Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~

Chapter148，Part1: 1 - End of the Vacation ③

Chapter 148 End of the Vacation ③?

Part 1

“You don’t need to replenish its energy because it does that on its own, and as it has a self-repair function, you won’t need to maintain it. However, the core is a precision component so in the case it is damaged, it needs to be repaired, but I doubt it will happen even if you use it for the security of this city. The output isn’t that high, but unlike humans, it doesn’t know fatigue and it is perfect to be used as a labor force when you need it.” (Sytry)

“But, a billion is…… You know. What about its fighting abilities?” (Surus secretary 1)

“Well of course ―― It is lower than a Hunter. However, they are convenient. You don’t need to take care of it if it dies, and it even has long-range attacks.” (Sytry)

Trust is the key to sell a product. You can’t lie to them.

The secretary in charge of the management of the city of Surus frowned at what Sytry said, as she delivered it with a smile. He kept his voice low and discussed it with the other members, but initially, Golems weren’t strong by nature.

No, it has enough fighting power compared to the average adult men who didn’t absorb any Mana Material, but they weren’t a match against people that would attack a city. If you want something that can beat those, you will have to pay ten times as much for one of them.

The defenses of the city of Surus were at a level where Sytry couldn’t even call them defenses.

The outer wall was much lower than in other cities and was only about a meter high. The tops of the walls were covered with a thorn-like design to prevent them from being passed over, but Hunters or something who has absorbed a little Mana Material can easily jump over it.

For the time being, there are lookouts in the four corners of the city, but the guards doing it are generally unmotivated.

Initially, this town was a tourist destination, so many Hunters came to this town to visit the curative Onsen. Many of them stayed for long periods of time, so naturally, the majority of the security was provided by these visitors.

It meant that this city had been peaceful for many years. The fact that the number of guards hadn’t increased even after the number of visitors had disappeared due to the rumors of the bandits was proof that they were too used to peace. In the first place, the fact that an Onsen Dragon had invaded an open-air bath was in itself not normally possible.

From the point of view of Sytry who has fought numerous groups of bandits, Hunters, Phantoms, and Monsters, there was a limit of how of a peace-idiot they could be.

Well, that is not the point.

The more of a peace-idiot they are, the more work the Hunter will have to do. When it comes to increasing security, the more the Alchemists will enrich themselves by buying and selling potion. Either way, this was a business opportunity.

“Does our city really need such expensive preparedness……” (Surus secretary 2)

When I heard that our vacation destination was an Onsen, I brought black circular balls with gold patterns on them with me ―― And I rolled the core that was in the palm of my hand and told the fat secretary who still had a reluctant look on his face.

“Please do not worry, this time is just a trial. I am sure you will like it ―― Let me start it up and show you how it works.” (Sytry)

I knew I needed to test it. If you don’t check the performance beforehand, you won’t know if you will be able to use it for your main job ―― On a hunt.

Alchemy is the result of an accumulation of experience. Of course, I am happy when I see the results I want, but it is also *wakuwaku* exciting when you do the verification.

While feeling my heart pounding, I approached the narrow Onsen river running through the town. A man and a woman, maybe a tourist or a couple walking by, put their hands on the fence and looked down at the river.

I wondered if new tourists had arrived and before I knew it, there were many people in the town.

“The activation is simple…… You just need to drop this core into liquids.” (Sytry)

With a calm smile on my face, I dropped a core into the Onsen river. Along with a small sound, the core was submerged.

A thin clerk in a suit opened his eyes.

“There is nothing happening, isn’t it?” (Surus secretary? 3)

“Well, well, please wait a minute.” (Sytry)

In freshwater, the change occurred in a second. This test also includes how long it would take for it to transform from water containing a lot of impurities, like an Onsen.

My eyes met with the couple next to the river who were chatting in a whisper and were looking down at the river. The couple was a simple-looking man and a beautiful woman.

Their age was about the same as Sytry. Maybe she was embarrassed, the woman averted her eyes, but Sytry did not.

Sytry Smart is a rearguard. She isn’t immature enough to turn her gaze away from her enemy.

.

