Adversary (3)
Be it monsters or humans, subjugation or fighting.
There is only one principle.
Assessing the situation is paramount.
What resources do you have, how do you use them, and what strengths do opponents have?
Preliminary work to increase the chances of survival was more important than anything else.
Therefore, as the giant lizard raises its poison needle after a couple of beeps, I rolled my eyes here and there, focusing on collecting information.
First of all, from the raid.
At the forefront, the piston attached to the prosthetic leg of Tanker’s left foot was spewing steam as if it had not cooled down.
The jewels on the surface looked cloudy, so it seemed like it would take some time before the next output boost.
Still, he has thick forearms, a wide back, and the image he has shown so far, so I think he will do his part.
What’s wrong… Let’s get it out of the question.
Next were the three distant dealers in the back, a man and woman with little talk, and Park Jeong-ho, the head of the engineering team.
Two middle-aged men are wearing prosthetic arms, and a short woman is wearing a wearable robot (which assists paraplegics).
Guns, grappling hooks, crossbows and pikes, and other mechanical devices and hand-held weapons were all shot in a straight line.
On the other hand-
“… Harm! It’s a howitzer!”
“Raid code 00221-C-9, 14:43 battle begins!”
The poison needle fired from the back of the monster flies backwards in a parabolic arc.
This gets a bit tricky.
But anyway, the three of them did their best to dodge.
Kirr.
Soon, while the ugly lizard glistens with its three-pronged pupil, the engineering commander who has been rolling on the dirt floor gets up and speaks in a hurry.
“Fumi will deal with it on its own, so don’t worry about it and look at the front! slowly! No need to rush!”
I thought who might not be veterans, so I chose a standard response without disagreement.
The tank jumps forward, but moves just enough to catch the monster’s attention and stop the attack. Park Jung-ho moved the grappling hook fired from his prosthetic arm to the wall, increasing the distance between his one-handed moves.
Until the woman who changed the shape of the wearable robot released dozens of thick iron needles with a thud.
It made me guess that the speed at which it spread through the air was at least [Lieutenant of Psychokinesis] or higher.
Of course, the monster didn’t leave it alone either.
Immediately after one of the pupils turned black, a circular valve shimmered in the path of the iron needle and swallowed the weapon itself.
“Welcome?”
“no! I’ve completely lost control! It’s like an absorption or crushing type of ability!”
“great! At level 6, there are a maximum of three, so there are two left!”
And this… It’s not bad.
It’s like you’ve discovered some of the monster’s abilities with one controlled attack, plus that’s it.
It also meant that everyone (except for one person) understood the basic elements of subjugation, unlike the kids at the training academy.
In other words, it is an environment that is too much for a first real battle with a weak body.
In response, I also slowly move to the middle of the battlefield, next to the tanker.
If it was a previous life, one-on-one.
It would have been enough to face him openly, but today he had to play the role of one melee without pitch.
20 minutes after that.
We played with monsters in the vulgar language.
It wasn’t really a critical hit, but it made it possible for the subjugation process to flow as intended by figuring out the pattern step by step.
This was probably the result of C-9’s cohesion and experience rather than my own personal ability.
“Check contact response! Back off!”
“… … .”
“Again, tanker! Get in touch! Beware of allied attacks!”
Just like that.
Right before the lizard’s second ability [Phantasm Runaway] explodes.
Even after retreating from a distance according to the command of the engineering commander and attacking again, the distance between the tanker and the ranged dealer did not widen even an inch.
It’s not perfect, but it’s effective.
So, what I had to do was clearly defined.
When going near a tanker, when aggro is released, or when you try to deviate from the existing pattern and swing your tail… damage.
jump!
I was standing on the other side of my tail right now, but if I stopped the recoil of my neck, I had no choice but to stop moving naturally.
When he hit the side of the head with the gauntlet, his body motion stiffened at once.
In response, the tanker with a prosthetic leg instead of saying thanks with his eyes, puts his shoulder in and pushes a few steps towards the building.
Just in time, a hook is caught on the upper rebar, leading to a bold attempt.
The person hanging from the wall is Park Jung-ho, the leader of the raid.
Relying on his forearm with a prosthetic arm, the middle-aged man who changed his position in an instant raised a dagger with his intact left hand-
Fu-wook!
