Surviving in a World Teeming with Monsters with the Useless Skill 【Everyday Items Master】! I Was Just Hunting Wild Animals with a Crowbar, So Why Is Everyone Screaming It's an S-Rank Monster? - 109

Chapter 109: Those Who Begin to Move

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Shachimaru’s rain had spread over the entire area. A massive raincloud large enough to blanket most of the quarantine zone cast a wide shadow over the city.

However, the rain itself was only a light drizzle. Just the occasional soft patter—gentle enough not to be unpleasant.

“I think we’ll be able to find Luna-chan and the others with this.”

Shachimaru said from the rooftop of the Ferocious Shark Gang’s base.

According to his explanation, anyone touched by even a single drop of this rain would become detectable by his scouting ability. He added that unless someone stayed completely indoors and avoided the rain entirely, it would be very unlikely for them to remain undetected—especially considering the nature of teleportation magic.

“And besides, with Inaba’s personality, if she were told to teleport far away without a specific destination, she wouldn’t go outside the quarantine zone.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. Inaba could teleport all the way to the Maldives to pick up Rick Aniki in one jump, you know? And yet she’s still here in the quarantine zone.”

Someone who could go anywhere was still in a place like this. Which meant, in other words—

“Inaba knows very well, just like us, that she can’t survive anywhere else but the quarantine zone. That’s why I’m sure she’s still here.”

She could only live here. In this ruined place, infested with monsters. As I listened to Shachimaru, what came to mind was the image of child soldiers.

Children who had grown up in war zones, carrying guns as if it were second nature. I’d heard that even when rescued, they couldn’t sleep peacefully without a weapon by their side. The Ferocious Shark Gang was likely the same at their core. Rejecting adults, they’d relied only on their skills to survive as a group of children.

People capable of killing without hesitation could not live outside the boundaries of the quarantine zone. They couldn’t adapt to the law of the nation. 

Then Shachimaru spoke again.

“I found them. See that radio tower?”

I looked in the direction Shachimaru pointed. It was the same radio tower I’d once visited with Ui. That was where I’d made the call to Angel after we’d been separated.

“They’re there?”

“They are. Luna-chan, Inaba, and that goblin demon too.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

“Understood. I’ll bring the car around.”

We moved out.

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Shuuya Koufukuji sat silently in the ruins, tending to his weapons in the rain. He removed the mekugi (peg) from his katana, tapped the handle against the back of his hand to loosen the blade, and drew it from the hilt as it lifted.

He wiped off the old oil with paper, applied uchiko (fine polishing powder), and wiped it again. Then, with a clean cloth, he lightly coated the blade with clove oil. Once done, he returned the blade to its hilt. He replaced the mekugi to secure it, sheathed the blade, and strapped it to his waist.

“Next.”

He opened the cylinder of his revolver and removed it. He brushed the chambers lightly, wiped the surface with a cleaner-dampened cloth, then reinserted the cylinder and flipped it open and closed several times. His action was smooth and precise.

Finally, he loaded rounds into all chambers by hand, almost simultaneously. With the right technique, it was faster than using a speed loader. When the cylinder clicked back into place, a soft metallic sound echoed.

“Good.”

Shuuya stood. The rain had stopped.

“Is everyone ready?”

“All done~ Onii!”

“We’re ready over here too, Nii-ni…!”

The twins answered when Shuuya called out.

Then came Saya’s voice as she finished setting up her massive sniper rifle with a satisfied hum. 

“Mhm—good. All done here too. Ready when you are.”

After exchanging glances with everyone, Shuuya gave a nod. Then, as team leader, he issued the command.

“As explained earlier, let’s begin the operation.”

“““Roger that!”””

Hearing everyone’s response, Shuuya dashed out of the ruins. He, Sango, and Shizuku advanced at a speed too fast for the average person to track, storming the Ferocious Shark Gang’s headquarters. Saya stayed behind for long-range support.

The three entered through broken windows. 

“Disperse”

At Shuuya’s signal——Sango and Shizuku split off and ran in different directions. In a wide open space, Shuuya sprinted toward the murmuring crowd.

“Damn, why the hell is it so flooded… Huh? Hey, what’s that guy—”

【Iaido】

A single slash from Shuuya’s blade cut through an entire cluster of people, cleaving through their torsos in one sweep.

“Wha―…”

Everyone except Shuuya froze at the sight. A beat later came the screams—no, they didn’t.

“Don’t scream. Die quietly.”

【Triple Shot】

With near-simultaneous precision shooting from his revolver, those who were about to scream had their upper bodies burst apart, their lives ended in a flash. Even then, Shuuya didn’t stop. He closed in at high speed, slashing down defenseless targets with his sword.

“Wha—What—”

Anyone who so much as spoke out was killed the next instant. That’s why there were no screams. Only faint, broken sounds echoed through the space. Within moments, dozens of people lay dead, and not a drop of blood had landed on Shuuya. He spoke into the radio.

“This is Shuuya. The great hall is cleared. Status on your ends. Over.”

『This is Sango! East hallway and side rooms all done~! Over!』

『This is Shizuku. West side’s cleared too, I think. Over.』

The twins responded. Then Saya followed up.

『This is Saya. Twins-chan missed a couple~ But don’t worry, your dependable Onee-chan finished them off for you~ Over.』

『Thanks, Onee~!』

『Thanks, Nee-ne!』

Saya had a high-level appraisal skill. Using it, she could scan a building from a distance and instantly tell whether anyone was still alive inside. So if she said she’d taken care of the rest, then no one besides the core members of Team Ashura remained alive in this base.

“Still, we didn’t catch the key members.”

If someone like Zakomiya, who was more suited for support roles, had chosen to stay behind, she could’ve been eliminated here. But there was no point in longing for what wasn’t.

Shuuya made his report.

“This is Shuuya. First assault operation was a success. Proceeding to the second operation. Nee-san, we’ll commandeer a vehicle and move out. Provide the location. Over.”

『This is Saya. Okay~ First, Twins-chan, regroup with the captain~ Over.』

『Okay~!』

『Coming now!』

The transmission ended. Shuuya muttered to himself. 

“The twins still haven’t nailed down saying ‘Over’ properly.”

He cut a piece of cloth from a nearby corpse and used it to wipe the blood and fat from his blade, then sheathed it. He waited for the twins, murmuring to himself again.

“We will finish the mission today.”

The massacre just now was merely the prelude. The real battle started here. He opened the revolver’s cylinder, removed the spent shells, reloaded quickly, and closed it. Soon, the twins arrived. Once they’d regrouped, Shuuya began walking forward.

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T/N: Ferocious Shark’s healer be like : Another overtime… (╥‸╥)