episode_0175

When the door of the dim auto shop opened, a beam of light pierced through the dust-filled air.

As the yellow sunlight gently penetrated and expanded the realm of darkness, several pickup trucks lined up and drove inside.

A moment later, a clicking sound was heard, and bright white lights filled the auto shop.

“Alright. Stop… here!”

As Osprey gestured and guided them, the cars stopped one by one in their designated spots.

Violet stepped out of the truck, its engine now off. Heavy air and the smell of oil greeted her.

Following her, men in work uniforms walked in a line into the auto shop.

“I don’t know how many months it’s been since we returned to our main work. I trust you all haven’t forgotten the instructions?”

Osprey asked the men who had entered the auto shop, and Marco, holding a welding torch, replied with a somewhat bitter smile.

“Of course, how could we forget? It’s not just anything, it’s building armored vehicles. That’s why all of us are gathered here, isn’t it?”

While Osprey exchanged a few words with the technician members, Violet looked around the auto shop.

Violet’s eyes, as she looked at the vehicles, were filled with anticipation. The used pickup trucks lined up before her bore traces of dust and time, but soon they would be transformed anew.

Violet was excited at the thought that those trucks would be armed and spew bullets.

“So, what kind of weapons should we mount?”

Osprey, having finished his questions, approached and asked. He was limping slightly. Violet thought, *Is it because he hasn’t fully recovered yet?*

He was wearing a dark blue work uniform stained with grease, and a wrench was in his hand.

Seeing him, Violet recalled Kalia’s previous explanation. Hadn’t she said he retired from monster hunting due to an injury and then started working at an auto shop?

“These! You see what’s loaded on the trucks, right? Please attach them all to the ordered vehicles.”

Saying so, Violet pulled back the tarp covering the truck beds.

Osprey and the members laughed incredulously.

In each truck bed, heavy weapons, clearly exuding a menacing aura, were piled up.

“…I’ve mounted machine guns a few times, but it’s my first time mounting something like this on a truck.”

“Good heavens, young lady. Are you off to war?”

“Monster hunting is war too! Misters, you can do it, right? Our team will help you too!”

Violet pointed to her team members lined up behind her—Violet’s group, wearing masks and work uniforms.

The sight of them awkwardly holding welding torches and tools they’d procured from who knows where was truly adorable. Marco let out a chuckle.

“Nah, it’s fine. You’re too clumsy, you’d just get in the way. This isn’t something beginners can help with. It’s not a time-consuming, complex modification either; in the end, it’s just adding a few sturdy parts to the truck bed.”

“Then I won’t touch anything, I’ll just assist from the side. I want to learn the techniques. I want to learn even by just watching! I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

The members looked at each other for a moment, hesitating. Soon, Osprey nodded and said,

“Alright, let’s do that. You asked for this work, and you’re paying for everything. The one who pays is king, after all! So feel free to ask any questions whenever you like.”

The auto shop became busy with the noise of technicians working around the trucks.

Osprey and his team weighed the equipment placed on the trucks, cut pipes, and welded parts.

The modification work varied depending on the type of weapon and the vehicle’s purpose, ranging from simply attaching weapon mounts to additionally reinforcing armor plates and the floor.

“I’m telling you beforehand, it might slow down a bit.”

“That’s fine. They’re disposable anyway! And I heard this model runs well even when overloaded.”

“Honestly, where did you pick that up…”

Violet watched the work being done from a corner of the auto shop.

She felt a quiet wonder watching Osprey and the members work.

She had just thought they were rough-looking neighborhood men, but they all handled machines skillfully and were experts with the technique to build things.

As the work progressed, thick metal mounts piled up in various places, and the pickup trucks gradually transformed into more specialized vehicles.

Violet and her team moved between the technicians and the vehicles, carrying supplies and cleaning. They couldn’t stand still. These were, after all, items for Violet herself.

“It’s complete.”

