アキラは遺物運搬用のリュックサックに限界まで遺物を詰め込んだ。そして当初の目的地への移動を再開する。57階にあるリオンズテイルの支店だ。狭い通路だと移動も難しくなったリュックサックを運びながらセランタルビルを登っていく。
その途中の光景は様々だ。非常に
『アルファ。何で場所によってこんなに差があるんだ?』
『恐らく、掃除というか、整備装置が機能しているかどうかの差だと思うわ』
『荒れ果てている場所はその機能がないってことか。あの店、
『あの店舗には恐らく自動的に商品が補充されるのよ』
『その商品って、誰がどこから運んでくるんだ?』
『運搬機械が現在も稼動している生産工場から運んでくるのでしょうね』
『いや、そんな工場が近くにあれば、絶対誰かに発見されるだろう? ハンターとか企業とかがそこに殺到して大変なことになるんじゃ......』
『その工場が非常に離れた場所、例えば東部の最前線の更に東の場所にあって、見つかっていないのかもしれない。あるいは、工場は結構近くに存在しているのだけれど、警備装置が非常に強力で誰も近づけないのかもしれない。いろいろ考えられるわね』
『うーん。それなら商品を運んでいる途中でハンターに襲われる気がするけど』
『運送用の機械を警備用の機械が護衛をしているかもしれないわ。地下トンネルを通って地下鉄で運ばれているのかもしれないわ。
『地下鉄か。あり得そうだ。それならハンターに襲われずに運送できても不思議はないか』
東部での移動手段は一部の例外を除いて地上での移動になる。アキラも地上以外の輸送手段を思いつかなかった。カツラギ達もトレーラーで東部の最前線付近から地上を通って戻ってきたのだ。旧世界の技術なら地上以外の輸送手段もあるのだろう。アキラは納得してそれ以上の疑問を覚えたりはしなかった。
アキラがアルファと雑談を続けながら更にビルを登っていくと、26階へ続く階段が封鎖されていた。別の階段を見つける
『アキラ。気を付けて。誰かいるわ』
アルファの指摘通り、アキラが着用しているゴーグルに表示されている情報収集機器の索敵結果にも、その誰かの反応が現れた。
アキラが警戒しながら先に進むと、その誰かもアキラの存在に気付いたようだ。旧世界の遺跡で他のハンターに出会うことは別に珍しいことではない。しかしそのハンターが友好的な存在である保証はない。
接触を避けるために離れていくのなら問題ない。アキラはそう思っていたのだが、誰かの反応はこちらに近付いてきていた。
この階は結構荒らされており、破壊された備品などの遮蔽物も多い。誰かはそれらに隠れながらアキラに近付いてきている。アキラが警戒してその方向へ銃を構えると、遮蔽物の影に隠れている誰かが話しかけてくる。
「戦う気はないわ。私はキャロル。ハンターよ。モンスターじゃないから撃たないで。いい?」
今はアルファのサポートもある。不必要に警戒して敵を増やす必要はない。そう判断したアキラが銃を下ろす。
アキラがそう返事をすると、すぐに物陰からキャロルと名乗った女性ハンターが現れた。
キャロルは女性向きのボディスーツを着用している。武装は大型の拳銃がホルスターに格納されている程度で、両手は空だ。ナイフすら握っていない。
CWH対物突撃銃やDVTSミニガンを装備しているアキラの格好と比べると、キャロルは随分と軽装で警戒心が薄いようにも感じられる。
その油断とも余裕とも判断できるキャロルの態度を、アキラは余裕と判断した。自分があれだけ苦労して中に入ったビルの中にいるハンターなのだ。過小評価する気にはなれなかった。それでも銃も握らずに近付いてくるキャロルの態度を見て、アキラはキャロルへの警戒を下げた。
キャロルは愛想良く笑いながらアキラの近くまで来る。キャロルの視線がアキラの装備品、強化服やCWH対物突撃銃などを通り抜けて、アキラの顔に戻ってくる。
「私も名乗ったわけだし、名前ぐらい聞かせてくれない?」
「アキラだ。それで、何か用か?」
「用って程でもないわ。同じビルのフロアで別のハンターに会ったから挨拶に来ただけよ。お互いに相手をモンスターと間違えて、そのまま銃撃戦になるなんてのは御免でしょう?」
「まあ、そうだな。俺もそんなのは御免だ」
アキラも納得できる答えであり、そして不要な戦闘を避けようとする好ましい答えだった。無意識にアキラのキャロルへの警戒が下がる。そのアキラの態度に気付いたキャロルが、更に1歩アキラに近付く。
みながらアキラにそう提案した。
アキラとキャロルは軽い自己紹介を済ませた。キャロルは主にミハゾノ街遺跡で活動するハンターらしい。このビルには何度も訪れているようだ。
アキラは1階で見た立体映像の女性についてキャロルに尋ねた。キャロルが何度もこのビルに探索に来ているのなら、詳しい話を知っているかもしれないと思ったのだ。
キャロルがあっさり答える。
「ああ、セランタルね。彼女なら無視しても大丈夫。いろいろ言ってくるけど口だけだから」
「セランタルって、このビルの名前だったような......」
「彼女がビルの管理人格って話よ。このビルから出て行くように脅してくるけど、所詮立体映像、私達に
く利用できればかなり探索が楽になるんだけど、セランタルはこっちと交渉する気が全くないから無理ね。まあ、彼女の立場から考えれば私達はただの泥棒だから無理もないけど」
キャロルがそう言って笑った。アキラも苦笑を返す。
