Chapter 108: Snowfield Zone (2)
“Is this crazy bitch trying to teach right now?”
“……?”
When Diesel turned his head, he saw Michya throwing a glass at the employee, Sebin.
“I-I was just trying to explain the dish…….”
You think I can’t rember sothing that simple? What kind of trash training are you running here?”
The White Bear picked a completely absurd fight, then suddenly clenched his fist and swung it.
“How dare so vulgar lowborn bitch look down on ……?”
“D-Director! Please, you can’t!”
But the shop owner, who had been watching from behind, rushed over in a panic and shielded Sebin.
“Ghk……!”
When Michya’s punch was blocked by soone else entirely, the White Bear, looking thoroughly enraged, jumped to his feet and began lashing out with violence.
“Oh? You block ? Huh?”
“Gkh……! Director……! Ngh……!”
“You damn, filthy, low-class trash……!”
“I-I’m sorry! The manager did nothing wrong! I-I was at fault! Please, just stop…….”
Sebin hurriedly bowed his head and apologized, but it had no effect.
The White Bear instead activated the offensive cyberware installed in his arm.
‘He’s crossing the line badly.’
Muttering that, Diesel glanced sideways at Tae-oh Barosi.
Once again, the surface of his face was twisting into sothing strange.
Unlike earlier, when there had been a hint of amusent, this ti it was an eerily terrifying expression.
‘Hmm…….’
It was painfully obvious what this Half-dragon was thinking.
He was a straight-laced type who had learned how society worked from stories of ‘heroes’ who saved the world.
The fact that he had endured this long was impressive in itself.
Maybe he was forcing himself to hold back because this was still an ongoing job.
‘Still, at least he has professional awareness.’
Now, what mattered was Diesel’s reaction.
Because Tae-oh Barosi was glancing sideways, checking Diesel’s response.
‘He’s trying to see how I’ll handle this.’
If I just pretended not to notice and let it slide, what would happen?
He might be deeply disappointed and even leave the clan.
After all, he was only a temporary mber of the Aguiggun Clan.
‘And that White Bear bastard is annoying too.’
As that thought crossed my mind—
The hoarse, phlegm-choked voice of the White Bear Beastman bood loudly.
“Let’s just finish this today. You bastards……!”
At last, Michya tore off his outer shirt and activated his tal arm.
Realizing they had crossed the point of no return, Diesel muttered the na of the Half-dragon beside him.
[Tae-oh.]
“……?”
[Don’t kill him.]
“…….”
At those words—
The Half-dragon, disguised as a white tiger, rose from his seat.
“Guys like you only co to your senses after getting beaten half to death.”
Psssss…….
Compressed steam burst out from the steel arm attached to the White Bear.
At the sa ti, a green light blinked near the wrist.
It ant he was ready to strike at any mont.
‘His cyberware maintenance is a ss.’
Normally, steam shouldn’t be venting like that.
It ant air was leaking from sowhere in the hydraulic cylinder.
As the surroundings were soon blanketed in a pungent fog mixed with harmful substances, a rather terrifying atmosphere was created.
‘Ignorant bastard…….’
Once, this offensive cyberware had been operated by Podvig’s corporate fleet.
It was a bona fide ‘weapon’ capable of punching holes through tank armor.
Pointing sothing that dangerous at civilians—
“This is education I personally bestow upon you lowly trash, so receive it with gratitude.”
“D-Director, I’m sorry! Please spare !”
Pssssssss…….
The White Bear spewed steam wildly and raised his fist.
Then he swung it toward the shop owner, who was prostrating himself and begging desperately.
“Hiiik……!”
But—
“……?”
Sothing burst through the smoke and firmly grabbed his arm.
It was the hand of a carnivorous beast, thickly covered in white fur.
“What—what is this?”
“…….”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Michya struggled to pull his hand free.
But it didn’t budge at all, as if locked in place.
“I-iiik……! What are you doing? Guards! Guards……!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Do sothing about this!”
The more the White Bear flailed, the more violently steam poured out of his cyberware in all directions.
From beyond that smoke, a voice was heard.
“Pathetic.”
“What……?”
“There truly is no end to your rudeness.”
“W-Who are you?!”
“Who am I, you ask?”
Suddenly, from within the hazy steam—
The face of an enraged tiger lunged into view.
“I am the one who will teach you what manners are.”
“Uwaaargh……!”
Along with that, the growl of a ferocious beast echoed.
‘You said you hated disguises, but you really committed to the concept.’
To think he even reproduced the roar using sothing as trivial as Furry Gum.
That kind of application couldn’t be done after just one or two tries.
‘Looks like he’s quite the enthusiast.’
Tae-oh stared at Michya with a terrifying expression and muttered.
“This is education I personally bestow upon you lowly trash, so receive it with gratitude.”
He repeated the exact words the bastard had said, then brutally twisted his arm.
“Uaaaargh……! You damn guards! What are you doing just standing there!”
The White Bear scread in pain and called for his escort, but no answer ca.
“There is no one left to help you.”
Because Tae-oh Barosi had already knocked them all out.
‘That was incredibly clean work.’
There had been three guards, each looking to be at least around Level 4.
But that Half-dragon had silenced them all effortlessly with gestures too fast to even see.
“Grrrhk……! You piece of shit……! Do you know who I am to treat like this?!”
“Hm, really? Then let’s hear it. Tell who you are.”
“I’m a corporate executive! An executive of one of the gacorporations—‘Podvig’!”
“Oh, is that so? I wondered who you were.”
“Yeah! So let go of this hand right now and kneel and beg! If you so much as put a scratch on my body, you’ll regret it for the rest of—”
Krrrk……!
Before the White Bear could finish his noisy rant—
Tae-oh Barosi tore the steel arm off like a sheet of paper.
