NOVEL WEB Side Story 13
Side Story 13. Undead
In the abandoned town—a place normally prowled by monsters and infested with bandits—cheerful laughter and chatter rang out, utterly out of place.
A group walked noisily down the cracked asphalt road, past rusted abandoned vehicles. They were returning from a dungeon tour: two Shadow Tigers, five bodyguards, and thirteen tourists. Since one of the guards had been injured along the way, Ohki had joined them for the return trip.
“Man, today was profitable!”
“Seriously, plant-type monsters are the best—way less dangerous.”
“Those mothmen were creepy as hell, though.”
“How many Big Spiders did you take down?”
The tourists walked with satisfied smiles, their pockets stuffed with monster cores. Among them, Gotou—recently hired by Takeda Shingen—carried a spear over his shoulder, grinning cheerfully.
“Hey, what’s with the grin?”
“Ah, well… I was just happy to land a decent job like this. Couldn’t help but smile.”
Gotou scratched his head sheepishly, overjoyed to have found honest work protecting people for pay. Komaki gave a half-hearted “Huh,” not really understanding the sentiment.
“If you say so.”
“I get it. Bodyguard work’s legit.”
Ohki had done security work in the outer town before, so he nodded in agreement.
“After a job, clients often treat you to a drink. Totally get it.”
(He clearly didn’t get it at all.)
Gotou let out a dry laugh, while Komaki sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. Before Ohki could ask what he’d said wrong, Gotou’s expression suddenly sharpened as he looked ahead.
“Huh? What’s up?”
Ohki and the others followed Gotou’s gaze, their faces twisting in confusion.
“What the hell is that?”
“Knights? But they’re not carrying any weapons.”
“Knights crawling on all fours?”
A group was charging toward them on hands and knees, clad in heavy black Western-style armor. The metallic clatter of their movement was deafening as they advanced, cracking the asphalt under their weight.
They looked human—but also like gorillas. Either way, they were clearly not normal.
Ignoring the abandoned cars in their path, they stomped over hoods without slowing, their unnatural, quadrupedal movement both terrifying and unsettling.
“Get the tourists out of here! Take one of the Shadow Tigers with you!”
“Got it! Move out, everyone!”
“Roger!”
“Meow!”
Ohki, accustomed to guard work, barked orders with sharp eyes. The tourists and two guards quickly retreated with a Shadow Tiger in tow.
Only Ohki, Komaki, Gotou, and one Shadow Tiger remained.
“Those are monsters, right?”
“Even if there’s a human inside, we’d be justified killing ’em.”
“We just gotta buy time till the tourists are safe.”
Fifteen in total. From within their helmet slits, fiery red eyes glowed as they closed the distance.
“I’m using my Skill!”
Ohki braced himself, focusing his mana to activate his unique Skill—one typically only usable when protecting others.
His eyes snapped open as he roared. A crimson aura enveloped his body.
[Hero]
Ohki had activated his unique Skill, [Hero]. Courage surged in his heart, dulling his fear of the eerie enemies.
Grinning, he raised his iron spear.
“Alright! Leave it to the Hero!”
As the crimson aura settled, Ohki truly looked the part of a mighty warrior.
“Whoa! That Skill looks badass, Ohki!”
“Heh, just leave it to me. Go, Shadow Tiger! Full assault!”
The “Hero” issued his command—essentially the “charge recklessly” strategy—while subtly positioning himself behind the Shadow Tiger for cover.
“……Wait, what exactly does that Skill do?”
Komaki frowned, unimpressed by the lack of action.
“It gives me courage.”
Ohki answered plainly.
“Anything else?”
“Come on, a Hero’s all about courage! What else would it do?”
“That’s just a cheap trick! And you don’t even look that brave!”
“Blind recklessness isn’t the same as courage. People get that mixed up a lot.”
“Whatever.”
Komaki gave up and turned his attention to the Shadow Tiger.
The black-furred beast charged headfirst at the armored creatures—what the others called “Wraiths.”
“Meow!”
The Wraiths halted, exhaling miasma from their helmets before clenching their gauntlets and lunging at the tiger.
