Chapter 84
―――In the cafeteria, Nishino and Rikka were locked in a desperate life-or-death struggle with the monsters.
"Haah... haah...!"
What they were fighting was one Shadow Wolf and three Lesser Wolves.
In both numbers and combat ability, the monsters had the clear upper hand.
In fact, both of them were covered in wounds and gasping for breath. Considering their levels and skill proficiency, it was honestly a miracle they could still fight at all.
What was holding it together was nothing but Rikka's ferocious, overwhelming drive.
(―――She was there... no doubt about it.)
Only a few minutes earlier.
The goblins Katsuragi Sayaka had sent at them had suddenly had their heads blown off and died.
In that moment, Rikka had seen it.
(That was―――Nattsun...)
That figure, holding a long rifle far too big for her.
She had only glimpsed it for an instant, but there was no way she was mistaken.
That was Ichinose Natsu.
For a moment she couldn't believe it and looked away, and by the time she looked again, the girl was already gone.
She must have used some kind of skill.
(―――I have to see her.)
The presence she had sensed at the school gate hadn't been her imagination.
The email that had suddenly arrived, and the sniper who had saved her―――it had all been her.
There was something she had to tell her when they met.
There were so many things she needed to say.
"Grrrrr!"
The instant her guard slipped, a Lesser Wolf's jaws closed in on her.
"GET OUT OF MY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!"
But paying the charging Lesser Wolf no heed at all, she seized its face in her grip and slammed it into the ground.
Cracks ran through the floor, and a magic stone rolled away.
≪Experience points obtained≫
≪Experience points have reached a certain level≫
≪Aisaka Rikka's LV has risen from 9 to 10≫
The voice announcing her level-up.
She didn't even have the room to care about that.
"Haah... haah...! Cough..."
If she could, she would have left the cafeteria right away to look for Ichinose.
But the monsters kept getting in her way, and she still couldn't break out of here.
(Who was that hooded guy? Nattsun's boyfriend...? Nah, no way.)
For some reason, the thought made her heart strangely restless.
To begin with, who on earth was that man?
The hooded man who had appeared out of nowhere just like Ichinose and thrown everything into chaos.
(He was super strong... no, that was way too strong. ...But I feel like I've seen him somewhere...)
At the very least, he had to be Ichinose's ally.
The smokescreen earlier had been for their escape.
In that case, there was a good chance they had already left and were fleeing somewhere.
"Anyway, haah, I have to finish these, quick, and go after them, cough... haah... haah..."
"Rikka! You're pushing yourself too hard! Just a little more―――"
"Shut up!"
Nishino tried to rein her in from behind, but it didn't matter.
(I'm going to see her no matter what! So I can't lose. I can't die in a place like this!)
As her reason began to return, she used the 'Berserk' skill again.
Instinct took over, and her body surged with vitality.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Screaming, Rikka charged at the Shadow Wolf.
Rikka's skill, 'Berserk'.
In exchange for her reason, it added 'Berserk' LV × 10 to her stats. Incidentally, how much reason she lost changed with its LV and proficiency.
On top of that, 'Valor' raised her melee damage and 'Slash Enhancement' raised her slashing damage. And with 'Battle Continuation' and 'Body Regeneration', she could force her body to keep moving even on the brink of death.
Her class, 'Berserker', could truly be called a job built purely for fighting.
"Gr, grrr..."
That ferocious, terrifying figure was more than enough to make the monsters flinch and leave an opening.
(―――Got you!)
She was sure of it and closed in on the Shadow Wolf―――it was at that exact moment.
'――――WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!!'
That 'voice' echoed through the cafeteria.
The moment that monster―――I'll call it the Dark Wolf for now―――howled, I remembered the first time I had run into the High Orc.
That time when I had witnessed its overwhelming power and fallen into despair.
But―――this might be even worse than that.
'Danger Sense' was ringing its alarm harder than it ever had.
A chill so intense it felt like I had been thrown naked into a freezing sea.
With beads of sweat soaking my forehead, I couldn't take my eyes off that beast.
"Ha... haah haah haah..."
I could barely breathe.
Right now, I should be running at full speed with Ichinose-san in my arms.
My 'Agility', which had leveled past 300, plus 'Escape', which gave me a bonus when fleeing.
I think I was moving at a speed even I found hard to believe.
And yet―――I didn't feel like I could get away at all.
No, was I even really running right now?
Wasn't I actually just standing frozen in place, trembling?
That was the illusion I had. That was what it made me think.
That thing was on a completely different level.
≪Proficiency has reached a certain level≫
≪Fear Resistance has risen from LV7 to 8≫
≪Proficiency has reached a certain level≫
≪Fear Resistance has risen from LV8 to 9≫
≪Experience points obtained≫
≪Currently processing skill request≫
This is bad, bad, bad, bad.
That thing is no good. That thing is impossible.