「確かにな。ところで、キャロルはどうやってこのビルに入ったんだ? このビルの入り口には厄介な機械系モンスターがいて、それを倒さないと入れなかったはずだ」
実は別に安全な道があって、自分は
「私にそれを聞くってことは、アキラはそいつらを倒して入ってきたの? やるじゃない。アキラって強いのね。私、そういう強いハンターがタイプなの」
「それはどうも。それで、どうやって入ったんだ?」
「実はこのビルには裏口があるのよ。それを使ったの。知りたい?」
って訳にはいかないわ。そうね。500万オーラムでどう? 表の面倒なモンスターを無視してこのビルに入れると思えば安い額でしょう?」
アキラが少し思案する。このビルに入る時にあの強力な機械系モンスターを相手する必要がなくなると考えれば、確かに妥当な金額かもしれない。
しかしアキラがもう一度このビルにくることはないかもしれない。そもそもアキラがこのビルに来たのはリオンズテイル社の端末設置場所があるからだ。このビルでの遺物収集が主目的ではない。
何よりも通常の方法でこのビルに入ることが困難なら、ここは基本的にアキラの実力を超える場所だということだ。無理をすることはない。アキラは断ることにする。
「あら。金額が不満? それとも私が信用できない?」
「少なくとも、遺跡の中で偶然出会ったハンターの話を
情報の代金が適正かどうかの判断基準は人それぞれだ。そして取引が成立するかどうかは、その情報の内容以外にも、売り手と買い手の信用など様々な要素が絡んでくる。
セランタルビル周辺の機械系モンスターと戦わずにビルの中に入る手段の代金。アキラはそれが事実なら500万オーラムはまあ妥当な金額だと判断した。しかしキャロルが
うアキラの立場も分かるわ。それならお互いを理解し合うために、その情報の取引を済ませる前に、別のものを買わない?」
「別のもの? 旧世界の遺物なら自分で探すから買わない。別の階でしっかり収集してきたから、高値の遺物の隠し場所とかの情報を買う気もない」
「違うわ。お互いを理解し合うためにって言ったでしょう?」
キャロルはそう言って自分のボディスーツのファスナーに手を伸ばした。ファスナーは首元から胸の谷間を通って下腹部まで続いている。キャロルが首元まで閉められていたファスナーを下ろしながらアキラに笑いかける。
「売るのは私。どう? これも何かの縁。安くしておくわよ?」
キャロルは大胆に開かれたボディスーツの隙間から
アキラはキャロルの予想外の行動に少し驚いたが、それだけだった。特に照れたり焦ったりもせず、普通にキャロルの申し出を断る。
「遠慮しておく。第一、どこにモンスターがいるかも分からない遺跡の中だぞ? 正気か?」
「それなら大丈夫よ。基本的にこの辺にモンスターは出ないわ。多分、機械系のやつは警備の範囲外か破壊済みで、生物系のやつはビルの中に入る前に駆除されるんでしょうね。違うなら私だってこんなことはしないわ」
「それでも遺跡の中には違いないだろう。他のハンターが来るかもしれない」
ファスナーを一番下まで下げ終えたキャロルが、近くの机に座りながら誘うように話す。
「こういう場所でするのが良いって人もいるんだけどね。私は構わないけど、気になるなら小部屋に移動しても良いわよ? それに、私との相性がいろいろ良ければ、私の口も軽くなるかもよ? 加えて、情報の買い取りを前向きに検討してくれるなら、私の代金は
「随分気前が良いんだな。検討だけして取りやめたら、キャロルは随分損するんじゃないか?」
「言ったでしょ? 強いハンターがタイプだって。このビルを警備しているあの機械系モンスターを1人で倒せるような
「どうして俺が1人で倒したって思うんだ? 同行者がいるとは思わないのか?」
「それは推測よ。ビルの内部の状況を知らないハンターが、他に同行者がいるのに1人で行動するとは思えないわ。あの無人兵器と同程度とは言わないけれど、その強さを基準にしたモンスターの存在を前提にして行動するはずよ。でもアキラは一人でここにいる。それはアキラが一人で外の警備を突破してきたから。そう判断したんだけど、間違ってた? あ、実は10人ぐらいで倒して、アキラはその中の1人で、そのチームのリーダーに、お前1人で偵察してこい、なんて言われて渋々ここまで来たとか? もしそうならさっきの
ってのが気になるなら大丈夫よ。一度私を味わってもらえれば、アキラをリピーターにする自信はあるもの。長期的にいろいろ搾り取ってあげる」
キャロルはそう言って妖艶に
キャロルの話はアキラもある程度納得できるものだった。しかしアキラはどこか釈然としないものを感じて一応アルファに尋ねる。
『アルファ。どう思う?』
アルファが意外そうな表情で聞き返す。
『どう思うって、ちょっとアキラ、もしかして受ける気なの?』
アキラは確実に断る。アルファの予想推測計算ではそう結果が出ていた。その結果と相反する行動を臭わせるアキラに、アルファが内心で警戒を強める。
しかしアキラの行動はアルファの予測の
『ああ。そういうこと』
アルファがアキラの思考を理解して、取りあえず安心する。見知らぬ女性から誘われると、自分を殺そうとしているのではないか、と少々自意識過剰に警戒する程度には、まだまだアキラは
アルファが表情を普段の冷静なものに戻して答える。
