Chapter 42
"Woof!"
Momo sprang energetically out of the shadows.
"Whoa, Momo! Just what kind of form did you—huh?"
...You haven't changed much?
"...Momo?"
"Whiiine?"
I took a close look at Momo.
Its appearance hadn't changed at all from before it was wrapped in Shadow.
Huh? What was going on?
I had assumed it had reached max level and 'evolved,' but...?
No, now that I looked closely, did it seem a little more 'formidable'?
...Probably my imagination.
It was the same adorable Momo as ever.
I petted it.
Yep, nice fur.
Momo narrowed its eyes in contentment.
"Momo, is anything wrong? Does anything hurt, or feel strange?"
"Woof!"
Momo wagged its tail energetically, as if to say, 'I'm fine!'
It didn't seem to be a problem...
"Hmm..."
Ah, right.
I could just open my Status Plate and check.
I opened it right away and looked at the Party Members section.
Momo
Assassin Dog LV 1
That's what it said.
...Assassin Dog?
That's a pretty ominous name, isn't it?
If there are police dogs and guide dogs, I suppose there can be assassin dogs, too... right?
No, that is weird.
Well, considering the way Momo and I fight, I could see it.
Using 'Shadow' to deprive opponents of their freedom and sight, then closing in during the opening and stabbing and twisting.
Yeah, that is assassination, all right.
A perfectly fitting evolution.
No... wait, was this even an evolution?
If anything, it felt more like changing into a higher-level Job, like I had.
I had assumed it would evolve into something like that Shadow Wolf...
I'd even imagined Momo taking on a monster-like form.
But in the end, I was glad it had stayed the same.
As long as it kept its original appearance, we could go about our business openly, just as before.
Most importantly, it was cute. That was what mattered most.
"Even so..."
Looking at Momo, I suddenly wondered.
What did it say about a dog and its owner having the Jobs 'Assassin' and 'Assassin Dog'?
Isn't that way too ominous?
If someone else saw us, I was one hundred percent sure they'd get the wrong idea.
Yeah. We absolutely had to keep it hidden.
If other people found out, we'd be in trouble in all kinds of ways.
I wasn't sure I could explain it properly.
Conclusion: Let's continue acting as we have been.
Yeah, that's for the best.
...Am I steadily walking down the path of a solo (alone) life...?
It's just my imagination, right?
"Whiiine?"
"...(shakes)"
Oops, while I was thinking, Momo and Aka were looking at me worriedly.
Sorry, sorry. I told you I'm fine.
Yeah, that's right.
I have Momo and Aka.
I'm not alone... probably.
Besides, for now I had no desire to get involved with other people.
I'd thought a ranged companion would be nice, but only in the sense that it would be nice if one were available.
I wasn't so starved for human interaction.
I wanted my dealings with other people to remain businesslike.
A relationship where we both benefited and didn't interfere with each other any more than necessary.
That would be ideal.
Of course, reality probably wouldn't be so convenient...
"For now, should we get moving...?"
I wanted to check Momo's abilities and Skills now that it had evolved.
We might draw someone's attention here.
Taking every possible precaution, we left the area.
After that, we let ourselves into an abandoned house and checked Momo's new Skills.
I wasn't stupid enough to test them in actual combat right away.
I had to check them thoroughly beforehand.
As a result, Momo had acquired Skills similar to mine.
Skills like 'Presence Concealment' and 'Silent Movement,' along with one that let it identify an opponent's vital points.
Its Skill for manipulating 'Shadow' had powered up, too.
Its effective range had expanded, and Shadow's restraining and offensive power had increased.
Its physical abilities had improved as well.
Probably equal to or greater than the Shadow Wolf I fought before.
No, when it came to sharpness of movement, it completely surpassed the Shadow Wolf thanks to its greater maneuverability.
Overall, it felt like a direct upgrade to the Momo I knew.
Now that testing was over, it was time to level up and put those improvements to the test.
"Oh, that's perfect..."
'Enemy Search' had picked something up.
Several Goblins.
There was a Hobgoblin, too.
They might be just the right opponents for testing Momo's abilities.
"Let's go, Momo, Aka."
"Woof!"
"...(shakes)"
We moved toward where the Goblins were.
They hadn't noticed us.
Once we'd gotten as close as we could, I gave Momo the signal.
Momo nodded, brought out 'Shadow,' and restrained the Goblins.
The speed at which it deployed Shadow, and the time it took to wrap around the Goblins...
Neither could compare to the Momo from before.
It neutralized the Goblins with ease.
Momo's evolved Shadow was apparently strong enough that even that Hobgoblin couldn't break free of its restraints.
It resisted desperately, but couldn't break the Shadow.
"Woof!"
But that wasn't all.
Momo's Shadow tightened its grip even further, strangling the Goblins to death.
Their necks and bodies bent at unnatural angles, and the Goblins died, leaving magic stones rolling across the ground.
Amazing. It didn't look like even a group of Goblins could stand against Momo anymore.
I finished off the sole remaining Hobgoblin.
The vital points of Goblins and Hobgoblins were in the same places.
Their weaknesses were the same.
Stab, then twist.
The Hobgoblin died with ease.
≪You gained experience points.≫
≪You have reached the required amount of experience points.≫
≪Your LV has increased from 11 to 12.≫
The heavenly voice announced my level-up.
Compared to when I fought at the supermarket yesterday, this was a huge difference.
I felt like I was steadily growing stronger.
But I didn't let it go to my head.
If anything, now that my own level had increased, I could clearly see the gap between me and 'that guy.'
―――Still not enough.
That was what it made me realize.
Besides, I had a strange sense of foreboding.
Maybe once I'd leveled up a little more, I should get out of this town as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, at the shopping mall―――.
The monster was bored.
This wasn't fun. It was utterly uninteresting.
As he crushed the corpses lying on the ground beneath his feet, he thought.
Just when would prey capable of dispelling this boredom finally appear?
No matter how long he waited, all that appeared were weaklings with no bite.
Cowards who trembled, froze, and fled at the sight of him.
He did not desire mere slaughter.
He desired battle.
Battle was a sacred ritual that satisfied his instincts and gave him the fullness of life.
An opponent worthy of that ritual.
Just when would one appear?
He had held out some hope for those who had come racing through the sky, but they had disappointed him.
The ones who had appeared just now had been utterly insignificant.
In a fit of irritation, he slammed his fist into the earth.
His fellow monsters cowered.
He didn't care.
He was disappointed in his weak brethren as well.
Ah, this was no good.
He couldn't wait any longer.
His patience had run out.
If they weren't coming, he'd go looking for them.
He would go find prey—an enemy—worthy of satisfying this hunger.
He shouted.
His shout shook the earth and tore through the air.
He began to move.
Now then―――let's put an end to this nap-like stretch of time.