Reunion Junkyard ④・Towards That Light.
Blank Body A fell when its right leg was broken, but that broken right leg melted like liquid.
It then gathered at the broken part, fused, and became a right leg again.
It slowly stood up.
“Um, um, I definitely broke it! Wan, this is strange!”
“…A liquid creature?”
There was something like this in that sequel movie about humanoid killer machines from the future.
And while my Knife was melted, Juicy-san’s hands weren’t.
Knives… blades don’t work? They didn’t work? How careless.
My carelessness ruined another Knife. And so quickly, too, it’s a new record.
It’s a memory I can’t be proud of at all, one I want to 【Vanish】 from my mind completely.
Ah, the first one this month already? I hate thinking like that.
Blank Body A didn’t attack immediately, but Juicy-san charged right in.
She attacked repeatedly with her bare hands, and Blank Body A defended. It seems unarmed attacks are indeed effective.
“Wan! Wawan, wan! This Monster is strong. In that case, wan, here I go! This is my ultimate technique—!”
Juicy-san backed up slightly, leaped high, and did a half-turn in mid-air.
What is she planning? With that momentum, she extended her leg, struck Blank Body A’s neck with her toes, and twisted.
“Medulla Oblongata Rush Kick!”
After landing the technique, she spun gracefully and landed.
“Waaooooon! Um, um, I did it! It’s my victory!”
A victory howl. Juicy-san looks incredibly happy. Good, good.
That kick following the technique name was brutally vicious. If a human took that, they’d definitely die.
It truly is an ultimate technique.
The Blank Body’s head was split open. Kinda gross.
“Huh? It’s not regenerating?”
Blank Body A remained collapsed, its head still missing. Is it dead?
Juicy-san spoke.
“Wan! Lord Wof. Its head showed up with [Weakness Detection]. So its head is the weak point!”
“Eh, [Weakness Detection]?”
“Um, um, oops! B-But it’s okay if it’s you, Lord Wof!”
What’s the basis for that? I gave a wry smile.
“…Ah, so that’s your Relic, Juicy-san.”
“Wan! Yes. Um, it’s my Relic.”
[Weakness Detection], huh. Sounds pretty amazing.
It’s detection, so it sees through things. Seeing through weaknesses… how convenient.
I want to know the details, but asking too much about someone else’s Relic outside of an emergency is bad manners.
And I learned about her Relic, albeit unintentionally.
In that case, I think it’s only fair if I tell her about one of my own Relics.
The old me would have just stayed quiet.
That was Wof, age 13, a sharp knife whose heart was overloaded and had no room to spare.
But the current me is different.
Now I’m Wof, age 13, a knife sheathed in a scabbard, my heart lightened with room to spare.
“Actually, I have a Relic too.”
“Wafu? Um, um, you do?”
“Yes. It’s a Relic called [Danger Detection]. It lets me see how dangerous an opponent is through colors.”
“Wan! That’s convenient!”
Strange.
When I looked at Juicy-san again with [Danger Detection], her colors had changed.
The white mixed with blackish-red hadn’t changed, but the proportion of white had increased.
The red and black areas had shrunk to about half and half… What does this mean?
Maybe I should ask The Witch when we get out of here.
My master knows all sorts of things, even if her smug, grinning attempts to assert superiority are annoying.
After that, we continued defeating the Blank Bodies we encountered.
All the Blank Bodies were the same height. Some had tails, some had horns, some had nothing – they varied.
But the common point was that they were all humanoid.
“Wan! This is my ultimate technique! Medulla Oblongata Twisting Rebound Kick! Wan!”
Shouting another incredible technique name, Juicy-san kicked down a Mobile Mimic.
She did a backflip, spun, and struck another pose perfectly. Yep. Cute. She wins.
That alone wasn’t the finishing blow, so I stabbed the heart inside the box with my Knife.
A Mimic’s weak points are its hinges or the heart inside the box.
Still, I can’t get used to it. The teeth lining the inside of the box are creepy and scary.
Honestly, when I go for the finishing blow, my heart pounds wondering if I’ll get eaten.
But still. As the only one who knows about the tragedy…
A Mimic beneath the Junkyard gives me pause.
Given their nature, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be in a Junkyard, though.
“Impressive, Juicy-san.”
