Chapter 114: Prospective Underclassman and Sense of Crisis

Rohan reached into the shimmering space.

He was unable to grasp anything. Only a pulsating, throbbing sensation, reminiscent of a heartbeat, could be felt.

A voice permeated his Consciousness.

The throbbing stopped. A concentrated power surged through his hand.

Following his instincts, Rohan emptied both hands.

He sheathed his long sword, its blade nicked from cutting through tough materials.

He placed the handgun he borrowed from Shion on the ground.

Then, the energy that transcended space took form.

First, in his right hand, a long sword with a cross guard and pommel.

The perfect weight.

It fit his hand perfectly, as if custom-made for him.

The long sword, imbued with the Blazing Blade, held a different kind of heat compared to any blade he’d used before.

It felt like the blade loved and embraced the flames.

And in his left hand, an automatic pistol.

A simple, gleaming silver form. The size was also a perfect fit, comfortable in his hand.

A full magazine.

Stacking? Growth…? I’ve never seen a weapon with these options.

In Abyss City, you had to pull the same weapon six times and stack it to level 5 to max out a weapon.

But what about these weapons?

He couldn’t tell because the attack power and additional effects weren’t written in clear numerical values, and growth through experience, not stacking, was described.

Click!

Feeling a pang of regret at his full hands, Rohan held the handgun in his mouth and racked the slide.

Ah, I don’t get it. Too complicated.

He didn’t have time to ponder over this now.

Though one thing was for sure. These were the perfect weapons for him.

That was enough.

“Oh, Oppa?”

“Rohan… what are…?”

Surprised eyes stared at the weapons that suddenly appeared.

Still, they would probably understand somehow.

There were rare weapons like Noa’s unique weapon, Fimbulvetr, that existed in a compressed form.

“I’ll explain later. Let’s finish this quickly.”

He focused his mana on the handgun named Brand.

Mana flowed into the bullets, instantly loading the skill.

Rohan pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The target was a bulky scorpion. The bullet lodged itself in the thick exoskeleton.

─ Screech!!!

The monster’s cry filled with pain.

He could already confirm the effect.

The common denominator for Rohan’s party was Physical Attribute.

As Rohan, who fired the bullet, dashed forward, Shion and Clara followed.

Click!

He reloaded the skill while running.

A shot at the head of the boss huge beetle, which had its head stuck in the store shutter.

─ Chirp! Chirp!

The creature, which had been single-mindedly rubbing against the hard shutter, raised its head.

The boss monsters* hit by bullets turned towards Rohan.

“I’ll take the right! You two take the left!”

He asked Shion and Clara and tightened his grip.

He swung the sword in his right hand.

───Slash! The giant scorpion was cut in half, not vertically, but horizontally.

The hard pincers and shell-like armor were sliced cleanly, and the monster split open top and bottom like bread waiting for a patty.

Simultaneously, a signal that the monster’s life had ended.

“!”

Rohan was surprised by the effortless feeling in his hand.

Even with the weakness induced, it should have taken considerable force to cut through these creatures.

It was as easy as slicing through a crisp sheet of paper.

This blade, named Radiance, was definitely a masterpiece.

“You cut it in half with one hand? Impressive skill.”

“As expected of Oppa…!”

The girls, who had returned after dealing with the large beetle, were genuinely surprised to see the cross-section of the scorpion Rohan had sliced.

Leaving aside the skills Rohan possessed, the mark left by the slash was admirable.

“Is it mostly over? Good work, both of you.”

Rohan returned the handgun he had placed on the ground to Shion and assessed the situation.

There was no need to force open the shutter and rescue the civilians.

The boss mummy had been finished off by Ichinose and Noa.

The Peacekeepers were swiftly dealing with the remaining monsters, so the situation would stabilize soon. In fact, there were no monsters in sight.

Should I just report to the Instructor?

If multiple Rifts had appeared in Academy City, Juyeon would be extremely busy.

A single message that they were safe and unharmed.

That would be enough.

“Rohan.”

“Yeah?”

“So, what are those weapons?”

“I, I’m curious too…!”

How should he explain this?

They would likely understand no matter what, but he didn’t want to build lies in this relationship.

If he kept being vague, a time would come when it would be irreversible.

“Remember my skill that could get things like drinking Mineral Water? ”

The two girls recalled the time they were dragged into the Monolith.

Already seemingly convinced, they even let out a gasp of admiration, “Ah!”

“So it wasn’t just limited to food. Amazing power.”

“But weapons like this require a tremendous amount of resources. You can’t even compare it to Mineral Water or Food.”

“Oppa… then, the gun store…?”

“Even if I got a Handgun now, I’d still need a holster, so we should probably go, right? And I need to stock up on some bullets.”

