Chapter 86: Zombie And The City (3)

Ding-dong!

<Would you like to open Morgue’s Magical Warehouse? … (Y/N)>

…I can open the warehouse?

I immediately checked the skill window.

Ding-dong!

[Skills]

▶ Open – <Rank: ?>

▶ Close – <Rank: ?>

▶『Seven Demons First Strike Secret Art: Gluttony Slash, Beelzebub』 – <Rank: S>

• 『Cordyceps』 – <Rank: A+>

『Inherited Skin Oil』 – <Rank: A>

• 『Embers』 – <Rank: A>

『Super Strength』 – <Rank: A>

Upon closer look, two skills had no cancel line drawn through them.

Open and Close.

The original skills I had possessed since the moment I awakened.

Come to think of it, I could freely open and close the warehouse even in the Sexual Needs section.

Which means.

The warehouse is exempt from restrictions.

Then a loud noise rang out.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRAAACK~! CLANG!

The octopus mutant’s tentacles were crushing the hardware store’s display shelves.

Rain and wind whipped in through the torn-open entrance.

At the same time.

[-]

[KRRG-GRG!]

[UWOOOOO—]

Barnacle zombies began swarming in like bees.

At that moment.

KRRRRR-BOOOOOM!

Lightning struck, illuminating everything brightly.

Only then was the octopus mutant’s full form revealed.

At a glance, it looked like a woman wearing a flowing red dress.

With two exceptions.

Her entire face was drenched in blood.

Her height easily exceeded three meters, her head scraping the store ceiling.

Even the red dress I thought she wore wasn’t clothing at all.

RRRIP… RRIIIP… RIP…!!

What I thought was a dress tore into eight pieces.

From the gaps, dark-red, sticky liquid dripped like threads.

Eight tentacles made of crimson flesh.

Jeanne stepped forward, raising her baseball bat.

[Step back, Master! Leave this to me…]

“No need.”

I pulled Jeanne behind me.

I’ve got someone else for the job.

Ding-dong!

<‘Open’ command received.>

<Opening Morgue’s Magical Warehouse.>

A rift in subspace tore open in the hardware store’s ceiling.

At the same time.

CRRRREEEEAK—

The warehouse gate began to open.

Soon after, a familiar shadow dropped from beyond the gates of hell.

Yellow eyes with vertical slit pupils.

Sharp fangs protruding.

Thick tail thrashing violently up and down, as if trying to crush the ground.

A woman who looked half-human, half-dragon bared her fangs.

“GRRRRRR—!”

Even her angry growl felt welcome right now.

I greeted her cheerfully.

“Long time no see, friend!”

Ding-dong!

<MRG-682 “Undying Pseudo-Dragon” has been summoned!>

The moment the Pseudo-Dragon appeared.

Barnacle zombies instantly surrounded her.

And then.

SWHOOOOOSH—!

Her thick tail whipped out, pulverizing the zombies.

Their bodies crumpled like cans in a hydraulic press from the powerful strike.

SPLAT!

The Pseudo-Dragon charged between the barnacle zombies.

She bit into one’s head.

CRUNCH-CRUNCH~! RIP!

And tore its neck clean off.

“Grrrrrr,”

Overwhelming force.

As a stored item of the warehouse, the Pseudo-Dragon was unaffected by the weakening curse.

Blood and chunks of flesh dripped from her mouth.

Her bright yellow eyes glared at the barnacle zombies.

A gaze filled with madness and fury.

Any normal creature would feel terror and retreat.

But the barnacle zombies charged without hesitation.

[Urrrrrgh—!]

[110000!]

[URGH! KRRGURK—!]

The Pseudo-Dragon dropped to all fours like a beast and sprinted.

RIP— RIP— RIP~!

Her sharp claws shredded the zombies like cardboard.

Even if her appearance had become more human-like, her ferocity and aggression remained unchanged.

The Pseudo-Dragon massacred her way through the horde.

With stats and skills sealed, she was nothing short of a joker card right now.

Jeanne gripped her bat and charged out.

[Master, I will join the fight!]

She took position behind the Pseudo-Dragon and began battering the zombies.

Jeanne and the Pseudo-Dragon, who always growled at each other whenever they met.

Watching them fight back-to-back, even temporarily, was quite a spectacle.

…Maybe the strongest duo has just been born?

Then an ominous sound came from behind me.

[GRRRRRRRRR—!]

“…!”

Somehow, a barnacle zombie had closed in right behind me.

My stats and senses reduced to civilian level.

Add the chaotic situation, and I had missed a few slipping past.

[GRAAAAH!]

I shoved the entrenching tool into its mouth to block it.

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!

The zombie gnawed hungrily at the shovel.

It swung both arms.

Arms covered in sharp barnacles!

“Ugh!”

Even a scratch would turn me into one of them.

Jeanne’s voice came from afar.

[Master!]

But she too was surrounded.

At that moment.

WHOOSH— THWACK!

A thick tail whipped through the air and wrapped around the zombie’s neck.

And then.

CRACK!

The neck bent into a perfect “ㄱ” shape and went limp.

The Pseudo-Dragon scowled as she spoke.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Warehouse Keeper.”

“?”

“I’m the one who gets to kill you. You think I’d let some trash like this take you?”