『先に言っておくけれど、あれは相手の微妙な表情の変化から動揺とかを読み取って判断するものよ。だから別に相手の考えを読めるわけではないし、相手の
『何にせよ、手を出さなければ問題ないな』
アキラが再度キャロルの申し出を断る。
キャロルが少し驚いた表情を浮かべる。あそこまで誘って断られるのは
「色気より食い気の年頃なんだ。それに遺跡でいろいろあって、ちょっと臆病に生きることにしているんだ。だから不用意に銃を手放したくないし、強化服も脱ぎたくないんだ。悪いな」
キャロルもそれで誘いを諦めた。遺跡でモンスターに襲われて重傷を負い、病的なまでに銃を手放すことに抵抗するハンターもいる。その類いの人間に、銃を手放すことを強いるのは危険なのだ。
「そう。残念ね。いつ死ぬか分からないハンター稼業。結構タイプだし、良い思いをさせてあげようと思ったのに」
キャロルは本心でそう言った。そして先ほどの言葉に口には出せない部分を心の中で付け足して、残念そうに
んだ。ボディスーツのファスナーを首元までしっかり戻しながらアキラの様子を確認しても、しまわれていく魅惑の肢体を残念がる様子はない。
(......これぐらいの年頃なら、そっちの欲に引っ張られても良さそうだけど、実は見た目以上に子供なのかしら?)
これをアルファによるハニートラップ対策の成果と呼ぶべきかどうかは、アキラの
くこのビルの中にいるから、気が変わったら探してちょうだい。待ってるわ」
キャロルはそう言ってアキラに軽く手を振った。
アキラがキャロルと別れて25階の探索を再開する。探索の途中でキャロルに階段の場所を聞いておけば良かったと後悔したが、聞きに戻るのは止めておいた。気が変わったと勘違いされたら面倒だからだ。
『またか。面倒だな』
『仕方ないわ。また別の階段を探しましょう』
アキラが30階の探索を始める。モンスターの姿はない。キャロルが話した通りビルの中は安全なのだろう。アキラは警戒度を下げながらフロアの探索を進めていた。
『アキラ。あの場所まで移動して一度止まって』
アルファが少し離れた場所を指差した。アキラはアルファの様子を見て、警戒を強めながら指定された場所まで移動した。
『アルファ。敵か? キャロルの話だとモンスターはいないはずだけど......』
アキラはアルファの指示通り警戒態勢を維持し続ける。情報収集機器の索敵の反応にも、目視による確認でも、異常は感じられない。敵の姿や気配はない。しかしアルファが警戒を促す何かがあるのだろうと、油断なく警戒を続ける。
アルファが表情を真剣なものに変える。それが相応の危険を意味することはアキラも理解している。
『......やっぱり情報収集機器の精度が落ちている。しかも悪化し続けている。これは、色無しの霧?』
アルファの口から聞き捨てならない言葉が出たのを聞いて、アキラの表情が
『アルファ。色無しの霧がどうかしたのか?』
『さっきから情報収集機器の精度が落ちているのよ。ビルの構造や内にある物品の配置状況などでも起こりえることだから、ここまでは気にせずに進んできたわ。でも既にその程度の理由では説明できないほど低下してしまっている。ビルの構造や物の配置が原因なら、場所を変えればある程度回復するはず。今アキラがいる場所に移動することである程度回復したのなら、その理由で納得することもできた。でも駄目だったのよ。そうすると他の原因を考えなければならないわ。それで思い当たるのが、色無しの霧なのよ。色無しの霧が何らかの理由で急激に濃くなった。そう考えるのが自然なのよ』
アキラは少し表情を険しくさせながらも、自身を落ち着かせるようにアルファに尋ねる。
『旧世界の遺跡なら起こりえることだろう。それに、そこまで致命的な影響はないんだよな?』
『今の所はね。精度の低下がこのまま続くと
『仕方ない。注意して進もう』
以前に色無しの霧が濃くなった時のアキラの
すると思って少し早めに教えたのだけれど。余計な世話だったかしら?』
『俺が慌てたところで事態が改善するわけじゃないからな。死にたくないから落ち着いて行動するよ。早めに教えてくれるのは助かる。落ち着く余裕ができるからな』
アキラがビルの10階辺りにいた頃、セランタルビルの周辺に多くのハンター達が集まっていた。
アキラはセランタルビルの警備をしていた機械系モンスターを倒すためにかなり派手に戦った。その為ミハゾノ街遺跡にいる多くのハンター達がそのことに気が付いたのだ。
セランタルビルの警備をしている強力な機械系モンスターを撃破してビルの中に入る場合、大まかに2種類の方法がある。
して、少数のハンターをビルの内部に送り込む方法だ。少数のハンターがビルの内部で遺物収集をしている間、残りのハンター達はビルの出入り口を制圧して他のハンターがビルの内部に侵入するのを防ぐのだ。
それは遺物収集班が他のハンターと遺物の争奪で戦闘になるのを避けるためでもあり、苦労して強力な機械系モンスターを倒した利益を、他のハンターに
強力な機械系モンスターを倒すのには相応の費用がかかる。治療費、弾薬費、人件費。それらを差し引いて黒字にするためには、仲間以外のハンターに遺物を奪われるわけにはいかないのだ。
強力な機械系モンスターを倒せるほどの者は、当然ながらそれ以上に強力なハンター達である。彼らがビルの出入り口を制圧している間は、他のハンターはビルの中に入れない。そして彼らが去る頃には、どこからともなく別の強力な機械系モンスターが現れて元の状態に戻るのだ。
