Part 235: Mass Production

First, let's get our bearings.

I'm with Zonri near the exact center of the monja street.

The area around the "Portal to the Other World" is still swarming with zombies, so densely packed that there's barely any room to step.

They're said to be from another world, and from what I can see, most of them are East Asian, wearing clothing not much different from what we're wearing.

I turned my gaze away from the "Gate of Another World" and looked southwest, where the four "Guardians" were advancing with relentless momentum.

Then, shifting my eyes in the opposite direction, I saw Yozu-san and Rinne-san working alongside the other "Guardians," doing their best to reduce the number of "Zombies" by clearing them from the street.

"Well then."

In this situation... I...

"What should we do? Launching fire magic nonstop while brain-dead isn't exactly creative."

"Still, fire magic is definitely effective against zombies."

"Really?"

"Yes. Water and lightning magic aren't much help when it comes to zombie hunting..."

No way.

"By the way, I've been wondering... wouldn't a warrior like you be better off using your 'Fatal Sword' technique?"

"Fatal Sword..."

I look away.

To be honest, I still haven't told anyone about my problem with drawing the sword.

"I left the blade with Miharu."

"...Should I go get it?"

"No, let's not. The 'Fatal Sword' technique is apparently not worth the cost, anyway."

"I see."

Suzuri easily accepts this, glancing down at the horde of zombies.

"However, when it comes to cost-effectiveness, I can't really say that the 'Fire Magic V' is superior."

"Hmm."

"In that case... if 'Warrior'-san would allow it, I'd like to acquire a new skill. What do you think?"

"A new skill?"

"Yes. There's a skill in my mind that claims it offers significantly better cost-effectiveness..."

"What's that?"

I mentioned briefly before—my current role as the "Liberator" has the ability to "create weapons."

Hmm, huh?

You said that, didn't you?

Was it the day I was supposed to compete with Yonetsu-san?

"By the way, my current level is 56. I've got about ten skill points left over that I can still acquire."

It seems she was hesitating to take the skill.

That sounds good. Let's give it a try.

"By the way, it seems taking the skill《Mass Production》in addition to《Weapon Crafting》would also be effective. Shall we acquire that one too...?"

"OK."

Then Zonri closes her eyes.

A pause of perhaps tens of seconds—probably listening to a voice in her mind.

"...Yes.《Weapon Crafting》has levels beyond 'Advanced': 'Superior,' and even 'Divine Artisan' level. I'll max out the skill to that limit for now."

"Got it."

"...Alright. Got it."

With this, the skills currently in her possession are:

Job: "Liberator"

Level: 56

○ Basic Skills

《Combat Technique (Advanced)》

《Natural Healing (Strong)》《Skin Reinforcement》《Bone Reinforcement》

《Hunger Resistance (Strong)》《Skill Assessment》《Karma Assessment》

○ Magic Skills

《Fire Magic I–V》《Water Magic I–V》《Lightning Magic I–V》

《Healing Magic I–V》

○ Job Skills

《Sexual Skill (Beginner)》《Beautiful Voice I》《Inspiration》

《Enhanced Soldiers V》《Release》

《Weapon Creation (Divine Grade)》

《Mass Production》

Something like this.

"Then, let's give it a try right away."

Before she even finished speaking, Satori raised both hands into the air.

Staring intently between her hands, the change came suddenly.

Just as if a piece of some mechanism had appeared, it began clicking and clacking, assembling itself into parts that gradually formed a single pistol.

"This is..."

"The FP-45. Commonly known as the 'Liberator.'"

"Liberator?"

"Yes. I've made this as a test—my weakest gun, using the least amount of energy. It holds only one round, with an effective range of three meters. This is the weakest firearm I can currently create."

"Wow"

That gun certainly looked like a toy to my untrained eye, not much use at all.

It's quite small, though, and seems convenient to carry around.

Mr. Tsumuri,

Since it's my first work, I'll treasure it and keep it safe.

And with a little excitement, I tuck it into my pocket.

"Yeah, it feels like a survival flag. The climax where Tsuzuri pulls out that gun and fires! Turns out that scene was actually a setup all along!"

"Totally relatable~"

And they both giggled quietly together.

Well, beneath the scene that looks like a yuri manga, it's still completely packed with "zombies."

Quit playing around and let's get started already.

"Then... I'm going to start mass-producing bombs now, so as soon as they're ready, just toss them one after another into that horde of 'zombies.'"

"Got it."

Nodding, Soiri immediately began crafting weapons.

The next creation she produced was a mischievous, black spherical bomb with a fuse—reminiscent of the 'Bomb Man' style from the classic game.

"Explodes after about seven seconds from creation! Don't drop it by accident!"

"Got it."

I calmly took it and tossed it toward the group of zombies—poof!

In an instant, *dunnnn!* The worst okonomiyaki in the history of Monja Street was born.

"Yep... If this quality of bomb is what we're working with, I could make countless more."

"Specifically?"

"I'm not sure, but at least a hundred should be easy?"

No way. That's definitely a great value.

"Let's keep going."

I don't even need to say it—Tenmi Tsuzuri is already producing bombs one after another.

I'm just tossing them out casually, poof, poof, poof, pōi.

Dopon, dopon, dopon, dopon! The sound echoes as the zombies on the street turn into chunks of meat one after another.

"Man, this is fun."

It's a small price to pay, considering we're taking out surrounding buildings too.

Within just a dozen minutes or so, we cleared the street of all the "zombies."

We soon met up with the "Guardians" quartet.