Arc Lab ②
Slums. It’s also the district where I live.
However, my area is a residential area, so the治安 isn’t that bad.
The entertainment district is probably the most治安-ridden part of the slums.
Illegally constructed buildings deliberately made complex, with illegal brothels, illegal shops, and illegal gambling dens scattered haphazardly.
It’s a place where villains who make a living from these things are constantly skirmishing.
That corner suddenly exploded, sending up black smoke.
“Awa-wa-wa-wa! H-Hey, Wof!”
“Please don’t stick to my face. You smell like Hayyarn. That’s why I had a bad feeling.”
I removed Hayyarn and sighed.
It seemed that the building in that corner was the headquarters of ‘Dragon Fang Row’.
Liv-san and the others headed straight there.
They came without hesitation, so I wonder if they knew about it beforehand.
They kicked away the men who gathered without question, stormed in, and then the explosion happened.
Why an explosion? Anyway, we need to hurry too.
The entrance of the building was a scene of terrible destruction.
Liv-san and Bid were fighting six men. The others were already down.
Counting roughly, there were definitely more than ten. Were there this many?
“An attack? Are you kidding me!”
A man with a unique dreadlock hairstyle and a wolf tattoo on his bare upper body picked up a stone and threw it at them.
It exploded.
“Whoa, what?”
The building shook with the dust and impact.
“That’s the Relic [Explosion].”
“You know about it, Hayyarn?”
“It can turn anything it touches into an explosive. The bigger the thing it touches, the greater the explosive power.”
“…Just touching it? What’s with that? That’s the worst.”
And the bigger the thing it touches, the bigger the explosion?
Isn’t that the strongest?
“However, the damage from the explosion is also taken by the user. And the bigger the thing, the sooner it explodes.”
“Hmm?”
What is it? I don’t know if it’s strong or not. It’s definitely a rare Relic, though.
But taking the damage from the explosion yourself…
And it explodes right away? Wait, that sounds like it can only be used for suicide.
Oh my, maybe it’s not that strong after all?
And the explosion from a pebble couldn’t break Liv-san’s green barrier.
When the barrier disappeared, Bid vanished. She cut down a man who had retreated diagonally.
Oh, Relic [Swiftfoot]. A footwork technique that allows you to move instantly over a very short distance.
And the ‘Swiftfoot Sword’ that manifested that Relic—she’s mastering it.
“Damn it, so nimble!”
“Boss, at this rate, we’ll be—!”
“Shut up!”
“Gwahhh!”
The dreadlocked man called Boss used [Explosion] to take down his subordinate.
How awful. Is that really the boss?
His tall frame and the wolf tattoo stood out.
He gives the impression of being strong, but he’s just the king of a bunch of small-timers.
And he himself was a small-timer. A typical petty villain who readily discards his subordinates.
“Tch, scum.”
The boss took out a small bottle. When he applied it to his bloody hand, the wound healed.
A Potion? But it really does inflict damage. It must be hard to use.
“B-Boss, what are you doing?”
“Shut up. Bring that thing here. I’ll blow you up too.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
That thing? Then he hurriedly brought a jet-black Kanabo hanging on a nearby wall.
It had several thick thorns attached to the tip. A Kanabo? I can tell it’s made of metal.
The boss took it in his hand and swung it, attacking Liv-san.
Because it’s a blunt weapon, it’s not that fast. Liv-san blocked it with her Blade.
It exploded.
“Liv-san!”
“What’s up!”
Bid cut down the man who brought the Kanabo and turned around.
When the pure white smoke cleared, she was gone.
“Hmm… that was close.”
Liv-san had stepped back at the last moment.
Phew, that’s good.
“I see. That’s an OOPArts!”
Hayyarn suddenly shouted.
I wish she wouldn’t shout in my ear.
“OOPArts?”
“Yes. It’s an OOPArts that corresponds to the Relic [Explosion]. With that, you won’t take damage even if it explodes. Furthermore, the power will increase with the force of the swing.”
“The force of the swing, huh?”
“That’s right.”
“I see. As a threat, it’s not that big of a deal. That level is no match for Liv-san.”
“Is that so?”
She must have noticed too.
She’s dodging and dodging, and the boss is laughing, thinking she can’t do anything about it.
But Liv-san stepped forward. She raised her Blade with both hands.
“Hmm… Sky Form… Subaru… Electra Blade…”
When the Blade shone white, it burned through the black Kanabo.
“Whaaa!?”
A buzzing sound.
“What!?”
“What the!”
No way. That, that’s… a Laser Blade!?
“A, a sword of light!”
Bid said after finishing off the last one.
Yeah, there it is, a space-age weapon!
The boss staggered back in great dismay, but it was already over.
“…Seibai…”
Liv-san burned and beheaded him. Something’s not right about that.
“Terrifying…”
“…”
I didn’t have a turn.
Thus, the Clan ‘Dragon Fang Row’ was annihilated.
It was really anticlimactic.
There were no survivors. Bid finished them off thoroughly.
Saying that it’s merciless and unforgiving is different in this world.
You can’t do it on the street, but in places like this, killing is commonplace.
Also, the guys were underestimating the two of them because they were women.
Especially since they had a target, they were trying to capture them rather than kill them.
They probably thought that skill didn’t matter.
If you could even imagine what they would do to the captured women, then the massacre is unavoidable.
Bid grumbled.
“It was kind of anticlimactic, huh?”
“Hmm… Bid… got super strong… especially [Swiftfoot] is… dangerous.”
“Really? If that’s the case, it’s all thanks to Wof-kun!”
She smiled at me and made a peace sign. I was embarrassed by the full smile of an energetic beautiful girl.
“Guh, I’m so jealous!”
I wish she wouldn’t be frustrated on top of my head.
It was a strangely peaceful atmosphere despite the grim situation.
“Well, next is inside the building, huh?”
“Hmm… documents… confiscate…”
“If there are any treasures, that would be nice too.”
“Are you going to steal them?”
“Heh… acquire…”
Well, whatever, but it doesn’t look like there’s much.
Should I use the Relic [Wheel of Fortune] just in case?
That’s when it happened.
“Oh, this one did pretty well.”
“It’s quite unsightly.”
We turned around.
There was a Maid. Yes, a Maid.
Neat, short, golden hair.
Slit eyes with sharp, piercing blue pupils. A dignified and beautiful face.
She wore a white and black Maid outfit without a single wrinkle.
She was tall, and even from the loose-fitting Maid outfit, the bulge of her chest was clearly visible.
Even if you couldn’t see it, you could tell that she had the most attractive body a woman could have.
Her chilling beauty and presence were like a meticulously crafted doll.
But in this place full of corpses, she was too out of place and clearly stood out.
And next to her… there was a drunken man. Yes, a drunkard.
Moreover, he had a hunched back and messy hair. An unshaven old man.
He had a silver flask in his hand. He had an atmosphere that seemed like he had given up on everything.
His clothes were very ordinary, a shirt and pants. Round beast ears and a unique Tail like a squirrel.
He was nearly 190 cm tall. Standing next to the Maid, it felt like the bright and dark sides of life.
This person, this man—I know him.
“Oh, a wonderful cool beauty, and a Maid. Yes. Perfect.”
Hayyarn, with her unknown perspective, praised on top of my head.
I wish this Hayyarn would get off.
“Hmm… who… seems… super strong.”
“…H-He’s not just anyone.”
I feel that too. This cool Maid.
She’s much stronger than the boss Liv-san fought just now.
And why is that guy next to her?
“Reold-san.”
“Yo. I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this.”
He smiled wryly.
Seeker Reold from Koon Hunt.