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[Goodies 2]
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…
The stall the traveling merchant, Locks, had placed in the middle of Shimotsuki village was doing wonderfully, even for his standards.
"Come, come! What are you looking for, ma'am? We have the finest dresses, tools to make everyday life easier, and food from foreign lands! You, sir—you look like a respectable blacksmith. We have a collection of prized ores here, valuable metals scarcely available in this sea!"
"Hmm, I see. They do seem rare. What can be made from them?"
"Oh, all kinds of things. Swords, hammers, axes—whatever you like. I do have to warn you, though... these are difficult to work with. Only the most experienced and gifted of blacksmiths can carve them into something beautiful—and lethal, of course."
"Ahem, then they must be perfect for me. How much?"
"Haha, I knew I wasn't mistaken about you! The price varies depending on the ore—for example, this one here..."
For such a remote village like this, the chance to get their hands on things from beyond the island was a rare opportunity, hence why the great attention he was getting—and as luck would have it, he had plenty to sell as well.
Those who were in desperate need of tools or new goods were buying like crazy.
Those who weren't were also buying like crazy.
Locks wanted to laugh out loud right then and there.
If only they knew half these things were cheap pieces made by a bunch of rookie artisans under his employ, they wouldn't be paying the prices he was asking.
The only things he had been somewhat honest about were the guns and swords his crew had recovered from a bunch of nobody pirates who thought too highly of themselves and ended up at the bottom of the sea.
Of course, that was just because they simply looked too worn to fool anyone. Had they looked presentable enough, he wouldn't have hesitated to sell them as artifacts of enormous rarity, comparable even to the Meitos.
Sadly, that wasn't the case, and they just looked like junk one might be able to use to defend oneself.
It was a bit of a pain that they might make everything else in his stall look cheap just by sitting next to his other merchandise, but he had to cover the costs those pirates had put him through when they attacked.
Still, judging from the way things were going, he was going to leave this place completely loaded!
He snickered at the thought—internally, at least. On the outside, he kept a broad, friendly smile as he handed a set of jewels to an unsuspecting woman.
But just as his hand was reaching for the money—
"Hey!"
A voice rang out loudly from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone turned, searching for the source with a curious look, but even as seconds passed, no one stepped out.
'Did I mishear?' Locks dug a pinky into his ear.
He was about to disregard the matter, when—
—PAF!—
Something came flying and hit him square in the face.
It didn't hurt. It was soft, actually.
But what came next wasn't.
"Cough, cough!"
A cloud of white exploded at the same instant, stinging his eyes and blocking his view in every direction.
Just from the smell and color, he and everyone were able to know what it was.
Ash.
"W-what the—cough—hell?" He glared around in confusion. The guards around looked just as baffled, searching in the direction from which the ash had come to find the perpetrator.
But that's exactly when a figure slipped out from within the opposite end of the crowd and reached the stall.
-Clacklack-
In a single instant, it yanked one of the swords free from the rack they were in, then a pistol lying on the counter, and quickly dived straight back into the mob.
"Hey, stop there, you thief!"
The ash cloud wasn't thick enough to blind anyone completely, so Locks caught most of it, as did his guards. They shook off their surprise quickly enough, shoved the crowd aside, and broke into a chase.
At the same time though, someone else grabbed one of the remaining swords.
"Hey!" Locks cried out.
"I'm borrowing it!" the person called back—and then dashed off after the thief.
Several meters ahead, the thief was already tearing across the village, sword and gun in hand. Those who hadn't been caught in the crowd recognized him the moment he came into view.
"It's the Sunglassed Bandit!"
"He's back!"
"Catch him!"
Bells were rung as the alarm spread. Villagers posted as guards from every direction began converging.
He was nearly surrounded.
But instead of stopping, he raised the sword.
Several of the guards hesitated on the spot—it was the first time the bandit had actually threatened with direct violence, and more than a few of them weren't fighters by trade.