二つ目は、機械系モンスターの警備に一時的に穴を開けて、少数のハンターを送り込む方法だ。送り込んだ遺物収集班がビルから脱出する時は、外にいるハンターが再び火力を集中させて警備網に穴を開けて脱出させるのだ。瞬間的な火力に自信の有る少数のハンターチームが選択する手段である。
どちらの手段でも攻略チーム以外のハンターがビルに侵入するのは難しい。しかしそれでも誰かがセランタルビルを攻略しようとした場合、その結果を確かめようとするハンターはいるのだ。
ビルの入り口を制圧しているハンターチームと交渉して中に入る者がいる。一時的に薄くなった警備の
いて後先を考えずにビルに入る者もいる。倒された機械系モンスターの残骸をこっそり運び出す者もいる。
して、そのまま帰ってしまうこともあるのだ。理由は分からない。単純に気が変わったのかもしれない。ただの八つ当たりや憂さ晴らしなのかもしれない。どこかの企業が新しい装備を開発して、ハンターを雇ってその性能のテストとしてその装備で戦わせたのかもしれない。
他のハンター達にはその理由など関係ない。重要なのは、労せずにセランタルビルに侵入できる状況だけだ。アキラの派手な戦闘はミハゾノ街遺跡にいた多くのハンターにその期待を抱かせた。そのため多くのハンターがセランタルビルまで確認に来ていたのだ。
偵察に来たハンターの1人がセランタルビルの正面出入り口周辺の光景を確認する。彼は破壊された機械系モンスターの残骸を確認する。そして周囲に見張りなどをしているハンターの姿がないことも確認する。状況の確認を終えた彼が満面の笑みで仲間に連絡を取る。
他のハンター達も彼と同じように仲間と連絡を取っていた。程なくして、多くのハンターがセランタルビルに集結した。アキラが倒した無人兵器を売却するために運びだそうとする者。ビルの中に入って旧世界の遺物を探そうとする者。多数のハンターが行動を開始する。
そのままビルの奥に進む者もいれば、仲間のハンターの到着まで1階で待機している者もいる。そして1階のフロアには、そのハンター達に警告を繰り返す立体映像の女性、セランタルの姿があった。
「......お客様。当ビルは現在休館中でして、関係者以外立入禁止となっております。お引き取りください。......警告します。当施設は不法侵入者に対する殺傷権を保持しています。速やかに退去してください。......お客様」
事前にセランタルビルに関する情報を得ており、1階の立体映像の女性について知っているハンター達はセランタルを完全に無視していた。
しかしそうではない者もいる。1人のハンターが1階のフロアで仲間のハンターの到着を待っている。その仲間の到着が遅れており、彼は非常に
「警告します。当施設は......」
彼がセランタルに銃を向ける。立体映像であり撃っても意味がないことは知っていた。それでも引き金を引いた。それだけ
しかしこんな場所で発砲することの意味は大きい。彼の周りにいるハンター達が一斉に彼に銃を向ける。彼は慌てて両手を上げて謝り始める。
「わ、悪かった! そいつがうるさいから腹が立ったんだ! それだけだ! 謝る!」
周りのハンターが殺気を乗せて警告した。彼らも無駄に殺し合う気はないのだ。彼らもこの千載一遇の機会を、金にならない無駄な殺し合いでふいにするつもりはない。そのおかげで、彼の命は辛うじて
「わ、分かった。悪かったって」
彼はひたすらに謝った。周りのハンターが舌打ちをして銃を降ろす。彼もそれで
「不法侵入者に対する判断基準の人数の超過を確認。従業員及びそれに類する存在への殺傷を許容した敵意を確認。ビル本体への破壊行動を確認。状況をDへ変更。くたばれ」
セランタルがお客様に向かっては絶対に口にしない言葉を吐いて姿を消した。
Akira filled his relic rucksack up to the brim, he then once again headed to the Lion Steel Corp branch office on 57th floor. This time, since he was carrying a rucksack filled with relics, it was hard for him to walk through the small hallway with that rucksack on his back.
On his way there, he saw all kinds of things; some of the floors were properly maintained while some of the floors seemed abandoned. Akira seemed to be a bit bothered by those scenes and he asked Alpha.
"Alpha, why aren't all of them in the same condition?"
"I think it's because of the cleaning drone, or to be more precise, because it depends on whether the maintenance drone is still active or not."
