- Location
- Portland, OR
Image isn't working for me, but great story so far!
The Otherworlder's Skill Grinder (Original)
- Thread starter Levelgap
- Start date
- Original Alt. History Modern
- Location
- England
Fake link.
I don't particularly mind? As long as it's handled well.
That being said, honestly, what initially attracted me to this story was.... Not this? As in, like. I enjoyed the idea of someone with the ability to gain mundane skills at high speeds, like the girls thought she had. That's why I was initially interested. As well, when it became clear super powers were definitely going to be involved, I was hoping they were going to be on a smaller scale. That is.... Probably not the case? With how things are going.
That being said, honestly, what initially attracted me to this story was.... Not this? As in, like. I enjoyed the idea of someone with the ability to gain mundane skills at high speeds, like the girls thought she had. That's why I was initially interested. As well, when it became clear super powers were definitely going to be involved, I was hoping they were going to be on a smaller scale. That is.... Probably not the case? With how things are going.
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Honestly, I was hoping for a more light hearted way for her to get introduced to the supernatural side of things, so honestly not the biggest fan. Although since you've already done it I fully expect a full roflstomp.
Levelgap
Wielder of Destruction
Okay, thank you everyone.
Then, I will be taking off chapter 34 & 35 and change it. Please give me a moment.
I also noticed that the story suddenly took a sudden shift, and I usually don't like to change a lot after I wrote it, but seeing that it's really so sudden and actually affects the reading quality of this story, I have to change it. I still plan to show how bad is the supernatural side of this world, but I will try not to make it so sudden...
Thank you, and give me a moment!~
Then, I will be taking off chapter 34 & 35 and change it. Please give me a moment.
I also noticed that the story suddenly took a sudden shift, and I usually don't like to change a lot after I wrote it, but seeing that it's really so sudden and actually affects the reading quality of this story, I have to change it. I still plan to show how bad is the supernatural side of this world, but I will try not to make it so sudden...
Thank you, and give me a moment!~
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Yeah i don't mind if its only a short ark, but i came for the slice of life
Chapter 33: Behind Everyone's Back
Levelgap
Wielder of Destruction
A certain day, a white haired girl has just done another good deed on her city. Despite looking calm with barely any expression to her face, within her heart she is brimming with excitement.
Since the day she acquired her powers, Okazaki Shiro has been using it to take care of the crime around the neighborhood. Lately she has been expanding her reach to the other districts, spreading the name of the Hero of Darkness. Though she makes sure to only show half of herself within the confines of the dark alleys or any other dark corners when talking to someone so she can somewhat hide her own identity to the others.
There is another way of hiding her identity which is wearing something that covers her whole body, or even wearing a mask. Though she didn't thought of that, and thinks that being a hero behind dark corners sounds cool.
Despite Hayami stating that they shouldn't use their power that much, Shiro felt it will be a waste to just not use it. There is a reason they got powers, and Shiro thinks it is their responsibility to use it. There is also the bigger part in her heart that thinks acting like those cool dark brooding characters she watches on the TV since she was a child is cool and she definitely wanted to be like them.
'I got free money. I think I should treat myself for a bit...' She thought to herself, a small smile gracing her face.
The money came from the robber who seems to have tried to threaten a woman just on the dark alleys. She thinks it is fine taking the money of a robber, before she throws them on the nearby police box.
She was just walking out of the alleys and into the main roads when a familiar voice suddenly called out to her in surprise. She also looks at them, and saw the familiar orange hair and that headphone that is always propped on her neck.
".... Saki...."
"Shiro?? What are you doing here??" Saki exclaimed in surprise as she blinks her eyes at her.
'Oh.... I forgot she lives in this district. I should have done my heroic activities elsewhere!'
"Eh!? What do you mean?" Saki gasps before narrowing her eyes at her.
'..... You just made a mental link at me, didn't you?'
With Saki's nod, Shiro felt that she can't really hide it anymore.
Near the Cyber Field Arcade, a cafe is located there. In there sat four girls. The original members of the Game Development Club before Yumeko joined them.
Shiro can't believe that other than Saki, the other two are also here. It seems like they wanted to look at some new computer parts that was released on some gadgets shop near this area.
"What are you doing, Shiro! What if something happened to you!?" Hayami gazes at Shiro's eye straight with a frown on her face.
"I'll be fine." Shiro answered confidently even with a monotone.
She is confident. She has one of the most powerful abilities compared to them. She thinks even if she suddenly faced a strong opponent, she can simply escape through the darkness.
"That wasn't fine, Shiro-san! You should have said something to us!" Honomi is the next one who spoke, looking at Shiro with a look of concern.
"Teleportation..."
"What if you can't teleport? What if you suddenly got ambushed by someone without you preparing for it?" Hayami said, causing the white haired girl to frown.
"..... I will try to be careful next time..." She said, lowering her head. Though Hayami simply shook her head.
"No! You shouldn't be trying to get yourself in trouble!" Hayami said.
".... We have powers."
"Even still..."
"Why can't we use it?" Shiro stared straight at the three of them as she says that.
Hayami tries to think of a response, before clamping her mouth shut as she fell silent. Even if they didn't want to get some unwanted attention or are hiding it from the public, they aren't really obligated not to use their powers. Even if Hayami made an oath to herself, she can't actually force the others to do the same.
They have their own powers. They can use it whenever they want. Limiting her is like telling someone not to speak despite being capable of doing so.
"What are you doing with your powers, Shiro-chan?" Saki suddenly asked to the side with a narrowed gaze.
"Being a hero!" Shiro immediately has an answer to that.
".... Well, you said as much with your thoughts." Saki sighs before turning to Hayami. "How about it Hayami-san?"
Her words put gears into motion on her brain, before the president looks at their artist straight in the eyes with a determined expression.
"Okay! We will help you!"
".... Pardon?"
"We won't just let you do it by yourself! We have to make sure you are safe!" Hayami said, before continuing. "It's also just right. We have powers too, so I think we can be of help to you!"
"But.... you don't like it?" Shiro tilted her head in confusion.
"Right, but we don't want you running around and doing all those dangerous stuff without us knowing, so we are coming along with you! I won't accept any refusal!"
Shiro can see that her eyes held a strong sense of responsibility and determination in it. She really can't deny her now that she was looking at her like that.
"Ooh? We are actually dipping into heroics? I always wanted to experience how it felt like to be a hero!"
"Well, it is a shame we don't have any magical outfits. We could be magical girls if that happens!" Honomi said to the side, and it seems like even Hayami felt it was a shame that they don't have any magical outfits.
"..... Yumeko?" Shiro suddenly said with a questioning gaze.
"Well, we can't tell her. She didn't know we have powers..." Hayami said.
"Right. Even if she is a super prodigy, we can't drag her to our own thing!" Saki said to the side.
"She might get hurt if we try to drag her. It would be better if she stayed like that..." Even Honomi seems to think so.
Shiro also accepts that reasoning. Yumeko is their precious club member who has helped them a lot in their times of trouble. She felt it might put her in danger if she learned about their powers, and tries to go along with them.
The four thinks they are doing something reasonable, though it shouldn't be like that. They are just children who luckily got powers. Though as they got powers, there is a small whisper in their mind that they might be special, and they can take the burden of being the hero of this city.
They don't know what those entails....
Saturdays I have a lot of free time. Though I am currently spending my whole day within my laboratory.
Why? Well, because I am expanding this room to become very large!
I have engineering and architect, and I also have arithmetic which seems to help me with calculating the right amount of volume I need to take off before I hit something I shouldn't have below my house, and scientific knowledge of how things should go with this, I can easily make something like this without causing any irreparable damage from the pipelines of my house.
My laboratory is very small, I need to expand it below the ground. Good thing I have a lot of relevant skills when it comes to digging and making new areas underground. I just have to dig a lot more deeper, and also make a filtration device so the underground area has breathable air. I plan to reach so low and turn the subterranean area below my home into a secret laboratory for me.
I want to create supercomputers, my own satellite, and even my own wifi so I can have faster internet. I also want to create a lot of neat devices, and other stuff that will help me with my hobbies and also help my friends on our club. The mini factories I made on the laboratory is very crude, even if it can be used to make modern computer sets from my past life.
