Chapter 45
The pumpkin monster's reaction was quick.
It swiftly caught sight of something springing up from the spot it had stepped on.
But it couldn't react.
-Grrrk?
Because it didn't know what it was.
That lump of metal had definitely sprung into the air on its own.
But even so, it was far too cold and metallic to be considered alive.
I guarantee that no one could have expected countless fragments to shoot out in every direction from such a tiny object.
The pumpkin monster even spread a mana barrier just in case, but it was meaningless against physical force.
“My God...”
“I-It flew this far...”
Tiny fragments shot out in every direction.
Even elven eyesight couldn't follow them.
The fragments embedded in places far away were enough to send chills through the elves.
“Head Mod is a scary person, yeah.”
Eliana, who had inadvertently slipped into her usual way of speaking, soon fixed her gaze on the pumpkin monster writhing in pain.
-Screeeech!
A spine-chilling scream like metal being scraped.
Seeing those huge yet spindly limbs flailing in agony should have made one's skin crawl.
It should have...
But the mine she had just witnessed was several times more horrifying than the monster right before her eyes.
“You said it wasn't meant to kill...”
When Head Mod first told her that, she had wondered what he meant.
What was the point of a weapon if it wasn't meant to kill?
But now she thought she understood.
- What the fuck is this?
- Just looking at that makes me feel weird;
- Thinking I might get hit by that while walking along without a care is making my skin crawl like hell.
ㄴ For real, it looks like something a genuine demon made;
ㄴ Even the demons recorded in history weren't that cruelly creative, yeah;
- Where the hell did Head Mod live before this for there to be so many vicious weapons like that?
ㄴ For real, yeah.
Thunk, thunk!
- Grrrk...
The elves all aimed their bows and finished off the pumpkin monster for good.
But was it just her imagination that the dead monster's expression looked much more peaceful?
Even though they'd killed it so easily, the elves couldn't bring themselves to celebrate.
“...Good work. I'll go report to Her Majesty, so you can disband now.”
“Yay!”
“Elf-kyaaaah! It's time to clock out!!”
Of course they couldn't resist going home.
She let out a small sigh while gazing in the direction of Elrad, where the Elven Kingdom lay.
*
(Meme of the moment the fragments explode)
(Meme of countless fragments burrowing deep into the monster's body)
(Meme of the monster writhing in pain)
Inside the queen's office, enclosed by the Sacred Tree, Armion was already replaying the meme for the tenth time.
“My God.”
Grand magic that was wondrous no matter how many times she watched it.
True to her status as the Elven Queen, her long platinum-blond hair and vivid green eyes glittered.
She'd often heard that she was talented and proficient in magic, but she'd never seen anything like this in her life.
“Amazing. No, it's downright wondrous!”
Armion brushed back her hair with a small sigh, as though cooling her excitement.
“I can understand a little why humans think Head Mod is a god. When he shows us things like this, how could anyone not believe?”
“Indeed. The weapon he so readily gave us last time, that high-explosive grenade, was also something of a kind we'd never seen before.”
“Exactly. I was so startled when it went boom!...”
She spoke excitedly, then poked Eliana, who was still stiff as a board, with her index finger.
“Eek!”
When Eliana jumped at the unexpected poke to her waist, Armion's eyes filled with mischief.
“But... you're using honorifics again?”
“...Because you're the queen of all elves. Things can't always be like they were in the old days.”
“The queen's own knight captain... talking back to me?!”
“...”
Eliana briefly felt a headache coming on.
Having been close friends with Armion in the past, she knew how playful Armion could be.
Especially now that they were queen and knight captain, Eliana had received no end of wary looks because Armion kept approaching her without any formality.
“All right, Armion. Is this good enough?”
“What about that cute way of speaking?”
“...Is this good enough, yeah.”
“That's more like it!”
Ever since the Gallery appeared, she'd even picked up strange ways of speaking and used them frequently.
Eliana felt conflicted as she watched Armion sway her body around while saying bizarre things.
This is... the Elven Queen?
Armion was also one of the few elves who knew Eliana's true identity.
Namely, that Eliana was the Gallery's sub-moderator, Full-HP Elf.
“Sometimes I envy you. You get to talk to Head Mod up close, right?”
“I suppose I do?”
“And last time, you even gave him a token you'd braided yourself! My goodness, my goodness, you really... Mmph!”
Eliana clapped a hand over Armion's mouth, startled.
She whipped her head around to see whether any other elves were nearby, but a moment later, something touched her palm.
“Eek!”
“Heehee.”
Naturally, it was Armion's tongue.
Their relationship hadn't changed from before.
But unfortunately, the atmosphere of the world—and of Elrad—was no longer what it had been.
“...Armion, you know, right? Variant monsters are gathering in Elrad one by one.”
“Yeah. You said they're a species similar to the pumpkin monster?”
They weren't monsters indirectly affected by the Rift; they had become monsters after having nutrients directly injected into them by tentacles.
Signs were appearing that such monsters were beginning to emerge one after another.
“But we can't destroy the Rifts, either...”
Armion fell into thought.
