High School Hack and Slash Chapter 111 Part 3
The figure of Peperon-kun, who has completely lost his wildness, lazily lying sprawled with his belly exposed in the open air bath of Asagi-sou has even been spotted.
Like the giant tiger figurine, it seems that he is thought to be a new gimmick of the open air bath.
He’s a gluttonous yet a bit timid of a dragon, so it’s okay even if Tatsuya-kun and Honami-san don’t become so desperate not to turn around, breathing heavily and breaking out in cold sweat.
「Well then, I defeated the giant-type monster around here, but….」
In the middle of the street, Seiichi looks around at the surrounding area, and Otoha-senpai, who is examining the shattered road surface, raises her face.
「The traces of the battle still remain, huh. Given that the field doesn’t get rewound, I wonder if it means that we’ve proceeded to the next stage.」
「So we just have to defeat the mid-boss that serves as the trigger? Isn’t that way too easy?」
Otoha-senpai shrugs her shoulders at Mai’s frank doubt.
「It’s a common pattern in the beginner to intermediate class『Lore (Legend)』 quests. By the way, what kind of monster was it? Did it have any strange markings or unusual behavior?」
「… Ah, somehow, it was a single-eyed giant (Cyclops) that had been mechanized to look like a half-cyborg. Also, its head was bright red.」
「Then there’s no mistaking it. The monster whose head is dyed red is a『hit』, okay.」
What is it, a candy store lottery?
It seems like an escape adventure game for kids.
「In that case, then… If we crush the『hit』 mid-bosses in the east, west, south, and west areas, we’ll be able to fight the main boss in the central area, huh.」
「Isn’t it?」
「It’s way too different from Moby Dick that my motivation is declining, though….」
「You see, Shizuka-chan. You mustn’t lump it together with that kind of impossible game. This level of difficulty is normal.」
I can tell that Shizuka, who has fired herself up to solve the riddle, has lost all motivation at once.
She begins to stroke the three heads of the Guardian Hellhound (Cerberus) that has come over as if to console her.
「Haa haa… Umm, haa… Our goal is, haa~… haa~….」
「Let’s calm down a little, shall we?」
It seems that Tatsuya-kun, who is hyperventilating, has too strong of a sense of responsibility.
I know that they are worried about their comrades, but I hope they can put their minds at ease.
Peperon also gets worried and peers into them quietly from behind.
Honami-san, for instance, whose complexion is turning from blue to white, is already in a near-death state even before clashing against monsters.
No matter how you look at it, she has a weak constitution.
「Well, if we were to go all the way to the north area where the crucial rescuees are suspected to be, which route would we take?」
「Are the barriers that isolate each area still going strong?」
Shizuka, soothed by fluffiness, seems to have recovered a bit.
「『Environmental Search』, it is.」
As Natsumi, who nods her head, holds up her hand, a book-shaped hologram flutters and turns over, spreading a circle of light to our surroundings.
This kind of effect reflects the image the person in question has.
The more specific and strong the image is, the higher the accuracy of the skill will be.
「— The barrier of the west area has disappeared.」
「As I thought, looks like if you defeat the mid-boss, the area you can access will increase.」
「Now then, well, let’s try passing through the west area and aim for the north area, shall we? Before that, though, we have to make contact with the raider group in the west area.」
「It’d be nice if they are people you can talk amicably with, though….」
Otoha-senpai, who is showing a subtle expression on her face, must be thinking that the hope is faint.
「I guess we’d better off going with the resolve to engage in a fight right from the start.」
「Let’s go forth with the stance of launching a preemptive attack. As long as there are a few survivors who can speak, that will be suffice for our purpose.」
「Even without arms and legs, they’ll still be able to talk, right~?」
The tail of the pony-tailed Saki is wagging in a good mood.
「M, monster… pig-headed man (Orc)!」
As we are leisurely marching westward down the street, an orc squad appears as if blocking the intersection.
Just as how Honami-san jumps with a start, as expected, it seems that orcs, the representatives of sex monsters, are not popular with the girls.
「Kuh, there are so many of them!」
Like Otoha-senpai, Tatsuya-kun holds up a rare type of spear called harpoon.
The orcs that appear one after another from the left and right sides of the crossroads and form a formation are more than 20 in number.
Their strangely coordinated movements are military-like.
「Armor, rather than such a thing, those are power suit-ish equipment, aren’t they?」
「Whoa. They are shooting at us, dude. I thought they were carrying what looked like guns, but they are really firearms, huh.」
*Pew pew pew* The sound of a single gunshot is echoing.
