199 – EP.35 Preliminary Preparation-2
“Aseus is a divine beast with the ability to cut and isolate. Cutting can cut off from the world regardless of the target and cut it to another dimension. Isolate it.”
“What about quarantined subjects?”
“I’m trapped in the world he created. A world where everything except the quarantined object is false. In that world, all the powers that were manifested in reality become useless.”
“You’re the type to fight by trapping opponents in a dimension where their abilities are sealed.”
“That’s not the only problem. Those who are quarantined are cut off from the existing dimension and completely forgotten in reality. Not only the traces he left behind, but even the memories of him in all living things.”
A terrifying ability that makes it difficult to survive and does not leave even those who remember it.
I had to come up with a countermeasure to counter the ability that gives the target complete death.
So now, recalling the conversation I had with Yata the day before, I voluntarily came to meet the person I didn’t want to see.
“Wow, that’s quite a surprise! I never thought you, who hated me so much, would come to find me!”
“…… You are doing something disgusting as ever.”
Inside an abandoned abandoned building on the outskirts of the city.
In this place full of the smell of gunpowder and blood, Jack was sitting on top of human corpses piled up in one place.
Then, he took out the fingernails from each human finger he had cut off with a knife and put them in a leather bag.
“It’s a hobby I’ve been enjoying lately. Like this, I’m collecting the nails of the people I killed and making models. I heard that human nails are better to use as a material than I thought, so a quite satisfactory work was created? A model of a ship or a model of a building, in various ways.”
“I’m not curious about your crazy hobbies.”
“Really? Then, can you at least respect my taste?”
“There are other things I can respect. Such a disgusting hobby is not worth respecting.”
“It’s really sad that young people these days don’t care.”
Jack is playing with words and expressions separately.
His voice was sad like a parent who lost a child, but his face was smiling brightly.
This duplicity made him repulsive.
“So why did you purposely come to me? You didn’t come here to hate me.”
“…… I’m here to make a deal.”
“Deal? Aha! Did you come because you have something to ask of me?”
“Yes.”
“hahahaha! Good deal Because in a transaction, people have to distinguish between public and private.”
After removing the last fingernail with his pliers, Jack picked up the nails one by one and put them in his bag.
After that, with his leather bag slung over his shoulder, he tapped it several times with the palm of his hand and was satisfied.
“But what about this? All I can give you is the fingernails I collect. Or should I cut off my body parts like last time? Long term is also possible. Although freshness cannot be guaranteed!”
“Sounds disgusting only to that extent. What I want is not your filthy body.”
“Sorry. Then what do you want…….”
“Pheet… !!”
Jack’s speech is interrupted by a sudden cry.
The source of the crying was over my shoulder, the sound of Tia, who had been sleeping on her shoulder, waking up and stretching.
After lightly loosening her body once, Tia jumped from my shoulder and returned to her human form at the same time.
“Ahhh… ! Yuu, did you arrive already?”
“Yes.”
The original plan was to come see Jack alone.
But Yata advised me to take Tia with me.
Because there was an order from Miho to bring a companion with him unconditionally when going out. I reluctantly brought Tia with me.
I’m still not sure if this is a good choice.
All we can tell is that her suspenseful atmosphere has been ruined by Tia’s intervention.
“Who is this? It’s the Shinsoo lady I saw the other day! I wondered if there was a big lizard, so that’s what the lady really was!”
“…… Who is this azo?”
“Hmm? Don’t you remember me? It’s sad.”
“I don’t know. I’m not interested in humans other than Yuu and Yuu’s family!”
“Don’t you remember the time when the young lady cut me into small pieces in the woods?”
“Anna! Twist and push her hair. I’ll remember you when your hair is soft!”
“This is embarrassing. I really want to shave my head, but unfortunately, my hair also regenerates.”
It was an envious baby who solved the problem that most men were worried about.
Even if it’s not the case, these days, I’m also falling for excellence.
I don’t think he said it for that purpose, but Jack’s words kept sounding like deception.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. So what did you come here to do with me?”
“Let me meet the Shinsoo you signed a temporary contract with.”
“…… The reason is?”
“To achieve my goal, I need the help of that divine beast. So, there is only one thing I want from you, who knows where Shinsoo is. Let me meet that divine beast.”
“What is the goal you want to achieve?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary to tell you that much, do you?”
“If you think so, you don’t have to tell me. If you don’t tell me instead, I have no choice but to view the deal negatively. You can negotiate only when you know exactly how much the other person is asking for.”
“Haa… ….”
As expected, it was too much.
I tried to hide the information as much as possible from the sneaky Jack, but it wasn’t easy.
In order to meet Shinsoo and get help, this transaction must be successful.
Jack, on the other hand, didn’t want much from me, so he didn’t mind rejecting the deal.
In the end, it means that if you don’t match Jack’s mood, there is a high possibility that the deal will fail.
It seemed better to bend over from my side.