“Um, um, um, Lord Wof, your Knife Handling is impressive too! A-And that throw during the fight with the Blank Body earlier. Wan. It was very impressive!”
“Ah, yeah, that.”
Earlier, when fighting a Blank Body with oni-like horns, I used the self-defense technique taught directly by The Witch.
I grabbed the Blank Body’s arm and made it fall. It requires almost no strength. Rather, it’s a basic technique that uses the opponent’s own force.
The Witch’s direct instruction: ‘Behind-the-Scenes Throw’.
It’s basically Aikido, but I was really happy when I pulled it off.
I mean, it’s the kind of technique you want to try at least once in your life.
Plus, it was the first time I’d used it against a Monster, and the joy of it working had me doing a samba carnival internally.
“…”
“Um, um, Lord Wof. Is something wrong? You look grim!”
“No, just thinking about something. It’s nothing major.”
Actually, it was pretty major. The scenery hasn’t changed; we’re still amidst the junk.
So this must be the Junkyard.
But at the same time, I think: Dungeon Monsters are attacking us.
This… isn’t the first floor of the Dungeon.
I heard that Mobile Mimics appear on the sixth basement floor or deeper.
Does that mean we’re that deep?
Thinking about that feels dangerous. Let’s ignore it.
Besides, isn’t Juicy-san strong?
A Mobile Mimic. That’s at least mid-tier Copper rank.
It feels strange for me to say it, but that’s not a Monster a 13-year-old child can beat.
Even if Copper ranks don’t have Relics, it’s still a Monster.
Is it her Relic [Weakness Detection], the natural agility of the Wolfkin race, plus her wild disposition?
Wildness in a Marquis’s daughter? But she really does follow her instincts.
However, even though she’s strong, going solo would be tough.
She’s dealing damage, but she can’t defeat them in one hit.
Incidentally, my role is to deliver the finishing blow.
I finish off the Monsters Juicy-san knocks down. That’s all I am.
Since it’s mostly Blank Bodies, I mainly use 【Vanish】.
I could explain it’s a Relic, but since no one’s asked, I’ve left it as is.
It’s a good thing this world isn’t the type where you gain experience points.
If it were, I’d be a complete experience thief. Do worlds like that even exist?
And so, taking short breaks along the way, we steadily advanced towards the purple light.
Incidentally, I’ve been using [Wheel of Fortune] occasionally.
A few greens. No yellows or blues.
Since I have the chance, I’ve put a few green items in my pouch.
They’re just small things, but they should be worth some money. They should be.
The purple light had grown much larger, unrecognizable from the thin sliver it was initially.
We should be reaching our destination soon. What on earth is there?
After a short break, we proceeded a little further, and the scenery clearly changed.
The connected piles of assorted junk gave way to rugged rock walls.
“Um, um, Lord Wof. Is this a Cave…?”
“Looks like it.”
Things that looked like shields or armor, broken swords, that kind of junk lay scattered about sparsely.
How much further do we have to go?
After that, we dealt with more Blank Bodies, took another short break, and finally, we arrived.
An intense purple light. That’s it. The source of that light.
But our joy was short-lived; something was in front of the light.
“Grrrrrrrrrrr, wan wan! Lord Wof. An enemy!”
“…I see it too.”
Tension ran high. Standing defiantly before the purple light.
An enemy. Its color was black. A shiver ran down my spine. This one is strong.
It was a Blank Body. But while all the previous Blank Bodies were the same height, this one was different.
Its body was tall and large. You could even call it muscular.
Furthermore, it held a weapon.
It wasn’t transforming its arm. It was firmly gripping a weapon.
An axe. A heavy, faded, old half-moon axe, the kind a Dwarf might wield.
I could see decorative carvings on the blade.
This axe feels like OOPArts. It sported imposing black horns and a long, thin tail.
Blank Body Omega. I decided to call it that.
If there’s A, then Z comes next, but I went with Alpha and Omega here.
It also carries the meaning of ‘this is the end’.
Still, it’s not a reptile’s tail. It’s thin, like a whip… A cow’s?
The horns are also formidable. Cow horns. Its feet are cloven-hoofed, with only two toes. Definitely a cow.
A humanoid cow… Could it be a Minotaur Blank Body?
