Chapter 101

Although they were slow to react, they weren’t too slow to recognize the situation.
Chuck!
All four muzzles pointed at Kim in unison. The two men who hadn’t yet regained their footing also fell to the ground and pointed their guns at him.
His aim is never off. He doesn’t hesitate to look his enemies in the eye, even in a small room. It’s easy to see that he’s not just a common thug.
“In the old days, I’d have gotten it right.
Despite the nerve-wracking moments, Kim remained calm.
He was moving before the muzzle was even pointed at him.
The left side of the couch. I dived into the corner of the room, cutting off as many exposed angles as possible. I spun around, holding the shotgun in my right hand and forming a shield with my left.
Poof, boom!
I squeezed the trigger, and a heavy recoil shot up my hand.
“It’s light.
It’s definitely easier to withstand impacts than before. I’m confident that I can stay in the same position for an hour and not lose my grip. Of course, that’s rarely the case.
This was a change since I became a 4 star.
Improvement of physical performance. And,
“Son of a bitch!”
There was a man running straight at me. The hand holding the knife is pressed against his armpit, as if ready to stab. His other hand is empty, as if he’s trying to grab your shield.
‘A while ago, I would have run him over.’
Now he didn’t have to. The moment the man’s hand touched the shield, Kim flipped a switch on the grip.
Digging!
“Fuck off……!”
Intense sparks erupted from the front of the shield. The direction of the current was perfectly controlled. The back and grip were not electrified in the slightest.
‘It’s good. A little heavy, though.’
4-star Specialized Armor [Static Tower].
The basic specs aren’t great. It’s only slightly better than your old favorite, the FE-7 Suppression Shield. Instead, it has a special ability that shocks the opponent it blocks for 1 second.
I wouldn’t say it’s a cheating piece of equipment. You can only use it 5 times during a battle. It also requires a cooldown, so you can’t use it consecutively.
“In games, it was used to see enemy motion and interrupt attacks.
This item is used to counter enemies that hit hard but have slow attack speeds. It doesn’t work against enemies that attack from a distance, so you’ll rarely see it used.
In the real world, however, the possibilities were endless. Spells and equipment in the ailment class were more valuable in the real world than in the game.
Bam!
The shotgun blast hit my eardrums.
The young man who’d been aiming for Kim’s flank flipped backward, panting like he was acting. Droplets of blood spattered like grains of sand. The pungent odor of Chapter mingled with the smell of blood.
Semi-automatic shotgun with 12 gauge [Beneric M2].
His strength was already beyond the average person’s level, so he could withstand the recoil with one hand. He didn’t even need to aim with precision.
“Everybody down! We’re under attack!”
“Raiding is freezing, and they drag you back.”
The other three.
Stops recklessly attacking and creates distance. Clearly waiting for backup. You don’t know how many people are upstairs, but you’re not doing yourself any favors by stalling.
Kim gently put the shotgun down and crafted a smoke bomb. She pulled the pin out with her teeth and removed the clip with a flick of her thumb.
He flicked the tin can, and the smoke rose sharply. The faces of his enemies were grim.
“Where the hell did this come from…!”
“Up!”
You think it’s too much to bear, so you start running up the stairs in a panic. Despite his panic, he was close to the right answer.
But he didn’t feel like waiting for a pat on the back. Kim picked up his shotgun again, keeping his shield in front of him in case of attack.
Bang, bang!
He fired as many rounds as he could into the thickening smoke. The barrel of his rifle burned hot as he continued to fire. He didn’t miss any of the other sounds through the thunderous gunfire.
“Boom!”
A bullet-riddled groan. A silhouette of a falling figure.
And then you hear two footsteps hurrying upstairs. The numbers are right. Now you’re the only one left on the first floor.
“Hmm.”
Kim glanced at the doorway. He paused for a moment in thought. The blade that had been taken from him when he was captured lay discarded on the floor.
In fact, it doesn’t matter if you pack it up and leave.
We’ve taken care of the boss early on. I’m sure there are a lot of issues within your organization that need to be addressed. I don’t think I’m in a position to go after him with my lights on right now…….
The thought remained a thought.
“Because it has a salty aftertaste.”
I turned my head and looked near the stairs. A cramped passageway. Eerily quiet, as if the gunfire had been a lie. No sign of anyone coming down.
I had a pretty good idea of what was going on without checking.
‘Should I use a flashbang to break through or…….’
Let’s go a little further.
Kim rummaged through the bodies. One, then two. The item she was looking for was found in the arms of the man she’d shot first, and the money was in his pocket.
Next, I grabbed the liquor bottles on the couch. I couldn’t be bothered to unscrew the lids on each one, so I threw them at random and broke them. The contents spilled out.
I thought that would be enough.
I smelled them and realized they were all poisonous.
You hear a commotion, and shouts come from above. But still no one came down. Kim tore his gaze away from the stairs and walked to the doorway.
Chick, chick.
Rolled the yellowed ZippoLighter’s flint.
The wick hasn’t caught fire. It’s hard to tell if they’ve been pampered, or if they’re just a prized possession.
“Uh-oh, that’s it.”
