Two Guys' Motorcycle Trip and a New Encounter

I get the motorcycle moving.

The engine is so quiet that I can hear the noise around us.

It will take roughly an hour and a half to get from City Hall to our destination, the Self-Defense Forces garrison.

I have the map memorized, and I've checked it over so many times that I know the route perfectly.

(...Well, I don't expect things to go according to plan.)

There are bound to be some kind of problems along the way.

As usual, there are plenty of places where that enormous tree has blocked the road, and we can expect monster attacks, too.

We should drive assuming that something will happen, rather than expecting a trouble-free journey.

After all, it's always better to be cautious.

≪Your proficiency has reached a certain threshold.≫

≪Your Riding Skill has risen from Lv. 2 to Lv. 3.≫

Oh, it looks like my Riding level went up.

I'd left it at Lv. 1 because I'd prioritized assigning points to my other Skills, but apparently its proficiency had built up.

Skills accumulate proficiency when you keep using them, and their levels can rise without assigning points.

It seems that 'Riding' increases in proficiency simply by continuing to ride vehicles, just as the name suggests.

Even though I'd never driven a motorcycle before, I can handle it like this, and if my level rises further, I'll probably be able to handle other vehicles, too. ...That was one of the purposes of this trip, after all.

"Your driving skills are incredible..."

Fujita-san murmured admiringly from behind me.

I hadn't told him about 'Riding,' so he was genuinely impressed by my driving.

Well, from the outside, it must look like a young, beautiful girl is handling a motorcycle better than a professional.

I couldn't blame him for thinking that.

(As for the Skill... well, I'll keep quiet about it. For now, at least.)

Incidentally, he wasn't holding onto my body, but the belt attached to the seat.

He was probably trying to be considerate of me, at least a little.

(Still, this is a trip for a man disguised as a beautiful girl and an old guy...)

What an awful picture.

Who is this pairing even supposed to appeal to?

If I didn't look like Ichinose-san, the whole scene probably wouldn't work at all.

"Take a right at the next intersection."

"Understood."

I followed his directions and turned at the intersection.

So far, everything was going smoothly.

There was no sign of any monsters, and we hadn't encountered any situation where that enormous tree had blocked the road and made it impassable.

Well, we were still near City Hall.

Fujita-san was probably choosing a relatively safe route, too.

(The problem will start once we reach the national highway...)

Apparently, the area beyond there was outside the range Fujita-san and the others had explored.

In other words, it would be uncharted territory for them in a sense, too.

Same for me, though.

"We'll be reaching the area around the national highway soon."

"Yeah. Drive carefully."

Come to think of it, this was probably about as far as the mayor's 'Subjugation Area' extended.

Apparently, the area within a radius of five hundred meters from City Hall—a diameter of roughly one kilometer—had been designated as the 'Subjugation Area' for the designated monsters.

(So once we get past it, we can at least avoid fighting that Golem.)

I wanted to avoid encountering and fighting it at this point, too.

Even though I now had a new mass weapon—the breakwater block—I didn't think that alone would be enough to defeat it.

I wanted one more thing. One more decisive weapon.

(According to Fujita-san, the Self-Defense Forces base there conducts large-scale exercises around this time every year.)

Apparently, it wasn't an open military exercise like the so-called 'Sokaen,' where tens of thousands of people gathered, but something similar was held there.

So there was a good chance that ammunition, missiles, cannons, and the like had been prepared for the exercise.

I wondered where he'd gotten that information, but he did work for the government. They probably had dealings with other prefectures and the Self-Defense Forces, too.

(He said he even had a personal acquaintance there, so I suppose he'll rely on that person.)

I was thinking that I hoped things would go well when—

"―――!"

I brought the motorcycle to an abrupt stop.

Even when I applied the brakes, the Skill kept it silent, but I could sense Fujita-san's alarm behind me.

"Hey, what happened?"

"...Please look over there."

"Over there? ...!"

Fujita-san's expression changed when he saw the scene, too.

There was a gigantic crater there.

A gigantic crater more than ten meters across.

The buildings around it had been knocked flat, the ground was heaved up in places, and huge chunks of rock were scattered everywhere.

(...A battlefield left by a fight with a monster? No, but at this scale...)

It had more destructive power than the High Orc's roar or the Dark Wolf's 'Darkness.'

That left only one possibility.

That Golem.

That gigantic Golem had fought someone here.

That was the most reasonable explanation.

"Fujita-san, this is..."

"Yeah. It was probably the work of that Golem..."

Fujita-san seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

"There's no way we can get through here. It'll be a bit of a detour, but let's go around it."

"Right..."

We had no idea when the Golem might appear again.