I can improve it. There are a lot of designs in my head that contains very advance stuff that will put the supercomputers of my past life to shame.
That's why, I need to dig more.
I also have a lot of time. Hayami and the others seems to be doing something on their day, so I can do this without worrying about someone suddenly visiting me.
[Your Ability "Digging" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Architect" has leveled up!]
"Yes! Just rise in level, my skills!~"
This might look very exhausting and dull, but I am having fun just grinding my skills like this!~
Within the dark confines of an unknown room, multiple small beings emerges. One of them clutching a newspaper before throwing it to the ground.
"Oho... Hero of Darkness, they say?" A sneer formed on their wrinkled lips. "We can't have that. That will destroy the image we have long cultivated in the past!"
They left the darkened room, and emerges on a street devoid of life. The scenery was like those ghost towns mostly depicted on TVs. The beings who emerges from the darkened building are small men who seems emaciated. Their cheeks sunk, and their circular eyes bulging wide. Their pug nose so large, and their bodies are hunched. They are wearing a black suit and a top hat, and all of them are identical to each other.
"It seems like we have to make a visit on that city.... and teach the clueless one just why they should fear the dark!"
A cackle echoed on the empty streets that stretched beyond the whole intersection. Before their forms sinks into the ground, the shadows moving and encroaching the whole roads as if they are devouring the ground.
Since the day she acquired her powers, Okazaki Shiro has been using it to take care of the crime around the neighborhood. Lately she has been expanding her reach to the other districts, spreading the name of the Hero of Darkness. Though she makes sure to only show half of herself within the confines of the dark alleys or any other dark corners when talking to someone so she can somewhat hide her own identity to the others.
There is another way of hiding her identity which is wearing something that covers her whole body, or even wearing a mask. Though she didn't thought of that, and thinks that being a hero behind dark corners sounds cool.
Despite Hayami stating that they shouldn't use their power that much, Shiro felt it will be a waste to just not use it. There is a reason they got powers, and Shiro thinks it is their responsibility to use it. There is also the bigger part in her heart that thinks acting like those cool dark brooding characters she watches on the TV since she was a child is cool and she definitely wanted to be like them.
'I got free money. I think I should treat myself for a bit...' She thought to herself, a small smile gracing her face.
The money came from the robber who seems to have tried to threaten a woman just on the dark alleys. She thinks it is fine taking the money of a robber, before she throws them on the nearby police box.
She was just walking out of the alleys and into the main roads when a familiar voice suddenly called out to her in surprise. She also looks at them, and saw the familiar orange hair and that headphone that is always propped on her neck.
".... Saki...."
"Shiro?? What are you doing here??" Saki exclaimed in surprise as she blinks her eyes at her.
'Oh.... I forgot she lives in this district. I should have done my heroic activities elsewhere!'
"Eh!? What do you mean?" Saki gasps before narrowing her eyes at her.
'..... You just made a mental link at me, didn't you?'
With Saki's nod, Shiro felt that she can't really hide it anymore.
Near the Cyber Field Arcade, a cafe is located there. In there sat four girls. The original members of the Game Development Club before Yumeko joined them.
Shiro can't believe that other than Saki, the other two are also here. It seems like they wanted to look at some new computer parts that was released on some gadgets shop near this area.
"What are you doing, Shiro! What if something happened to you!?" Hayami gazes at Shiro's eye straight with a frown on her face.
"I'll be fine." Shiro answered confidently even with a monotone.
She is confident. She has one of the most powerful abilities compared to them. She thinks even if she suddenly faced a strong opponent, she can simply escape through the darkness.
"That wasn't fine, Shiro-san! You should have said something to us!" Honomi is the next one who spoke, looking at Shiro with a look of concern.
"Teleportation..."
"What if you can't teleport? What if you suddenly got ambushed by someone without you preparing for it?" Hayami said, causing the white haired girl to frown.
"..... I will try to be careful next time..." She said, lowering her head. Though Hayami simply shook her head.
"No! You shouldn't be trying to get yourself in trouble!" Hayami said.
".... We have powers."
"Even still..."
"Why can't we use it?" Shiro stared straight at the three of them as she says that.
Hayami tries to think of a response, before clamping her mouth shut as she fell silent. Even if they didn't want to get some unwanted attention or are hiding it from the public, they aren't really obligated not to use their powers. Even if Hayami made an oath to herself, she can't actually force the others to do the same.
They have their own powers. They can use it whenever they want. Limiting her is like telling someone not to speak despite being capable of doing so.
"What are you doing with your powers, Shiro-chan?" Saki suddenly asked to the side with a narrowed gaze.
"Being a hero!" Shiro immediately has an answer to that.
".... Well, you said as much with your thoughts." Saki sighs before turning to Hayami. "How about it Hayami-san?"
Her words put gears into motion on her brain, before the president looks at their artist straight in the eyes with a determined expression.
"Okay! We will help you!"
".... Pardon?"
"We won't just let you do it by yourself! We have to make sure you are safe!" Hayami said, before continuing. "It's also just right. We have powers too, so I think we can be of help to you!"
"But.... you don't like it?" Shiro tilted her head in confusion.
"Right, but we don't want you running around and doing all those dangerous stuff without us knowing, so we are coming along with you! I won't accept any refusal!"
Shiro can see that her eyes held a strong sense of responsibility and determination in it. She really can't deny her now that she was looking at her like that.
"Ooh? We are actually dipping into heroics? I always wanted to experience how it felt like to be a hero!"
"Well, it is a shame we don't have any magical outfits. We could be magical girls if that happens!" Honomi said to the side, and it seems like even Hayami felt it was a shame that they don't have any magical outfits.
"..... Yumeko?" Shiro suddenly said with a questioning gaze.
"Well, we can't tell her. She didn't know we have powers..." Hayami said.
"Right. Even if she is a super prodigy, we can't drag her to our own thing!" Saki said to the side.
"She might get hurt if we try to drag her. It would be better if she stayed like that..." Even Honomi seems to think so.
Shiro also accepts that reasoning. Yumeko is their precious club member who has helped them a lot in their times of trouble. She felt it might put her in danger if she learned about their powers, and tries to go along with them.
The four thinks they are doing something reasonable, though it shouldn't be like that. They are just children who luckily got powers. Though as they got powers, there is a small whisper in their mind that they might be special, and they can take the burden of being the hero of this city.
They don't know what those entails....
Saturdays I have a lot of free time. Though I am currently spending my whole day within my laboratory.
Why? Well, because I am expanding this room to become very large!
I have engineering and architect, and I also have arithmetic which seems to help me with calculating the right amount of volume I need to take off before I hit something I shouldn't have below my house, and scientific knowledge of how things should go with this, I can easily make something like this without causing any irreparable damage from the pipelines of my house.
My laboratory is very small, I need to expand it below the ground. Good thing I have a lot of relevant skills when it comes to digging and making new areas underground. I just have to dig a lot more deeper, and also make a filtration device so the underground area has breathable air. I plan to reach so low and turn the subterranean area below my home into a secret laboratory for me.
I want to create supercomputers, my own satellite, and even my own wifi so I can have faster internet. I also want to create a lot of neat devices, and other stuff that will help me with my hobbies and also help my friends on our club. The mini factories I made on the laboratory is very crude, even if it can be used to make modern computer sets from my past life.
I can improve it. There are a lot of designs in my head that contains very advance stuff that will put the supercomputers of my past life to shame.
That's why, I need to dig more.
I also have a lot of time. Hayami and the others seems to be doing something on their day, so I can do this without worrying about someone suddenly visiting me.
[Your Ability "Digging" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Architect" has leveled up!]
"Yes! Just rise in level, my skills!~"
This might look very exhausting and dull, but I am having fun just grinding my skills like this!~
Within the dark confines of an unknown room, multiple small beings emerges. One of them clutching a newspaper before throwing it to the ground.
"Oho... Hero of Darkness, they say?" A sneer formed on their wrinkled lips. "We can't have that. That will destroy the image we have long cultivated in the past!"