He immediately slammed it into the back of the monster.
Naturally, as a scream of pain spread out, the engineering commander landed smoothly on the ground and gave a sign to retreat to the rear.
Shortly thereafter, a series of explosions occurred at the site where the spear was inserted.
It’s inside, not outside.
After that, dozens of times- even though the monster’s body was shaken, the roar did not spread. Instead, there was only an eerie rupture of flesh bursting.
“… What deal did you do?”
“It’s not over yet. If there is no movement for 3 minutes, the tanker approaches and checks in detail. Stay alert.”
Even at a glance, it seemed like the end of the lizard’s abdomen was in contact with the floor, but the engineering commander was not vigilant until the very end.
and after a while
The identity of the explosion is revealed only after it is certain that the monster’s life response has been cut off.
Twenty jewels and a trigger were inserted into the empty space inside the spearhead.
“… Twenty 8th grade gems in a disposable weapon? Money is rotting away.”
“Wouldn’t it be a waste of me? The battle took a long time, so I had no choice but to use it. In the middle of the battle, a radio came in, saying that Spina (7th level monster) had fallen in a hill three kilometers away and sent a support team there.”
As a result, the raid members glanced at Lee Jun-ho, who was suffering from PTSD, and it was not something I could not agree with.
He only participated in the battle, but he did all the dirty things, such as overlapping the tanker and the movement line in positioning, not one way or another.
“Even though… At most, it was a 6th-class sub-object. It could have been done in two hours.”
“no. Even if I lose money, I saw it. Why are you nagging me now? Anyway, this story is over. It’s not the time to be like this. We’ll see if there are any survivors.”
“… Let’s do it.”
But at the same time, I don’t understand the fact that the monster I dealt with was only a 6th grader, so my gaze inevitably turns to a parrot perched on a tree in the distance.
They said it was the domain of death.
It must have been awkward, but when our eyes met, he turned his beak away.
“Are you tired?”
“… … .”
“I’m resting for a while until the morgue arrives. We’ll do the rescue work. You did so well for your first real-”
On the other hand, the footsteps to follow into the shelter are blocked by the engineer of the engineering team.
Asking how he dealt with it so calmly and asking if he learned positioning separately, the talkative man and the tanker lady also intervened and added mouth-watering praise.
It’s embarrassing to hear.
To put it bluntly, even if the basic ability is overlaid on the fist of the right hand and amplified through the gem of the gauntlet… 7th grade level.
The giant lizard was not specialized in physical strike defense, so at least it was able to put in an effective hit.
Of course, if you include specialized abilities such as [Negative], you can cover up to 6th grade, but let’s leave it out of the question because that’s like gnawing away at my reputation.
“You don’t have to rest.”
“Oh, you know. I know it’s not hard, but it’s because this is from the adults’ point of view. Save me some face. I need someone to watch over Junho to see if he’s okay, and a shelter… You don’t need to see that already. But it’s not like we’re taking a long break, since we’ve notified the end of the subjugation, we’ll be there in five minutes at the most.”
Again, I don’t understand.
It’s a terrible sight, there were dozens of corpses lying around the building right now.
However, it is difficult to refuse even if you are worried about a colleague suffering from mental illness.
As they nodded their heads obediently, soon the four middle-aged men made their way toward the entrance of the shelter while exchanging silly stories.
“How old is he, and is it strange that he is in the position of adults? Even if you just listen to what they say, you’ll soon become an adult.”
“fifteen.”
“… fifteen?”
“uh. It says so in the personal information.”
“… … .”
“… Do you think I delayed registering my birth?”
Soon after, right after the silence came.
I check the half melee that stands far away from the battle scene, then sits down on the sidewalk block and looks around.
The corpse of the monster was placed against the backdrop of a building with smoke rising, and a human corpse, intestines, and dried bloodstains were placed nearby, giving off a mysterious atmosphere.
However, in fact, even that is phenomenal compared to the outside of the barrier.
What was ordinary here, such as the high floors of the buildings and the sidewalk block that supported my buttocks, was a special element outside.
then suddenly
Food Duck-
As if to refrain from vain speculation, something heavy was placed on the left shoulder with the sound of wings flapping.