Some were, though.
Two men stepped forward, their own swords already drawn.
—PAF!—
"AAARGH!"
"Cough, cough!"
But two ash bombs caught them right in the face as soon as they got too close.
Using the gap, the figure slipped through the last of them—sliding through the ground and passing by between their legs—and broke free, finally hitting the outskirts.
The merchant's guards were still on his tail, though. They were bigger, and thanks to that, they were closing fast. The gap he had made initially thanks to the surprise factor diminishing at a bullet's speed.
A few seconds later, they were already nearly at arm's reach, fingers brushing the hem of his clothes.
—That's when the figure spun around and leveled the gun directly at them.
"Argh?!"
"Watch out!"
The moment they saw the barrel aimed point-blank at them, they stopped and dove aside on instinct.
"..."
"..."
Only a few seconds of silence later did they recall that the thief had only taken the pistol, not the bullets.
"Ah, crap!" They scrambled back, looking hurriedly for their foe.
But by then, the bandit was already gone.
They stared blankly at the forest meters ahead in which he had probably dived in, pursing their lips with a "we're done" look.
"We're getting fired."
"You don't say…?"
...
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| Minutes later, Dan's POV: |
…
"Huff, huff…"
I breathed haggardly as I rushed through the vegetation, completely damp from the effort it took me to run so fast, and the nerves I felt the whole time while I pulled that off.
After a nervous glance behind me showed nobody following, I still kept running a little longer—just to be safe.
Only when I finally felt reasonably in the clear did I slow down. After that, I found a tree thick enough to put my back against and dropped down against it, using it to stay hidden from anyone still giving chase.
Then I focused on catching my breath.
'I did it... I actually did it.'
My eyes dropped to what was in my hands. A cutlass and a flintlock pistol.
I had actually gotten the loot.
And not only that...
Heart already speeding up, I opened the system panel.
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Current Infamy Tier: Starter
▸[Current Bounty: 0 / 500K]
▸[NP: 104]
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I had the NP.
"Hahahaha!"
I let the laugh out right there in the middle of the forest. I didn't care.
But of course, good things don't last.
"You seem happy."
I jumped clean off the ground the moment a voice reached me from nearby. My head snapped toward it, and my eyes went wide behind the sunglasses.
'Seriously?'
Kuina was standing there, one of the merchant's swords in hand.
'Of course she followed.' I clicked my tongue.
It was just what a character from the show would do, instead of minding their business.
My hands went for more ash bags—empty.
Well, of course, there was only so much ash in the village smithy to fill bags with, especially if it had been cleaned recently.
Huffing through my nose, I raised the gun and pointed it at her.
"Scramble or you die here."
God, what a cliche line. Still, it should do the—
"With what, air bullets?"
—And she saw the stunt I pulled with the guards... Of course she did.
An awkward silence settled over the clearing.
Then, suddenly, I made a quick move sideways, trying to slip away.
She moved at the same time, cutting me off. I pulled back to where I started.
"..."
"..."
I tried again. She matched it again, if not faster.
'... This doesn't look good.' I swallowed.
Running behind me was an option, but I had no idea what her actual top speed was. She was taller, so probably faster.
And with her holding a sword, I wasn't about to leave my back open to find out.
"..."
"..."
Another beat of awkward silence.
"So it's come to this..." I muttered, already knowing what she was waiting for.
Then—
-Clack!-
I tossed the gun aside.
And with both hands free... I brandished my sword.
"Good." She smirked.
I laughed wryly. I was absolutely going to get my ass kicked. I was still well below her level.
...
'But that doesn't mean it has to be totally one-sided.'
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[Tireless (Active)] [BOUGHT!]
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The sound of my NP draining echoed in my head, and with it came the sweet ping of a new hack landing in my library.
I equipped it before she could move.