Clara’s expression brightened upon hearing the plan.

It seemed she really wanted to go.

“For the sword, I’ll just cut up the leather sheath I already have and tie it up as a temporary measure.”

“That’s not a bad idea, but wouldn’t it be better to order a proper sheath today?”

“If we find a shop that’s open, we’ll do that. Though I’m just not sure if they’ll be open for business with things like this happening.”

“Oh, but wouldn’t weapon shops do more business on days like these…?”

“Actually, Clara, you have a point.”

It was time to say goodbye to the long sword with the remaining installments.

He’d been handling the sword roughly, and after cutting down a few beetles and scorpions without Weakness Induction, the blade was chipped and jagged.

Considering the repair costs, it was right to part ways here.

You’ve suffered under a clumsy owner.

The long sword, having been wielded roughly until today, achieved fame by being plunged into the boss monster.

Rohan bid farewell to the weapon.

Meanwhile, Shion and Clara looked up.

Their gazes were distant.

“I hope we can just pick up the things we bought.”

“Ah…”

The fact that their purchased underwear and pajamas packages were still in the store…

The girls remembered.

As things settled down at the shopping mall, Rohan’s party cooperated with the Peacekeepers’ investigation.

Ichinose and Noa joined them after finishing their conversation with other Peacekeepers.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Whoa! Using my body made me hungry!”

Both of them were clearly unharmed.

Noa seemed strangely excited, slightly intoxicated by the fervor of battle. It was typical of her combative Beastkin bloodline.

“We’re fine. We reported to the Instructor, too.”

“I-I’m… alright…”

Ichinose breathed a long sigh of relief.

As if she had expected it, Noa simply wagged her tail.

“What kind of disaster is this… I received reports that smaller Rifts have appeared all over the Three Kingdoms Union, not just in Academy City.”

“Tigrova too! But they suppressed it quickly! Other countries are similar, apparently.”

“The signs are ominous.”

Rohan adjusted the sheath strapped to his back and continued his thoughts.

This wasn’t a situation where they could be complacent about the miracle of there being no casualties inside the shopping mall.

Sudden Quests didn’t pop up like this.

Dimensional Rifts and Monoliths appearing suddenly were common in Abyss City.

However, there had never been a case where they appeared simultaneously and so indiscriminately.

That was game logic, and this is reality…

Is it related to the Main Story being broken?

Either way, he had a feeling things wouldn’t be easy going forward.

“Cadets, we have deactivated the emergency shutters, so you can retrieve your belongings now.”

“Ah! Thank you.”

The Peacekeeper, saying they were the ones who should be grateful, started moving busily with his radio in hand.

Rohan looked up at the incredibly high ceiling of the shopping mall.

“Let’s get our things and head out.”

As he was about to move, a hand grabbed his sleeve.

The way it was held conveyed it wasn’t Shion or Clara, so his head turned naturally.

“Hm?”

A young girl came into view.

She wasn’t wearing a uniform. Her casual attire made it hard to tell if she was an Academy Student or not.

Shion and Clara froze mid-step on their way to retrieve their belongings.

Even Ichinose held her breath, watching Rohan and the girl.

Only Noa blinked blankly, seemingly unconcerned.

“E-Excuse me!”

“Who are you?”

With her short hair, one might mistake her for a boy from behind.

But from the front, anyone could see she was a tomboyish girl.

“Thank you for saving me…!”

Her voice was loud and clear.

Thanks to it, Rohan remembered.

“Ah!”

While he was quickly taking down monsters and moving through the mall…

There was a girl fighting monsters and protecting people in front of a vending machine. The image of her using her fists and legs came back to him faintly.

“You fought well. You worked hard.”

“I will continue to strive…!”

Her speech was unique and interesting, her posture reminiscent of a martial arts dojo.

“A-And also…”

“And also?”

“I’ll be graduating high school next year… and my goal is to enter Orion Academy!”

The girl’s gaze towards Rohan was honest and straightforward.

Her eyes, filled with a clear goal, sparkled brightly.

“…I guess I’ll be your senior then. Work hard.”

“…Senior! I’ll work hard and definitely get in!”

At the same time, the girl, her hand trembling as if with a sudden case of nerves, took out her phone and held it out to Rohan.

“C-C-C-Can I… g-g-get your… A-Academy c-c-contact information…?”

“Are you asking for my number?”

Acting as if she had absolutely no experience with this, and with a bright red face, she slowly nodded.

Amused by this novel experience, Rohan smiled and entered his number.

The girl bowed deeply, her head almost touching the ground, and then ran away to a group of girls who seemed to be her friends.

Squeals and characteristically cheerful sounds erupted from the group.

““…””

The women, who had been watching the situation unfold from upstairs without moving, began to experience a mix of emotions.