Chapter 51
This was the third time I'd heard that 'scream.'
This is bad.
This is bad. This is bad.
This is bad, bad, bad, bad!
"Momo!"
"Woof!"
When I shouted, Momo immediately took refuge in the 'Shadow.'
At that moment, I took off running with all my might.
Run.
Run.
Run!
Get as far away as possible.
I had to gain as much distance as possible, even if only one step at a time.
"Hah hah hah hah haaah haaah..."
I was running at full speed.
I think this was probably the most desperately I'd ever run in my life.
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level.≫
≪'Escape' has risen from Lv. 1 to 2.≫
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level.≫
≪'Escape' has risen from Lv. 2 to 3.≫
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level.≫
≪'Escape' has risen from Lv. 3 to 4.≫
≪Your proficiency has reached a certain level.≫
≪'Fear Resistance' has risen from Lv. 5 to 6.≫
The heavenly voice echoed in my head.
Normally, I should have been happy that my Skills had leveled up, but I wasn't happy at all right now.
Perhaps because 'Escape' had leveled up, I felt faster than before.
As I suspected, this Skill seemed to increase my speed while I was running away.
My speed kept picking up.
The distance between us kept widening.
But it wouldn't go away.
The 'bad feeling' wouldn't go away.
'Danger Sense' kept sounding the alarm.
'Hostility Detection' was constantly going off.
"Hah, hah, hah..."
While running, I glanced sideways at it.
The High Orc still hadn't moved from the apartment building's rooftop.
Couldn't it just stay there?
I found myself hoping it would.
But that faint hope was dashed.
Suddenly, the High Orc bent its knees.
What was that stance?
It looked as though it were storing up power before a jump—
A shiver ran through me.
A terrible chill seized me.
'OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!'
A scream. A thunderous roar. An impact.
The High Orc brought the rooftop of the high-rise apartment building crashing down as it leaped.
Its massive body shot out like a bullet.
It was moving at an incredible speed.
Before the rubble could hit the ground, the High Orc landed.
With a tremendous crash!!!!
The impact felt like a meteor had fallen.
Looking over, I saw the place where I'd been just moments earlier.
A small crater had formed nearby.
...No way.
It covered that distance in a single leap?
What the hell kind of muscles does that thing have!?
You've got to be kidding me!
"This is beyond ridiculous...!"
I realized at once that I was no match for it.
Even so, I kept running.
I tried to put even a little more distance between us.
"Ghaa..."
The High Orc cracked its neck and looked at me.
Stop it. Don't look at me.
Don't come this way.
You let me off last time, didn't you?
Let me off again.
Please.
But my prayers went unanswered.
The High Orc readied the cleaver in its hand and came toward me.
If it caught up, I would die.
The hellish game of tag began.
If I devoted myself to running away, the lay of the land gave me an advantage over the monster.
I had once thought that.
It had only been three days since monsters began overflowing into this world.
Unlike the monsters that had suddenly appeared in this world, I had been familiar with this land for years; I knew its geography and had a good sense of the terrain.
So I figured I could manage somehow if I just kept running.
But I was naive.
It was precisely because such logic didn't apply to them that monsters were monsters.
"Wooooooooooooooooooooo!"
As I ran down a narrow street, I trembled in fear of the threat closing in behind me.
I ran haphazardly through the winding side streets, crossing and recrossing them in an attempt to lose it, but the distance between us never widened.
Why?
Simple.
It was relying on my scent and charging straight ahead.
It smashed through walls, leaped over houses, crushed cars, and charged forward without a care for any obstacle.
Obstacles weren't obstacles to it.
I wanted to tell it to stop screwing around.
We were less than ten meters apart now.
No matter what I did, I couldn't shake it.
Damn, damn, damn!
"It's... catching up...!"
I emerged from the maze-like back streets into an open area.
"Momo!"
Responding to my shout, Momo, still hidden in the 'Shadow,' extended its 'Shadow'
toward the High Orc.
"Ghaa...?"
The High Orc gazed with interest at the 'Shadow' binding it.
The 'Shadow' wrapped around its entire body, trying to restrain it—then was torn apart with a snap!
Easily. Far too easily.
I couldn't even stop it for a moment.
But now I had no choice but to gamble!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
With a shout, I hurled a piece of heavy machinery at the High Orc's head.
The High Orc was startled by the mass that suddenly appeared over its head.
The heavy machinery crushed the High Orc—
It didn't.
"No... way...?"
I muttered without thinking.
The High Orc was supporting the heavy machinery with 'one hand' rather than being crushed beneath it.
The impact of the fall had driven its feet slightly into the ground.
But it wasn't crushed.
With the strength of a single arm, it supported the 'heavy machinery.'
It gave me a nasty grin.
"—!"
'Danger Sense' and 'Hostility Detection' began blaring their alarms.
'—OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!'
With a roar, the Orc threw the 'heavy machinery' it held at me.
As casually as tossing a ball.
At incredible speed.
An overwhelming mass came hurtling toward me.
My vision was filled with it.
—I couldn't dodge it.
"~~~~!! (shiver, shiver, shiver)"
The next instant, with a series of popping sounds,
Aka's body, in its 'disguised' form, swelled to its fullest extent.
It enveloped my body and transformed into a ball.
When the heavy machinery struck Aka's body, which had wrapped itself around me, Aka absorbed the impact with a soft bounce.
Bouncing like a ball, we flew backward.
Aka ricocheted through the air in all directions, colliding with walls and the ground.
My brain was rattled around inside my skull.
How many times did we bounce?
At last, our momentum died and we came to a stop.
Aka disguised itself as its original clothes again.
"...Urp..."
Clutching my mouth, I desperately endured the nausea and dizziness.
"Th-thanks, Aka..."
Still, nice save.
Neither 'Evasion' nor 'Item Box' had been fast enough.
If Aka hadn't transformed, the heavy machinery would have crushed me by now.
"Hah... hah..."
I looked straight ahead through my wavering vision.
The High Orc was there.
It was slowly approaching me.
I checked where we were.
It was a parking lot.
Which parking lot was this?
Shifting my gaze slightly, I saw a broken helicopter just behind the High Orc.
I see... This is the shopping mall.
What kind of twist of fate was this?
After fleeing for my life, I'd ended up where I first encountered it.
"Hah... hah..."
There were no other Orcs.
Cracks ran through the parking lot here and there, and parts of the building had collapsed.
The High Orc stood there in an imposing stance, its cleaver held at the ready. It looked as if it were saying it wouldn't let me escape again.