They left the darkened room, and emerges on a street devoid of life. The scenery was like those ghost towns mostly depicted on TVs. The beings who emerges from the darkened building are small men who seems emaciated. Their cheeks sunk, and their circular eyes bulging wide. Their pug nose so large, and their bodies are hunched. They are wearing a black suit and a top hat, and all of them are identical to each other.
"It seems like we have to make a visit on that city.... and teach the clueless one just why they should fear the dark!"
A cackle echoed on the empty streets that stretched beyond the whole intersection. Before their forms sinks into the ground, the shadows moving and encroaching the whole roads as if they are devouring the ground.
Here is the new version of this chapter. I decided to start slow, and I promise I won't suddenly make things darker... I hope....
Sorry, I really planned for this confrontation to happen, and my earlier execution of it is poor. I hope this new attempt is a bit better than the last one....
Okay, I'll be sleeping now!~
If you want to support me, you can go to my kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
Sorry, I really planned for this confrontation to happen, and my earlier execution of it is poor. I hope this new attempt is a bit better than the last one....
Okay, I'll be sleeping now!~
If you want to support me, you can go to my kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
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Yay, new chapter! This one works much better.
The problem with the 'sudden shift to the supernatural' was not the 'supernatural' but the 'sudden' part. A more gradual build-up and some foreshadowing can really smooth things over.
Something that was a bit jarring in the old chapter: suddenly the narration skipped a whole week, when until then the story had been an almost day-by-day account of Yumeko's life; it felt like something was missing...
Maybe some of these suggestions for 'what could happen next' would help?
The problem with the 'sudden shift to the supernatural' was not the 'supernatural' but the 'sudden' part. A more gradual build-up and some foreshadowing can really smooth things over.
Something that was a bit jarring in the old chapter: suddenly the narration skipped a whole week, when until then the story had been an almost day-by-day account of Yumeko's life; it felt like something was missing...
Maybe some of these suggestions for 'what could happen next' would help?
-There's no narration of the kidnapping from Shiro's POV; she just disappears one day.
-Her friends don't know why and are a bit worried about her; the ones with superpowers have some suspicions...
-There are news about some gruesome events in the city, blood in dark alleys and such.
-The friends in-the-know fear that Shiro has snapped and is 'hero-ing' more violently than usual, that's why they don't go to the police; they would rather investigate by themselves, and convince Yumeko that 'it isn't really that important'.
-Yumeko is kept in the dark and distracted with her many projects; until one day, she receives a message from Shiro...
-Her friends don't know why and are a bit worried about her; the ones with superpowers have some suspicions...
-There are news about some gruesome events in the city, blood in dark alleys and such.
-The friends in-the-know fear that Shiro has snapped and is 'hero-ing' more violently than usual, that's why they don't go to the police; they would rather investigate by themselves, and convince Yumeko that 'it isn't really that important'.
-Yumeko is kept in the dark and distracted with her many projects; until one day, she receives a message from Shiro...
I like this much better, fits the tone of the story much better and gives yumeko much more time to accidentally her way to being too op for the villains.
Chapter 34: Paths Intersecting
Levelgap
Wielder of Destruction
I spent my whole weekend just digging and fortifying the large hole I made below my former laboratory. Due to that, the production of more computers is suspended.
Now it was Monday. Currently, we are continuing our development of the game, Sword Legends. Today I am the one sitting in front of the advanced computer we have and is currently fixing mistakes in their codes, which is not that much. Though they also seem like Hayami wanted me to code the other parts from the second arc even though it was her and Honomi's job to do that.
My Discernment and Observation skills are telling me that they are distracted by something. I think it might involve something from Shiro, as they constantly glance at her and they seem to be talking to each other despite not speaking with their mouth. Did they learn the way to speak with their mind?
Even Shiro is suddenly nodding even though she is just glancing at them or staring blankly at her computer.
I would ask them what is happening, but I think that I shouldn't pry too much. They will tell me if they think it was very serious.
"Yume-chan, sorry but we won't be coming back to your home later!" Saki suddenly said just before the bell signifying the end of lunch break resounded.
".... Uh, I'm fine with that, but why?" No really, why?
"Shiro needed some help on her house, and she asked for our help!" Hayami suddenly piped up to the side.
"Is something wrong? I might be able to help."
"No no! It's fine, it is just a small matter! You don't need to worry about that!"
Suspicious! Very suspicious!
".... Okay." I just nodded at them.
I know they are hiding something, but there is no need to look into it too much. They're just kids. I'm sure they won't do something dangerous like going to shady places, right?
Well, I also think this event is favorable to me. I ordered a lot of junk at the nearest junkyard yesterday, and I just got a call saying that they will be delivered this evening. It costs me a lot, but I can easily pay for it with the remaining money from the prize I got from the eating contest.
So I don't mind if they do something else for this week. I also want to finish my underground base as soon as possible.
Contrary to what Yumeko thought, the four of them are doing something dangerous.
Since joining Shiro that Saturday, they have experienced their first high at defeating some criminals. Being thanked by some people felt good for them, even if they are vocally against it. Within their heart, they are feeling excited and even think that they won't mind continue doing something like this.
Because they didn't have the same convenient ability as Shiro, they decided to wear something else.
Saki wears a facemask and uses her hoodie to hide the majority of her face. She made sure to use the hoodie she occasionally uses on vacation. Honomi wore baggy clothes that hides her gorgeous figure and even bunched up her blonde hair beneath her cap while also wearing glasses, giving her a different atmosphere of someone like a wimp. As for Hayami, she has become daring enough to wear something skintight. A green shoulder-less dress and a see-through shawl. The clothe seemingly originated from a female high school friend of her brother.
She didn't ask how he got it. She is just glad they have something like that because she felt it was thematic to her powers.
Hayami still thinks that they should only do this in moderation, but she can't deny that she is enjoying it too. They have had these powers for at least a month now, and even if she tries to be responsible for their powers, there is a certain urge within her heart that wants to let loose and use her powers.
Now that she is using it, her heart felt elated at that. It feels like a burden that she didn't notice that she has vanished and making her feel like she can comfortably spread her wings like a freed bird.
Currently, they have been hunting criminals that Shiro seems to have found out through snooping on Police Boxes or generally sneaking around private areas through her teleportation. It sounds illegal, but Shiro somehow managed to convince them that she is not doing anything wrong.
"Who the hell are you!?" Just like this duo of criminals who are notorious for going on shopping heists and running with their motorbikes.
Hayami simply flexes the energy within her, releasing them on her palms. The greenish orb that formed above her palm is then thrown in their direction. The two criminals ducked below, before they gasped as large and thick green vines rises on the ground, and then wrapped around their bodies. Immobilizing them.
"I'm done here!" Hayami reported within their link.
"Me too!"
"We are also just done on our side!"
"Good work, everyone."
It seems like they managed to locate everything and also seized the motorbikes that they are going to use to flee from their latest heist. Hayami sighs in relief before she heard the subtle thud behind her.
"Your petty heist ends here!" Shiro suddenly proclaimed as she makes a pose, causing the others who appeared beside her to look awkwardly at her.
They always see Shiro giving monologues every time she defeated someone. They think it is embarrassing but they didn't say anything to her, concerned that she might get upset.
So they just let her, though feeling a bit pity for these two criminals who are now gazing at Shiro with a gobsmacked look.
In the end, Shiro becomes satisfied before she pulled them into the shadows, and throws them somewhere. They hoped she throws in jail and not somewhere dangerous.
"Justice has prevailed!" Shiro managed to convey a smug tone despite her face still looking emotionless.
"Right... Anyway, where should we go next?" Saki simply decided to ignore that and turn to Hayami.
"Hmm...." The president nodded before taking her phone and looking at the images that Shiro took for their group chat outside their club.
These are the images Shiro took from those private areas and police boxes around the city, detailing wanted criminals, escaped convicts, and even records of cases that are unresolved on their records. As for the private areas, it has some insightful records about some of the criminals written on the case files from the polices.
"You know, I'm still unsure about doing something like this. It just felt... bad, I think?" Hayami muttered.
"It's illegal as heck!" Saki bluntly stated. "I was surprised the management from CURVE didn't outright report us!"
"Right... maybe they don't look at private messages like this?" Honomi said to the side.
"We must be thankful it was like that," Hayami said, not wanting to think about the other possibility of being arrested due to having info on these things.