And then, the time came. Along with a small sound of water, the 『Core』 rose up. The faces of the secretaries changed in astonishment.

As the person who presented her new work, the look on their face was extremely pleasant.

The core that Sytry brought with her was a prototype of a Water Golem Core.

The Onsen formed into a human shape with the core at its center. There were no impurities in its body except for a colorless glowing core, moreover, there were no eyes, nose, or mouth on its face. The faint steam coming out of its body looked like some kind of joke.

Water Golems already exist, but they require a massive ritual to create one. However, with Sytry’s new model, it can be activated at will as long as it has a core. Moreover, it didn’t matter if it was in water containing impurities instead of freshwater.

I was proud that I had created something perfect, but I was relieved to see it actually working in front of me like this.

“Yatta! What do you think? This is ―― My special Onsen Golem! Unlike ordinary Golems, it is portable, easy to activate, and it is a revolutionary product!” (Sytry)

“W-wha… What is that ――!” (Couple)

I can’t stop my voice from skipping. The Onsen Golem widely swung its arms in front of a smiling Sytry. Just like this, it swung its thick arms down towards the stunned couple.

A scream was raised. In a moment, the woman quickly pulled out a knife and slashed its arm, but without her attack being able to penetrate its watery flesh, she was pushed down by the Onsen Golem.

The secretary, who had been staring blankly at the scene, rushed in a panic. Sytry dropped the remaining cores she was holding into the Onsen.

“Wha-What are, you doing!?” (Surus secretary 1)

“………… Haaa. Really, you are peace-idiots……” (Sytry)

What she said wasn’t meant to be a mockery. Even Sytry had been forced to face them while being unprepared at first.

Before they knew it, the people who were in Sytry’s sight had surrounded Sytry and the secretaries. But even if they were surrounding us, you would know that these people dressed like tourists weren’t just simple tourists. Liz is in charge of searching for the enemy in 《Strange Grief》, but that didn’t mean Sytry couldn’t fulfill that role.

The most important thing you need to take on an Infinite Trial is the ability to sense that something was wrong. The second is the ability to adapt oneself at the moment and the third is ―― To resist against it. Their every move was natural, but there was a slight hint that they were trained men. And since I had noticed it, it was only natural that I would attack first.

As soon as the new Onsen Golems activated, a very slight wind slash was heard from behind. The Golem that had been holding the couple down, grabbed them by the scruff of the neck with both arms and stepped in between them. The flying knife pierced into its body lost its momentum and was stopped inside the Golem.

Those attackers are ―― Assassins. You can see it from the way they carried themselves, their covertness, and their ability to coordinate. No matter how you see it, they were no amateur.

Without changing my expression, I was convinced. Sytry showed the new Onsen Golems and exaggeratedly said in a cheerful voice.

You need to be confident when you give your presentations. And the same is true in business.

“How was it? Their strength is a little more than that of a normal adult male, but they are good at fighting. I am especially confident in ―― Their defense abilities. Damage is not a problem, as it can dampen the momentum of most flying objects and protect you! Well, if you are going to use it as a lookout, this ability might be useless though.” (Sytry)

“What!? What is going on? O?!” (Surus secretary 1)

“If you don’t want to die, please stay back.” (Sytry)

I walked away from the secretary who was closing in on me.

Apparently, there were no enemies on their side. Sytry’s customers couldn’t cope with the situation and showed a pathetic appearance. They weren’t acting.

On the other hand, the expressions on the faces of those surrounding me were extremely calm. They looked surprised for a moment but quickly regained their composure.

All in all, there were eleven people, young and old, men and women. They weren’t that many, but I was on my own. Since they were attacking us so spectacularly, I shouldn’t be expecting reinforcement from the guards. And I also have to consider the possibility that the other side will increase their numbers.

Thank you very much, Cry-san. I can’t believe you have prepared so many people for a test like this one ――.

TL notes:

Thanks for reading! Here’s an extra chapter thanks to Mohammad!

Haha! Those bandits are just test subjects for her, not even a danger to her!

Even in the middle of an attack, you never have to forget about selling your product! I can already see Sytry selling her Golem for billions!

Tchao à plus!