Chapter 36
I stared at the treasure chest sitting in the middle of the intersection.
Suspicious... Way too suspicious.
That thing's obviously a trap, right?
Or maybe it's not a trap, but a monster? One of those things called a mimic.
But it doesn't react to 'Enemy Sense,' 'Danger Sense,' or 'Enemy Search.'
But it's so blatantly obvious...
The fact that there's 'no reaction' feels suspicious in itself.
It might have a Skill that interferes with detection.
The existence of a Skill called 'Appraisal Interference' means I can predict that interference-type Skills exist, too.
"But it could also be a real treasure chest..."
If it's real, what could be inside?
Treasure? Magic stones? Or maybe a weapon?
I couldn't help wondering.
"Maybe I'll test it."
I moved to a spot out of sight from the intersection and concealed myself.
I decided to throw a stone for now.
It hit.
There was no reaction.
"Momo."
"Woof!"
I had Momo extend its 'Shadow' and tried to see if it could open the chest.
And the moment Momo's 'Shadow' touched the treasure chest―――
"Shaa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!!"
The treasure chest opened, and a hermit-crab-like monster sprang out.
Its body was clearly larger than the treasure chest.
How had it fit inside?
Physics, do your job.
"So it really is a monster after all..."
It wasn't a treasure chest. It was a mimic...
Damn it, give me back the hope I'd had that it might be real.
The moment the mimic appeared, 'Enemy Sense' and 'Enemy Search' reacted.
As expected, it apparently had an 'interference-type' Skill.
But apparently, the effect disappeared once it came out of the treasure chest.
"Shaa-a-a-a-a―――aa...?"
When the mimic realized there was no prey nearby, it made a gesture as if to say, 'Huh?'
That gesture was strangely endearing.
But it was still a monster.
I wouldn't show it any mercy.
The mimic was within the effective range of my Item Box.
"―――Crush."
I launched the heavy machinery I'd swiped from the construction site at the mimic.
There was a dull, squelching sound.
≪You acquired experience points≫
I heard the voice of heaven.
Apparently, that one blow had killed the mimic.
It wasn't much of a threat after all.
I quickly retrieved the heavy machinery.
A brown magic stone lay where the mimic had been.
When I put it in the Item Box, the display read 'Mimic's Magic Stone (Tiny).'
In terms of threat level, it was about as dangerous as a Goblin or Lesser Wolf.
Well, it had been an obvious trap.
But a mimic disguised as something besides a treasure chest would be troublesome.
If it were disguised as an ordinary household item―――a dresser or trash can, for example―――the danger level would shoot up.
It couldn't hurt to be cautious.
"Next, I should level up my 'detection' Skills..."
If I leveled up 'Enemy Search' and 'Danger Sense,' I might be able to see through a mimic's disguise.
Maybe I should have leveled those up instead of 'Physical Enhancement' or 'Swordsmanship.'
I probably should have thought a little harder about how to allocate my Skill Points.
Still, there was no point regretting the past.
I just had to put that lesson to use next time.
"All right, then. Let's go, Momo."
"Woof!"
We set off once more toward the home improvement store.
―――The scene shifts to the home improvement store.
The home improvement store's break room.
The students, led by Nishino, had gathered to discuss what to do next.
A map of the town was spread across the table, with markings drawn here and there.
"All right, Shibata and Ohno. Split up and search the surrounding area. Securing food is our top priority, but don't do anything reckless. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"I-I got it."
Shibata, who had a delinquent-like appearance, and Ohno, who looked timid behind his glasses, each replied.
Several students stood waiting behind them.
"Also, let's look for other evacuation shelters. If we find one safer than this place, we'll secure a route and move there. If other evacuees have gotten there first, we'll negotiate. ...Your families might be there, too. Let's do our best."
Nishino explained it all while pointing at the map.
The assigned areas and routes were reasonable, and everyone found them acceptable.
The students nodded.
"Then get going. I'm counting on all of you."
"Yes!"
The students in the search groups answered energetically and left the room.
"The remaining members will defend this place as before. Have the evacuees who leveled up yesterday help out, too. I'll leave the rotation to all of you. But don't let your nerves get too frayed."
"Understood."
The rest of the members answered and left the room as well.
Only Nishino and a gal-like high school girl with her hair tied in a side ponytail remained.
"Did everyone leave...? All right, then. Rikka and I will go level up those who haven't leveled up yet. All right?"
"Seriously? That's such a pain..."
The girl called Rikka plainly looked displeased.
"Don't say that... You're the strongest among us, and given how our Skills work together, you and I make the best pair. Besides, I explained why yesterday, remember? We need as much fighting strength as we can get right now."
"I mean, I get what Nissy's saying, but..."
With her arms clasped behind her head, the high school girl called Rikka pursed her lips.
Apparently, Nissy was Nishino's nickname.
"Honestly, even if we force those kinds of old guys to level up, they'll only be dead weight. Especially that bald geezer. He still keeps whining that he can't bring himself to kill monsters. Seriously, he's so annoying."
"..."
"Then why not just kill them in a way that makes it look like an accident? That way, we'd get the experience points, too―――"
"Rikka!"
Nishino shouted at her, and Rikka jolted back to reality.
She covered her mouth and looked away apologetically.
"S-sorry... Forget I said that..."
"Don't ever mention that again. The others can't find out about it yet. If they did, someone would definitely cross the line. That... can't happen."
"...Yeah, I understand."
Nishino and Rikka left the break room.
Their expressions were somehow strained.