The first armed truck was finished. It was a truck equipped with a multi-barreled machine gun.

Violet climbed into the truck bed and moved the machine gun around, up, down, left, and right.

She also focused her mana into her body and pulled the mount around with force.

“This should hold up well, don’t you think?”

“We don’t know about that. We aren’t weapon experts. There’s a chance the recoil might be stronger than expected. Try a few test shots first, and if it feels insufficient, let us know anytime.”

Violet and her team discussed among themselves.

「It’s a good thing we didn’t mount mortars and field guns! The truck would have been destroyed.」

Watching the vehicles being built one by one, Violet felt excited.

Violet had gained formidable firepower. With these pickup trucks armed with heavy weapons, she could even fight the enemy’s armored vehicles or reinforced units.

While the work in the auto shop progressed smoothly, Osprey motioned for Violet to follow him.

His expression was somewhat shadowed. Violet followed him out of the auto shop.

Feeling grateful, she expressed her thanks.

“Mister Osprey! Thank you. Thanks to you, it seems like it will be a great help for dungeon exploration.”

“Your thanks are appreciated, but it’ll be enough to face a giant clan, won’t it?”

“Yes. That’s…”

Violet’s brightly smiling face wavered slightly.

「Huh? Did Kalia tell him about our business? I asked her to say it was for monster hunting…」

「Could my lie have been exposed?」

Violet couldn’t figure out how the secret had leaked.

Osprey didn’t miss the opportunity and posed a question to Violet.

“Common sense dictates that deploying such firepower for dungeon exploration is excessive. Using heavy weapons excessively destroys the monster’s body, lowering its market value. You’re a monster hunter yourself, so you know this, right?”

“Besides, you asked us to mount heavy weapons on vehicles, right? Hunting grounds that require such mobility and firepower are rare. The level of armament is also excessive; some weapons are simply too difficult for a single monster hunter to handle. Is there anything strange about what I’m saying?”

“Oh, we were planning to hunt high-ranking monsters! And we were also planning to explore an erosion zone later…”

“An erosion zone is nowhere near comparable to a dungeon. You plan to break through such a place with those flimsy armed vehicles? Stop it. I was a monster hunter once too. Answer me honestly. Are you planning to deal with people?”

“Ah… hmm…”

As Violet rolled her eyes and mumbled her words, the former monster hunter and current mechanic continued his questioning.

“I heard from Kalia and Marco how you saved me. An organization of Awakened individuals capable of dealing with a criminal syndicate, even one including Awakened, in a short period—something the police couldn’t handle—can only be preparing to confront other humans with such preparations. And that would be large corporations or giant clans… Don’t tell me it’s one of the Four Great Clans? Restraid? Luminexa? Oh. I was just probing, but I guess I was right. Judging by your expression.”

“Hehehe…”

Violet laughed with a blank expression, like a deflating balloon. While she pondered how to explain herself to her friend’s family, who had uncovered her secret, Osprey shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of stopping you or reporting you. And I certainly won’t betray someone who saved my family. Besides, I know this much: given your strength and level of ability, I wouldn’t actually be able to hinder you anyway. I just… have one question.”

“What is it? Any question is fine. I’ll answer honestly!”

As Violet sighed in relief and replied, Osprey cautiously spoke, his expression shadowed.

“I’ve seen you with people who look like your friends, going back and forth. I don’t know exactly what you do, but are those students planning to participate in this work as well? And our Kalia too?”

“Uh… I haven’t asked them yet. I have no intention of forcing them.”

“I see. Then, could you sit down for a moment and listen to this old man’s story?”

Violet sat outside the auto shop as she was told. In front of the parking lot, large construction vehicles were parked.

Mister Osprey took a moment to catch his breath, then slowly began to spin an old tale.

“It might be hard to imagine now, but this neighborhood we live in used to be much more peaceful and relaxed than it is today.”

