Chapter 92
On the first floor of an office building.
In the lobby, several men and women in suits were fighting monsters.
"Giii!"
The goblin charged at them with a howl.
At the sight of its grotesque form and the sound of its scream, one of the women standing in the rear let out a short cry.
They had fought these opponents many times already, but they still had not grown accustomed to them.
"Take this!"
Without delay, a bespectacled secretary-like woman stepped forward, holding a forked pole.
She thrust its prongs at the goblin's neck, hindering its movements.
"Ikeda-kun! Now!"
"Yes!"
The man called Ikeda quickly brought the shovel in his hands down on the goblin's head.
"Gigyah!?"
The goblin's death cry rang out, and a small magic stone fell to the ground.
An announcement echoed inside their heads.
The man who had dealt the finishing blow made a small fist pump.
"All right! Piece of cake!"
"Don't let your guard down. ...Nijō-san, do you sense any other monsters?"
"Ah, yes... Um, I think... we're okay."
"Good. Then let's take a break for now. Ikeda-kun, could you go upstairs and call the people from the next shift?"
"Understood."
"And if there are any boards and nails left, bring those too. We need to repair the damaged parts of the barricades."
The secretary-like woman briskly issued instructions.
Watching the scene, the woman who had been trembling earlier―――Nijō Kamome―――thought:
―――How long is this going to continue?
Today was the third day since the world had become filled with monsters.
They had holed up inside the company and were waging a determined defensive battle.
They had sealed the entrances and kept guards stationed around the clock in shifts, allowing them to respond immediately if anything happened.
Thanks to that, they had managed to survive until today without a single casualty.
But that, too, was nearing its limit.
They had been fighting monsters continuously without even knowing when help would arrive.
They could barely eat, and they had hardly slept.
Above all, they had not taken a shower, and they were even wearing the same underwear.
Physically and mentally, Kamome was reaching her limit.
"U-um, Shimizu-san..."
"What is it?"
"Um... how long are we supposed to keep doing this...?"
"..."
In response to Kamome's question, the bespectacled secretary-like woman―――Shimizu―――grimaced slightly.
"...Until it's safe, I suppose."
"But...! When is that supposed to be!? It's already been three days! No rescue has come at all, we don't know what's happening outside, and what are we supposed to do from here!? And that person, too―――"
Nijō shouted as if venting all the frustration that had built up inside her.
In her mind appeared the face of the senior colleague who had left the workplace early three days ago―――though that still meant more than two hours after the end of the workday.
He had always worked with a bored look on his face.
His performance was below average, and he kept his distance from others, drawing a line between himself and everyone else.
But... strangely enough, he had a charm that drew people in. He might not have realized it himself, but Kamome thought many of their colleagues had taken an interest in him.
Was he safe? Was he still alive?
Just thinking about it made her chest ache.
"Calm down, Nijō-san. I understand that things can't go on like this forever, too."
"Then...!"
"But there are people who don't think that way. They believe rescue will come eventually, so we should just stay put here like this indefinitely."
Her superiors were the primary ones who thought that way.
They believed they should not take unnecessary risks and should maintain the status quo.
That view was not wrong.
But time would not allow it.
"Then what are we going to do about food? Water, too... We don't even know how long we'll be able to use the taps."
Faced with that, Shimizu could only grimace as well.
The vending machines and emergency food supplies provided in the building were nearly depleted.
"I've brought it up with the department heads many times, but..."
Yesterday, when the food supplies had begun to run dangerously low, Shimizu had repeatedly consulted her superiors.
She had argued that a small, elite group of people who had leveled up should go outside to secure food or make contact with other people.
But the answer was always the same.
―――Maintain the status quo.
That was all.
It could hardly even be called a discussion.
"Do they really understand what's going on? They haven't even raised their levels..."
"Well..."
Hearing that really gave Shimizu a headache.
At present, thirty-two people were holed up in the company.
Of them, only nine had defeated monsters and raised their levels.
All nine were young employees in their twenties or thirties.
Not one of the older employees in management positions had raised their level.
And whenever they held a vote, the opinions of those people took precedence over their own.
(Why do the department heads, who do nothing, get their opinions prioritized over those of us risking our lives in the field?)
Kamome found it unbearably unreasonable.
Certainly, before all this, the opinions of their superiors had been absolute. It was a company, after all, and she understood that.
But in the current situation, shouldn't those who had the strength and were risking their lives fighting have more of a voice? That was what she thought.
How much strength could those bald old men who did nothing but act important while trembling possibly have?
Or was she the one who was wrong?
