Chapter 166: Plan B

"Damn it... You little brat, you actually did it!"

The "gambling expert" muttered angrily, clutching her abdomen.

Blood dripped steadily from between her fingers.

A few steps away, a少年 holding a knife with a blade about fifteen centimeters long stood there, staring blankly in their direction.

Short-cropped hair, sun-tanned skin.

Despite appearing energetic, there was no sense of strong will in his expression.

"You're the one...?"

I've already heard about you from Shun'na....Yes, wasn't it, "Tama" they called you?

For now, I'll use .

Job: Thief

Level: 55

Skills: [Combat Technique (Intermediate)] [Natural Healing (Powerful)] [Skin Reinforcement] [Bone Reinforcement] [High Hunger Resistance] [Shortsword Proficiency (Divine Level)] [Perfect Maintenance] [Poisoned Blade] [Poison Resistance] [Pickpocketing (Advanced)] [Silent Movement (Advanced)] [Stealth (Advanced)] [Surprise Attack] [False Background] [Agility V] [Lightning Speed] [Dodge V] [Run Away]

...Mm.

"This... this is..."

Just looking at it, I get a bad feeling.

This kid... well, probably, is quite strong.

The reason is simple. I can clearly sense a clear intention behind the skills they've mastered.

Likely, they've learned these abilities with combat—especially assassination—in mind.

"...Ah, uh... two bad guys..."

Their awkward way of speaking carries a childish tone,

"Evil people... kill them."

The words were unsettling.

"…Hey, damn kid. Didn't your mom teach you not to stab people with a knife?"

While speaking, the gambler skillfully used a healing spell to buy time.

"...I don't have a mom."

"Oh, so you're one of those unlucky types boasting about your misfortune. Coincidentally, I'm parentless too. Let's get along."

"Hahaha hahaha!"

At the exact moment he said, "Wait, are you seriously laughing now?" the boy nicknamed "Tama" burst into laughter.

But it seemed he wasn't quite as interested in me as I'd thought.

"Still, I'm going to kill you."

The boy quickly leaned forward, raising his knife.

"!?"

Suddenly, his body began to fade, turning translucent before my eyes.

This... this must be...

I remember now—didn't I look into the "Thief" class's abilities a while back?

―The "Thief" class specializes in stealing things from people. It possesses many skills focused on concealment, including the ability to become semi-transparent by crouching.

Something along those lines, I think.

...Still, this is the first time I've actually seen it in action, and this ability seems even more troublesome than I expected.

If I pay close attention, I might be able to track his movements, but if I let my guard down, I'd easily lose sight of him.

The reason the "Gambler" was stabbed was because he was caught off guard by this "ability to become translucent."

"……Well, I'm thoroughly defeated by this."

"What's wrong?"

"I've been using a healing spell since just now, but there's absolutely no sign of healing. …I think I must've been struck by that 'Poisoned Blade' thing."

As I looked, smoke was rising steadily from her abdomen, damaging her body at a rate surpassing the healing speed of the healing spell.

"Wasn't there a healing spell to remove poison from the body?"

"Don't mock me. I've already tried it. …But it didn't work. There was a detoxification skill in that brat's abilities. I think only that one can probably fix this."

"Hmm. …"

That's quite a troublesome situation.

Just to be safe, I'll layer the Healing Spell IV onto the gambler.

The wound began to close right away—within ten seconds, her stab wound had completely vanished.

"...How's that?"

"Terrible. It's like I'm stitched up while still having diarrhea-filled feces shoved inside my stomach."

What kind of analogy is that? So gross.

"And now, while I was distracted, I lost track of 'Tama' kid... Hmm, what should we do?"

"What should we do? It's obvious. You go ahead. I'll serve as bait."

And then out comes—"Just go on without me," that kind of line.

"Oh wow, so cool... but do you really think I'd accept such a proposal from you?"

"Idiot. I'm not showing off. I was always meant to be the decoy in the first place."

Wait... really? That's how it is?

"I'll skip the details, but I received a message from Haruna. It seems my role in this situation was always to distract the enemy."

