Chapter 107

The drone crossed the hallway in a cloud of smoke.
The video is transmitted from the body-mounted camera to the display. The screen shakes violently, making me feel motion sick if I stare at it for too long.
“This is harder to operate than I thought.
The first time is always the hardest, and I’m glad the route was simple. After running down a straight corridor, I rounded a corner and made a hard curve.
“That’s it.
You’ve captured an armed mafia group.
Muzzles pointed at the floor in unison. Bullets rained down on the drone as it skidded across the carpet. He dodges the bullets and moves forward, but in an instant, the screen flips upside down.
Whether by luck or skill, it was destroyed faster than expected.
“I need to practice manipulation more.
But the results weren’t bad.
The drone was well worth the money.
Kim ran out of the room with [Ivory] tucked into her waistband. The smoke was ankle-deep in the path of the drone. The closer they got, the thicker the smoke became.
“…… Stop shooting! Stop shooting, stop!”
“Damn, where did I get this shit?”
I could feel it stirring around the corner. It wasn’t completely blocking my view yet, but it was enough.
A grenade appeared in Kim’s hand. He pulled the safety pin and tossed it low into the smoke.
Degurr.
The bomb rolled on the carpet, and no one heard it.
Kwaaang─!
The binge shook the hotel. It was a far cry from the clay bombs I’d used as a trick, or the non-lethal grenades I’d pulled out in the mock battle with West Creek.
“I can feel it.
So far, we’ve had three Agent rank increases, and this is the most significant change. I’ve noticed a significant increase in the variety of equipment I can craft.
“I’ll take that over any five-star.
I’m also glad I came to Banjaar. You can’t just go on a rampage like that in the lab. It was a sense of testing the limits of my current abilities.
“The problem is, there’s a lot of guys out there who can’t do that.
You don’t even have to go to the godmother. They’ll be cleared out at the Negrum Line. Camellia would have a better chance, but she’s too short to take on such a powerful foe.
“Over there! Come on!”
I heard a voice yelling behind me.
The corridor is shaped like a digger, and the mobsters emerge from the opposite corner. When they spot Kim, they hold him at gunpoint.
“I can’t believe how few people there were.
Apparently, both sides were trying to push it.
It’s a strategy that becomes pointless at a time when one side has already been devastated.
Kim ducked into a curve and took cover. Once she was sure there were no moving silhouettes, she moved through the bodies.
I looked back as I unplugged my [Ivory].
‘Once I get this organized…….’
And then, in a half-blown smoke screen.
There was a man lying on his stomach, gasping for air.
Bang, bang!
The muzzle of a gun spewed fire from nearby. Half a beat later, Kim threw himself down and rolled on the carpet. Her forearms and thighs ached from the bullet holes.
It’s not a serious wound. Compared to the other person.
“He’s got his head in the game.
His face is flushed with fever. His neck is bleeding from grenade shrapnel. If he had been dead, it would have been easy to miss.
Soon, a strange thing happened.
New flesh sprouted over the melted flesh from the Chapter.
“Is it a spell.
Details unknown. Predicted to be a self-healing family of abilities.
“When they get bored, they come out.
Kim swallowed hard. He was about to get his ass kicked. By a mobster who didn’t even appear as an extra, let alone a boss.
I can’t keep my guard up.
Click, click!
“And that’s when……!”
A look of despair crosses the face of a half-regenerated man. It’s malfunctioning. He scrambled to his feet and reached for the bottom of the magazine. He pulled the slide and the chamber ejected.
It was a smart move, but there was no reason to sit idly by.
“Boom!”
A series of [Ivory] rounds lodged in the man’s upper torso. His tattered body armor protected him, but his shoulder and right arm were unharmed.
The healing power didn’t dull the pain. The man dropped his gun. He didn’t bother to pick it up, but lunged at Kim, shielding his head with both arms.
Just before they collided, a shield stepped between them.
“What a spell…!
The Mafia and Veldes also recognized Kim’s abilities. Firearms and smoke bombs. The source of the various equipment has finally been revealed.
But it was a realization that came too late.
Digging!
Electricity radiated from the front of the [Static Tower]. Valdeth’s body shook like an electrocuted aspens. Foaming at the mouth, he collapsed helplessly.
“Too bad, I’m a good speller at best.”
Not what I would say.
Muttering, Kim lowered the muzzle of his gun.
Bam!
A single gunshot rang out. A man who had worked for the Ricardo family for more than five years, a man who had only recently begun to be recognized, died in vain.
“Do I have five shots left?
Kim sighed. He’d filled it up to the brim, but now he was worried about his ammo again. I thought one magazine would be enough, but how many rounds did I put into one person.
“Well, it’s a hundred times better than dying of thrift.”
Time dragged on, and before I knew it, I heard footsteps approaching. As I looked around, my eyes fell on room 411, right behind me. The door had been open for some time.
I noticed prying eyes this way.
His eyes fluttered as their gazes met. Just before the door closed, Kim’s foot slipped through the crack.
He smiled impressed.
“Excuse me.”
* * *
Tududududu!
Gunfire rang out from the sealed emergency exit. Raining shell casings littered the stairs. Confirming there were no enemies left, Lium cautiously climbed the stairs.
‘It’s certainly comfortable.
Despite the overwhelming headcount difference, we’re moving forward.
It was the superiority of their equipment. A soldier’s rifle, durable body armor. Your opponent, on the other hand, is nearly naked and firing a pistol.
“It’s going to be hard to arm the Hagia terminal.
Nuova Era has been aggressively acquiring weapons. Fearful of scrutiny from other organizations, they’ve used fake names and large sums of money. While others were focused on business profits, they were diligently preparing for war.