"So basically, the floors are decrepit because the maintenance drones in those floors are inactive, huh. But there were some shops that looked clean yet there were no relics inside though. I guess that means the drones won't go as far as to replenish the relics. But then again, some shops are still filled with relics, so why is that?"
"Those shops might have a self-replenish function."
"And who would replenish those relics?"
"I bet some drones carry them from a still-active factory somewhere."
"No no no, if there's a factory nearby, someone would have discovered it by now, right? It would definitely cause a big ruckus when the companies or the Hunters flood that place..."
"That factory might be located somewhere very far away, even somewhere near the frontline and no one has found it yet. Either that, or it's located somewhere near but the security is so powerful that they can't seize that place. There are many possible explanations."
"Hmmm. If that's the case, I bet the Hunters would attack those drones on their way here though."
"They might be guarded by some special escorts. Or they might be using the underground train to carry the relics. Or might even be flying through the sky."
"Underground train, huh. That sounds plausible. The Hunters would not be able to attack them in the underground tunnel after all."
Excluding some special transportations, the main transportation used in the Eastern district was all above ground. That's why Akira naturally thought that they would have used above-ground transportation. After all, even Katsuragi frequented the frontline using his trailer. But those drones should be able to use other types of transportation with the help of the old-world technology, as such, Akira did not further question that possibility.
As Akira was spending time talking with Alpha while climbing the stairs, he was once again greeted by a reinforced door leading to the 26th floor. So just like last time, he went to look for another stair on the 25th floor. But this time, there was something different.
"Akira, be careful. Someone is here."
Alpha pointed her finger toward the hallway, Akira's goggle that was showing the information from his information-gathering device also indicated that it detected something over there.
As Akira moved forward carefully, that person finally noticed Akira too. It was not rare to meet another Hunter inside the old-world ruin, but the real problem was whether that Hunter was friendly or not.
If that Hunter decided to steer clear and kept his or her distance, then there was no need to get bothered by that. But as Akira thought so, that Hunter was instead coming toward him.
The 25th floor was a pretty decrepit floor, there were wreckages and rubbles scattered around the place and someone was using those rubbles to hide themselves while approaching Akira. When Akira pointed his rifle at that person, that person suddenly spoke from behind the rubble.
"I have no wish to fight you. My name is Carol, I'm a Hunter. I'm not a monster, so don't shoot, okay?"
Akira was receiving Alpha's support at that moment, so he thought that there was no need to be overly cautious since it might cause them to quickly become enemies. So, he slowly lowered his rifle.
Right after Akira said that, a girl who introduced herself as Carol came out from behind a pile of rubble.
She was wearing a bodysuit customised for women. A huge hand-held cannon was dangling on her holster, she was not carrying anything in both of her hands at the moment, not even a knife.
Compared to Akira, who was carrying CWH anti-material rifle and DVTS minigun, Carol was very lightly armed and looked rather careless about her own safety.
Looking at Carol's behaviour, it could be inferred that she was either so strong that she could be casual or that she was just a careless fool. Akira thought that she was the former. After all, she was inside a building that had given him a hard time just to get in. Akira had no plans to underestimate her, but looking at how she approached him empty-handed, Akira also lowered his guard.
Carol smiled as she walked toward Akira. She then scanned Akira's equipment from his augmented suit, CWH anti-material rifle, and his whole appearance before returning her gaze back to his face.
"I've given my name, so like, can you at least tell me yours?"
"It's Akira. So then, why are you talking to me?"
"Well, there's no particular reason. I'm just here to say hello to another Hunter inside the same building and on the same floor. After all, you don't want either of us to shoot at each other thinking that the other person is a monster, right?"
"Well, you're right about that."
Akira agreed with that opinion and it was the right answer for those who wanted to avoid fighting. He unconsciously lowered his guard further. Carol noticed that and took another step closer to him.
Carol smiled at Akira as she made that suggestion.
Akira and Carol then did a light introduction to each other. It seemed that Carol was a Hunter who frequented the Mihazono ruin and she had visited this building a couple of times before.
Akira then asked about the hologram girl that he met on the first floor. If Carol had really explored that building for numerous times, she might know something that he did not know.
But Carol just casually said.
"Oh, you're talking about Seranthal, huh? You can just ignore her. Although she says a lot of things to you, she can't do anything else than that."
"Seranthal? Isn't that the name of this building...?"
"She's an artificial intelligence in charge of this building. She will warn you to get out of the building, but in the end, she's just a hologram, so she won't be able to hurt you at all. The most she could do is just stopping the elevator."
"Maybe, yep. Although, honestly, it would be a huge help to explore this building with still-active facilities if we can use that elevator. But since it doesn't seem that Seranthal would accept any negotiations, that would be impossible. Well, it's true that from her point of view, we are nothing but robbers, so I guess it can't be helped."
Carol then smiled, Akira smiled bitterly back at her.
"You're right about that. By the way, how did you get in here? The entrance of this building is guarded by those bothersome powerful monsters, so like, you shouldn't be able to get in here without defeating them first, right?"
Akira thought that there might be another safer route that he could take to avoid fighting those monsters, or it might be just because of his usual bad luck.
