary and then put the rest back or leave it there.
The highest-ranking pickpocket would only cut into the wallet. Only one of the most expensive coins is removed. It requires a great deal of physical skill, finesse - much more subtle than that of a sifu on an adventure.
This time, they have been asked to infiltrate the market.
The content is simple. So far, the client's wishes had been met perfectly.
And yet...
No! It doesn't get any closer! How could he move like that in a crowd of people!
"I can't get in between 'steal' and 'steal'! I can't get to them!
"They move too fast ...... too naturally. ...... What is it with those guys ......?
Some people lose their confidence, some are scared, some panic...
Two-thirds of the pickpocket army had already dropped out.
A maid who seemed to be in a daze, a boy who didn't seem to be used to the town, and a little girl with an elegant manner for some reason. They shouldn't be much of a prey, but the pickpocket army, which is supposed to be ...... high spec, can't even touch them.
In the face of a fearsome presence, the members lost confidence and the organization was on the verge of collapse.
''Okay ...... the eagle himself will leave.''
'Master!'
Our quest is to take the wallet and find the Girl with the Thing. We can't afford to leave any of those who might.
And so the elders of the Pickpocket Corps were to take on their strongest enemy.
──────────────── ...
"Sent by Aine.
Recipient: Naykun and Iris.
Body: It's responding to kinetic observation. There are two people blocking the path, and one of them is pushing on our side. I'm in danger of making contact. Request instructions.
"Sent by Iris.
Recipient: my brother. Mr. Aine.
Text: We have found a herb stall. There is a good chance that they are selling what we are looking for. It's located on the left front, but there's a possibility of collisions with other people on your route. It would be better to go around here.
"Sent by: Nagi
Recipient: Aine, Iris.
I've got a lock on the numbers around us in the Fast Track. We'll change course to 2 o'clock. Then move ten paces to three o'clock and then go straight ahead!'
"All right!
Okay. Sigh. Ssshhh!
We make our way through the crowd at a fast pace.
A single-file team. Aine is at the front, Iris is in the center, and I am at the end.
It's like a party in a famous RPG.
Aine, at the front, keeps using the "kinetic observation" skill. It's a cheat skill I installed a while back, and it allows me to detect the parts of an opponent's body that are tensed with muscles when I see them. It is a skill that allows her to anticipate a person's movements.
Aine acts as my eyes, observing the movements of the crowd.
Whether the person in front of her is approaching, moving away, or not moving...
I read that accurately and communicate it to me and Iris in "Consciousness Sharing and Reform".
Iris in the center is an observer of the market. We are looking for a stall that sells our target product, "Solid Soap with Seaweed".
I am in the back of the line using High-Speed Analysis.
It shows you who is around you in real time in a window.
It only gives simple information about 'male' and 'female' here, but that's fine for now. It's enough to know which areas are crowded and which are not. By looking at the number of windows that appear, I can clearly see where there are many people in the area.
From there, I know which direction is 'easy to go'. I tell Aine and Iris that I'm going to share my consciousness with them.
And then I change my course accordingly. Every few seconds. Every few seconds.
Sissies. Whispering. Whisper. Whisper!
Shoo! Whisper. Totally.
Shushuuuu. Shuping. Zaza-za-za. ......
I heard Aine's voice.
When I turned around - before I knew it, a small old man was standing behind Iris.
It's a good idea to be able to have a good time. You're going to be able to find out more about the best way to get the most out of this project. It was like a martial artist. If you master pickpocketing, it will reach the martial arts level.
The old man has a knife. It reaches into the leather pouch Iris carries. He's going to cut the cord and take it off him.
...... That's a dangerous thing to do.
I don't know what to do if my kid gets hurt. I don't know what to do.
"Sent by: Nagi
Recipient: Iris.
Body: Iris, we have an emergency. Use that skill.'
"Sent by Iris.
Recipient: Nagi
Text: I understand! Activate "Counterattack Point Hole (Point Counter) LV 1"!
with a plop
Iris's fist struck the old man's arm.