Of course, it wouldn’t be this easy if it were.
‘What the heck are you doing and how are you doing it…….’
The enemy has been sorely distracted. Even now, I could hear urgent footsteps from above. Even panicked voices. They couldn’t afford to look downstairs.
I was completely captivated.
To just one intruder.
“You’ve reached the third floor. Would you like to join us?”
Oh, yeah? Hold on a second.
“Yes?”
It was a time when Rium was scratching its head.
I could feel the popular chuck from below. The sound was muted. Rium stood at the railing of the stairs, guns trained on the second floor.
After a moment, his eyes widened.
“…… Why are you coming from there?”
Karajam, who had just taken the elevator up, appears at the bottom. Just a few minutes ago, I could hear the bombast, and now it’s down again?
“That’s what happened, but…….”
Karazam’s eyes narrowed.
“And Pooka?”
“That’s what happened.”
“I can’t believe how anxious I was.”
He scratched his head furiously. He wasn’t the kind of person to shed tears, but he could offer condolences. As someone with whom he’d had a few brief conversations.
To say the least, it was a wake-up call.
People die simply. No matter how good they are, no matter what feats they’ve accomplished in the past, with a single bullet.
“Let’s go.”
I didn’t relax until the very end.
* * *
“Ha ha.”
Ekidna let out a weary breath. She ran the back of her hand across her cheek, and a stinging pain shot through her. Not only her face, but her arms and legs were covered in small cuts.
Ricardo Family.
A mafia organization that has been active in Timorta for nearly a decade. One of the most prominent factions in the city. They’re money-crazed, but they deserve it, and they don’t put up much resistance.
It was just as I thought it would be.
“Eek, eek, woof, woof……!”
Ricardo glared at Ekidna, crushed to the ground. Wrinkled eyes, age-spotted cheeks, and a vaguely whitish birdseye. The look of a man well past middle age and into old age.
Stripped of his mantle as the head of a large mafia, Izzie was a humble man.
“Good night.”
Ekidna ruffled my hair. Even though I was drenched in sweat, I felt invigorated. Looking around, I couldn’t help but feel refreshed.
A grotesquely deformed barbed wire fence. Charred farms. The fortified stronghold, called the House, was littered with bodies. Her men were among the dead, but in a very low percentage.
It was a landslide.
“I should have done this a long time ago. Don’t you think?”
“You think you can get away with this…?”
“Rather than you?”
Giggling, she said in a sing-song voice.
“I’ve always hated junkies, you know, the ones who use one topic as an excuse to get high, and then I’m high, and then I’m not thinking straight, and then it’s always the same repertoire.”
“…….”
“I also hate drunks for the same reason, although I do enjoy drinking in moderation.”
Ricardo was the poster child for Ekidna’s hatred. Every disgusted glance he received at parties, every rumor of drugs floating around the district, irritated him to no end.
I felt like a stone had been lifted from my chest the whole time.
“…Ha, how about four years?”
“Huh?”
“How are you going to take responsibility for this? You have crossed the line. You’ve broken Timorta’s order, and every organization will be out to get you and bring Nuova Era down.”
It wasn’t a bluff.
An unwritten rule, Ekidna told Karazam herself. The Cartel’s unwritten rules were broken. To crush the Nuova Era before it rampaged further, before it grew too big and uncontrollable.
That’s why she’s put up with it time and time again.
I’ve endured, endured, endured, and made it this far.
Although it ended up looking like this.
“I see. Well, maybe we can work something out?”
“Irresponsible. You don’t care how many of your men die.”
“That can’t be right.”
Ekidna snorted.
“It’s just, you know, I realized.”
He slid his pistol back into its holster and drew his dagger from his hip. It wasn’t much of a prized possession, but somehow, it had been with him since his hometown.
For her, the identity of “mafia” was similar to the dagger. She just happened to be born into a mafia family and grew up deeply involved, so she’s been living the same life away from home.
Ricardo would have been in a similar situation. This was true of most of the strangers who settled in Timorta. It is a rare person who can change himself in his old age.
I hate the stagnation.
“This place is too small-town to be stuck catering to old people.”
Ekidna liked everything new, except for food.
Poof!
The blade easily sliced through his neck.
Ricardo’s puffy eyes slid shut. The spark of life extinguished. Ekidna stared down at her dagger, then pushed herself to her feet without drawing it.
I didn’t need it anymore.
“Off.”
Stretching, she turned her head.
“How’s the other side?”
“We just got a radio call from the Parachai Hotel.”
“Tell me.”
“They say it was a successful sweep.”
“Really? Good for you.”
The corners of Ekidna’s mouth curled upward at the news her subordinate had delivered. Her eyes were not mistaken. Karazam had proved his usefulness, even if he had made some pretty unreasonable demands.
“They seem to be taking care of the victims now.”
“Victim?”
I wasn’t asking because I didn’t know who you were referring to. The Parachai Hotel is a place where messy desires run wild. If it’s famous, it’s famous, and I couldn’t help but notice.
It was just a surprise.
At first, he showed up and had the guts of a gambler, but when it came to doing his job, he was bloodless and cold-blooded, and when it came to asking for money, he was a manipulator.
But now I’m taking care of civilians again.
“I’m stuck.”
“Shall I tell them to hurry up and join us?”
“No, let them do what they want, there’s no need to interfere.”
Ekidna looked up at the sky and drew a long breath.
The night sky is lit up with stars that glow softly. The air was strangely cool, despite the acrid smoke.
“It’s a good night, really.”