Seiichi, flicking the stray bullet flying at us with his dagger, is nonchalantly acting cool, SHit.
「I want, some samples.」
I’m being requested by the excited-looking Merion-senpai, so I charge into the intersection fray, which has turned into a hell filled with agonizing oink oink cries.
However, half of them have already been eaten by Peperon.
Stretching out his tongue with a whoosh to catch the orc, he swallows up the orc, which raises an oink cry, whole.
Their shots are bounced off without making even the tiniest amount of scratch on his scales.
The other half are also being turned into dismembered dead bodies by Saki’s flash attacks.
Do stop staring fixedly at Peperon, as if you have yet to get enough.
Peperon, who is swiftly trying to hide behind me, can digest any kind of equipment, whether it is made of metal or any other hard materials.
They are broken up into parts, but I go and retrieve the cyborg orc materials that Saki has slain.
「You did well, Peperon! Were you hurt? Or rather, Saki-chan, why are you still holding your katana?」
「The tip… Just the tip.」
「Ge, geko!」
Leaving his protection to Otoha-senpai, I join up with Seiichi and the others, who are frolicking about with the orc guns in their hands.
「It sure is interesting as a toy, this thing.」
「No magazine, flintlock-style, it’s a bit similar.」
「The mechanism to automatically load and shoot the owner’s aura, even if they have no magic skills, huh….」
「About the same level as the magic bullet fired by a level 1 Arts User (Magi)?」
「A trumpet gun, it is.」
The short and stout antique revolver sports a design like the one pirates that appear in a movie would carry.
I wonder if the muzzle of the gun being spread out like a trumpet holds some sort of significance.
In the raid domain, all drop items are left behind without being reduced to miasma.
We should have no trouble finding materials for research.
Overcoming the encounter event, we continue our march toward the boundary of the area.
「… You and everyone in your club sure are awesome, Touma-kun. I feel like the stage you’re standing on is completely different from us.」
I tilt my head at Tatsuya-kun, who is faintly smiling.
Holding Honami-san, who is clinging to him, in his arms, he’s frivolously playing stupid.
「Um, what’s wrong?」
「No, you don’t need to gloss it over from us at this point… You’re also someone from this side, aren’t you?」
Maybe he’s trying to hide his prowess, but I dare say.
He’s not at such a stage yet.
He’s nowhere near reaching such a stage.
Or perhaps, yes, there are also the types who, like the Senpais, tread on a different path than strife.
If that path is the path of righteousness that’s pure and accepted by the general public, then I guess we are certainly heretics who have gone astray.
But I’m fine being a heretic.
If there are those who cleverly condemn us and flaunt their path of righteousness, all we have to do is firmly nod our heads and knock them flying.
The trash fallen at our feet is not even worth an obstacle, as the enemy we ought to overcome is still waiting for us way far ahead.
「I don’t know, what you’re talking about.」
「I see.」
In that case, I guess that’s also okay.
Everyone has their own stance on enjoying life.
Being satisfied with the status quo and getting corrupted right then and there is also a kind of amusement.
It’s just that, I don’t think we can be friends.
That’s all there is to it.
「Once we cross this street, we will arrive at the West area.」
Behind Natsumi, who looks over her shoulder, a street where lively billboards are lining up in a row is stretching ahead.
The fact that there are no shadows of people is conversely giving off a sense of malaise.
「Billboards for movies and musicals?」
「I think so, but it looks so fake, or rather it smells like a counterfeit….」
Mai and Shizuka’s expressions are subtle as they look up at the billboards and posters.
「There’s no boundary barrier, so it looks like we can get off with no problem. For the time being, can you check the raiders’ position one more time?」
Natsumi, who nods her head, holds up the hologram book, but tilts her head in a dissatisfied manner.
「Is something the matter?」
「… We are, jammed.」
「… There is, cover-up.」
Miharu and Natsumi nod their heads and match their palms together face to face, embracing each other.
「Impertinent.」
「It is.」
The two’s SPs that are visible in the Interface overlap and are shared.
It’s the unison skill, the two’s signature move.
It’s a technique that the Craftsman Senpais have also been practicing, but Miharu and Natsumi have already mastered it, able to use it as easy as breathing.
「Full power.」
「Hostility Search (Active Sonar), it is.」
RELEASE RATE
High School Hack and Slash
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
Tftc