Chapter 63
The 'Crisis Detection' and 'Hostility Detection' Skills react strongly.
The Shadow Wolves are definitely after us.
'Odorless' Lv. 4 still isn't enough to fool their noses.
How good is their sense of smell, anyway?
"Ichinose-san."
"Y-Yes!"
Ichinose-san jumps at being addressed.
I'm currently carrying Ichinose-san on my back as I race through the city.
"Sorry for suddenly carrying you! From what you've told me, I figured carrying you while I ran would be faster."
This isn't sexual harassment. It absolutely isn't sexual harassment.
"Ah, no... I mean, yes, that's true! It's just, the, close contact...!"
Sorry. Really, sorry.
You might feel like throwing up, but please hang in there a little longer.
Incidentally, I've secured her with 'Shadow' so she won't be thrown off.
With her stats, she'd fall off almost immediately even if she clung to me.
I've secured her gun with 'Shadow' too.
The fact that I couldn't put her gun in the 'Item Box' probably means I recognize it as 'someone else's property,' right?
Ideally, I would have put Ichinose-san herself in the Item Box or hidden her in 'Shadow' like Momo, but I can't afford to be picky.
"I'm going to speed up!"
"Huh—ah—kyahhhhhhh!"
With my current stats, carrying one person on my back while running is no big deal.
If we weren't being chased by monsters, I could enjoy the soft sensation against my back... No, if we weren't being chased, I wouldn't be carrying her in the first place.
Which came first, the egg or the chicken? Not quite the right comparison.
Even so—
"We're not going to get away from them..."
No matter how much we speed up, they keep moving at a constant pace, maintaining the same distance from us.
They don't seem the least bit impatient.
Since they can track us by smell, they're maintaining a set distance to keep the pressure on us.
They move like hunters marking and tracking their prey as a group.
...What a pain.
Seriously, why are these guys chasing us?
It's not like they've got any reason to hold a grudge against us... Well, okay, we've hunted a lot of them. Damn it.
But what should we do?
The longer this turns into a battle of endurance, the worse our position becomes.
Should we make a stand somewhere, then?
Somewhere that would let us make the most of Ichinose-san's shooting, as well as my and Momo's Skills...
"I guess that place is our only option..."
The shopping mall parking lot.
We have no choice but to meet the Shadow Wolves there.
We sure have a lot of ties to that place.
...Though I have nothing but bad memories of it.
We arrive at the shopping mall.
After checking our surroundings, we head toward the entrance.
"Ugh, is this... the shopping mall?"
"Yeah. We'll take them on here."
After I set her down, Ichinose-san turns toward me with a hand over her mouth.
"You mean we're going to fight?"
"Yes."
"I understand."
At my words, all emotion vanishes from her face, replacing the pale expression she'd worn until then.
The mood changes completely.
Her eyes sharpen, and the air surrounding her seems to turn cold.
Ichinose-san takes her gun in hand and checks her surroundings.
"Kudo-san, can you use that black thing from earlier to take me up to the roof?"
"Huh...? Ah, sure."
The speed of her change catches me off guard for a moment.
"With my Skill, I'll be more effective shooting from the roof. I'll provide covering fire from up there."
"...Understood."
As requested, I immediately transform my 'Shadow.'
Part of the shopping mall's second floor is an open parking area.
It should be perfect for sniping.
"Oh, Ichinose-san. Take this with you, too."
"What is this...?"
Ichinose-san gazes at the 'thing' I hand her with a puzzled expression.
It's a knit cap. Of course, it isn't just an ordinary knit cap.
"Aka split itself and mimicked this knit cap. It'll be useful, so put it on."
As Aka leveled up, its 'Mimicry' improved as well.
Depending on the size of the objects being mimicked, Aka can now mimic multiple objects—as many as two or three at a time.
"Thank you."
I carry her to the rooftop, and Momo emerges from my 'Shadow.'
When I turn to face forward, a pack of Shadow Wolves is there.
One, two... twelve in all.
That's a lot.
But with our strength as it is now—
"Momo, Aka, Ichinose-san... let's hunt."
"Woof!"
