Chapter 45 - The Battle at Eastport Station
With the appearance of the debt collectors, Jhin decided to first hide inside the ticket booth located a bit away from the waiting area.
anwhile, the kobolds began to form ranks, just as they had when greeting Jhin’s group earlier.
It was obvious what they were trying to do.
Millie cautiously opened her mouth.
«Mr. Jhin... are you okay?»
«Hm?»
«You don’t look well.»
Snapping back to his senses and glancing around, Jhin realized Caleb and Luke were also subtly watching him with worried eyes.
Millie asked again:
«Are you feeling unwell?»
Jhin shook his head.
It was true that his agitation showed on his face.
But to say he was feeling ntally disturbed — that wasn’t quite right either.
He had the skill of ’Calmness.’
Unless it was sothing truly extre, he could control his emotions.
Just—
«I’m a little angry.»
Jhin’s gaze swept over the kobolds hidden around, each aiming an arrow.
They didn’t even speak now, only uttering guttural cries like «Kee-ee-!» and sobbing like beasts.
As if they had truly forgotten how to use language.
As if they had truly beco monsters.
Suppressing his rage, Jhin spoke:
«The value of the goods they borrowed — it was roughly similar for everyone. Right?»
«...That’s what they said.»
«And the interest was the sa too.»
«Yes...»
Jhin narrowed his eyes.
«But the amount of mory loss... it’s different. So kobolds have lost enough mory to forget ,even how to speak, while others haven’t.»
He asked:
«Why would there be such a difference in mory loss?»
«...No way.»
Millie, quick-witted, instantly grasped what Jhin was implying.
It took Caleb a few seconds longer, but he, too, soon grimaced in realization.
Luke’s expression also darkened, having reached a similar conclusion.
«The total amount of mories they had was different to begin with.»
Different spans of life.
The kobold with glasses, Hans, was twenty-three years old.
He had twenty-three years’ worth of mories — thus, he could still act sowhat human.
The others — had fewer mories.
In other words:
«They were children.»
The debt collectors had stolen the bodies of minors — teenagers, children — and even damaged what little mories they had left.
That was the conclusion.
Maybe that was why Hans, even while knowing it was reckless, had drawn up a plan to fight the debt collectors.
Even if his own mories were intact — the others barely had shreds of their humanity remaining.
If those mories were completely erased—
’They’ll beco monsters.’
The system recognized them as "players" because there were still human souls — specifically, aware human souls — trapped within those kobold bodies.
But if they lost all mory — if the human consciousness disappeared —
they would beco monsters, irreversibly.
Just like the Grids.
They would never return.
«Those damn bastards...»
Grinding his teeth, Caleb muttered behind him.
anwhile, Jhin turned his gaze back forward.
«Kee-ee-!» All around the station, the kobolds tensed and activated the hidden devices they had set up.
A thick fog suddenly blanketed the area, blurring vision.
The exact sa thod they had used earlier against Jhin’s group.
At that mont —Jhin spotted the debt collectors climbing up the stairs.
Massive figures — easily over two ters tall — thudded up step by step, heavy and slow.
And then he knew.
Hans’s plan was going to fail.
«What should we do? Are we just going to watch?»
At Millie’s worried question, Jhin’s eyes glead sharply as he stared at the approaching debt collectors.
’Just stand by?’
Jhin slowly clenched his fist.
«...Of course not.»
«Grrrrh! What’s this...»
The huge n who had climbed into the waiting room at Eastport Station exhaled thick plus of breath.
Their eyes flickered rapidly — and with precision, they spotted the kobolds hiding in the fog.
«Trying to pull so tricks, huh!»
The giant lifted a club high into the air.
With a thunderous crash, he slamd the club straight down onto the floor —
cracking the ground open.
At the sa ti, a rush of air blasted outward — and the thick fog cleared instantly.
The scene of terrified kobolds was exposed to the debt collectors’ eyes.
«How adorable... thinking you can resist!»
And then — despite their massive size — the debt collectors charged forward with startling speed.
The kobolds fired arrows in desperation.
But—
The giants’ skin deflected the arrows like they were pebbles against stone.
«Kee-ee-!»
Hans’s desperate cries roused the kobolds into action.
Several nearby kobolds jumped up — hurling round objects at the approaching giants.
Where had they gotten them?
Upon closer look — they were grenades.
KABOOOM!
A sudden explosion shook the area, blasting away the lingering mist completely.
One of the debt collectors was caught in the blast zone.
Hans let out a triumphant roar.
The kobolds followed, letting out battle cries as they hurled more grenades.
The place where the debt collectors had clustered turned into a wasteland in monts.
But— Their cheers ca too soon.
«If you borrow money...»
From within the smoke —a giant hand shot out.
It seized a kobold by the head.
«...you must repay it!»
«Kee-ee-!Kee-ee-!»
The kobold shrieked in terror, but no help ca.
The sa thing was happening elsewhere, all around the battlefield.
Of course it was.
These were not foes that kobolds could handle.
The giants — the debt collectors — had skin tougher than modern grenades could breach.
Jhin knew them.
—And.
The instant he saw a debt collector’s bulging arm getting ready to crush a kobold’s skull— Jhin moved.
Ssshhk!
A sharp slicing sound.
And the debt collector’s arm was neatly severed.
With one smooth swing, Jhin’s thorn-infused weapon severed through flesh, then up and cleanly decapitated the debt collector’s head.
That — was the trigger.
Gunshots rang out.
Another debt collector’s forehead was blown open.
Caleb and Luke hurriedly grabbed the trembling kobolds and retreated to the rear.
In an instant — a clear line was drawn between the debt collectors and the kobolds.
Standing at the center of it — were Millie and Jhin.
Soone muttered in confusion:
«Humans...?»
Through the fully cleared mist — another debt collector erged into view.
His first impression?
He looked just like a goblin from an old fairy tale.
Broad, hulking shoulders.
A prominent horn on his forehead.
A giant club slung casually over his shoulder.
If he swung that club, it wouldn’t be magic tricks — it would be bloody carnage.
Not the whimsical goblins of children’s stories —
but sothing straight out of a dark, cruel fairytale.
’Of all things... it had to be a goblin.’
Goblins were D-rank monsters, their level exceeding 80.
Against kobolds — whose maximum level barely reached 30 —
it was an impossible matchup.
’Especially these ones — they’re obviously reinforced.’
One glance told the story.
Their physiques were absurdly solid.
The fact that even grenades couldn’t harm them ant their strength and endurance stats had skyrocketed.
anwhile, Jhin focused intently on the goblin’s na.
There — glead the unmistakable color of ’white.’
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