Chapter 25 – A False Lead

Having sized uр thе situation, thе leadеr аррrоаched thе two while сutting thrоugh the аir with his shоuldеrs.

Оn оur side wеre siхteen Нuntеrs аvеraging D-Rank—thrеe lоokouts had bееn knocked out, sо thirtеen could still fight.

Against thеm stоod only two oррonents. Аnd theу wеrе Вeginners at that.

—Тhe pоwеr оf life and dеаth wаs in our hands.

“Нey, уou piecе оf shit. You’ve gоt sоme nеrve messing with Нound Dog’s Tеrritorу.”

“……”

“Dаmn it, you even hunted thе Bоss!”

Тhе leаder cursеd аs hе saw the lаrge Маgiс Stоnе lying аt thе mаn’s feеt.

It sеemed he had already completed the Boss Subjugation.

(What the hell. We were planning to take down the Boss ourselves from here…)

The leader gritted his teeth so hard they nearly bled.

At the very least, he had to extort the money equivalent to the Boss Subjugation reward, or the Guild Executives would kill him.

As the leader entrusted with heading this Dungeon Subjugation team, he trembled at the thought of “purge.”

“How should we make you pay?”

“Hey, Leader. That woman over there is a real top-notch piece!”

“…That’s good.”

If he offered the woman as a gift to the Executives, the damage on their side could be mitigated to some extent.

“Hey, you. Leave the woman there. Do that, and we’ll only beat you half to death.”

Of course, there was no way they’d stop at half to death.

They’d beat him until they got bored, and once bored, they’d kill him inside the Dungeon and turn him into a Magic Stone.

It was a two-for-one deal: an extra Magic Stone as a reward, and a way to silence any witnesses.

However, the leader’s words seemed to have completely failed to reach the man’s ears.

He picked up the Magic Stone at his feet, put it in his pocket, and took the woman’s hand.

“Hey, you! Are you listening!?”

“We’ll kill you, bastard!!”

“Don’t you ignore us!!”

His companions raised angry voices in unison.

But even to that, the man showed no reaction at all.

“Let’s go.”

With just those quiet words, he guided the woman away.

“…I’ll kill you.”

This was the first time he had ever been disrespected to this extent.

If things continued like this, not only he but Hound Dog itself would be looked down upon.

In this world, once you’re looked down upon, it’s over.

Your foundation crumbles all at once.

The leader drew his sword, ready to cut the man down at any moment.

But,

“Stop it.”

“「「——!?」」”

With those words, the scene froze over.

The man hadn’t raised his voice or uttered any strong words.

Yet, just from being told “stop it,” their bodies went numb and refused to move.

(Damn, what is this? Don’t tell me, Magic!?)

Among the weakening Magic (Debuff) spells, there were those that restrained movement.

Could he have used one of those?

That thought was immediately shattered.

“Right now, I’m in the mood to kill anyone.”

“——!!”

The man had eyes unlike any the leader had ever seen.

They were more terrifying than Hound Dog’s Guild Master or the Executives.

Those were the eyes of someone who had killed people.

And not just one or two. Easily over ten or twenty.

This man was not someone who could be intimidated by threats or bluffs of force.

—He was the real deal (killer).

(I’ll die. …I’ll be killed!!)

His legs trembled uncontrollably.

But even that trembling—if it was seen as movement, wouldn’t he be killed?

Terrified, he desperately tried to suppress the trembling with sheer force.

Paralyzed by the pressure, the leader could only silently watch as the man and woman passed by.

○

“Right now, you should stay with your mother.”

After exiting the Dungeon and returning above ground, Asuto escorted Kanzaki to the hospital where her mother was.

Furthermore, he asked a nearby nurse to keep an eye on her condition.

If he didn’t, there was no telling what reckless actions she might take.

The reason he escorted her to the hospital was that if they parted ways there, he couldn’t predict what she might do.

To that extent, Kanzaki was backed into a corner.

It was only natural.

Her mother had been severely injured in an Outbreak and was on the verge of death. In her rush to save her, she had believed the Angel’s words and ended up wasting precious time meaninglessly.

She must have been deeply hurt by the Angel’s betrayal and was likely regretting her own ignorance.

He couldn’t just leave her like that.

“So, are you going home today?”

“…Yeah.”

“Finally, huh? I’m already exhausted.”

“……”

“Hey, say something. Like, ‘Aren’t Angels supposed to not get tired?’ or something.”

“……”

“Tch, you’re no fun.”

Ignoring Amy’s pestering, Asuto headed toward a cheap coin locker.

He retrieved his personal belongings stored there and entered a familiar Internet Cafe.

“You, you usually stay and sleep in a place like this?”

“Yeah.”

“Where’s your home?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Huh? No way, you’re joking, right?”

“I wish I were joking.”

“…Seriously?”

He paid for the night plan and took a shower in the provided facility.

Returning to his booth, he set a timer.

He reclined the chair’s backrest as far as it would go, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

It was considerably earlier than his usual bedtime, but perhaps due to accumulated fatigue, Asuto easily lost consciousness.

Five hours later, Asuto woke to the sound of the timer.

Checking the clock, it was 2 a.m. The dead of night.

He immediately stood up from the chair, prepared his things, and left the Internet Cafe.

“Hey, that’s awfully early. You always like this?”

“Nah.”

“Then what’s up?”

“Hey, Amy. If I told you I have a ‘Skill that lets me know where the next Gate will appear,’ would you believe me?”

(Having killed over ten or twenty people) = Asuto’s death count.

So, in a sense, the leader’s intuition was correct.

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