"I understand what the department heads are saying... I understand that it's dangerous to go outside recklessly when we don't know what kind of monsters are out there. The section chief hasn't come back since the department heads sent him to inspect a building slated for redevelopment, either..."
"Why not just say it plainly? If we go outside, there'll be fewer people left to babysit you."
"That's how companies work, Nijō-san. Different positions lead to different ways of thinking. It's common for the opinions of people in the field and those in administration, or superiors and subordinates, to differ. You can't say outright which side is right. ...That said, the food shortage is serious, and eventually they'll have no choice but to give in. I'll convince them somehow, so bear with it until then."
After Shimizu convinced her of that, Kamome forcibly suppressed the anger she had been harboring toward her superiors.
(...This woman really has it hard...)
Caught between those above and below her.
She was probably the one suffering the most right now.
The dark circles beneath her eyes and her exhausted expression made that clear.
It was a shame to see such a beautiful woman look so worn out.
Come to think of it, she was turning twenty-eight this year. Did she have a boyfriend?
No, that was irrelevant right now.
"Shimizu-san... please don't push yourself too hard. I'll help as much as I can. If something happened to you, it would be a disaster."
The reason no riot had broken out in the company was undoubtedly that Shimizu had worked desperately to persuade everyone and keep things moving.
Otherwise, there was a good chance this group would have fallen apart long ago.
"Heh, if that's how you feel, maybe all this will be worth it. Look, Ikeda-kun and the others are back, so let's go to the break room. We can still use the gas, so I'll make you some hot coffee."
That's right. To repay Shimizu for all her hard work, Kamome had to endure this.
So Kamome forced a smile onto her face.
"Yes. Shimizu-san's coffee is really delicious, after all."
She said that and began to walk.
Then, the next moment―――
With a tremendous BOOM!!
The building where they had been standing shook violently.
"W-what!?"
"An earthquake!? It's huge!"
"Everyone, don't move!"
A wave of tension ran through everyone there.
Thoom, thoom. The sound echoed around them.
With each one, the shaking gradually grew stronger.
"What is this...? Footsteps?"
"D-don't joke around! Footsteps that huge can't... there... be..."
If those really were footsteps, how enormous would 'it' have to be?
It couldn't be there.
Something that huge couldn't possibly be there.
Please, don't let it be there. Please don't. Please, for God's sake, don't let it be there.
But as the sound and shaking grew stronger, their hope was crushed and their unease hardened into certainty.
"..."
The sound stopped.
And then 'it' came into view.
"Wha―――!?"
Suddenly, five rough-hewn pillars burst through the walls and barricades.
Battering rams? No, that wasn't it.
The pillars, apparently made of fused rocks, bent at the next moment and carried the broken walls and barricade materials outside, scraping them out of the way.
The outside scenery came into view through the enormous hole.
"Wha...!?"
"No way...?"
"Impossible..."
Then they learned the true identity of the pillars.
What they had thought were enormous pillars were actually parts of something even more enormous.
It was a giant made of rock, as huge as a mountain.
Its egg-shaped torso was large enough to be mistaken for a building, and it had short legs and long arms.
What they had thought were pillars were its 'fingers'.
The rock giant carried the walls and barricade materials in its hand toward its head.
Then a huge hole yawned open in its head.
The rock giant poured the materials into the open hole with a rattling rush.
Then it crunched them noisily, as though eating peanuts.
"I-is it eating...?"
It was eating. The sight left them dumbfounded.
After swallowing with a gulp, the rock giant reached its hand toward them again.
"―――Run! Everyone, get outside, now!"
Shimizu's shout rang out.
Only then did the paralysis finally lift, and they began to move.
"Nijō-san! Hurry!"
"Y-yes!"
Shimizu seized Kamome's hand and ran outside.
Fortunately, the rock giant's attention was not directed toward them.
They ran. They ran. They ran.
When she glanced behind her, the rock giant was directly biting into the building where they had been and devouring it.
The building, which should have been made of concrete, crumbled as easily as tofu.
"...What is that...? What is that thing...?"
It was unbelievable.
Could that really be a monster, too?
"U, uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A scream came from behind them. It was a man's scream.
It was probably the department heads who had been holed up on the upper floors.
The rock giant continued eating the building, taking the department heads with it.
(Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible, impossible.)
Without even having time to feel moved at being outside for the first time in three days, they simply ran for their lives.
"...Senpai."
The face of a certain senior colleague came to mind.
With a rattling roar, the building where they had been began to collapse.
Only human screams and the rock giant's chewing echoed in their ears.
"...Kazuto-senpai."
Help me...
She prayed desperately in her heart.
This world―――this hell―――had only just begun.