It eventually stuck, so there was no problem.
Poof.
I tossed the lighter and walked out the front door.
Murder and arson. Heinous crimes that would never be tolerated in a country with a rule of law. But in Banjar, it’s a different story.
In a society where grace is paid for with bullets, mercy is poison.
“I’m glad you came alone.”
If anyone in the lab had seen it, they would have been glowing.
* * *
Timorta, the border city of Banjar.
Even though it’s located on the outskirts of the country, it’s an area with a lot of influx from outside. It is also a city where cultures from all over the continent coexist.
Among them, Achyatra, a restaurant serving food from the western provinces, was a regular favorite of Ekidna’s. On this day, Ekidna was enjoying a leisurely meal.
“Not bad. Not great, either.”
There are no other guests. There is food left on the table, but the only people you see are Ekidna and her attendants.
It’s because she kicked them all out.
It didn’t last more than a day or two, but the owner couldn’t help but smile.
“What didn’t you like about…?”
“It’s not you, it’s the ingredients. Vaguely similar tasting vegetables, meat of uncertain origin, wine with tampered with contents…. can’t possibly taste right.”
You can’t perfectly recreate another country’s cuisine. It’s not a matter of localization, it’s a matter of ingredients. In an age of plagues, monsters, and bandits, it’s not easy to transport food overland.
Merchants with a conscience don’t come to Banzar in the first place. It is impossible for those who sell their lives for a living to have their heads screwed on straight.
“I’m just getting in the mood. Just do this.”
That’s a pass.
The owner breathed a sigh of relief. Each time, Ekidna’s payment was barely enough to pay for the charter, but it wasn’t about money.
Here, values were more precious than money.
As long as Ekidna doesn’t break stride, Archyatra is safe.
There’s no mafia from out of nowhere demanding a seat tax. Even radio silence is rare. Her reaction was one of amusement.
And then it happened.
Bam.
The bell on the door rattled.
The man cautiously entered the shop and whispered Moorish to Ekidna. She stopped gripping her fork and raised one eyebrow.
“Maulik? To whom?”
When we hear that someone has died, the natural question is who did it. It basically assumes a death.
It’s hard to find anyone in Timor-Leste who doesn’t have blood on their hands. Even seemingly nice shopkeepers have a history of beating their neighbors to a pulp.
“We don’t know the identity yet.”
“Aha, bragging?”
“I’m reaching out to my contacts, but all they can tell me is that they’ve never seen it….”
“They must have gone deaf in their old age.”
She swept her neatly grown blond hair to the side of her face. Resting her chin on the back of her hand in an elegant gesture, Ekidna shook her head.
“Who was the oldest?”
“This is Kareem Harvey. He’s been with us for 18 months.”
“And then.”
“Alex Padilla, 17 months.”
Lightly fluff, then prick the steaks all over with a fork.
“Drop Kareem off at Alex’s door. Make sure he looks good.”
“Yes. I’ll take care of it myself, I’m sorry.”
“Okay, go.”
Suha bowed deeply and stepped back.
He was about to leave the room.
“Oh, right. I didn’t ask for this.”
“Yes?”
“How did you die?”
Maulik. He was a nice enough guy.
He didn’t try to expand his power, he was content to do small things. I had a clear understanding of my topic.
Behind the scenes, he’s been making quiet connections, but at least he hasn’t crossed the line yet. A gruff-looking man with a straight face and a straight demeanor is dead.
I was a little curious.
“The base has been burned to the ground.”
“Huh? Burning?”
“We’ve got a couple people who saw them dragging an outsider back to the base, and now that it’s blown up, we’re pretty sure it’s the outsider. There’s also a member of the organization who escaped alive, so we’re trying to track him down as well.”
“Ah, ah, ah, I see what you mean.”
Ekidna giggled.
“You’ve been played by the goods, asshole.”
“Has this piqued your interest?”
“A little bit.”
Banzar is a land of primal stimuli. But any stimulus can never be as intense as the first time it is repeated. Eventually, it becomes adaptive.
She liked everything new, except for food.
“I want to see it. Bring it in front of me.”
“We’ll find out today.”
“Yep. I’ll leave you to figure out how…….”
Bam!
Once again, the sound of the bell echoed through the store.
A sharp glare shoots toward the door. The newcomer strode in, unspoken threatened but confident.
“…….”
Ekidna’s eyes narrowed. Her euphoric mood plummeted to negative.
The mood quickly turns cold.
Nervousness quickly turned to panic.
“Can I join you?”
The uninvited guest sat down across from him without answering. The shopkeeper and his gang stared at the man with narrowed eyes. Ekidna’s smile faded.
Yikes.
The man then untied the cloth covering his face, revealing his signature black hair and eyes. The gang member’s mouth slowly opened as he reached for his gun.
“You, no way.”
“What, do you know me? I haven’t even been here half a day.”
I was like, “Wow, that’s amazing,” and I was purely in awe.
It’s the only way to survive in this lawless land.
“Well, let’s get this out of the way, I hear you guys are quite the hotties here.”
He glanced at Ekidna, who looked sullen.
“Hire me, I’ll be worth it.”