I thought we should leave the area as quickly as possible, but—

"...Hm?"

"What is it, Ichinose-chan?"

"...This."

I picked up the object lying at my feet.

It was a magic stone. And a very large one at that.

It was about the size of my fist.

"Is that a magic stone? It's awfully big, though."

"Yes."

The purple magic stone was heavy in my hand, asserting its presence.

But the next moment, a sharp crack split it.

"Huh?"

"Oh?"

Even though I hadn't applied much force, the magic stone quickly shattered and crumbled into pieces.

"Hey, what happened?"

"I-I don't know. It suddenly cracked..."

When I tried to gather the fallen fragments, they crumbled like sand and vanished the instant I touched them.

This was the first time I'd experienced anything like it.

A magic stone shattering...

I tried to see whether I could put even the shattered sand into my Item Box, but I couldn't.

Did that mean magic stones could only be stored while they remained intact? But still...

"Ichinose-chan, think about it later. In any case, we need to leave this place now."

"Right."

He was absolutely correct.

I set aside the questions that had come to mind for the time being, and we quickly left the area.

About ten minutes later.

We had encountered no attack from the Golem we were wary of, and we were making good progress along the national highway.

(What was that magic stone, anyway...?)

Even as I drove, I kept thinking about the magic stone and the battlefield we'd just seen.

For that Golem to have fought that fiercely, its opponent must have been incredibly strong, too.

(But... at the very least, the Golem must have been the one that won.)

Otherwise, one of the mayor's conditions should have been fulfilled.

I confirmed it with Fujita-san, and apparently there was no problem even if someone else happened to fulfill one of the mayor's expansion conditions.

Apparently, something like that had happened before: Fujita-san had happened to perform an action that the mayor was supposed to perform, and the condition had been fulfilled as a result.

What an ambiguous system.

But the condition this time did merely say 'Subjugation'—it didn't say anything about 'who' had to do it.

Whether by chance or by accident, if the opponent died, it would apparently count as a 'Subjugation.'

We just had to defeat it, by any means necessary.

The process and the method didn't matter.

Only the result mattered.

It was a simple yet cruel rule.

(But they still haven't told us what the penalty will be if we fail...)

It wasn't just me. Nishino-kun and the others were curious about that, too, and they'd asked Fujita-san and Chief Shimizu about it several times, but each time, the two of them had dodged the question and brushed them off.

Well, Chief Shimizu really did seem not to know, but I had the feeling that Fujita-san knew something and was hiding it.

(If I can get it out of him during this expedition... Hm?)

'Hostility Detection' had picked something up.

My thoughts were pulled back to reality.

I immediately stopped the motorcycle.

"...What is it, Ichinose-chan?"

I silenced Fujita-san behind me with a look and surveyed the surroundings.

...They're here.

I could sense monsters. Several of them.

(If they aren't visible, are they hiding somewhere?)

'Search' let me narrow down their general locations.

We were currently in the middle of the road.

There were several ruined buildings, piles of rubble, and other obstacles around us that could serve as cover.

Even so, what was this strange sense of unease I'd been feeling for a while now?

It felt as though my body was moving unusually slowly...

(Aka, I'm counting on you.)

(...) Aka trembled.

I held Aka, disguised as a gun, ready and looked around, too.

In this state, Aka could be used properly as a 'gun.'

Ichinose-san had prepared thirty bullets in advance with her 'Bullet Creation' Skill, and I had them stored away.

There were thirty bullets in all. I couldn't afford to waste any.

"They're coming!"

"...Got it."

Fujita-san got off the motorcycle and readied a hand axe, too.

His Job was 'Axe Wielder,' if I remembered correctly.

I wanted to see what he could do, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down, either.

"Kishaaaaaaah!"

A gigantic spider emerged from the rubble.

It would probably be easiest to imagine a tarantula the size of a lion.

(Ughhhhh! That's disgusting! What the hell is that?!)

Its appearance inspired the same instinctive disgust as a black cockroach, making my skin crawl.

I immediately raised the gun, Aka, and fired.

"Gitch!"

The giant spider died with a bullet through its brow.

A yellow magic stone rolled across the ground.

≪You acquired experience points.≫

Good. There were three enemy presences left according to 'Search.'

"Fujita-san! This spider's outer shell isn't very hard. One's coming from your side!"

"Leave it to me!"

Behind me.

Another giant spider, which had been hiding there as well, rushed toward Fujita-san.

"Nwooooooah!"

Fujita-san charged in with his axe.

Then he brought it crashing down with all his might toward the top of the spider's head.

"Gitch!"

But the giant spider dodged just before the blow landed.

It tried to counterattack, but Fujita-san's attack wasn't over yet.