“Kyaaaaagh……!”
Michya rolled around on the floor, screaming.
Tae-oh looked down at him and muttered.
“Honestly. You’re awfully noisy for soone your size.”
“Y-you……! I’ll never let this go!”
“Do I need to rip off the other arm for you to co to your senses?”
The white tiger growled again and stepped toward the White Bear.
This ti, the shop owner stepped forward and tried to stop him.
“P-Please, sir. This is as far as you should go…….”
Michya crawled backward across the floor, hid behind the shop owner’s bulky fra, and shouted.
“You bastard……! I’m close with the owner of this Furry Land! You know that?!”
“Hmm……?”
“Don’t go anywhere—just wait a bit. The damage I just took! I’ll get every last bit compensated!”
With that, he hurriedly ran out of the shop.
“Tsk. To think they’d make such a worthless piece of trash an executive. Looks like even the once-mighty Podvig has reached the end of its luck.”
Tae-oh Barosi shook his head while watching Michya flee with his tail between his legs.
Not long after, the shop owner approached him and bowed deeply.
“Thank you. I almost died.”
“Pay it no mind. I rely upheld the duty of one who possesses strength.”
Seemingly pleased with his own reply, Tae-oh smiled with satisfaction.
“We really received a lot of help. Thank you so much.”
Sebin, who had co up beside the shop owner before anyone noticed, looked up at Tae-oh and spoke.
“Ahem……. I said there was no need to worry…….”
The white tiger hide draped over him twisted strangely once more.
Like the face of a creepy middle-aged man unable to hide his grin.
Watching Tae-oh Barosi’s behavior, Diesel narrowed his brow.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Perhaps realizing himself that his expression was odd, Tae-oh hurriedly covered his face and changed the subject.
“That troubleso custor earlier—does he co often?”
“Ah, yes. He wasn’t usually that rough, but after he was badly injured so ti ago, his personality suddenly worsened.”
“…….”
At her words, Diesel recalled Michya from the Black Market.
‘He was trying to buy Magnus’s business card.’
An item said to be able to recharge depleted artifacts.
But that White Bear hadn’t been trying to buy the card for that purpose.
‘They said he didn’t have long to live.’
According to information Sis had picked up for fun, Michya had been given a terminal diagnosis.
The reason was that he had been struck by the breath exhaled by a Brain Dragon.
Even though he had replaced all the damaged parts with cyberware, he was suffering from a disease that caused his entire body to gradually rot away.
‘Betty said that among Brain Dragons, her breath carried especially strong energy.’
Having experienced her ‘Lightning Baptism’ himself, Diesel knew well just how painful it was.
Moreover, what Diesel had endured was a breath with its output reduced for ceremonial purposes.
Michya had taken an unmitigated strike head-on, so in a way, the fact that he was even alive was a miracle.
‘Seems like he was trying to create an artifact to cure that disease.’
Even that had been obstructed by Diesel.
At this point, Diesel himself might well be considered an ‘ill fate’ to that bastard.
‘Wait. If that’s the case, then the reason he ca here is…….’
As Diesel was forming a hypothesis—
The employee Sebin cautiously spoke up.
“He speaks roughly, but he doesn’t lie. So I’m worried the two of you might be hard.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Well…… he really does have a prior acquaintance with the owner of Furry Land.”
“The owner of Furry Land…… you an White Bear Urmus?”
“Yes. Lord White Bear is very benevolent, but he also deeply cherishes those close to him. So I was worried sothing might happen to you…….”
“I gratefully accept that concern. Then, perhaps…… may I ask for your number…….”
As the two continued their small talk, Diesel suddenly cut in.
[Ta e-oh.]
[Hmm……?]
[Let’s leave.]
At the transmission, Tae-oh Barosi failed to keep his expression in check.
[What? We haven’t even eaten yet.]
[I figured sothing out.]
When Tae-oh turned around, he saw Diesel wearing a serious expression.
[We’ll talk about it outside.]
He then tilted his head toward the exit.
At that, Tae-oh Barosi looked back at Sebin with a regretful face.
“We shall take our leave.”
“Oh, you’re going already?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah……. Yes. I suppose you must. I’d like to give you sothing as thanks, but…….”
“That won’t be necessary. Rather, may I ask you one thing?”
“Of course!”
“May I ask about your working hours…….”
“Hmm……. So that’s what happened.”
An alley sowhere in the Snowfield Zone.
Between modest wooden buildings, Diesel and Tae-oh were talking.
“I never imagined he was soone with such a connection to Betty as well.”
After hearing the story between his younger sister and Michya, Tae-oh looked quite surprised.
“Leaving him alive was likely Betty’s intention.”
“Yeah. It seed like she deliberately aid away from his vital points.”
“Then do you know why she did that?”
“Well. If she’d killed an executive there, things would’ve gotten too big?”
At Diesel’s answer, Tae-oh Barosi rested his chin on his hand and said,
“Half right, half wrong.”
“Then maybe she wasn’t used to killing soone?”
“Hmm, that’s better than your first answer.”
“……So what is it, then?”
“Do you still not know why Betty approached you in that interview hall in the first place?”
“Because I’m a Ghostcatcher. She likes genres with underworld settings.”
“Heh…….”
Tae-oh shook his head slowly and muttered.
“Either you lack awareness of yourself, or you know and choose to ignore it.”
“……?”
As they exchanged such incomprehensible chatter, the awaited transmission finally ca in.
[Diesel. I checked what you ntioned.]
Little Sister’s voice rang in my ears.
A smuggling route hidden within Furry Land.
Diesel had asked her to investigate the area nearby.
[How is it?]
At Diesel’s question, Sis replied in a slightly excited tone.
[You totally nailed it.]
Reviews
All reviews (0)