Great. No wonder it’s black and strong.
“So, a boss before the treasure. Blank Body Omega.”
I recall hearing that Dungeons don’t have floor bosses like in games.
However, Monsters apparently make nests or stand guard in front of valuable treasures.
Like this, maybe?
“Um, um, um, Lord Wof. That Blank Body Omega. I can’t detect its weakness. It’s strong.”
Juicy-san’s Relic, [Weakness Detection], is convenient.
But it wasn’t something that could detect any weakness.
It can identify the weaknesses of those weaker than oneself. It generally can’t identify the weaknesses of those stronger than oneself.
If you fight them, injure them, and make them weaker than you, then the weakness becomes visible.
In the case of inanimate objects, durability and such seem to be factors, but basically, ‘weaker than oneself’ seems to be a standard.
Not being able to see it from the start means it’s stronger than her.
The conclusion I draw from this is that the Blank Body Omega is stronger than Juicy-san and I are right now.
A monster possessing OOPArts.
It reminds me of the Hobgoblin from the Moly Herb incident. It hasn’t adapted, has it?
“Juicy-san. That’s a formidable enemy. So let’s come up with a plan.”
“Wof, are you sure? I think it’s noticed us too!”
“It must have noticed us. But seeing as it hasn’t attacked, I don’t think it will unless we get closer.”
Even though we’re within visual range, it’s not moving. It probably has a territory.
It feels like it has something to protect, so it won’t move from that spot.
“Um, um, I see. Wof wof, as expected of Lord Wof. Such brilliant insight!”
Juicy-san. This girl. She praises me quite a lot.
Being praised by an idol like her… I totally get how that could make someone become her fan, give them the energy to live, and make them try their best.
“Th-thanks. Anyway, the opponent is a power type. A so-called muscle-brain.”
“Um, um, muscle-brain. That’s what Togo-chan often calls me!”
“Ahaha… So, I think toying with it will be effective. Power types often have incredible attack power, but they tend to be slow because of it. The best strategy, I think, is to run circles around it, let the damage accumulate, weaken it, and then analyze its weak points. Do you have any thoughts, Juicy-san?”
Juicy-san immediately raised her hand.
“Um, um, I… I really want to defeat it one-on-one. But it’s frustrating! Its muscles, its brute strength, and its pump power are all superior to mine. It’s so frustrating!”
“Pump power?”
“When you use your muscles intensively, wof, they temporarily swell up. That Blank Body Omega is even better at that than I am! It’s frustrating!”
She seems genuinely frustrated, but I don’t really understand what she’s talking about.
W-well, anyway, it seems there are no objections to the plan.
There’s just one concern: I can’t use my knife.
The Blank Body melts knives. No, more accurately, it melts metal.
I decided to use 【Vanish】. I have a new technique I’ve been thinking of for times like this.
“Juicy-san. Are you ready?”
“Um, um, yes! I… I’ll do my best!”
“Please, don’t push yourself too hard. Retreating when you sense danger is also a form of courage.”
“Understood! Even so, wof, I will do it!”
She’s full of motivation. Her eyes are sparkling brightly. I can feel her strong determination to defeat it.
I really wish she wouldn’t overdo it, though.
Honestly, I’m now regretting having brought her this far.
I’ve been deliberately ignoring it, but she’s not just a dog-person; before being a wolf-person, she’s the daughter of a Marquis.
Grand Duke. Duke. Marquis. Earl. Viscount. Baron.
In other words, the third highest rank. That means she holds the third highest noble authority in this country.
Undeniably high nobility.
If anything happened to her, my life would be like a candle flame snuffed out.
The crime of lèse-majesté exists, after all.
However, Juicy-san’s speed, fitting for a dog-person, is extraordinary.
In contrast, the opponent is a power type. Its speed is inferior due to its power.
If the two of us run circles around it, we’ll be fine. We can do this, we can do this.
Or so… there was a time when I thought that.
Full of spirit. Full of momentum. Brimming with courage, we entered the Blank Body Omega’s range.
BUMOMOMOOOoooOOO!!!
The Blank Body Omega roared intimidatingly. Ignoring it, I leaped towards its feet. Alright.
First, I’ll step— Juicy-san was sent flying by the Blank Body Omega’s tackle.