The counter went in.
It didn't seem as if it was strenuous. But...
'Guggenheim!
The old man collapsed, holding his arm!
'Scorpionfish! Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!
As it is, I roll around blowing bubbles.
That looks painful. The 'counterattack point hole' doesn't disperse the impact, you know.
Counterattack Point Hole Lv 1 (4 Concept Cheat Skill)
The skill to increase the damage dealt to a part of the body with the counterattack.
This is an enhanced version of Iris' self-defense technique. The Self-Defense Lv 3 (a skill that increases the damage dealt by the counterattack) and an extra concept called "Body Part" was added to it.
Originally, Self-Defense was just a skill that increased the damage you dealt to your opponent when defending yourself, but because it was made into a 4-concept cheat skill, it became an automatic counterattack-type skill.
It's like what they say in fighting games: "After you enter a command, if you're about to be attacked for a few seconds, you'll automatically counterattack.
I triggered it at the right time, so the counter is neatly set.
"Whoa, whoa, my arm! My eagle arm ah!
The old man's arm is vibrating in a strange way.
The 'Counterattack Point Hole Lv 1' doesn't disperse the impact.
The damage done by this skill stays on the part of the body and continues to cause pain and impact.
...... This is because you can suddenly point a knife at a person.
Each time the old man rolled, coins scattered from his body. I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get the same thing from my hand, my bosom or my hair.
"This guy ...... could be the head of the intercontinental pickpocketing army 'West Wind's Penny Catcher'!
'I know. A former adventurer sifu who was expelled from the Adventurer's Guild ...... you know?
Wait. My wallet's gone. Huh? There will be a hole in your wallet before you know it!
The people around them start to make a commotion. Perhaps they heard it, the guards are coming towards us.
There's no need to stay for a while.
"Wait, wait for ....... Our mission is to take the wallet and ...... the girl who has half of this coin.
From his pocket, the old man took out a golden coin.
It was a half-moon shaped coin. From the middle, it was neatly plumped up.
"...... request ...... you guys can ...... have this ...... with you. ......
I don't have it. Bye. Bye.
We were once again in single file formation.
We went into crowd infiltration mode and quickly left the area, slipping between people.
The 'counterattack point hole' my brother gave me is great! With this, Iris will be safe!
'I'm so glad I got the soap. Now I can travel in peace.
The shopping is done.
Iris and Aine put the "solid soap with seaweed" on their hands and looked satisfied.
But ...... what was it with those people earlier?
Like a pickpocket. Was someone looking for that special girl?
He was looking for someone who had half of these coins.
I sent Iris and Aine the image of "Shared Consciousness, Revised".
I took the picture of the old man's hand and the golden coin.
I took it because I thought it might be useful for something.
Is this ...... 'Royal Coin'?
A royal coin?
'Yes, brother. I've seen it in books. When a prince or princess is born in this country, a special coin is sometimes made to commemorate the birth. But they don't circulate to the public, so very few people have them.
'Is the girl wearing the ...... crown engraved on this coin? I'm half way there, so I don't really know.
Aine took over Iris's words.
The "Royal Coin", huh?
That means that that 'High Speculative Army' was looking for the owner of the other half of the coin.
If that's why they were pickpocketing in the marketplace .......
...... I wonder if someone from the royal family was in that place. In a way that no one would notice.
Well, the guards will find out about that.
There's nothing we can do for now. It's enough to get the shopping done.
Then we took our purchases from the market and went home.
While I was helping Iris, Aine and Rafilia prepare for their trip, the sun was setting and...
Now, let's try out the "Solid Soap with Seaweed
We're having a feast.
How did you get to me?
"(Nai-kun) is practicing before making it shinier.
No, you can't. I did say I was interested in it, and I'm happy to bathe with you guys. But if you get washed, I don't want you to go to ...... or any of that stuff, I want you to know that I like it! Preferably not for you, but for you!
I watched as Iris and Aine washed Raphilia up to a glossy finish - and the day of rest passed.