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Current Infamy Tier: Starter
▸[Current Bounty: 0 / 500K]
▸[NP: 4]
Equipped Passive Hacks [1/1]
▸ SpeedyGains
Equipped Active Hacks [1/1]
▸ Tireless
Equipped Script
▸ None
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Then—
I activated it.
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[Tireless Hack Activated!—Time left: 59 minutes, 58 seconds.]
▸ For 1 Hour, your body will become virtually untiring. No matter the level of exertion, intensity of the action, the body will feel no fatigue nor limits to his stamina.
(Note: In most cases, this hack does not nullify pain. However, pain caused for prolonged exertion like: running, constant movement of any sort without rest, pulling or pushing something constantly for too long, etc... are all considered forms of exhaustion, so the hack will negate these for the duration of the effect.)
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The instant it kicked in, I felt an invigorating rush of... nothing. The good kind of nothing.
Every bit of exhaustion, muscle soreness, joint ache, and whatever else I'd been carrying without even realizing it—gone.
I was suddenly in a completely normal state.
It felt incredible.
Smirking, I tightened my grip on the sword and took a step forward.
"Alright. Let's do this."
And then I rushed her.
She had the same idea, apparently, because she was already coming at me.
And we both swung.
—CLANG!—
'Oof…!'
She was stronger than me, no doubt. I felt the full weight of her swing pressing against my own—but I didn't wince nor lose ground.
It was like pure adrenaline with no ceiling. My muscles and joints didn't ache, my lungs felt full of air—I felt like I could go forever.
So, invigorated by the lack of complaints from my body, I pushed forward. She looked briefly surprised at the force behind me pushing beyond my usual limits, but she was more experienced in technique, and it showed—a second after I began pushing, she redirected the energy cleanly to the side and prepared to slash back.
'Shit!'
I scrambled backward before she could.
-Swish!-
Seeing the sword cleanly slice some blades of grass, I felt cold sweat run down my back.
'This world sure is ruthless.'
A girl no older than eleven had just tried to cut me down with a sword and hadn't thought twice about it.
This was the world I was in. The world I was going to live in from now on.
I had to get used to it.
I clicked my tongue and rushed in again.
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
Our swords kept meeting. She blocked most of what I threw at her without much trouble, and every time she looked ready to go on the offensive, I jumped back—fully aware that trying to hold her attacks would only go badly for me.
The good old hit and run.
And judging from her increasingly annoyed face, it was doing its job.
But then, instead of letting me back off again, she surged forward the same moment I tried to retreat, closing the gap instantly and swinging down hard.
—CLANG!—
Somehow, I blocked it, putting my sword horizontally.
"Fight me properly!" She was right in my face now, forcing her blade down against mine, the swords creaking under the pressure.
-Wack!-
"Ah?!"
I answered with a kick to her legs, making her buckle for a second, and using that gap to slip away again.
By the time I was at a safe distance again, I saw her looking at me with murderous eyes, one hand placed on the spot I had kicked.
She hadn't expected that, had she?
Seeing that expression looking at me as if I had done something extremely unfair, I let out a shaky laugh. "This isn't a duel with rules, you know?"
She gritted her teeth and rubbed the spot I'd hit. She was utterly pissed.
—But then she forced a smile.
"You're right. I made a mistake forgetting that."
She slashed the air once, loosening up, and settled into a ready stance.
'That's not good,' I winced.
Judging from her "devil may care" expression, I knew what was about to come.
Any rules from the average spar she might have been unconsciously following were out the window.
Which meant—
It was time to dip.
"See you," I said as I picked up the gun I had tossed earlier and ran.
"You bastard!"
That did not improve her mood.
I sneaked a glance over my shoulder as I ran and immediately flinched—she was cutting the gap faster than I'd expected.
Damn it, short legs were a real disadvantage.
When she got close enough to swing at my back—
—CLANG!—
I twisted mid-run and caught it with my sword.
Then I kicked off the ground and changed direction.