"Don't worry!" Shiro simply said, before puffing her chest. "We are on the side of justice!" She sounds confident even though she said that with barely any emotion on her face.
"That's not a valid reason...." Even when Hayami said that she also felt a bit relieved with those words.
She also thinks this might be justified somewhat because they are doing some vigilante work. She thinks the police will give them leeway for that because they are doing something good for the city, though she didn't want to say it outright because it also sounded dubious. She just kept it to her heart.
"Oh, there is a gang of crooks causing trouble on the Whales Metal Junkyard at the Second Nether District. It seems like the police are not doing anything, with a reason that it wasn't that serious at all..." Hayami frowned after reading the file on the image.
"As expected, we are the only ones who can do it!" Shiro said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
"What are we waiting for? Let's deal with those gangs then!" Saki said.
All of them nodded, and then let Shiro take them to the darkness. Hayami is still a bit unused to the feeling of the cold and damp texture surrounding her whenever Shiro uses her powers to take them along with her in her darkness.
Though the thought that she might be doing something useful, and contributing something for society makes her feel elated. The thought of helping others and becoming known as a hero, even if behind an alias of some sort makes her feel a tingle unlike when she is just imagining herself as a successful game developer.
'I know this is wrong... but I felt like I don't want to stop! Why do I feel like that?'
Without knowing it, she is getting swept up by the thoughts in her mind that they are truly special. Even the others are slowly losing their reservation as they do this more. She thinks at the end of the week, she might just become as eager as Shiro when fighting against crime.
Despite the doubts within her mind, Hayami also feels that she wouldn't mind doing this and using their powers for good.
On top of the building located in the Second Nether District, a cocoon of darkness formed at the edge of it, before slowly turning into a group of small men in black suits.
In the distance, hidden within the narrow alleyways near the main roads, are a group of men seemingly being beaten by a group of four girls in weird and incoherently styled outfits. One of them displays obvious supernatural powers, while the other two seem more subtle. The one wearing glasses and a cap seems to be the origin of the rats and birds that are suddenly flocking to the group of men with bats and pipes. The one with the hoodie is just standing behind them, only observing the battle.
The large circular eyes of the small wrinkly man then turned to the white-haired girl who simply wears a white one-piece dress. Despite having a face that can be considered angelic, she is sinking into the darkness and causing the shadows themselves to move in irregular patterns, reaching out and wrapping onto the limbs and ankles of the men as if they acquired physical form in this world.
The shadow behind the small men elongated before multiple cocoons of darkness burst out and then turned into identical forms of him. All of them grinning at the same time.
"We finally found her. The one who is breaking humanity's fear against the darkness!" Some of them seem to glade or even snarl at those words. "Not to worry! Because we will teach that fool a lesson she won't forget!"
And so, they sink into the ground once more, their heart holding malicious intent.
"Ah.... what a letdown. Why did a problem suddenly occur there? And I have been waiting for those metals to come!"
I didn't expect this. Now I have to come personally to that junkyard to get the required materials for the super generator I am planning to make. I will need that to power the automated elevator, which I am also planning to build next week.
I already cannibalized most of my mini factories and turned them into other tools to help me construct the hidden base. I already made a lot of progress digging deeper than the bedrock, while making sure that the foundation is solid enough with the bare minimum knowledge I know about it.
I somehow got Geological Knowledge while doing my work, though it doesn't matter. My powers are always weird like that.
Anyway, I can't wait for those materials. They can deliver the other junks I ordered tomorrow, I just need some of the materials I need to begin the construction of the super generator.
It is why I took a bus to get here. It might be the nearest junkyard to my house, but it is still far enough that I can't just walk in there and go back to my house. Mostly now that it was evening.
After arriving at the junkyard I quickly left the bus and look around. The night breeze is supposed to be cold but I don't feel it. Maybe because summer is approaching soon?
I walked for a bit and was just getting closer to that junkyard when I heard some chatter on the side. Those voices are very familiar to me.
Feeling curious about it, I turned to that alleyway and walked for a while before seeing the group of girls standing in the middle of this narrow alleyway, while several men are lying on the ground moaning in pain.
It seems like they also noticed me as they stopped talking and then turned to me while turning stiff.
".... Is that you, Hayami-senpai?" I directed my question to the black-haired girl wearing that cosplay level of green outfit.
All of them are frozen while I just stared at them.
No really, what are they doing!?
Now it was Monday. Currently, we are continuing our development of the game, Sword Legends. Today I am the one sitting in front of the advanced computer we have and is currently fixing mistakes in their codes, which is not that much. Though they also seem like Hayami wanted me to code the other parts from the second arc even though it was her and Honomi's job to do that.
My Discernment and Observation skills are telling me that they are distracted by something. I think it might involve something from Shiro, as they constantly glance at her and they seem to be talking to each other despite not speaking with their mouth. Did they learn the way to speak with their mind?
Even Shiro is suddenly nodding even though she is just glancing at them or staring blankly at her computer.
I would ask them what is happening, but I think that I shouldn't pry too much. They will tell me if they think it was very serious.
"Yume-chan, sorry but we won't be coming back to your home later!" Saki suddenly said just before the bell signifying the end of lunch break resounded.
".... Uh, I'm fine with that, but why?" No really, why?
"Shiro needed some help on her house, and she asked for our help!" Hayami suddenly piped up to the side.
"Is something wrong? I might be able to help."
"No no! It's fine, it is just a small matter! You don't need to worry about that!"
Suspicious! Very suspicious!
".... Okay." I just nodded at them.
I know they are hiding something, but there is no need to look into it too much. They're just kids. I'm sure they won't do something dangerous like going to shady places, right?
Well, I also think this event is favorable to me. I ordered a lot of junk at the nearest junkyard yesterday, and I just got a call saying that they will be delivered this evening. It costs me a lot, but I can easily pay for it with the remaining money from the prize I got from the eating contest.
So I don't mind if they do something else for this week. I also want to finish my underground base as soon as possible.
Contrary to what Yumeko thought, the four of them are doing something dangerous.
Since joining Shiro that Saturday, they have experienced their first high at defeating some criminals. Being thanked by some people felt good for them, even if they are vocally against it. Within their heart, they are feeling excited and even think that they won't mind continue doing something like this.
Because they didn't have the same convenient ability as Shiro, they decided to wear something else.
Saki wears a facemask and uses her hoodie to hide the majority of her face. She made sure to use the hoodie she occasionally uses on vacation. Honomi wore baggy clothes that hides her gorgeous figure and even bunched up her blonde hair beneath her cap while also wearing glasses, giving her a different atmosphere of someone like a wimp. As for Hayami, she has become daring enough to wear something skintight. A green shoulder-less dress and a see-through shawl. The clothe seemingly originated from a female high school friend of her brother.
She didn't ask how he got it. She is just glad they have something like that because she felt it was thematic to her powers.
Hayami still thinks that they should only do this in moderation, but she can't deny that she is enjoying it too. They have had these powers for at least a month now, and even if she tries to be responsible for their powers, there is a certain urge within her heart that wants to let loose and use her powers.
Now that she is using it, her heart felt elated at that. It feels like a burden that she didn't notice that she has vanished and making her feel like she can comfortably spread her wings like a freed bird.
Currently, they have been hunting criminals that Shiro seems to have found out through snooping on Police Boxes or generally sneaking around private areas through her teleportation. It sounds illegal, but Shiro somehow managed to convince them that she is not doing anything wrong.
"Who the hell are you!?" Just like this duo of criminals who are notorious for going on shopping heists and running with their motorbikes.
Hayami simply flexes the energy within her, releasing them on her palms. The greenish orb that formed above her palm is then thrown in their direction. The two criminals ducked below, before they gasped as large and thick green vines rises on the ground, and then wrapped around their bodies. Immobilizing them.
"I'm done here!" Hayami reported within their link.
"Me too!"
"We are also just done on our side!"
"Good work, everyone."
It seems like they managed to locate everything and also seized the motorbikes that they are going to use to flee from their latest heist. Hayami sighs in relief before she heard the subtle thud behind her.
"Your petty heist ends here!" Shiro suddenly proclaimed as she makes a pose, causing the others who appeared beside her to look awkwardly at her.