"―――――――――――woon."
I heard a faint sound.
A small cry I would have missed if not for the 'Keen Hearing' skill.
Something went glub.
"Kudo-san!"
Ichinose-san shouted.
Right beside us―――a 'hand' was sprouting out of the wall.
A warped, enormous black hand, something between a beast's and a human's.
Its palm had to be several meters across.
"~~~!?"
I reflexively leapt to the side.
An instant later, the black hand slammed down where I had been.
The ground was gouged out and a violent gust whipped up.
Just how much power was behind that?
There was a small crater where it had struck.
We were blown away and tumbled across the ground.
Aka absorbed the impact, so I got right back up.
"I-Ichinose-san, are you all right?"
"S-somehow..."
But the enemy wasn't going to wait.
From the walls, the ground, everywhere―――no, to be precise, from every place that had a 'shadow'―――countless black hands appeared.
"―――Woon."
The Dark Wolf let out a small bark.
The next moment, the 'hands' shot out at explosive speed.
"UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
Using 'Danger Sense', 'Hostility Detection', and 'Prediction', I ran with everything I had.
Slaps like someone swatting a fly cut through the air, gouged the ground, and smashed into the school building.
It was probably just collateral from attacking us, but part of the school building collapsed in the blink of an eye.
I could hear screams too. But I didn't have the room to care about that.
I pulled vending machines and scrapped cars out of my Item Box into midair, making makeshift footholds.
Just running wasn't going to cut it. By moving in three dimensions, I somehow managed to dodge the enemy's attacks.
"―――! There!"
Ichinose-san fired at a black hand closing in from behind.
The part the bullet hit scattered.
―――Physical attacks work on it!
Actually, how can she even shoot while she's being carried on my back?
But the black hand that had taken Ichinose-san's bullets regenerated in an instant.
"Then!"
With no MP left, my options were limited.
I unleashed my Item Box at the black hands in front of me.
"I'll make a path!"
The black hands were crushed under heavy machinery and vending machines.
A path opened up.
―――The next instant, the Dark Wolf appeared right in front of me.
"............Huh?"
It moved...? In that split second?
Looking closely, its feet had merged with the black arms.
I see, this thing can travel from one patch of darkness to another...
For some reason, I read the situation with a strange calm.
The Dark Wolf slowly drew in a breath.
Crap! My alarm rang at full blast.
"~~(jiggle jiggle)!"
'WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!!'
Almost at the same moment Aka, wrapped around me, swelled its whole body, the Dark Wolf howled.
It was the same 'Howl' skill Momo and the High Orc had.
The howl, carrying real physical destructive force, sent us flying like a rubber ball.
What we slammed into was the wall of the school building.
We had been forced right back to the school.
"Ow... A-Aka... are you okay?"
"...(jiggle... jiggle)"
I found Aka, its mimicry undone and a little smaller than before.
Apparently part of its body had been scattered by that blow.
Scattering the body of Aka, which is completely immune to physical attacks... just how powerful was that...
"Wh-where's Ichinose-san...?"
I found Ichinose-san collapsed a short distance away.
She's safe...
No, in this situation, you couldn't really call it safe.
A few meters away, the Dark Wolf stood there calmly.
Its pitch-black eyes stared straight at me.
As if to say it wouldn't let me get away.
First the High Orc, now this―――why do monsters keep coming after me so relentlessly?
I never asked for this kind of popularity, dammit.
What do I do? What should I do?
Running away failed.
With no MP left, I can't use Ninjutsu.
Launch a surprise attack with the Item Box?
No, impossible. At that speed it'd just dodge.
What about binding it with 'Shadow'? Or somehow forcing a close-quarters fight?
...None of them felt like they had any chance of winning.
"Woof!"
Then Momo came out of the shadows and barked at me.
It was like she was saying, don't give up!
Haha, Momo really is strong.
"...It's fine, I haven't given up yet, Momo."
It's fine. I'm not giving up without even trying.
Honestly, I'm scared out of my mind. My legs are still shaking, and I might die.
But as long as you haven't given up, there's no way I can.
With the High Orc yesterday and now this time too, Momo keeps saving me.
I stroked Momo's head and stood up.
I'll keep struggling as long as I can.
"...Hm?"
Suddenly, I noticed the Dark Wolf wasn't looking at me.
What...? What is it looking at?
For some reason, its gaze was fixed right beside me―――on Momo.
I got an incredibly 'bad feeling'.
"―――Momo!"
"Woof!"
On reflex, I tried to shove Momo out of the way.
For some reason, I felt I had to.
Momo must have sensed the danger too.
She immediately tried to leap away from the spot.
But it was too late.
Before she could, an 'arm of darkness' appeared right beside Momo.
In an instant it turned into something like a net and wrapped around Momo's body.
And then―――
"MOMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
With a gulp, it swallowed Momo whole.