The Rifts took the form of enormous gems, and no matter what method they tried, they couldn't break them.
Then were they supposed to just wait until the monsters attacked, knowing what was coming, like the pumpkin monster had?
“What should we do? The young elves won't wait around for that, either.”
Unlike the older generation, young elves ate meat, traveled extensively, and consumed mana dumplings by the handful.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that all the elf lewds occasionally posted on the Gallery were the work of young elves.
In other words, this wasn't a situation where they could easily be placated by simply telling them to wait because it was dangerous.
“But there's no other choice.”
Even so, lifting the restrictions just to relieve their frustration would only get more elves killed.
Armion found that impossible to accept.
She was debating whether, instead of lifting the restrictions, they would have to tighten them further when—
“Hieek.”
Eliana, who had been looking through the Gallery, suddenly opened her mouth into a round O and looked startled.
“W-what's wrong?”
“Look at this.”
When Armion asked in surprise, Eliana showed her the Gallery.
And there, she saw a short, curt chat from Head Mod.
Head Mod*: Need more mines?
Head Mod*: (Meme of various types of mines)
Head Mod*: I have plenty, so just say the word anytime lol
“My God.”
The memes showed various mines, starting with the bounding mine they'd seen a moment earlier and including massive, heavy mines that looked several times larger.
Weapons like these were as common to Head Mod as pebbles one happened to kick while walking down the street?
“Armion?”
When Eliana called out in confusion to the elven queen who had thrust her face close, Armion abruptly turned her head.
“D-do these also go boom like the grenades and bounding mines?”
For some reason, a bright, excited flush of anticipation had bloomed across Armion's white skin.
*
The pumpkin monster had made a good test subject.
Even for me, watching the power of modern weapons—something I would never get to see in reality—was entertaining.
“Did you say this was only the beginning?”
The sub-moderator had told me that they weren't merely appearing sporadically, like waves.
Dangerous monsters had begun appearing simultaneously throughout Elrad, she said.
“What should I try next...”
It also meant there were plenty more things worth using.
Just then, a new post appeared on the Gallery.
[Title: A Monster Has Appeared. But It's Really Big...]
(Meme of a hulking monster with horns sprouting from its back and head)
(Meme of it not being easily subdued even by a bounding mine)
The weapon Head Mod gave us is definitely effective...
But it's hard to approach and subdue it ㅠㅠ
It does die if we just watch from a distance because of the bleeding, but it rampages for thirty minutes before dying...
(Meme of the nearby flora and fauna left in a mess)
More than anything, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe...
Elh-hng...
[Recommendations 5423] [Dislikes 587]
- The elves are already getting spoiled?
ㄴ For real, if we didn't have Head Mod's weapons, it wouldn't just be a few hundred—the whole of Elrad would be in chaos.
- If you're so unhappy, give them back to us lol
ㄴ Who said we're unhappy?
ㄴ Good grief, humans really are the best at sarcasm.
ㄴ Yeah, Head Mod likes humans more than ungrateful elves lol
ㄴ Then what about Frederick?
ㄴ You son of a bitch, wanna taste Head Mod's steel?
ㄴ So what, you human scum? Wanna turn into hedgehogs with Head Mod's bounding mines?
The fight between elves and humans didn't bother me much.
Just the usual WWE.
More than that, my attention was drawn to those hulking monsters bloated with muscle and flesh.
They could be killed with bounding mines, but it seemed the time it took was too agonizing for everyone involved.
Their size meant they bled an incredible amount, which also meant they were having a harmful effect on Elrad Forest.
It was also true that clearing away fragments that flew hundreds of meters was difficult.
- Head Mod*: OK, got it.
ㄴ Author) Huh?
ㄴ What weird thing are you planning to bring this time...
ㄴ Head Mod*: Wouldn't it be fine if there weren't even any remains?
ㄴ Author) ??
ㄴ ???? What do you mean by that, Head Mod Head Mod?
Just then, while searching through the mine category, I found a mine with a distinctive appearance near the top of the listings.
[Modified PTKM-1R]
It was developed as an anti-tank mine, but after monsters appeared, it was modified and put to use against giant monsters as well.
Outstanding performance! Spectacular explosion!
“Oh, is this it?”
This seemed like it could easily take down even those hulking monsters...
The only problem was the price.
119,190 points
“Hmm, I'll go look around somewhere else.”
With that many points, I could buy more than enough anti-tank mines used during the World Wars.
A weapon more expensive than my house was a bit much.
[M15 Anti-Tank Mine] - 131 points
“Oh, this should do.”
My attention was drawn to another anti-tank mine that was cheap and, more importantly, clearly effective.
[You have purchased 10 ‘M15 Anti-Tank Mines’!]
This would be enough.
It probably wouldn't matter even if a monster larger and stronger than the pumpkin-headed one appeared.
They were mines made to destroy tanks in the first place, so there seemed to be no need to worry at all.
“Then I'll send these over first... huh?”
It was just as I was about to close the marketplace category.
The most popular weapon of war, and an old friend.
The moment I saw it, I couldn't help but stop the hand that was about to close the marketplace.