Chapter 31
For now, I might as well watch and see what happens.
A lower-ranked version of a Shadow Wolf... a Lesser Shadow Wolf, I suppose?
That's a long name. Let's just call it a Lesser Wolf.
It's a monster I've never seen before, and, more importantly, it's the monster whose magic stone Momo ate to obtain a 'Skill.' I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.
"Grrr...!"
Quiet, Momo.
...That's unusual. I've never seen Momo like this.
Momo never made a fuss, no matter what monster it saw.
I wonder what's wrong?
"Momo, what's wrong?"
When I asked, Momo suddenly rubbed its body against me.
And more forcefully than usual.
It pressed itself tightly against me and wouldn't let go.
The night air was cold, so it was wonderfully warm... No, that's not the point.
"Momo... Don't tell me you're upset because I was staring so intently at those Lesser Wolves...?"
Momo twitched in response.
Then it let out a lonely whine.
...It was actually upset about that.
"No, Momo. They're monsters. I wasn't staring at them because I wanted to keep one as a pet, okay?"
"Whine?"
Momo stared at me as if asking, Really?
Really, really.
Having Momo is all I need.
They're not pets; they're monsters. Just experience points, okay?
When I said that, Momo finally seemed convinced.
Before pulling away, it rubbed its body against me one more time, hard.
So cute...
"―――Oh, right. This isn't the time to be distracted."
I turned my gaze back toward the home improvement store.
The Lesser Wolves were still milling around near the parking lot.
Perhaps because they were cautious by nature, they kept their distance from the entrance where the lookouts were stationed, slipping under cars and sniffing the ground.
The two student lookouts hadn't noticed them.
If anything, they were yawning nonchalantly.
Come on, have a little more sense of danger... What's the point of having lookouts?
Hmm. If they haven't been spotted, maybe I should just hunt them down here?
Judging by my 'Danger Sense,' the Lesser Wolves didn't seem all that strong.
Maybe somewhere between a Goblin and a Hob-Goblin at best.
I was curious how powerful the 'Shadow' Skill was, but Momo was probably stronger in that regard, too.
If the ambush succeeded, we'd definitely win.
No, wait.
Would an ambush even work against Lesser Wolves?
The 'Presence Concealment' and 'Stealth' Skills I had were useful, but they couldn't erase my scent.
Momo had already proven that.
It's a given that monsters like those have keen senses of smell.
If their sense of smell was as good as or better than Momo's, they'd notice me the moment I approached.
That would nullify my greatest advantage: the ability to launch a surprise attack.
In that case, would it be best to pretend I hadn't seen anything and leave them alone?
Then, while they were fighting the Lesser Wolves, I could take advantage of the confusion to grab supplies from the home improvement store and escape.
It was a despicable plan, even by my standards, but for me, it was the most reliable and beneficial option.
Come to think of it, how high-level were those students, anyway?
My current level was 7.
Without anything to compare it to, I had no idea whether that was high or low.
If I knew their levels, I'd have a better idea of where I stood, too.
Hmm, but if possible, I still didn't want those kids to die yet.
It wasn't because I'd grown attached to them or felt guilty about the food.
Simply put, considering the future, it was more convenient for me if they stayed alive.
Nishino-kun, for one, was quite the realist.
They might be wary of me because of the Item Box, but if things went well, we might be able to form a cooperative relationship. Even without contacting them openly, there were ways to communicate with them.
This was completely different from the hopeless situations at the shopping mall and with the Self-Defense Forces.
If they continued leveling up at a steady pace, they'd become a useful fighting force.
One capable of opposing that High Orc.
Whether we ran or fought, the more fighting power we had, the better.
There were limits to what Momo and I could do alone.
―――And while I was worrying about all that, the Lesser Wolves began to move.
They broke into a run and approached the entrance where the students were.
Only then did the students finally notice the monsters.
"M-monsters!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
They shouted loudly to alert their companions inside.
The Lesser Wolves' fangs were already almost upon them.
One narrowly dodged.
The Lesser Wolf that had been dodged slammed straight into the wall.
At that moment, the lookout boy swung his iron pipe down.
"Graaah!"
"Take this! Take thiiis!"
He brought the iron pipe down again and again.
Perhaps unable to stand it, the Lesser Wolf leaped away, putting distance between itself and the boy.
What about the other one...?
The other boy was being bitten on the arm.
He screamed and desperately tried to shake it off, but the Lesser Wolf wouldn't let go.
"Damn it! Let go of him!"
The other student slammed his iron pipe into the biting Lesser Wolf and forcibly tore it away.
He wielded that iron pipe with surprising familiarity.
Could it be a 'Staff Arts' or 'Club Arts' Skill?
"Are you okay?"
"It hurts... It hurts, ugh... Aahhh!"
The bitten arm was in terrible shape.
The flesh had been gouged out, and the bone was visible.
The four Lesser Wolves slowly closed the distance.
Fear and panic appeared on the boys' faces.
"Are you two all right!?"
But at that moment, Nishino-kun emerged from inside.
Several students were behind him.
Relief appeared on the lookouts' faces.
"Ohno! Get the two of them farther inside! Treat them, quickly! Everyone else, defend the entrance!"
"Yeah!"
The students readied their weapons and faced the Lesser Wolves.
"Grrr..."
They faced each other for a while, but perhaps realizing their numerical disadvantage, the Lesser Wolves slowly began to retreat.
Are they retreating?
But my prediction was wrong.
One Lesser Wolf raised its head and howled at the sky.
"Awoooooooooooooooooooooooooon!!"
The other Lesser Wolves followed suit and began howling as well.
"W-what's going on?"
"Are they planning something?"
"It's just a bluff, right? Let's take them out while we have the chance!"
"No way... Take them down, now! Hurry!"
While the students wore puzzled expressions, only Nishino-kun's face turned frantic.
What's going on?
I don't know why, but I had a bad feeling about this.
That premonition was correct.
'Enemy Search' picked something up.
I sensed monsters. They were converging here.
And not just one or two.
Their numbers kept increasing.
'Danger Sense' sounded the alarm.
Seriously?
Those bastards called for reinforcements...!