She scrambled after me. I changed direction again, this time throwing a tree between us, and started moving left and right to keep her guessing—before snapping right as a feint and then quickly bolting left.
She barely kept up.
But keeping up wasn't what I was going for anyway.
—Wheezing!—
She was stronger, more skilled, and more experienced than me.
But she wasn't superhuman.
She was in better shape than I, sure, but the gap between us physically wasn't that wide.
By now, I should have already been face-down on the ground, gasping for air, unable to move… but I wasn't.
This was why I had bought Tireless.
Now, she was the only one getting tired.
Smirking, I kept weaving through the trees, using the vegetation and my small size to slip through gaps she couldn't, and just kept running.
"You... come back here...!"
I didn't even look back.
Left, right, feint, cut—until finally, during one of the direction changes, she couldn't follow.
The moment I felt that gap open up...
-Bam!-
I kicked off the ground and sprinted.
She tried to give chase again once the path straightened out—but she was exhausted, overheated, and within ten seconds, I was too far ahead to close.
HAHAHA, FEEL THE HAX!
"Damn it!"
...
°
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| Half an hour later... |
...
A slightly heavy-breathing Kuina pushed out of the treeline and back into the village outskirts, flushed red and with her forehead soaked in sweat.
"Damn it... I lost him in the end..." she muttered, more exhausted than disappointed.
After he'd gotten away, she'd spent some time searching across the forest for him, not willing to let him escape. However, by then it was too late. The guy had completely vanished.
So she'd had no choice but to come back empty-handed.
She swept a hand across her forehead and looked toward the village.
Then her gaze dropped to the borrowed sword in her grip. There were chips in the blade—she couldn't say whether those had been there before or not, but there was a good chance her father would end up paying for them either way.
She groaned quietly, her grip relaxing around the handle.
Turning back toward the forest with a reluctant expression, she frowned.
"I was clearly stronger... so how was he not even tired?"
She raised a hand, staring at it.
"Is it really—?"
-Crch-
-Crch-
-Crch-
That's when she heard footsteps on the grass coming from inside the forest behind her. Her head snapped toward the sound, and her grip on the sword tightened right away.
'Did he come ba—huh?'
Then a familiar face stepped through a bush and into the clearing, hands in his pockets, looking entirely unbothered.
The kid her father had been paying close attention to lately. Dan, if she remembered right.
"...?"
That's when he noticed her too.
He seemed to flinch for a second before ultimately meeting her gaze with an awkward look.
The two held each other's gaze for about five seconds.
Then, he gave a short nod, and walked past.
She watched his back as he went. He wasn't heading toward the village—toward the docks, by the look of it.
"... What was he doing in the forest?"
She stared after him for a moment longer, eyebrow furrowed, before she shrugged, then turned away and started heading back toward the village.
'I hope father won't be angry…'
Meanwhile, near the docks, Dan strolled calmly into the small patch of land where Old Shun kept his house and the cabin Dan lived in.
Old Shun was there, sitting on a log and quietly smoking a fish, watching the process with the patience of a man who had done it a quintillion times.
He looked up when Dan came into view. "Little Dan, you're back. A merchant arrived not too long ago—did you go see him?"
Dan kept walking toward his cabin door, but gave a nod. "Yeah. Nothing too interesting."
"I might wander over myself later. Maybe he's got a better rod than the one I've been stuck with."
"Good luck with that," Dan let the old man's musing fade behind him as he stepped inside and closed the door.
Then he crossed the room in three steps and threw himself onto the bed, face-up.
He pulled up the system screen and reached for Tireless to deactivate i—
—Snore—
His head dropped to the side before he could finish the thought, and a long, completely unrestrained snore rattled out of him.
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[Tireless Hack— Deactivated!]
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...
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: Some action in this chapter. I'm proud of it, now that I'm rereading and revising.
And we at last finally see the first actually impressive hack in his list. Many more are to come, I hope.)