They always see Shiro giving monologues every time she defeated someone. They think it is embarrassing but they didn't say anything to her, concerned that she might get upset.
So they just let her, though feeling a bit pity for these two criminals who are now gazing at Shiro with a gobsmacked look.
In the end, Shiro becomes satisfied before she pulled them into the shadows, and throws them somewhere. They hoped she throws in jail and not somewhere dangerous.
"Justice has prevailed!" Shiro managed to convey a smug tone despite her face still looking emotionless.
"Right... Anyway, where should we go next?" Saki simply decided to ignore that and turn to Hayami.
"Hmm...." The president nodded before taking her phone and looking at the images that Shiro took for their group chat outside their club.
These are the images Shiro took from those private areas and police boxes around the city, detailing wanted criminals, escaped convicts, and even records of cases that are unresolved on their records. As for the private areas, it has some insightful records about some of the criminals written on the case files from the polices.
"You know, I'm still unsure about doing something like this. It just felt... bad, I think?" Hayami muttered.
"It's illegal as heck!" Saki bluntly stated. "I was surprised the management from CURVE didn't outright report us!"
"Right... maybe they don't look at private messages like this?" Honomi said to the side.
"We must be thankful it was like that," Hayami said, not wanting to think about the other possibility of being arrested due to having info on these things.
"Don't worry!" Shiro simply said, before puffing her chest. "We are on the side of justice!" She sounds confident even though she said that with barely any emotion on her face.
"That's not a valid reason...." Even when Hayami said that she also felt a bit relieved with those words.
She also thinks this might be justified somewhat because they are doing some vigilante work. She thinks the police will give them leeway for that because they are doing something good for the city, though she didn't want to say it outright because it also sounded dubious. She just kept it to her heart.
"Oh, there is a gang of crooks causing trouble on the Whales Metal Junkyard at the Second Nether District. It seems like the police are not doing anything, with a reason that it wasn't that serious at all..." Hayami frowned after reading the file on the image.
"As expected, we are the only ones who can do it!" Shiro said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
"What are we waiting for? Let's deal with those gangs then!" Saki said.
All of them nodded, and then let Shiro take them to the darkness. Hayami is still a bit unused to the feeling of the cold and damp texture surrounding her whenever Shiro uses her powers to take them along with her in her darkness.
Though the thought that she might be doing something useful, and contributing something for society makes her feel elated. The thought of helping others and becoming known as a hero, even if behind an alias of some sort makes her feel a tingle unlike when she is just imagining herself as a successful game developer.
'I know this is wrong... but I felt like I don't want to stop! Why do I feel like that?'
Without knowing it, she is getting swept up by the thoughts in her mind that they are truly special. Even the others are slowly losing their reservation as they do this more. She thinks at the end of the week, she might just become as eager as Shiro when fighting against crime.
Despite the doubts within her mind, Hayami also feels that she wouldn't mind doing this and using their powers for good.
On top of the building located in the Second Nether District, a cocoon of darkness formed at the edge of it, before slowly turning into a group of small men in black suits.
In the distance, hidden within the narrow alleyways near the main roads, are a group of men seemingly being beaten by a group of four girls in weird and incoherently styled outfits. One of them displays obvious supernatural powers, while the other two seem more subtle. The one wearing glasses and a cap seems to be the origin of the rats and birds that are suddenly flocking to the group of men with bats and pipes. The one with the hoodie is just standing behind them, only observing the battle.
The large circular eyes of the small wrinkly man then turned to the white-haired girl who simply wears a white one-piece dress. Despite having a face that can be considered angelic, she is sinking into the darkness and causing the shadows themselves to move in irregular patterns, reaching out and wrapping onto the limbs and ankles of the men as if they acquired physical form in this world.
The shadow behind the small men elongated before multiple cocoons of darkness burst out and then turned into identical forms of him. All of them grinning at the same time.
"We finally found her. The one who is breaking humanity's fear against the darkness!" Some of them seem to glade or even snarl at those words. "Not to worry! Because we will teach that fool a lesson she won't forget!"
And so, they sink into the ground once more, their heart holding malicious intent.
"Ah.... what a letdown. Why did a problem suddenly occur there? And I have been waiting for those metals to come!"
I didn't expect this. Now I have to come personally to that junkyard to get the required materials for the super generator I am planning to make. I will need that to power the automated elevator, which I am also planning to build next week.
I already cannibalized most of my mini factories and turned them into other tools to help me construct the hidden base. I already made a lot of progress digging deeper than the bedrock, while making sure that the foundation is solid enough with the bare minimum knowledge I know about it.
I somehow got Geological Knowledge while doing my work, though it doesn't matter. My powers are always weird like that.
Anyway, I can't wait for those materials. They can deliver the other junks I ordered tomorrow, I just need some of the materials I need to begin the construction of the super generator.
It is why I took a bus to get here. It might be the nearest junkyard to my house, but it is still far enough that I can't just walk in there and go back to my house. Mostly now that it was evening.
After arriving at the junkyard I quickly left the bus and look around. The night breeze is supposed to be cold but I don't feel it. Maybe because summer is approaching soon?
I walked for a bit and was just getting closer to that junkyard when I heard some chatter on the side. Those voices are very familiar to me.
Feeling curious about it, I turned to that alleyway and walked for a while before seeing the group of girls standing in the middle of this narrow alleyway, while several men are lying on the ground moaning in pain.
It seems like they also noticed me as they stopped talking and then turned to me while turning stiff.
".... Is that you, Hayami-senpai?" I directed my question to the black-haired girl wearing that cosplay level of green outfit.
All of them are frozen while I just stared at them.
No really, what are they doing!?
I hope this chapter is fun too...
If you want to support me, you can go to my Kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
If you want to support me, you can go to my Kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
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Once again, Yumekos impractical DIY attitude shows itself. You do not need to build a dedicated power system (with or without super prefix) to operate a lift, unless you want to move your whole house up and down.
And the poor goblins will get the fame of their beloved darkness eliminated.
And the poor goblins will get the fame of their beloved darkness eliminated.
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Chapter 35: Secrets Revealed
Levelgap
Wielder of Destruction
"So... you're saying that you just happened upon this specific place because there is a secret cosplay gathering somewhere in this place, and those men just happened to be lying on the ground, moaning in pain when you got there?"
"Yes, that's exactly what happened!" I don't know why but Hayami is the most eager to stick to that reason.
Somehow, without me asking them, they just suddenly blurted out a lot of things like they just happened to be here, and transitioning into something weird like there's a cosplay event somewhere here, there is a gathering of some like-minded individuals here, or even there is a really important event here that was so important they have to go here with their strange array of outfit.
Well, Saki somehow got the outfit just right. She looks like a girl punk who is going to take names.
"... Okay, if you are not going to tell me then it's fine." There is no need to pry too much. Though even if I say that, I can't leave them alone. "But your clothes are ill-suited to protect you from harm. If it wasn't much trouble, why don't I order you something better?" By order, I meant I'm going to make them!
They are doing something dangerous, and while I don't know why they are doing it, a simple glance at these moaning men who have superior strength and numbers than them makes me sure that they are capable fighters. I shouldn't fuss so much if they can handle themselves.
That doesn't mean I will just leave them alone. They might have learned some sort of ancient martial arts, or they have been trained by some super agent or something, but regardless of that, I can't tell them I have powers that can defy common sense. This is a parallel version of a modern world Earth, so I think even if they have something amazing as a super spy organization around here, it won't still go above that there is some supernatural thing happening around here.
Unless this is an urban fantasy setting, I refused to think this world is running on that kind of logic. This is still real for me even with the powers, so I would like to think this world also works the same as my past life.
"Wait.... you're not going to ask us anymore?" Honomi looks honestly baffled if my discernment is right.
"Yeah. You wouldn't tell me even if I ask for it. Just know that I am here to support you."
What? Going along with them? No way! I don't want to go and find trouble!
It's preferable if I just stay on the sidelines and become their support. They can do their own street fight or secret missions or whatever, I just didn't want to be involved with something dangerous as fighting someone.
"... Sorry, we really can't tell you much, but we are grateful that you are still fine with it!" Hayami suddenly bowed to me.