Seriously?

"There's no time for arguing. Just go ahead already."

"Hmm..."

Even so, I hesitate slightly.

I've already had enough of losing teammates due to a single wrong choice.

"At the very least, let's take down 'Tama' together first..."

"Relax. If that happens, they'll definitely switch tactics to buy time. And while they're doing that, we'll be surrounded by the 'King's' army and beaten to death with sticks....Right? Or am I wrong?"

"…………………Grrr…"

Staying here now seems like it would drastically reduce the chances of our plan succeeding.

"But you're not actually thinking about dying, are you?"

"Idiot. I still have things I need to do. That's why I'm saying it—I believe we can succeed."

Then, let's trust those words.

We're carrying the hopes of many people, including Miss Sasae.

We can't afford to be held up here.

As I made up my mind, I leapt out of the alley where pursuers were slowly gathering.

At the same time, explosions erupted from all around, filling the air with dust and debris.

It looked like the "Gambler" was using her "Coin Toss" ability to systematically demolish the abandoned building, creating a smoke screen.

"Come on, you bastards! I'll knock your heads off one by one!"

Seeing my friend's figure peeking through the dust, I let out a small sigh of relief.

That figure didn't look like someone who had accepted death.

If that was the case, I turned my back on her.

I reminded myself that friendship wasn't just about protecting someone—

▼

After running down the alleyway for a while like that...

『……hey, “Warrior” guy, your legs are moving way too fast!』

“Feather Slime” catches up to me.

『How are you supposed to guide us if you’re lagging behind?』

『Sorry about that—I disappeared for a moment when the “Gambling Master” got stabbed by “Tama.” … But “Tama” did see “Feather Slime’s” form, right?』

『…So that means you… “King” knows about you』

"Yeah, probably. There's no one else who can control 'Slime' besides me."

Those words sounded almost as if they were trembling.

Perhaps, by clearly opposing the "King," Enzan himself felt a sense of release.

"By the way, I'm kind of just running randomly right now. Is this the right direction?"

"It's fine. We're heading straight toward the 'King's' location."

That was sheer luck.

Then, the floating slime swiftly moved to my ear.

Well, since we've been unexpectedly discovered, we'll have to switch to Plan B.

And quietly, I'll consult with you.

"What do you mean specifically?"

Normally, the best plan would have been to first move you to our hideout, replenish your mana, and then strike when the "King" lets their guard down... but well, life doesn't always go according to plan, now does it?

Yes, that's right.

"So, we're pushing straight to the final battle—no breaks."

Well, I never planned to rest since I got here in the first place.

"In light of these circumstances, I've prepared some portable food for the journey."

The "wing slime" had a convenience store bag tied to it with a string.

Peering inside, several types of portable rations were packed.

Chocolate bars, Calorie Mate bars, various jelly drinks, and other small snacks like that.

"...Hmm..."

"Um, what's wrong?"

"Everything's already boring... I want to drink some miso soup..."

"I'm sorry. Please bear with it."

Well, there's nothing to be done about it.

Sucking on a jelly drink, I pick a less popular path and move forward.

"Say, where exactly is the place where the 'King' is?"

"Wait, didn't Haruna explain it to you?"

"She did, but..."

"Forgot already, huh?"

Well, remembering stuff like that was supposed to be the gambler's job, wasn't it?

"Still, if you can't remember, there's not much we can do. It's not like a famous landmark—something like Yodobashi or the Radio City Building, you know?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"There's a 'King' at a fairly unremarkable-looking building. It used to be a print shop—apparently, that was where he worked."

"Huh, really?"

A print shop in Akihabara... could it be that?

Probably printed lots of doujinshi, huh.

Lost in thought, I suddenly hear:

"...Ah, I see it."

Enji suddenly speaks up.

What stood there was... a four-story building too plain to be called the abode of a "King," a dull-looking structure that wouldn't leave an impression even if you happened to pass by.

"That's...?"

『My main body has already infiltrated the building. Meet me there.』

"Yo. Got it."

Just as I was about to say it—

Two familiar men blocked my path right in front of me.