CH 76

A light blue stone necklace hangs from my chest.

It is a natural stone, a Parasite item dropped on the 30th floor, which the Shishikaba sisters had neatly shaved and threaded through a hole. As one would expect from the co-owners of a jewelry store.

“The necklace is a piece of amateur work, and we didn’t have the time or the equipment, so it’s nothing more than a piece of jewelry.” (Aoi)

“It’s a piece of equipment for a hunter. The finish should be done later by a professional.” (Midori)

The surface is a little muddy and the shape is distorted, but this is not bad because it looks like a souvenir from a tourist attraction. The appearance is secondary in this case.

According to the sisters, you can roughly tell what kind of mycelium is parasitizing the stone and what kind of effect it has by looking at its color and type. Since there is no such thing as a convenient appraisal skill, it is an estimation based on the verification and results that the industry has accumulated over the years. It’s amazing.

Light blue aquamarine is an instantaneous power enhancer. I will take one.

Pink morganite improves vitality. It is said to help wounds heal faster. The color is also perfect for Noa.

The gray eagle eye improves eyesight. I wanted to give it to Tamiko, but it was too big for her, so I had no choice but to give it to Kure.

“My own… My own jewel…” (Shuu)

“Let’s have it carved later.” (Noa)

The stone resonates with the mycelium in the owner’s body to produce an effect, according to the studies. The effect of the stone is said to be due to its resonance with the mycelium in the owner’s body, but this has not been proven, nor does it have a dramatic effect.

“It’s almost like a tiny error.” (Shuu)

“It’s not good to rely on it too much, so be careful.” (Noa)

Still, it is somewhat reassuring. Just a few millimeters, a few tenths of a second. Because from now on, we will challenge the battlefield where such a fine line will be the difference between life and death.

“—Everyone, are you ready?” (Giran)

Giran spoke to the six hunters and 30 armed dogs, or Xolotl warriors. It’s the kind of speech you see in the movies before a war.

“We are about to go to war, and what awaits us are hundreds of pathetic, moving corpses that have strayed from the path of life. They are an army of puppets who will trample on your history and your pride, take your homes and your people, and devour your future. They are strong. Their flesh knows no pain, their eyes know no fear, and they will devour our lives.” (Giran)

The twin sisters complained of boredom with synchronized picking of their noses, an unbecoming behavior for a lady.

“Everyone, look at each other’s tails. You’re not the only ones shrinking. The fear is on us all equally—even me. Look at my tail, it seems to have shriveled up under the weight of this day.” (Giran)

The Xolotl are listening with serious faces, but I wonder if that over-qualified wolf remembers that most of them are not that proficient in the Japanese language.

“There may come a time when they will tremble with fear and stop dead in their tracks. There may come a time when they will run away from their pride. But when that happens, think of your friends! Think of your family, your loved ones! Then the fangs will regain their luster and will surely pierce the rocks! Yes, we are here now, u, u…” (Giran)

U?

“Woooooooooooo!” (Giran)

Excitement reaches its peak and instincts are exposed. He howled.

“Mauuuuuuu!” (Xolotl)

“Mauuuuuuu!” (Xolotl)

The Chihuahuas follow suit. They raised their short paws and howled inspiring themselves. The humans and squirrel also join in with “Yeah!” and “Squeak!”.

Gillan finishes with a phew.

“I hope this will dispel some of your fears.” (Giran)

It is true that the fear of zombies among the Xolotl still persists. As one of the less outspoken sisters put it, it’s “three years of loser’s guts.”

The guerrilla warfare victories of the past few days have helped to dispel some of this fear, but the sad expressions on their faces this morning, like bees confronting hornets, were still persisting. If this was somehow a morale booster for them, it was a great honor for Giran to be here.

“The pervert wolf was being a bit unnecessary.” (Aoi)

“It’s definitely ripped off someone, terrorist wolf.” (Midori)

Incidentally, it was only after they came here that the sisters learned Giran’s real name and true identity, but even after learning it, their attitude did not change, even a millimeter.

Giran put a paw on my shoulder.

“It’s time to go, Abe. I’m relying on you, okay?” (Giran)

“Okay. I’ll do my best to help.” (Shuu)

I am now a powder keg. I will squeeze it out until I am exhausted.

That’s what I told myself. I was carrying a bag of sporangium that had been freshly harvested first thing in the morning.

I have a pretty good idea of the habits and abilities of Bishop and its zombie minions. The verification team is competent, which makes it all the more reliable.

First, the minions are divided into two main groups: those in charge of food and those in charge of security. The first group is actively working in the ruins city, and the second group is guarding the city.

The former actively leave the ruin city and roam in the jungle. The latter just wander around the ruins city. If there is any sign of life nearby, they will come up to them like sugar cubes dropped in front of an ant’s nest and attack them without question.

There is no difference in the fact that both kill their opponents and bring them to the boss while they are still fresh. In other words, the only real difference between the two is their territory and range of activity.

Next is Bishop. The only thing we know about their abilities is that they generate zombies and use a large number of [Fireballs], but some hypotheses have been made based on our observations so far.

It seems that the grouping of his minions is not done at the time of creation. In one case, zombies marked were assigned different roles: yesterday they were food gatherers, today they are security guards, and so on. In other words, Bishop is manipulating the zombies as he intended.

Is it a kind of telepathy, or are they communicating their intentions through sounds and vibrations that other creatures cannot hear? It does not matter which is the case, but what we do know is that it is “one-way from Bishop, not two-way,” and that “the range of operation or command from a distance is just barely within the city of ruins.

The former is based on the lack of coordination and poor formation of the zombies when Bishop does not control them, and the latter is based on the position of the zombies whose movements changed when Bishop is near them.

Bishop lurks near the central altar. Basically, it doesn’t try to be away from it. Except for the occasional dive into the ground, leaving empty stone statues behind.

And now, due to the daily guerrilla warfare.

The deployment of the minions has changed to more defense-oriented positioning.

There are fewer zombies out in the jungle, and the ruins of the city are full of them. From the watchtower built by the Shishikaba sisters, Kure peeks out with his [Telephoto] and sees quite a few in the vicinity of the altar. They are obviously on the lookout for an attack.

The number of these beasts is estimated to be more than three hundred, a difference in strength that cannot be compared to the forty or so people with [Peasant], including the Xolotl.

“Well, but it is exactly as expected.” (Giran)

Giran grins.

“—Let us show you the horrors of people with the skin of reason stripped away.” (Giran)

“That’s a villain’s line.” (Aoi)

“As expected, wolves are evil.” (Midori)