"I'm not fine with it, but I'm sure it is a secret that you can't tell a normal person like me. There is no need for you to feel sorry about that!" I waved my hand. "If you can tell me then cool, but I don't have a habit of forcing someone to say something to me."
They have their own lives. I'm not even a close relative of them so I can't be too fussy for them. That will just become annoying, mostly if they can fight decently to protect themselves.
By the way, we have already left that alleyway and we are just walking on the now-silent streets of this residential area. We are getting closer to the junkyard as I am talking to them.
"By the way, what are you doing here, Yumeko-chan?" Hayami suddenly asks me.
"Me? I'm here to--!?"
Presence. I felt a lot of them suddenly appear behind us. Along with that presence are danger and hostility.
[Your Ability "Sense Hostility" has leveled up!]
Looking behind us, I saw small men in a hunched posture walking closer to us. Night Vision helps me see their wrinkly face, that large pug nose that seems to sit on their wrinkled lips, those bulging eyes that look a bit cartoonish, their sunk cheeks, pointed ears, rare strands of graying hair, and the like.
Anyway, they look like gremlins or goblins, whatever the heck they are!
The others seem to have noticed them a bit later than me. I can feel that other presences suddenly reveal themselves behind and on our sides. Even on the other side of the street, I can see from my periphery that some are just showing beyond the darkness.
What is that? Such a skillful way of hiding their presence! Are they some ninjas or super spies or something?
"Greetings. Having a nice night?" The one leading them at the front said that his voice causes me to shudder unconsciously due to how it gives me that sickly feeling.
"Who are you?" Shiro suddenly takes a step forward, looking at them with a high and mighty gaze as she crossed her arms beneath her chest.
"Oho... even though you are a part of this side, you didn't know who we are?" He clicks his tongue as he shakes his head. "That might be why you don't know an unwritten rule from this country."
I observed a subtle tremble from Shiro's body, and glancing around me, it seems like the others are also feeling it. As for me, I don't feel anything other than annoyance for them and concern for my friends.
"Uhmm.... may we ask who you are? We didn't recall encountering your group?" Honomi suddenly said to the side. There is a subtle tremble in her voice, and she also looks confused though she seems to be trying to calm down the situation.
"Ab.... So all of you are clueless. Understandable, but well...."
Danger!
With the feeling of danger, my body already moves to Honomi's side, putting my palm on her side and shoving her away before something pierces through the air, making me hear that brief shrill of air near my ears. Honomi seems surprised as she gasps, falling on her butt on the side near the wall of some residence that we are beside.
[You learned "Shove"]
[You learned "Intuition"]
[Your Ability "Slash Resistance" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Bleed Resistance" has leveled up!]
My thoughts are accelerated enough to notice it. It's a small and curved serrated object. It has the shape of a hook, though it is apt to call it the blade of a scythe just by the length alone. I thought I dodged it, but it seems like I was hit by my cheek if the slight sting from my cheek is any indication.
Good thing I have pain resistance. I don't feel much of the pain other than the slight heat and numbness from my cheek. Natural Regeneration seems to be kicking in as I felt it easing up quickly.
"Hoh? You managed to dodge that... No, that girl seems to have saved you!" The others seems to have noticed just what happened when they suddenly look at me, and then they gasped when I felt their gaze turn to my face.
"Yumeko!?" Hayami quickly goes to my side, though I stopped her.
Even Honomi who quickly stood up seems like she wanted to get to me but with my words, every one of them stopped.
"No need. We should focus on these people first." Right, we can't afford to be distracted now that they are facing us. "What do you want from us?"
"Oho? You are not scared of us? How interesting!" He just grinned at me before glancing at Shiro. "Normally anyone would know why we came, but as all of you looks clueless enough, I'll be generous enough to tell you. That girl...." He pointed his wrinkly fingers at Shiro. "... is smearing the name of our revered concept. We are losing a lot of things here because of her actions.... we can't afford that now, can we?"
What did Shiro do? The others seem like they are also clueless about it. Even Shiro!
"So what? There is no need to become aggressive. Why don't we talk this out, and let her promise that she won't do it again?" As my friends are not talking, I decided to take the lead.
I just have to de-escalate the situation, and then we can go back to our things without any bloodshed. The others seem intimidated by them, so these guys might be dangerous. I don't know why they are scared though because based on my reading from their expression alone, they don't know who these guys are.
It might be that sinister aura that they seem to be releasing around them. It is intimidating but fear resistance is protecting me from that!
I just have to stop them from doing something drastic. There is no need for a fight to break out right now.
He clicks his tongue a few times once more as he shakes his head, shaking his finger as if he reprimanding a naughty child.
"You don't understand. We are here to teach this girl a lesson. Everyone else is just a bonus!"
I noticed the weird undulation and contraction of the shadows around us. They elongated to impossible lengths, or are becoming shorter than how they were supposed to be reflected on the light from the lamppost around here and the moonlight too.
This is getting weird. These are just effects to scare us, right? There is no way we found something supernatural here!
"Disappear!" I heard Shiro suddenly exclaim as she pointed her arm at the small men in front of her.
Then something surprising happens. The shadows themselves seem to have come to life, though they also freeze mid-action before they can do everything. I heard Shiro gasping, before seeing the shade around us becoming darker, and seeing the hints of movement from these darker spots concentrating on our position.
My prediction is that it will suddenly burst into tentacle-like feelers that will try to wrap around us and immobilize us on the ground. I don't have the time to move and push everyone away from this place.
... It seems like I have to use Fame Manipulation again...
"Try continuing that, and you will die."
[Your Ability "Provocation" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Intimidation" has leveled up!]
Provocation leveling up is surprising, and it is helpful for me. Within this small amount of time, I raised the fame I can get from intimidation and focus all of their attention to me, while at the same time lowering the fame of my friends on their eyes to zero to give them a chance to run away.
Then I take a step forward and noticed the darker spots from our shadows following me.
The plan is simple. Provoke the enemy and force their attack on me alone!
And so, I found myself suddenly being wrapped up in darkness.
It took them a few moments before they finally processed just what happened. Yumeko just suddenly take a step forward as if she realized something, even going as far as to threaten the others confidently before she did so.
"Yumeko?" Hayami exclaimed as she looks at their purple-haired friend who is now being immobilized by the shadows itself.
"You puny mortal! Daring to insult us!?" They don't know why but it seems like the wrinkly monsters surrounding them don't like Yumeko's attitude. "As punishment for being so arrogant, we will personally torture you!"
With those words, the other goblins glared at the prone form of their friend. This causes Hayami and the others to finally snap out of their reverie, and shake their head.
"W-we have to save her!" Saki exclaimed, and the others immediately nodded.
They don't know who are these men. They don't even know why they felt threatened by just their presence alone. Though Yumeko being more braver than them even though she didn't have any powers like them, they felt more embarrassed and angry at themselves.
'What are we doing? Are we so pathetic that we will just let these random people hurt our friend!?' Hayami thought to herself with a grimace. 'No! We have to be more courageous than this!'
Feeling like she has been enlightened, she focuses the energy from her body into her hand, before swinging it on the goblins walking menacingly in her direction.
Weirdly enough, it felt like they weren't even aware that they are there, and has just gasped in surprise at the last second before the greenish orb of light hits the ground where the one leading them is stepping.
The huge amount of energy she uses causes the orb to splash on the ground and causes the ground that the splash zone of that green orb reaches to become a veritable amount of vines with the thickness of a whole human torso. These vines move as if they are alive, wrapping around the goblins that are gobsmacked that they were suddenly surrounded by these.
"My friends, help that purple-haired girl!" Honomi shouted.
After her loud call, the sounds of chirping and flapping wings resounded above them. At the same time, the quick form of little creatures on the ground moves at extreme speed, getting to the girl currently being restrained by darkness.
Shiro tries to flex her will from the darkness, and while there is some resistance, it surprisingly becomes easier for her to move some of the darkness. She wanted to force those dark tendrils away from Yumeko, though it seems like she can't wrest control of it even if she tries to force herself. So she opted to use the darkness not to trap these goblins, but to look through more of the stray animals on the streets around the district.