“go away.”
＜… … .＞
And in return for my stern remarks, I learned something that anyone but a bird lover would never know.
Even the golden macaw knew how to make an angry face.
＜Okay. humbly admit it I made a mistake. A lot of my friends who are frail and physically uncomfortable do it. But no matter what happens, you have to watch until the very end.＞
“… … .”
I don’t think there’s a need to refute it, so I’m watching the person who was asked, and I hear the wheel noise of what is presumed to be a body disposal vehicle from afar.
Suddenly, a message window appeared and blocked my view.
[Accomplished achievement: Subdue level 6 monsters.]
[Reward: Acquisition of ‘Suspension’.]
I don’t remember receiving a separate mission, but there’s no way I’d feel bad about being given a superpower I hadn’t experienced in my previous life.
When I opened my mouth and asked how to use it, a businesslike explanation followed.
＜It’s a technique that can defer physical and mental damage to a later date. As written, it’s not an official mission, it’s given when you achieve an achievement… … . However, since it is an intermediate ability, the duration is not long. 3 minutes at most. Of course, the more severe damage it takes, the faster it wears out, right? You will get a feel for it when you try it yourself.＞
“It’s okay. What is the reuse interval?”
＜You’ll find out soon.＞
“… what?”
Even the sudden answer for a while.
The parrot does not hide its displeasure, and points out the grounds for the previous claim point by point.
There were many reasons for running away.
＜Your body is immature. It’s not just that it’s smaller, it’s also less durable. Because of this, I can’t even dare to use my specialized abilities. That’s why I told you to run away. The opponent that can be defeated alone is at most 7th grade, and even if you take advantage of the loss of vitality and use the upper-middle level abilities, it will be the 6th grade end. Am I wrong?＞
“… Not right.”
In the meantime, three 8-ton trucks are lined up on the road in front of the shelter, and the management vehicle is also stopping after.
yes.
It was obvious, so I didn’t listen.
＜But why won’t you listen to me? [Negative] Did you think you could win anything with your skills? yeah what… For monsters who specialize in mental erosion, it’s a skill that’s tantamount to rat poison. Besides, in the field of mental defense, it’s practically invincible. I admit that too. But you’ve said it over and over again. I don’t even know what abilities he has?＞
“… No, the subjugation operation is over, so why do you keep-”
＜Not dead.＞
“… … ?”
＜Aren’t you dead? I didn’t even start He said it was sent by the ‘Smoke Mirror’. Those children are always hiding behind the scenes.＞
I tried to ask a belated question at the incomprehensible sound, but my attention was suddenly turned to the presence of people in the shelter.
Those who rejoice and those who weep.
Two groups of survivors stepped out into the sun, guided by the C-9 raiders.
At the same time, suddenly.
Pooh-!
The dead body of a giant lizard, more precisely, a skinny hand protrudes through the hole where the spear had been inserted.
Its shape resembles that of a human, but it has only three fingers.
In addition, unknown slime and blood scabs adhered to the outer skin, arousing visceral disgust.
＜Ai… … . Hey, run away quickly. If you have this much energy, you are a 5th grade lieutenant. I mean it from the bottom of my heart! I can never win at this level!＞
“… You want me to run away alone?”
＜You can prepare and come back next time! Would you risk your life for an achievement reward? Or did you want to save civilians? Since when did you say you were a hero!＞
That’s right.
A hero doesn’t suit me.
I didn’t think so.
It’s just, not only was it very sudden, but I also didn’t like the word “run away”.
Until the mysterious creature pulls out the entire forearm and reveals its fan-shaped head… couldn’t make a decision
And indeed, a 5th grade lieutenant’s monster.
After revealing half of his abnormally large head and skinny body, he exuded overwhelming superpowers to those who only noticed the change.
From nearly a hundred survivors and morgues, to Bureau operatives and C-9 raiders.
Loss of reason due to [mental control], staining the whites of the eyes black.
So I also… … .
＜… X feet.＞
“… … .”
＜Have you seen such a freaking lucky bastard? A guy specializing in mind has come.＞
… prepare for a blow
If there was even a slight delay, he would control humans and stop them, so he intended to end it all at once, even by adding [Delay] to [denial].