A murderous yet clichéd line.

The kind of tsundere act that was popular ten years ago.

Of course, the Pseudo-Dragon would never actually harm me.

[Stored items can never, under any circumstances, harm the Warehouse Keeper.]

As long as the rule set by Sorcerer Emperor ‘T’ remained in effect.

Then the octopus mutant stood towering before the Pseudo-Dragon.

It looked down at her through its disheveled, seaweed-like hair.

The Pseudo-Dragon bared her sharp fangs and growled.

“Don’t you dare look down on me, you lowly beast!”

At that instant.

SPLUUURT—!

The octopus mutant spewed pitch-black ink.

“KYAAAAAAA—!”

Covered in ink, the Pseudo-Dragon roared and rubbed her face.

Seizing the opening, tentacles flew in from all directions.

SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT-SPLAT!

Eight tentacles bound her entire body.

But then.

BUBBLE-BUBBLE-BUBBLE-BUBBLE—

Green acidic liquid erupted from the Pseudo-Dragon’s skin.

The tentacles that touched it melted into goo.

[KIIIIIIIEEEEEEK~!]

The octopus mutant screeched in pain and recoiled.

Its melted tentacles fell away, causing it to stagger.

The Pseudo-Dragon didn’t miss the chance and bit into its head.

CHOMP— CHOMP—

Dozens of sharp fangs dug into flesh.

[KIIIIIEEEEEE!]

The mutant thrashed in agony, but the Pseudo-Dragon clung on, claws buried deep.

Finally.

RIP!

She tore off a massive chunk of flesh.

And then.

MUNCH— MUNCH— MUNCH— MUNCH—

She just… ate it.

“Are you insane?! Why are you eating that?!”

The Pseudo-Dragon kept devouring the octopus mutant.

MUNCH— MUNCH— MUNCH— MUNCH— MUNCH—

[KIIIIIEEEEEE~!]

The mutant flailed, whipping with its remaining tentacles and scraping with its barnacles, but it was useless.

REGENERATE— REGENERATE— REGENERATE—

No matter how much her body was broken, torn, or ripped away, the Pseudo-Dragon regenerated in the blink of an eye.

She didn’t care and continued greedily eating the mutant.

A few minutes later.

“Phewww…”

The Pseudo-Dragon flung the last tentacle she held against the wall.

She had completely devoured the octopus mutant.

Expressionlessly brushing off the acid on her body.

Muscle instantly reattached to bone, then flesh and scales covered it.

But.

Why does she look kinda sulky?

The Pseudo-Dragon growled.

“I could have killed it.”

“What are you talking about? You did kill it just now.”

She snarled again.

“That pathetic white bug! I could’ve killed it easily!”

“Ah.”

Now I understood.

She was talking about the elite soldier insect in the Observation Zone last time.

The one that knocked her out with a preemptive strike and forced me to send her back to storage.

The Pseudo-Dragon clenched her fists, trembling.

“We dragons never flee, no matter the situation! We’d rather die than show our backs!”

She glared at me and continued.

“You turned me into a coward who ran from battle! And against my will!”

“You humiliated me! I hate you, Warehouse Keeper! I really, really hate you!”

Her tail slammed the floor and walls.

BAM! BAM!

The barnacle zombies lying around were smashed into paste.

“Speak if you have anything to say! My rage will burn eternally for eons!”

I looked straight at her and said.

“You’re right.”

“…What?”

“I listened and you make a good point. I admit I was wrong.”

“Oh?”

Her eyes sparkled as she grinned widely.

Sharp, shark-like fangs gleamed.

“Admitting your mistake so readily. Not bad for a human, Warehouse Keeper.”

She raised her tail and declared.

“Then this grudge will be settled with your life…”

“100.”

Exactly 100.

The Pseudo-Dragon snorted.

“Trying to buy me off with a reduced sentence? Hah! A mere 100 years again—”

“10 million.”

“…!”

Her tail froze mid-air.

I continued.

“I heard you out and yeah, I was wrong. I’ll reduce your sentence by 10 million years as compensation. How’s that?”

“You dare try to bribe me?! How arrogant and insolent—”

The Pseudo-Dragon furrowed her brow and growled.

Then.

GRAB—!

She firmly clasped my hand.

“But! We dragons are magnanimous!”

“Mmm. Good deal.”

The number was apparently too big to refuse.

Her tail swayed gently like reeds in the wind.

Her body is honest.

Still easy to handle.

Then Jeanne’s voice rang out.

[Master. I found this on the monster’s body.]

What she handed me was a crimson-glowing essence.

Ding-dong!

<Essence of Ink Concealment> / Essence / A

An essence extracted from the Parasitic Barnacle—Octopus Mutant.

Absorbing this essence grants the skill 『Ink Concealment』.

– Ink Concealment (A): Releases black ink from sweat glands to enter stealth.

Oh, nice.

Stealth is one of the most coveted skills among Awakened.

Just being able to handle missions safely and covertly is a huge advantage.

But that wasn’t all Jeanne recovered.

[…And I also found this.]

“Hm?”

She held out a white card key.

Then a message appeared above it.

Ding-dong!

<You have acquired a special item from the Pathological Safety Needs section!>

<Obtained Research Lab Access Card – Type A!>

…What the hell is this now?