He explained that this place was originally home to a small industrial complex built around the time the Rustroom development began. Small factories producing equipment and simple consumables for monster hunters, businesses, and auto shops, as well as small and medium-sized construction companies, were said to be located there.

“This auto shop wasn’t originally mine, either. It was managed by Kalia’s father.”

「I see, that’s why there were so many factories.」

“However, we weren’t well-off. This area was developed in its early stages. Over time, it gradually declined. Even when I was young, the development had already been finished for several decades.”

“Factories and businesses relocated to better areas, and more people gradually moved out. Still, for a while, it wasn’t bad. There were still people remaining, and it was convenient for commuting to other places. But then a problem arose.”

“What problem?”

“Redevelopment.”

One day, a redevelopment plan was announced for this neighborhood, where the Brotherhood resided.

It was a project directly initiated by the Academy City. Compensation was generously allocated, and there were even rumors that a large clan’s base or office would expand into this area.

“From then on, everything changed. Suddenly, the redevelopment project’s main developer switched from the originally planned company to another.”

Violet turned on her computer and searched for information.

「Oh, it’s true. Redbelly National Service…」

The Redbelly Clan, involved in the redevelopment project, employed very aggressive methods. The redevelopment compensation was drastically reduced to a tenth of the initially planned amount.

When residents protested, the city authorities, colluding with the clan, resorted to forcibly evicting residents or confiscating their property.

“It was terrifying how they used the law. One day, they’d threaten to demolish a perfectly fine building, claiming we violated regulations, and another day, they’d accuse us of forgery, saying our business registration was slightly wrong. They slapped on any regulation they could, using ‘preventing regional dilapidation’ as an excuse. Even though there were no actual legal issues!”

“Couldn’t you ask for help?”

When Number 678 asked, Mister Osprey’s face crumpled like wet paper for a moment, then smoothed out again.

“We did. We informed the media, hired lawyers. We even protested. But we were painted as scammers who had barged in, looking for development profits. Even though most of the people in this neighborhood had been residents for decades. Nevertheless, we kept fighting.”

Unable to tolerate the clan’s tyranny, more and more people gathered and began to form a force. Osprey, a retired monster hunter, and Kalia’s parents took the lead in taking action.

「Whoa, Kalia’s parents are showing up here?」

As the situation became more complicated, the clan resorted to even more malicious tactics. Suddenly, gangs began to pour into the area.

“When the law and media reached a stalemate, the clan played a trick. Criminals suddenly entered our neighborhood and established themselves. Mister Max’s barbershop was burned down, and Miss Ayla’s restaurant was smashed. Vicious thugs ran rampant in the streets, but the Academy City and police didn’t even bat an eye.”

In response, the residents took up arms to protect themselves and formed a vigilante group. This was the beginning of the Brotherhood.

But the situation only worsened.

“When we beat back and drove out the gangs, the news portrayed this neighborhood as a place where criminals ran rampant. People grew increasingly exhausted. No one supported us.”

Then one day, Mister Osprey and the residents, who were protesting with picket signs in front of the clan’s headquarters, were attacked by a group of fixers.

“When I opened my eyes, my entire body was covered in blood. We barely managed to drive them off, but many people were injured. And… my younger sister, Kalia’s mother, was rushed to the hospital.”

When his family member fell into a vegetative state, a furious Mister Osprey and his brother-in-law, Kalia’s father, decided to seek revenge.

They decided to charge into the Redbelly Clan’s headquarters and give them a taste of their own medicine.

“It was a mad idea. How could a retired monster hunter and a single piece of heavy equipment stand against a clan…? But back then, I was too young and naive about the world.”

Just then, there was an abandoned excavator nearby that some company had left behind. The two, united in spirit, added steel plates and various materials to modify the excavator into a powerful siege weapon.

On the day of the decisive battle, the two drove the excavator and charged into the Redbelly headquarters building.

Their efforts dissolved into foam in less than 10 minutes.