"...(shakes)"
"Mm."
The battle begins.
Momo's new Skill—and mine.
I'll show it to them.
"Let's go, Momo!"
"Woof!"
First, Momo and I dash off in opposite directions.
I immediately spread out my 'Shadow' and extend it toward the Shadow Wolves.
Naturally, they respond by sending out their own 'Shadows,' but that was within my expectations.
At the same time, I deploy every piece of heavy machinery and every car I have above their heads.
It's a simultaneous attack with 'Shadow' and 'Mass.'
"!?"
The Shadow Wolves look startled.
If these wolves are comparable to the one we fought the day before yesterday, they shouldn't be able to withstand the weight of the heavy machinery.
If they block our 'Shadow' attack and run, they can dodge the machinery.
But the heavy machinery appearing out of nowhere makes them freeze for an instant.
With a heavy thud, several Shadow Wolves that are too slow to escape are crushed.
You acquired experience.
Yes, it worked.
I pump my fist inwardly.
But I still can't let my guard down.
The Shadow Wolves that escaped the machinery leap out.
"Momo! Now!"
I signal Momo. At the same time, I slap my clothes to signal Aka as well.
Momo nods and takes a deep breath.
And then—
"Awooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"
Momo 'roars.'
The cry ripples through the area, bringing physical destruction with it.
It's a colossal roar powerful enough to make the air tremble.
"Grrrrrr!?"
Hearing the 'Roar,' the Shadow Wolves recoil.
This is Momo's newly acquired 'Skill.'
It is the battle cry of the monster known as a High Orc, which once drove us to the brink of despair.
By eating its magic stone, Momo acquired that power.
The Shadow Wolves stop moving.
We aren't about to let an opening like that pass.
I drop heavy machinery on top of them.
You acquired experience.
Your experience has reached the threshold.
Your Level has increased from 16 to 17.
I leveled up.
But there are still enemies left.
Then several Shadow Wolves are shot through the head.
"Nice shot, Ichinose-san."
Apparently, she didn't miss the opening Momo created, either.
It seems the 'Roar' didn't affect her. Just as I'd calculated.
Momo's 'Roar' affects everyone in the area indiscriminately.
That's why I gave her the knit cap Aka had mimicked.
Keeping her at a certain distance and having the disguised Aka protect her head makes the effect on her negligible.
...I really wanted to explain that beforehand, but there wasn't time.
I'll have to apologize later.
But now only a few Shadow Wolves remain.
We're making good progress.
The momentum is definitely on our side.
Can we finish them off like this?
The next instant, just as I think that—a chill runs down my spine.
"Tch...!"
'Crisis Detection' and 'Hostility Detection' sound the alarm.
I reflexively leap away from where I stand.
It was the right decision.
The spot where I'd been standing—
'Darkness' had spread across it.
"What the hell is that?"
It isn't 'Shadow.'
It looks like bottomless 'Darkness' that swallows everything.
The puddle-sized 'Darkness' rapidly expands, and something crawls out from within with a wet glug.
A single black wolf emerges.
It's about a size smaller than a Shadow Wolf.
But the oppressive aura surrounding it is on an entirely different level from the others.
"Come on... give me a break."
No doubt about it.
This is a higher-ranked individual.
A higher species of Shadow Wolf—a Dark Wolf, I suppose...
I can't believe there's something like this here, too.
Its mere appearance seems to completely reverse the battle's momentum, even though we'd been on top until then.
That's how great a threat it is.
"Is it a High Orc-class opponent?"
With cold sweat beading on my face, I stare down the enemy before me.
How does something this troublesome show up so soon after yesterday?
"Grrrr..."
It seems eager to fight, glaring at me while growling low.
Moreover, it probably hadn't shown itself until now because it had been observing our strength.
It threw its companions at us, gauged our strength, and appeared only after deciding it could win.
What a troublesome opponent.
For a monster, it's remarkably clever.
We'd better fight assuming our tactics so far won't work.
But if it thinks it's seen everything we can do, it's sorely mistaken.
We still have a trump card left.
That's right, our new Skill—'Ninjutsu.'