"Since you asked me that question, it means that you defeated those monsters, right? You're pretty good, aren't you? You're quite strong, and I do like strong Hunters."
"Well, thanks. So then, how did you get in here?"
"This building actually has a backdoor, you see. And I used that to get in here, do you want to know?"
"It won't be free, you know. Let's see, how about 5,000,000 Aurum? I think it's pretty cheap for a piece of information that would let you get in here without fighting those powerful monsters, right?"
Akira thought for a bit, it was true that it was a cheap price considering that he would not have to fight those powerful monsters every time he wanted to visit that building.
But Akira might not be visiting that building ever again. After all, the only reason why he came there was for the Lion Steel Corporation's information terminal and not for gathering relics.
In the first place, if he had trouble getting to that place, it simply meant that he was not ready to go there, that was all there was to it. Thus he refused that offer.
"Oh my, you don't like the price? Or you can't trust me?"
"At least, I don't think it's the amount of money that you would normally pay to a Hunter whom you just met in an old-world ruin."
Every person had a different way of judging the price of a piece of information. And there were a lot of factors that decided whether 2 people could make a deal or not, the trust between each other was one of them.
If that information from Carol could really help Akira getting inside the Seranthal building without fighting the powerful autonomous weapons, 5,000,000 Aurum was actually not a huge sum of money. But there were chances that Carol was lying or the backdoor was too small for him to carry relics out from that building.
"But I guess that applies to me too, huh. I can understand that you're hesitating to pay me money. So, in order to deepen our trust for each other, how about we make another deal before talking about buying that information again?"
"Another deal? If it's about relics, I'm gathering them myself, so I won't buy any from you. I've also properly explored the other floors, so I won't buy any information about hidden rooms too."
"That's not it, I did say that it's to deepen our trust, right?
She then grabbed her bodysuit's fastener, which ran from under her neck down to her stomach, and lowered it down while smiling at Akira.
"I'm selling myself, what do you think? This must be some kind of fate to meet here, so I'll only ask a cheap price."
Akira could see Carol's skin through a small opening in her bodysuit that wrapped her whole body, She was showing her skin to Akira while smiling at him, trying to seduce him.
Akira was a bit surprised by that sudden unexpected turn of events, but that was all. He did not get embarrassed nor fl.u.s.tered. He just casually refused Carol's offer.
"No thanks. That aside, it won't be strange to find a monster somewhere near, you know? Are you really okay in the head?"
"If that's what you're worried about, it's alright. There won't be any monsters here normally. Either it's because this place is outside the mechanical monsters' patrol area or that they already abandoned this building, as for the biological monsters, the mechanical monsters out there guarding this place would kill them before they can get in here. There's no way I would do something like this in the first place if that's not the case, you know."
"Even if you say so, we're still in the middle of an old-world ruin. There might be another Hunter around."
Carol, who already unfastened the fastener on her bodysuit all the way down, sat on a table near her and tried to seduce Akira.
"There are people who get more excited about doing it in places like this. I myself don't really mind, but if you're bothered by it, we can go to a small room somewhere. Moreover, if we become comfortable with each other, it might help me loosen my mouth, you know. And if you're seriously thinking of actually buying that information, I might give you a taste for free."
"You seem to be pretty motivated doing this. If my intention is to deceive you and not buy that information, you would lose quite a lot, you know?"
"I did tell you, remember? I like strong Hunters. So I'll at least do this much to invite a Hunter who can defeat those powerful monsters outside all by himself."
"Why do you assume I did that alone? I might have done that with the help of other Hunters."
"That's just my guess. It's highly unlikely for you to explore this ruin that you don't know much all alone. If you came here with someone else, although it might not be as strong as those monsters guarding outside, you should've been exploring this ruin with the assumption that there are powerful monsters inside this building, right? But even so, you're here alone, that's why I assume that you've defeated those monsters outside alone too, was I mistaken? Is it that you actually came here with a team of 10 Hunters or so and the leader told you to go ahead and explore this building, that's why you're here although you don't want to be? If that's the case, then it won't be free. After all, that would mean that you're not a strong Hunter. So, what is your answer?"
"I knew it. I have confidence in my deduction skill, you see. So, if you're still bothered by me offering myself for free, you don't need to worry about that. Once you have a taste, I'm sure you'll be back for more. And don't worry, I'll help you squeeze out a lot of things from you for a long time."
Carol smiled seductively when she said that.
Akira more or less understood her reasoning, but for some reason, there was something that was still bothering him. So he turned to Alpha.
"Alpha, what do you think?"
Alpha was surprised.
"What do you mean by that? Akira, are you seriously thinking of taking her offer?"
According to Alpha's calculation, Akira would definitely refuse. But since he said something that sounded as if he would accept it, Alpha immediately put up her guard.
But in reality, Akira's reaction there was still under Alpha's prediction.
"Ahhh, so that's what you meant."
Alpha was relieved now that she understood why Akira asked that question. Akira was still as distorted and paranoid as usual to the point that he was suspecting an unknown girl, who was inviting him, was actually planning to kill him.
Alpha's face turned to her usually calm face.
"I'll put this out first, I do that by watching the slight change in people's faces, so it's not like I can really read their minds. It's true that she seems to be scheming something. She said that she's offering herself to you for free because she wants to get you addicted to her and leech off your money though."