Mister Osprey, battered by a barrage of bolts, was the first to fall, and the guard monster hunters rushed in to dismantle the excavator.

Before blade aura, steel and concrete armor were useless.

“I still remember it. The first thing I heard when I opened my eyes in the hospital room was the news of my brother-in-law’s death. A short while later, my younger sister also passed away. Kalia was three years old at the time.”

Mister Osprey continued, his voice filled with regret. He said all the responsibility lay with him.

When the story ended, I felt something strange and asked,

“But the Brotherhood is still here, and this neighborhood wasn’t redeveloped, was it?”

“That’s simple. The Redbelly Clan suddenly vanished just as they were on the verge of successful development.”

All this turmoil abruptly ended one day when one of the Four Great Clans absorbed the Redbelly Clan.

The clan’s leadership was recorded as ‘accidental deaths in a dungeon,’ and their headquarters physically and chemically disappeared.

The development plan was halted.

“Why did that happen?”

“I don’t know. Rumors circulate that their leadership had offended the sensibilities of one of the Four Great Clans, but the full story remains unknown. And Luminexa wasn’t interested in this area. The project simply ended there. Everything we had done until then ultimately turned out to be futile.”

As the sad social exposé story concluded with a sudden cosmic horror, I shrugged my shoulders.

“Mister, I’m sorry, but I’m going to ask you directly. I’m curious about your intention in telling this story.”

As I expressed my doubts, Mister Osprey replied with a serious expression.

“Although it might sound like the ramblings of a failure, I wanted to tell you one thing. First…”

Mister Osprey stood up and walked forward. There were the dump trucks and bulldozers I had ordered. Siege equipment.

“Although there’s no definite evidence, considering how you’ve helped us so far, I don’t think you’re a bad kid. And those bastards from the Four Great Clans are scoundrels. It’s just that it hasn’t been revealed yet. I don’t know what your circumstances are, but you probably have enough reason to fight them.”

He continued in a serious tone.

“If you plan to fight against a giant clan, I want to tell you: never confront them haphazardly. They are monsters. I’m not talking about their strength. I mean their cruelty.”

“Your opponents will aim for your weakest points and try to tear you apart. Every minute, every second you fight them, your reputation will hit rock bottom. You seem to have prepared far more thoroughly than I ever did. Still, never let your guard down. Understood?”

“Yes! I understand perfectly what you mean.”

Mister Osprey bowed his head deeply and sighed.

“To be honest, I had thought about stopping you.”

I stared at him with a bewildered expression.

“…I don’t want to see Kalia suffer like her mother and father did. And you and your friends are still young. Fighting against power is a truly dangerous thing. As a pathetic and selfish adult, I apologize for nagging you instead of being able to help.”

Mister Osprey turned his head with a tired expression.

“But if you insist on doing it, what right do I have to stop you? In that case, all I can do is pray for your success.”

After a moment of silence, he said that old men talk too much, so she shouldn’t pay too much attention.

As Mister Osprey went back into the auto shop, we fell into thought.

「Hmm, perhaps we’ve been too complacent.」

「Should we re-examine the preparation process? We might need to accelerate contacting the scholar.」

We thought. Kalia’s uncle’s words were more or less accurate. Perhaps we had been too overconfident.

「Complacency is bad. More thorough planning and training!」

As we were thinking this, a question arose in our minds.

This operation, do we need the team members? It might be better to hide them somewhere safe while the operation takes place.

「It might be better if we just do it ourselves. Let’s just give our friends the information.」

「Let’s figure out a route to get them off the island.」

Thinking this, Violet and her team picked up their phones. One was for the artifact trading company, another was for Director Leslie’s smuggling route, and the last was for Adela Unnie’s contact information.

「Alright. Then, shall we have a talk?」

If it’s the neighborhood where Adela Unnie’s family lives, wouldn’t it be quite safe? Of course, our friends’ opinions come first!