“My goal is to subjugate a certain divine beast, that is only one. To achieve that, we need the help of the Shinsoo you contracted with.”
How will Jack react?
I was a little curious, but contrary to my expectations, he didn’t look particularly surprised.
“It’s a fight with a reason. All right, I won’t ask anymore.”
“Uh uh… ?”
On the contrary, he showed a plain reaction and embarrassed me.
“It doesn’t matter if you tell me if you want to know the circumstances. However, it will not have any impact on future transactions.”
“…… Is it okay if I understand that?”
“Even if it’s like this, I’m the one who’s been through all the hardships. Of course, I’ve seen countless people with the same eyes as you now. And I learned with my own body that it is not good to get deeply involved in that person’s circumstances.”
“So you said you wouldn’t ask anymore?”
“Yes. That side is good for each other.”
Until now, I had only thought Jack was crazy, but at least I realized that he was acting based on his own experience.
He still looks like a middle-aged man in his 50s, but his mind is over 80 years old.
Nevertheless, he did not leave the battlefield and was no different from a veteran.
‘No matter how much I hate Jack, I have to acknowledge his skill.’
In a fight, spirit and technique are important, but I think experience is more important than that.
Because in the face of huge piles of data, spirits change to aggression and technology becomes a skill.
As there is only one life on the battlefield, it is difficult to gain experience.
However, he must have been fighting over the dead line until he was in his 50s, and now he has become an immortal body.
I couldn’t even fathom how vast the accumulated experience would be.
“Let’s just listen to the circumstances here, shall we listen to the terms of the transaction you are going to propose to me?”
“Yes. I brought you something to be excited about, so you can look forward to it.”
From the time we first met until now, there was something I’ve been curious about while talking with Jack.
How is it that even at that age, he still doesn’t fall from the bloody battlefield?
I couldn’t understand it at the time of the first meeting.
But now I felt like I knew why.
‘Crazy bastard.’
Jack was a complete hedonist.
And the main factor that gave him pleasure was the adrenaline generated during battle.
“This is probably the best present for a madman like you.”
His hand, which was about to be put into his trouser pocket, quickly twisted to the holster and drew a pistol from within.
Then, without hesitation, he aimed between Jack’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
Taang-! Taang-!
Two gunshots filling the interior of an abandoned building.
One came from the muzzle of my gun, and the other came from the muzzle of Jack, who had sensed my actions long ago.
But if there was an absolute difference between him and me, I had foreknowledge and he didn’t.
As a result, my bullet went right through his forehead and Jack’s bullet missed.
“Awesome… ! I can’t believe that the clumsy young man who couldn’t even aim properly when we first met has grown to the point where he can aim precisely at my forehead!”
“Although I may not be as good as you, I have tasted the sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors to the point where I got tired of them.”
“You definitely showed an action that only those who have crossed the line multiple times would never be able to do.”
“…… Is there such a thing?”
“Pull the trigger without any emotion. When you get over the edge of death, you think you have to kill the enemy before you get hurt. So the moment I shoot, my emotions become dull, just like you from before.”
I wanted to refute it, but I kept my mouth shut because it wasn’t wrong.
In fact, I’ve died several times while receiving Fenrir’s training.
Every time I went through death, the hesitation within me was fading away.
“Anyway, I’m glad I finally have someone who understands me! Combat is what makes me feel alive! So you’ll fight until I’m satisfied, right?”
“Yes, that is the deal I will offer.”
“Best deal ever. Accept it without any hesitation!”
There is no reason why he, who is a fighting maniac to the marrow, would not accept it.
Of course I thought it would come true, otherwise I would be in trouble.
“Melee, gunfights, any type of combat, I accept! Choose freely.”
“Then let’s fight a battle you’ve never experienced before.”
As if he was even more excited by my words, Jack had a smile on his face.
To be honest, it was not very nice to see a 50-year-old middle-aged man with no hesitation and excitement.
“What is it?”
“Tia.”
“Yes!”
When I called the name of the baby dragon who was squatting far behind and playing with stones, Tia rushed to me and hugged me.
I gave Tia a hug and immediately stood in front of me.
Seeing this, Jack’s expression changed from excitement to wonder.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t you know when you see it? Instead of me, you are setting up a pinch hitter to fight until you are satisfied.”
The so-called Pokemon battle.
It’s just that the opposing trainer has to fight my Pokemon directly.
“…… It’s disappointing. No matter how much the identity is Shinsoo, thinking about the deal once again to make it stick with a lady like this…….”
Squeak-!
Before Jack could finish his sentence, his neck and waist were cut in two at the same time, and he was pinned to the ground.
Of course it wasn’t me, it was the dragon in my house.
“Hee hee! This old man is so savage!”
It’s a very personal opinion, but I think madness is more terrifying than experience in combat.
And the true master of madness may not be Jack, but Tia, who is so pure that she doesn’t even know her faults.