"Whatever it is, it won't be much trouble as long as I don't take her offer."
Akira once again refused Carol's offer.
Carol looked obviously surprised. It was rare for someone to refuse her offer after she went that far.
"I'm at an age where I still prefer food over women. Moreover, a lot of things happened to me in the ruins and I've been living a rather cowardly life until now. That's why I have no plans to let go of my rifles or to take off my augmented suit here."
Carol immediately gave up seducing Akira, she understood that there were Hunters out there who got hurt so badly in the ruins that it made them paranoid to the point they would never let go of their rifles. It was extremely dangerous to force those Hunters to let go of their rifles.
"Is that so? That's just too bad. We Hunters can die anytime and since you're my type, I just thought to give you a good time, that's all."
Carol was being honest when she said that, but the things that she could not say out loud were kept inside her heart as she smiled bitterly at Akira. She then pulled back the fastener on her bodysuit all the way up while looking at Akira, it did not seem that he showed any regret at all.
Carol looked at Akira with curiosity. But she could not see that someone with a more voluptuous body and in a s.e.xier suit was standing next to that Akira.
[...If it's a boy of his age, it should be easy to bait him using his desire but... Is it that he's actually younger than he looks?]
It was rather vague whether Akira refused because of the anti-honeytrap training from Alpha, or it was because of his originally distorted personality.
"Is that so? I'll be staying around here for the time being, so if you change your mind, just look for me. I'll be waiting for you."
Carol just said that and lightly waved at Akira.
After Akira left Carol, he went back to searching a staircase on the 25th floor. Now that he remembered it, he should have asked Carol if she knew where he could find the staircase on the 25th floor, but he decided not to turn back to look for her. After all, it would be a hassle if she misunderstood and thought that he had changed his mind.
"Again, huh? What a pain in the neck."
"It can't be helped. Let's look for another stair."
Akira then started exploring the 30th floor. He did not spot any monsters at all. Carol might have said the truth when she told Akira that there was no monster inside that building. Akira lowered his guard as he was exploring that floor.
"Akira, move over there and stop."
Alpha was pointing at a location not too far from him. He glanced at Alpha's expression and moved forward carefully to the location that she was pointing at.
"Alpha, is it more enemies? According to Carol, there shouldn't be any monsters inside..."
Akira followed Alpha's instruction, he kept his guard up as he moved carefully. He did not feel any abnormality, he did not see anything strange, and there was nothing detected in his information-gathering device. But he did not lower his guard, he thought that there must be something that caused Alpha to tell him to be careful.
Alpha's face turned serious. Akira understood that it meant he was in a dangerous situation.
"...As I thought, the accuracy of your information-gathering device is bad, and it keeps falling down even right now. Is this from the colourless mist?"
Akira frowned the moment he heard something from Alpha that he could not just let slip.
"Alpha, is it the colourless mist?"
"The accuracy of your information-gathering device has been falling for a while now. I thought that it's to be expected to have some disruptions due to the building's structure or the relics inside this building, that's why I've been ignoring it. But it's already falling so bad that such an explanation won't work anymore. If it's really just because of where you're standing, there should be some change after you move to a different place, but that didn't work. That's why it must be because of something else and I guess that's because of the colourless mist. The colourless mist must have suddenly gotten thicker, that's the only guess that I can come up with."
Although Akira still looked stern, he asked a question to Alpha as if he was trying to calm himself down.
"Something like that is completely expected to happen inside an old-world ruin. Moreover, it's not like it's fatal, right?"
"At the moment, yes. But it'll be really bad if the accuracy keeps on falling like this."
"There's nothing we can do about it, let's just move on carefully."
Alpha, who once saw how Akira got so fl.u.s.tered when he knew that the colourless mist around him was suddenly getting thick, just smiled and said to him.
"Oh my, you're pretty calm, aren't you? I thought that it might cause you to panic if I delay it for too long, that's why I decided to tell you sooner than usual, but it seems that it was not needed, huh?"
"It's not like the situation will get better if I panic here, you know. I just need to move carefully so I won't get killed. Thank you for telling me sooner than usual, thanks to that, I can handle the situation much calmer."
When Akira was on the 10th floor, there were other Hunters gathered near the Seranthal building.
Akira's battle with autonomous weapons was a rather big fight. Because of that, most of the Hunters in the Mihazono ruin noticed that fight.
When Hunters defeated the powerful monsters guarding the Seranthal building, there were basically 2 types of Hunters who entered that building.
The first type was those Hunters who worked together to defeat the powerful autonomous weapons, they would send some Hunters from their team into the Seranthal building after their battle. While that small group of Hunters was gathering relics inside the building, the rest of the Hunters would stand guard on the building's entrance to prevent any other Hunters from entering.
It was in order to avoid having to fight against other Hunters over the relics as well as to prevent other Hunters from leeching off their hard work of defeating the guardian monsters. After all, there were many Hunters who were thinking of taking some relics out from the Seranthal building without helping to defeat the powerful monsters guarding that place.
Ammo expense, medical expense, wage cost, it basically took a lot of money to defeat those powerful autonomous weapons. So in order to end up with a profit after the battle, they could not afford to let other Hunters leeching off relics from them.