It has been displayed to her that her powers don't affect these weird small men. Though they are strangely not looking at them right now as these goblins seem more interested in Yumeko, and are distracted by the mouse and birds that are crowding them, she can't afford to make a mistake and let these men counterattack.
So even when she wanted to take the spotlight and take the lead, she can begrudgingly act as support as Honomi called upon more animals to help them.
Saki wanted to try and reach out to Yumeko, but she can't get close as the goblins are aggressively swinging their weapons around. Those who are behind them ignored them as they go straight at the animals or at Yumeko who is being protected by the animals.
"You pesky!" The wrinkled man leading them grumbled in anger as he swings his scythe at the bird pecking on him. The hook-like scythe reaps the flesh of that small bird, causing blood to splatter around.
Then those whose half or partial amounts of their body are trapped in the vines sink into the shades that it formed before they emerged out of the vine's grasp and land near Yumeko.
"No!" Hayami formed another orb and throws it at them. The orb splashed on the street road and causing the concrete to be broken as more vines appeared beneath it.
"That won't work on us!" Another one of them screamed before they sink into their shadows and then reemerged from the ground, a step foot closer to Yumeko who seems to be struggling from her bound position.
"Stop them from hurting her!" Honomi screamed as a group of large mice, and even cockroaches flies towards the small men with aggression.
Though a simple swipe of his hook and the darkness on the ground intensified, before it formed a large spike of darkness that slams and pierces all these rodents and insects into bloody mulches.
"We of the Kurohenge are inevitable! Face your punishment and lament your hubris for insulting us!" The goblin on the front screamed as he raises his scythe and then swings it mercilessly at Yumeko.
The others screamed in surprise, their eyes widening while the small men have their bulging eyes lighting up in anticipation. Their lips slowly formed into a crooked grin.
Then another surprise occurs as the girl who was supposed to be immobilized just casually breaks through the dark tendrils, and rolled over before the scythe hits her.
"Whoops! That took a long while....!" Yumeko said to the side, much to the shock of the others.
"What!? Impossible!?" One of the small monstrous men exclaimed in shock as their eyes trembled at that sight.
".... I'm surprised... I'm really shocked to know that there are supernatural things in this world...." Yumeko muttered before sighing. "My bad... I should have thought that something like that is possible in this world."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Just saying some nonsense that only I can understand." Yumeko turned her gaze at them, and for the first time, Hayami and the others felt like their hearts skips a beat as they saw her figure that suddenly acquired this sense of otherworldliness to it.
"Yumeko-chan...?"
"President... I also have a secret of my own you know?" Yumeko seems to reach out for something on the air, and much to their surprise, a bat formed from her hand before she swings it with a flair. "I also have powers!"
It is the first time they saw her grinning as she gazes at the small men, who are now looking at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened!" I don't know why but Hayami is the most eager to stick to that reason.
Somehow, without me asking them, they just suddenly blurted out a lot of things like they just happened to be here, and transitioning into something weird like there's a cosplay event somewhere here, there is a gathering of some like-minded individuals here, or even there is a really important event here that was so important they have to go here with their strange array of outfit.
Well, Saki somehow got the outfit just right. She looks like a girl punk who is going to take names.
"... Okay, if you are not going to tell me then it's fine." There is no need to pry too much. Though even if I say that, I can't leave them alone. "But your clothes are ill-suited to protect you from harm. If it wasn't much trouble, why don't I order you something better?" By order, I meant I'm going to make them!
They are doing something dangerous, and while I don't know why they are doing it, a simple glance at these moaning men who have superior strength and numbers than them makes me sure that they are capable fighters. I shouldn't fuss so much if they can handle themselves.
That doesn't mean I will just leave them alone. They might have learned some sort of ancient martial arts, or they have been trained by some super agent or something, but regardless of that, I can't tell them I have powers that can defy common sense. This is a parallel version of a modern world Earth, so I think even if they have something amazing as a super spy organization around here, it won't still go above that there is some supernatural thing happening around here.
Unless this is an urban fantasy setting, I refused to think this world is running on that kind of logic. This is still real for me even with the powers, so I would like to think this world also works the same as my past life.
"Wait.... you're not going to ask us anymore?" Honomi looks honestly baffled if my discernment is right.
"Yeah. You wouldn't tell me even if I ask for it. Just know that I am here to support you."
What? Going along with them? No way! I don't want to go and find trouble!
It's preferable if I just stay on the sidelines and become their support. They can do their own street fight or secret missions or whatever, I just didn't want to be involved with something dangerous as fighting someone.
"... Sorry, we really can't tell you much, but we are grateful that you are still fine with it!" Hayami suddenly bowed to me.
"I'm not fine with it, but I'm sure it is a secret that you can't tell a normal person like me. There is no need for you to feel sorry about that!" I waved my hand. "If you can tell me then cool, but I don't have a habit of forcing someone to say something to me."
They have their own lives. I'm not even a close relative of them so I can't be too fussy for them. That will just become annoying, mostly if they can fight decently to protect themselves.
By the way, we have already left that alleyway and we are just walking on the now-silent streets of this residential area. We are getting closer to the junkyard as I am talking to them.
"By the way, what are you doing here, Yumeko-chan?" Hayami suddenly asks me.
"Me? I'm here to--!?"
Presence. I felt a lot of them suddenly appear behind us. Along with that presence are danger and hostility.
[Your Ability "Sense Hostility" has leveled up!]
Looking behind us, I saw small men in a hunched posture walking closer to us. Night Vision helps me see their wrinkly face, that large pug nose that seems to sit on their wrinkled lips, those bulging eyes that look a bit cartoonish, their sunk cheeks, pointed ears, rare strands of graying hair, and the like.
Anyway, they look like gremlins or goblins, whatever the heck they are!
The others seem to have noticed them a bit later than me. I can feel that other presences suddenly reveal themselves behind and on our sides. Even on the other side of the street, I can see from my periphery that some are just showing beyond the darkness.
What is that? Such a skillful way of hiding their presence! Are they some ninjas or super spies or something?
"Greetings. Having a nice night?" The one leading them at the front said that his voice causes me to shudder unconsciously due to how it gives me that sickly feeling.
"Who are you?" Shiro suddenly takes a step forward, looking at them with a high and mighty gaze as she crossed her arms beneath her chest.
"Oho... even though you are a part of this side, you didn't know who we are?" He clicks his tongue as he shakes his head. "That might be why you don't know an unwritten rule from this country."
I observed a subtle tremble from Shiro's body, and glancing around me, it seems like the others are also feeling it. As for me, I don't feel anything other than annoyance for them and concern for my friends.
"Uhmm.... may we ask who you are? We didn't recall encountering your group?" Honomi suddenly said to the side. There is a subtle tremble in her voice, and she also looks confused though she seems to be trying to calm down the situation.
"Ab.... So all of you are clueless. Understandable, but well...."
Danger!
With the feeling of danger, my body already moves to Honomi's side, putting my palm on her side and shoving her away before something pierces through the air, making me hear that brief shrill of air near my ears. Honomi seems surprised as she gasps, falling on her butt on the side near the wall of some residence that we are beside.
[You learned "Shove"]
[You learned "Intuition"]
[Your Ability "Slash Resistance" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Bleed Resistance" has leveled up!]
My thoughts are accelerated enough to notice it. It's a small and curved serrated object. It has the shape of a hook, though it is apt to call it the blade of a scythe just by the length alone. I thought I dodged it, but it seems like I was hit by my cheek if the slight sting from my cheek is any indication.
Good thing I have pain resistance. I don't feel much of the pain other than the slight heat and numbness from my cheek. Natural Regeneration seems to be kicking in as I felt it easing up quickly.
"Hoh? You managed to dodge that... No, that girl seems to have saved you!" The others seems to have noticed just what happened when they suddenly look at me, and then they gasped when I felt their gaze turn to my face.
"Yumeko!?" Hayami quickly goes to my side, though I stopped her.
Even Honomi who quickly stood up seems like she wanted to get to me but with my words, every one of them stopped.
"No need. We should focus on these people first." Right, we can't afford to be distracted now that they are facing us. "What do you want from us?"