The axe gouged deeply into the ground, sending the fragments flying around like buckshot.

(What incredible power... Is that the 'Shattering Attack' Skill?)

The 'Shattering Attack' Skill belonging to Fujita-san's 'Axe Wielder' Job.

Apparently, it was a Skill that literally 'shattered' anything struck by the axe.

"Gitch!"

The giant spider desperately leaped backward.

But that movement was exactly what Fujita-san had been aiming for.

"Take this!"

Fujita-san threw the other hand axe hanging from his waist.

The axe struck the giant spider in the abdomen as if it had been drawn there.

Viscous yellow fluid poured out.

"Kiiiiii!"

The spider screamed shrilly, clicking its fangs together.

Ughhh, that's disgusting!

A giant rat might still have some charm to it, but giant insects were nothing but terrifying. Something inside me was being relentlessly worn away.

"Finish it!"

Fujita-san closed in on the giant spider again and split open the top of its head.

Yellow fluid splattered everywhere, and a magic stone eventually rolled to his feet.

Two left. 'Search' was picking them up, but their signals were strangely sluggish.

Where could they be...?

"Ichinose-chan, are you all right?"

Fujita-san approached me.

At his feet.

The manhole beneath him shifted slightly.

"Fujita-san! Get away from there right now!"

"Huh?"

In an instant, a spider emerged from the manhole. It was a little smaller than the ones we'd fought earlier.

(I see. Its signal was sluggish because it was underground.)

The spider opened its mouth wide and spat a mass of pure-white thread at Fujita-san.

"Gah, what the hell is this?!"

Fujita-san tried to shake it off, but the thread was sticky and wouldn't come loose.

"Fujita-san!"

I immediately raised the gun.

But right afterward—my body suddenly buckled.

"...!?"

What? I couldn't move my body properly.

'Danger Sense' was ringing an alarm.

I took a careful look at my body.

Thread.

It was so fine that I could barely see it without the eyes enhanced by 'Enhanced Senses.'

It was wrapped around my entire body.

(So that's what this strange sensation I've been feeling was!)

Damn it, I'd let my guard down. This thread was what had been slowing my movements.

Each individual strand wasn't anything special—so insignificant that 'Danger Sense' didn't even react to it.

But as time passed, it revealed its true nature.

As multiple strands tangled together and formed bundles, they gradually slowed our movements more and more.

This was literally their spider web.

"Kishii!"

The giant spider moved to attack the immobilized Fujita-san.

I couldn't move freely enough to ready Aka, either.

(Damn it, I don't have time to hesitate.)

I had no choice but to use my Item Box.

But the next moment, Fujita-san and I began to glow faintly.

"What is this?"

When the light faded, strength suddenly surged through me.

I tore through the threads with a series of snaps and raised the gun, Aka.

"Eat this!"

A dry gunshot rang out.

It had been a close call. The giant spider that had been about to bite Fujita-san died on the spot.

That left one.

Where was it? Where could it be?

But no matter how long we waited, the last one failed to show itself.

"Looks like that was the last one."

Fujita-san tore through the spider's threads and came over to me.

"No, don't let your guard down. There's still something nearby."

The response from 'Search' hadn't disappeared.

It had to be hiding somewhere.

As I kept a vigilant watch on the surroundings—

"Kyuu... kyuu! Kyuu!"

I heard some kind of voice.

I looked in that direction.

In the shadow of a thicket was a ball of thread about the size of a basketball.

Judging by its color, it was probably thread from that giant spider.

"Kyuu! Kyuuu!"

The ball of thread swayed from side to side as it made strange noises.

"What the hell is that...?"

"Who knows?"

At that size, could one of the spider's young—or something similar—be hiding inside?

"Whatever it is, getting close would be dangerous. Let's shoot it from here."

"Yeah."

I raised the gun and was about to pull the trigger.

But just before I did, something sprang out of the ball of thread.

"Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyuuu!"

It was a tiny fox.

No, more precisely, it was something fox-like.

(An animal...? No, it's probably a monster, right?)

It was about the size of a cat, but its tail made up half its body.

Its tail was round like a dandelion puff, and its fur gleamed golden in the sunlight.

More than anything, what drew the eye was the red jewel embedded in its forehead.

A feature no ordinary animal could possibly possess.

It looked adorable, but there was no doubt that it was a monster, too.

"Kyuu..."

The fox-like creature stared intently at us.

(Had those giant spiders caught it...?)

It had probably been caught in the threads just as we had.

We must have happened to pass by before it was eaten.

Then a voice echoed inside my head.

≪The Lesser Carbuncle is looking at you as if it wants to join your party.≫

≪Will you make it your companion?≫

...Huh?