The monsters lunged at the duo. Three orcs were posing a great difficult for them already. Anymore would have been dangerous. If the sniper had anything to do with these two, he or she would not be able to stand quiet.
(I’ll expose you for sure)
Whether the bullet is aimed at herself or her monsters, there should be some signs of movement. If she was shot, she would have the “darkness” protecting her. She wouldn’t die.
Her predictions proved true. There was a sound of a bullet being fired from a distance. A goblin who was heading towards the two got its head demolished. Following that, monsters started dropping to the ground one at a time.
(Yosh, got her)
Using the dead goblins as reference, she calculated the possible trajectory.
(There)
There wasn’t anyone in the direction of her gaze, but she felt a faint stare. There was definitely someone there. Having thought that, she kept staring at the location.
(Found it)
When she recognized this, she suddenly saw a clear image of a girl holding a gun. Without a doubt, the girl was concealing herself through some skill of hers, but once she was found, the effects dropped dramatically.
( . Wait a sec. That’s Ichinose, ain’t it?)
She was astounded indeed. Her opponent was a classmate of hers who dropped out of school after being bullied. While various questions such as why she was here and why she held such a gun emerged, she quickly stashed them away at the back of her mind.
(Whatever, just die for me.)
She immediately ordered some of the monsters. Three lesser wolves near Ichinose abided the order.
(The monsters under my control share my five senses. They should be able to perceive Ichinose without any problem.) Furthermore, lesser wolves were known for their mobility. While one or two of them might die, the last one was sure to bite Ichinose’s neck.
(Now, die!)
How would she look? Imagining her former classmate trembling in fear, she looked towards Ichinose, but-
(Ah? What kind of expression is she making?)
Ichinose’s face showed no sign of fear. She was firing while looking straight at the lesser wolves that were running in her direction.
(Oi, oi. Don’t ya understand what’s happening?)
One of the lesser wolves was killed. However, that was it. The other two arrived before her. Even so, Ichinose’s expression didn’t change.
(How unsatisfying~)
What’s with that face? What’s with that relaxed attitude? How could she be so calm? It was an enigma. Perhaps she had an ace up her sleeve? Just when she was having such thoughts, a vending machine appeared above the lesser wolves.
“ .Huh?”
Along with a dull sound, the vending machine crushed the lesser wolves.
“Wh-what is this?”
What? What had happened? A vending machine? Why a vending machine? What was happening? She felt overwhelmed by confusion. The confusion created an opening.
“Freeze.”
A sound came from behind. When she turned back, she saw a man wearing a hood.
She couldn’t see the face due to the hood. However, the moment her eyes landed on him, her body felt an unprecedented sense of tension.
(Wh-who is this guy?)
Dangerous. Her instincts were telling her that the man was no good.
“I remember warning you not to move.”
The weapon on the man’s hand was the giant knife that the orcs used. The sharpened potion was directed at her neck. From the surface of the weapon, she saw the reflection of her face.
“I already knew you would aim at the two in order to catch us. I also knew that Ichinose-san would not be able to hold back. So I used it against you. Directing your attention towards somewhere else, I allowed myself an opportunity to get close.” She was able to feel her opponent’s hostility and killing intent. She was certain now. The mysterious individual that went around slaughtering monsters. This person was the one.
(Oioi, what is this. I was only wary against Igarashi and Nishino, but isn’t this guy muuch more dangerous?) They were literally on different levels. To think she would allow an enemy like him to get near her.
“Now monster tamer, you better listen to my orders if you don’t want to die.”
CH 81
I close in on the monster tamer with the blade (Aka) on her neck. The plan was an improvised one, but it seems to have worked.
“Now, if you don’t want to die, I’ll have you listening to my instructions.”
Despite saying this, my heart is shaking. The Negotiation skill is allowing me to articulate fluently, but I’m nervous inside. After all, I am currently pointing my blade at a human being, not some monster. I’m pointing it at a girl who isn’t even an adult.
I have no problem fighting against monsters. Why am I so nervous against humans? I already know the answer. I haven’t been able to severe my ties yet.
-It isn’t good to injure other people. This was a common sense in everyday life. However, in this world, this idea is holding me back. The ideology still dwells within me. My mind understands that it’s better to just kill and get things over with. I could also attack her limbs and capture her. Although I understand, I cannot execute it. I don’t want to execute it If my Stress Tolerance levels up, I wonder whether I will grow numb to this kind of feeling.
What if I had other types of tolerance such as Guilt Tolerance and Avoidance Tolerance ?
No, I should stop getting distracted and focus on the things in front of me.
“Don’t think about resisting. Pacify the monsters this instant. You are capable of doing this right?” Hearing my orders, the face of the monster tamer which showed fear softened. It was now a combination of surprise and relief.
“ You’re quite the nice one.”
“I want to finish this as peacefully as possible.”
“Peacefully you say ”
The monster tamer seems like she wants to say something, but she raises her hands instead. As if it’s a signal, the monsters that were rampaging suddenly halt.
“They suddenly stopped.”
“What’s happening?”
The students that remain in the cafeteria are visibly shaken. Nonetheless, their voice contains some trace of relief.
“- Return .”
With that, the darkness that surrounded the cafeteria fades away. Even the monsters that have calmed down are sucked back into the “darkness”. Now, the panic from before seems like a lie.
“Are we saved?”
“Are we fine now?”
“Hey, who is that standing beside Katsuragi-san?”
“I can’t see because of the hoodie.”
“Is he the one that saved us?”
I’m at the center of attention. Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan are also staring at my direction. Ichinose-san still has her gun ready. She appears to be ready to shoot at any notice. But at least for now, everything is okay.
“Surprisingly, you complied without doing anything.”
“It’s cuz I don’t wanna die.”
She glares at me with irritation.
“Unexpected. I never imagined that someone like you would exist. Fuck.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah, how unfortunate. I was super pumped to earn a bunch of experience ”
She speaks as if she has met with the “Game Over” sign in a video game. It’s the complete antithesis of how I felt a moment ago. She doesn’t even see human life as important anymore.
“You’re mad.”
I say this without realizing that I have said it. Her eyes becomes round as if she didn’t expect this.
“Am I? Who doesn’t want to be at the top? In this world full of monsters, the concept of over-leveling does not exist. It’s better to live like this than to live under the care of someone else. Don’t you also have the desire to live as you please?” To live as I please Certainly, her words are not wrong in this new world. Those with powers are absolute. In the present world, values from the past possess no meaning. To live freely and to live one pleases sound like a winning deal.