arc3 · 202-ch202

Chapter 202: The New Drone, Kyokkou

The hallmark of my Wind Bullet Machine Cannon is how hard it is to see. There may be no better attack in the world for a sneak strike. Perhaps that trait did the trick — I landed the hit without being noticed.

"Kiiiiii!"

I couldn't bring it down in one shot, but I had a real feel for having dealt it serious damage. However, the other Soul Eater and the Death Knight came lunging at Shiden. The wounded Soul Eater faded smoothly out of sight.

Using Mana Detection through Kyokkou, I hunted for where the Soul Eater would teleport. In the meantime, I didn't forget to serve the other Soul Eater and the Death Knight a helping of Magic Machine Cannon and Thunder Bullet Machine Cannon fire. And to catch the very instant the Soul Eater reappeared, I focused on Kyokkou's Light Bullet Sniper Cannon.

(Huh? Feels like my mana is draining at a crazy rate...)

The moment I focused on the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon, I got the sense my mana was dropping faster and faster. What's going on here? But before I could hunt down the cause, the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon's moment had apparently arrived.

"There!"

I sensed a spike of mana directly above Shiden and fired Kyokkou's Light Bullet Sniper Cannon — and...

Bash...! ZUGAAAAAAAN!

The moment the shot left, the Soul Eater was obliterated, and the wall dozens of meters farther on burst apart.

【You defeated the Soul Eater】

Um, what was that just now? Did I do that? The power and speed were absurd, but... huh? Isn't that bad? Dungeon walls can break!?

"What the heck was that? The Soul Eater just up and vanished!?"

"Hold on — did that drone that popped up out of nowhere just flash for a second there?"

"Um, excuse me. Could somebody please explain what just happened?..."

The viewers seemed to have no idea what had happened. As for me, my mana had plummeted, so I frantically chugged down a Mana Potion.

(Could this be one of those attacks that gains power by burning mana before you fire?)

Having landed on one possibility, I decided to give the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon another try to test my theory.

On the screen, the Death Knight was swinging its greatsword as it bore down on Shiden. Meanwhile, the Soul Eater had apparently vanished for another short-range teleport. Alright — the next time the Soul Eater showed itself, I'd fire the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon again.

I downed another Mana Potion, deployed the Mana Detection Radar, and braced for the Soul Eater's reappearance. In the meantime, Shiden and Hayate kept the Death Knight busy.

The Death Knight is a warrior of darkness. It swings its jet-black greatsword with ease and fights without fatigue or pain. Its skill wouldn't shame a high-rank explorer — though it falls short of the Terror's Symbol.

Shiden's attack power is high, and its mobility runs a bit lower for it. Hayate's mobility, on the other hand, is excellent. So I fired the Magic Machine Cannon into the Death Knight closing in on Shiden to pull its attention. It dealt almost no damage, but I succeeded in drawing its aggro onto Hayate.

Hayate danced lightly out of the path of the Death Knight's attacks. Thanks to my level-up, my reaction speed had climbed too, and I could now keep pace with the Death Knight's movements. Then I sensed another spike of mana — so this time, I consciously aimed to burn around 1,000 MP. The first shot had probably eaten 5,000 or more, after all.

Bash!

A single shot from the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon pierced through the Soul Eater that had appeared behind Shiden. Just as I'd predicted, the shot was weaker than the last — it hadn't quite finished the thing off. But it had clearly taken serious damage, and a burst from the Thunder Bullet Machine Cannon fired straight after was enough to put the Soul Eater down for good.

【You defeated the Soul Eater】

Good, good — the Light Bullet Sniper Cannon's testing was done, and all that remained was the Death Knight. From behind the Death Knight, too absorbed in chasing Hayate, I served up a concentrated barrage of Thunder Bullet Machine Cannon and Wind Bullet Machine Cannon fire.

BZZT-BZZT-BZZT! Doshu-doshu-doshu!

The Death Knight, engrossed in its pursuit of Hayate, took the barrage head-on and crumpled to the ground. Apparently the power of the Attack Units had gone up too.

【You defeated the Death Knight】

【You have leveled up】

【You obtained 30 Skill Points】

Whoa — soloing three S-rank monsters leveled me up once. That's a welcome gift. I got Skill Points too, so I'll need another consult with President Yamamoto about units.

"Hold it right there! What's going on here!? You weren't just stirring things up — you went and knocked 'em all off yourself!?"

While I was busy celebrating the level-up, Nishikyo-san and the others came rushing over. Judging by the looks of them, everyone was a little worked up. Did I maybe screw up a little here?

"SS-san, that just now — what in the world..."

"Way too strong."

"SS-san, that was wonderful."

Shinonome-san and Kitora-san both seemed a bit taken aback by the result. Kannami-san, for her part, might have been a touch confused.

"I had a feeling it might come to this, but to think you'd really wipe 'em all out solo! So — you gonna give me the rundown on that drone of yours? Or is this one of those better-not-ask situations?"

Sieg, arriving last, didn't look all that surprised. World's number-one doesn't budge at this much, I guess.

"Um, I'm streaming right now, so let's hold the explanation until after this is over..."

"No way!? Aw c'mon, I wanna know too, y'know!?"

"Eh!? You won't tell us!? If I don't hear this, I won't be getting any sleep tonight!?"

"Come on, Sieg-san, keep pressing him!"

The viewers seemed dying of curiosity too, but this one thing I simply couldn't hand over so easily. Besides, I don't even understand it well enough to explain it yet myself.

"Well, fair enough. Nobody goes around blabbing about their own skills. Either way, added firepower is a good thing. And this — this really might, just might, be something big."

At Sieg's words, the Kokushi Musou members — who'd been standing there a bit dumbstruck — caught their breath all at once. That's right — just as Sieg had said before this battle, no party has ever made it past floor thirty-five. If we could bring down the Gatekeeper just like this, we might reach floor thirty-six, a world first.

That would be one step closer to the complete conquest of a dungeon — an achievement no one had ever made. No exaggeration to call it an explorer's greatest goal. With a chance like that laid out right in front of you, of course you'd pounce on it.

And so, taking over from a Sieg grown cautious, Hayate took point and led the way onward.