"Oho? You are not scared of us? How interesting!" He just grinned at me before glancing at Shiro. "Normally anyone would know why we came, but as all of you looks clueless enough, I'll be generous enough to tell you. That girl...." He pointed his wrinkly fingers at Shiro. "... is smearing the name of our revered concept. We are losing a lot of things here because of her actions.... we can't afford that now, can we?"
What did Shiro do? The others seem like they are also clueless about it. Even Shiro!
"So what? There is no need to become aggressive. Why don't we talk this out, and let her promise that she won't do it again?" As my friends are not talking, I decided to take the lead.
I just have to de-escalate the situation, and then we can go back to our things without any bloodshed. The others seem intimidated by them, so these guys might be dangerous. I don't know why they are scared though because based on my reading from their expression alone, they don't know who these guys are.
It might be that sinister aura that they seem to be releasing around them. It is intimidating but fear resistance is protecting me from that!
I just have to stop them from doing something drastic. There is no need for a fight to break out right now.
He clicks his tongue a few times once more as he shakes his head, shaking his finger as if he reprimanding a naughty child.
"You don't understand. We are here to teach this girl a lesson. Everyone else is just a bonus!"
I noticed the weird undulation and contraction of the shadows around us. They elongated to impossible lengths, or are becoming shorter than how they were supposed to be reflected on the light from the lamppost around here and the moonlight too.
This is getting weird. These are just effects to scare us, right? There is no way we found something supernatural here!
"Disappear!" I heard Shiro suddenly exclaim as she pointed her arm at the small men in front of her.
Then something surprising happens. The shadows themselves seem to have come to life, though they also freeze mid-action before they can do everything. I heard Shiro gasping, before seeing the shade around us becoming darker, and seeing the hints of movement from these darker spots concentrating on our position.
My prediction is that it will suddenly burst into tentacle-like feelers that will try to wrap around us and immobilize us on the ground. I don't have the time to move and push everyone away from this place.
... It seems like I have to use Fame Manipulation again...
"Try continuing that, and you will die."
[Your Ability "Provocation" has leveled up!]
[Your Ability "Intimidation" has leveled up!]
Provocation leveling up is surprising, and it is helpful for me. Within this small amount of time, I raised the fame I can get from intimidation and focus all of their attention to me, while at the same time lowering the fame of my friends on their eyes to zero to give them a chance to run away.
Then I take a step forward and noticed the darker spots from our shadows following me.
The plan is simple. Provoke the enemy and force their attack on me alone!
And so, I found myself suddenly being wrapped up in darkness.
It took them a few moments before they finally processed just what happened. Yumeko just suddenly take a step forward as if she realized something, even going as far as to threaten the others confidently before she did so.
"Yumeko?" Hayami exclaimed as she looks at their purple-haired friend who is now being immobilized by the shadows itself.
"You puny mortal! Daring to insult us!?" They don't know why but it seems like the wrinkly monsters surrounding them don't like Yumeko's attitude. "As punishment for being so arrogant, we will personally torture you!"
With those words, the other goblins glared at the prone form of their friend. This causes Hayami and the others to finally snap out of their reverie, and shake their head.
"W-we have to save her!" Saki exclaimed, and the others immediately nodded.
They don't know who are these men. They don't even know why they felt threatened by just their presence alone. Though Yumeko being more braver than them even though she didn't have any powers like them, they felt more embarrassed and angry at themselves.
'What are we doing? Are we so pathetic that we will just let these random people hurt our friend!?' Hayami thought to herself with a grimace. 'No! We have to be more courageous than this!'
Feeling like she has been enlightened, she focuses the energy from her body into her hand, before swinging it on the goblins walking menacingly in her direction.
Weirdly enough, it felt like they weren't even aware that they are there, and has just gasped in surprise at the last second before the greenish orb of light hits the ground where the one leading them is stepping.
The huge amount of energy she uses causes the orb to splash on the ground and causes the ground that the splash zone of that green orb reaches to become a veritable amount of vines with the thickness of a whole human torso. These vines move as if they are alive, wrapping around the goblins that are gobsmacked that they were suddenly surrounded by these.
"My friends, help that purple-haired girl!" Honomi shouted.
After her loud call, the sounds of chirping and flapping wings resounded above them. At the same time, the quick form of little creatures on the ground moves at extreme speed, getting to the girl currently being restrained by darkness.
Shiro tries to flex her will from the darkness, and while there is some resistance, it surprisingly becomes easier for her to move some of the darkness. She wanted to force those dark tendrils away from Yumeko, though it seems like she can't wrest control of it even if she tries to force herself. So she opted to use the darkness not to trap these goblins, but to look through more of the stray animals on the streets around the district.
It has been displayed to her that her powers don't affect these weird small men. Though they are strangely not looking at them right now as these goblins seem more interested in Yumeko, and are distracted by the mouse and birds that are crowding them, she can't afford to make a mistake and let these men counterattack.
So even when she wanted to take the spotlight and take the lead, she can begrudgingly act as support as Honomi called upon more animals to help them.
Saki wanted to try and reach out to Yumeko, but she can't get close as the goblins are aggressively swinging their weapons around. Those who are behind them ignored them as they go straight at the animals or at Yumeko who is being protected by the animals.
"You pesky!" The wrinkled man leading them grumbled in anger as he swings his scythe at the bird pecking on him. The hook-like scythe reaps the flesh of that small bird, causing blood to splatter around.
Then those whose half or partial amounts of their body are trapped in the vines sink into the shades that it formed before they emerged out of the vine's grasp and land near Yumeko.
"No!" Hayami formed another orb and throws it at them. The orb splashed on the street road and causing the concrete to be broken as more vines appeared beneath it.
"That won't work on us!" Another one of them screamed before they sink into their shadows and then reemerged from the ground, a step foot closer to Yumeko who seems to be struggling from her bound position.
"Stop them from hurting her!" Honomi screamed as a group of large mice, and even cockroaches flies towards the small men with aggression.
Though a simple swipe of his hook and the darkness on the ground intensified, before it formed a large spike of darkness that slams and pierces all these rodents and insects into bloody mulches.
"We of the Kurohenge are inevitable! Face your punishment and lament your hubris for insulting us!" The goblin on the front screamed as he raises his scythe and then swings it mercilessly at Yumeko.
The others screamed in surprise, their eyes widening while the small men have their bulging eyes lighting up in anticipation. Their lips slowly formed into a crooked grin.
Then another surprise occurs as the girl who was supposed to be immobilized just casually breaks through the dark tendrils, and rolled over before the scythe hits her.
"Whoops! That took a long while....!" Yumeko said to the side, much to the shock of the others.
"What!? Impossible!?" One of the small monstrous men exclaimed in shock as their eyes trembled at that sight.
".... I'm surprised... I'm really shocked to know that there are supernatural things in this world...." Yumeko muttered before sighing. "My bad... I should have thought that something like that is possible in this world."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Just saying some nonsense that only I can understand." Yumeko turned her gaze at them, and for the first time, Hayami and the others felt like their hearts skips a beat as they saw her figure that suddenly acquired this sense of otherworldliness to it.
"Yumeko-chan...?"
"President... I also have a secret of my own you know?" Yumeko seems to reach out for something on the air, and much to their surprise, a bat formed from her hand before she swings it with a flair. "I also have powers!"
It is the first time they saw her grinning as she gazes at the small men, who are now looking at her with a dumbfounded expression.
Sorry for the cliffhanger, but that's as much as my mind can handle for today... I'll be sleeping for now...
See you later everyone!~
If you want to support me, you can go to my Kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
See you later everyone!~
If you want to support me, you can go to my Kofi account here.
Thank you for reading this!~♪
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I'm loving this much more. It will be even better if they misinterpret her explanation of her powers as a rationalization of her own genius.
Na na na na na na na na BATGIRL!!!!
I guess Yumeko will be getting the Party System one of these days.
will yumeko go all "rules are made to be broken!" with that bat?
Ooops, the Goblin Tophat Mafia just activated Yumeko's Serious Mode.
"Aaah, this 'Power of Beauty & Fame' makes everything so awkward... I better turn it off! Now back to playing Terraria for real in my second life, hehe."
Dark Lady Yumeko: "EVERYONE SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!"