Those Hunters who could defeat the powerful autonomous weapons were basically strong Hunters, so if they guarded the entrance to the Seranthal building, the other Hunters could not get in. And when they left that building, the powerful monsters would be back guarding that building again in no time.
While the second type of Hunters who would get into that building showed themselves when there was a small opening left by those Hunters who were guarding the building. At the exact moment when the small group of Hunters that was previously sent to scavenge the building returned back to the entrance, these second type of Hunters would focus their firepower to open a hole in the security net to let their own group of Hunters slip through. It was the preferred way of sending Hunters into that building for those groups which were confident in their concentrated firepower.
Whichever it was, it was difficult to send Hunters into the building except for the original group who defeated the powerful monsters guarding it. But if someone successfully did that, they would be able to get back rewards worth of all that hard work.
There were also Hunters who tried to negotiate with the Hunters guarding the entrance. There were also Hunters who used the smallest opening that they could find to charge head-on. While on the other hand, there were also Hunters who sneaked around to carry the wreckages of the autonomous weapons in secret.
"It's me!! Tell the others too, quickly!! The monsters guarding the Seranthal building are dead! And there's no Hunter guarding the entrance! We can get the relics from the building or carry the wreckage, either way, it'll bring us a lot of money!! ...Ah, and also! Come here, quickly!! Before the other Hunters come here first!! I saw some of the other Hunters scouting this place too!! Hurry up!"
Although it was rare, there were Hunters who exhausted their resources to defeat the powerful autonomous weapons and headed back home right after that. The reason was unclear, it might be just out of a whim, or they might be just venting their stress on those monsters, or it might be just those Hunters testing the new weapons developed by some corporations.
But all of those reasons were of no importance to the other Hunters. The most important thing was that the other Hunters would have a good chance to enter that Seranthal building after someone defeated the guardian monsters. The other Hunters in Mihazono ruin hoped that would be the case when they noticed that big battle between Akira and the mechanical monsters. That was why a lot of Hunters came to the Seranthal building to check.
One of the scout Hunters who was sent ahead checked the front entrance of the Seranthal building. He then confirmed the wreckages of the autonomous weapons and checked if there were any other Hunters guarding that place. After he finished, he contacted his other friends with a big smile.
Just like him, there were other Hunters calling their friends to hurry over. That place was quickly filled with Hunters in no time. Some of them were carrying the wreckages of the dead autonomous weapons that Akira defeated while some of them went inside the building hunting for relics. In short, all the Hunters in that place were busy.
When some of those Hunters just went ahead to explore the building, there were some who just waited on the first floor for their other friends to arrive. Seranthal, the holographic girl, kept giving warning to those Hunters.
"...Dear customer. The building is closed at the moment, so we can't allow anyone without the proper authorization to enter. So please leave the building... Warning. The facility is guarded by security allowed to kill in case of illegal intruders. So please leave this place..."
For those Hunters who already knew about Seranthal building and that holographic girl, they just ignored that warning.
But there were Hunters who could not ignore her. One of those Hunters was waiting on the first floor for his friends to arrive, but since his friends were taking too long, he started to get more and more irritated. Although at first, he was ignoring Seranthal, the repeated warning from her drove that Hunter mad and he eventually blew.
"Warning, the building is..."
He then pointed his rifle at Seranthal. Although he knew well there was no meaning in doing that to a hologram, he still pulled the trigger. He was basically that irritated.
But releasing a shot in that place was a serious matter. The other Hunters around him immediately pointed their rifles at him, he panicked and raised both of his hands.
"I-I'm sorry! She's just so noisy that I couldn't hold it back! That was all!! I'm sorry, okay!"
The other Hunters looked at him full of killing intent. Of course, he wanted to avoid any needless conflict too. It was a rare chance to be able to get into that building, so he had no plans to waste an opportunity to strike it rich without much struggle. Thanks to that, he was barely able to get out alive from that situation. If that shot had hit someone, he would have been dead by now.
"O-Okay, I understand. I'm sorry."
He just kept on apologizing. The other Hunters around him then clicked their tongue and lowered their rifles. He finally could let out a sigh of relief.
"Confirmed multiple intruders. Confirmed the intruders trying to kill the employees and staff of the building. Confirmed the destruction of the building. Changing to protocol D. Die you sc.u.m!"
After Seranthal said something that was unthinkable to be said to a customer, she quickly vanished. Not too long after she vanished, some Hunters in that area noticed that Seranthal had gone. But no one was bothered by that at all.
Rebuild World (WN)
リビルドワールド
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebuild-world/
Action Adventure Drama Harem Mecha Mystery Sci-fi Seinen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alternate World Anti-social Protagonist Apocalypse Artificial Intelligence Beautiful Female Lead Cautious Protagonist Child Protagonist Dense Protagonist Determined Protagonist Distrustful Protagonist Futuristic Setting Gangs Gunfighters Harsh Training Lack of Common Sense Male Protagonist Manipulative Characters Monsters Near-Death Experience Older Love Interests Poor Protagonist Poor to Rich Ruthless Protagonist Shota Sudden Strength Gain Survival Twisted Personality Unlucky Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9736dt/
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