With a powerful stomp that dented the asphalt, they swung their fists. The Shadow Tiger deftly dodged, slashing with its claws and cleaving through their metal armor like paper. Black ooze spilled from the gashes as one collapsed.
The remaining Wraiths swarmed the tiger without hesitation—some punching, others grappling, a few charging shoulder-first.
The Shadow Tiger paused, activating its mana. A pitch-black armor, so dark it seemed to swallow light, encased its body, amplifying its menacing presence.
[Weapon Tiger]
Now transformed, the armored tiger stood its ground, deflecting punches, shrugging off tackles, and repelling grapplers with a full-body tremor.
“Meow-meow!”
Extending its claws like longswords, it cleaved through the horde. Black streaks flashed through the air, slicing the Wraiths apart as their bisected corpses littered the ground.
The remaining Wraiths fell one after another as the Weapon Tiger tore through them—biting off heads, impaling with claws, wreaking havoc.
“Whoa! That transformation’s awesome!”
“Unlike somebody.”
Ohki and Komaki cheered, but Gotou’s face darkened as he lowered his stance, spear at the ready.
“Some are breaking through!”
The Shadow Tiger couldn’t handle all fifteen alone. Half ignored it, rushing toward the trio instead.
“Gah! We can’t fight things that go toe-to-toe with a Weapon Tiger!”
“Where’s your so-called courage now?!”
The two panicked but held their ground. Gotou stepped forward, exhaling slowly.
“Leave this to me. I’ll buy time until the Shadow Tiger finishes them off.”
Focusing his mana into fighting spirit, he activated his trump card—his secret techniques: [Fighting Spirit] and [Spearmanship], both at Skill Level 1.
[Aiming]
A crimson aura enveloped Gotou, sharpening his perception. He could now track every pebble, every grain of dust—and every incoming monster. His physical abilities surged as he spun his spear.
“You shall not pass.”
With a quiet murmur, he met the Wraiths head-on. Their fists tore through the air like cannonfire, but Gotou deflected each blow, entangling his spear with their limbs to redirect their momentum.
A counterstrike to the head felled one. A thrust through the skull dropped another. He whirled his spear like a windmill, cutting down Wraith after Wraith without breaking stance.
[Aiming]—Gotou’s trump card. A counter-focused martial technique that enhanced his reflexes and perception as long as he maintained his posture. A skill that had saved his family countless times.
It worked even against stronger foes, deflecting arrows and holding off goblins.
“Damn! That’s as strong as my Skill!”
“Comparing it to yours makes it sound like trash. Don’t insult Gotou.”
Despite the duo’s banter, Gotou’s expression remained grim.
Against goblins, this technique was flawless. But these monsters were tougher—no pain receptors, high durability. Even [Aiming] could only dent their armor.
“Tch… At this rate—”
He twisted his spear, redirecting a punch before sweeping a Wraith’s legs. Yet the first ones he’d felled were already rising.
Fatigue set in. His iron spear creaked. Sweat dripped as deflecting attacks grew harder. The stat difference was too vast—only Gotou’s combat instincts kept him alive this long.
“Damn, if we had one more Shadow Tiger, I could show off my Hero’s power!”
“Quit yappin’ and help, dumbass!”
The two rushed in, but these monsters were beyond them. They’d be slaughtered instantly.
Just as Gotou moved to stop them—
[Mass Magic Lance]
A black beam pierced the air, shattering a Wraith’s armor like glass. The impact exploded its torso, sending chunks flying.
“What—?!”
Before Gotou could react, the obsidian spear dislodged itself, homing into the next target like a missile. The Wraith tried to dodge—too late.
[Dance]
A man’s voice rang out from behind as the spear danced through the air, felling the remaining Wraiths with lethal grace.
“Blocking enemies on par with Goblin Knights? Not bad.”
A man in all-black strolled forward, his voice rough but amused.
“Boss! You saved us!”
“I was just about to show off!”
Komaki and Ohki cheered, while Gotou realized who stood before them.
“Thank you for the assist… President.”
The black-clad mage flicked his finger like a conductor’s baton, casually obliterating the remaining Wraiths as the Shadow Tiger fought. He shrugged, his tone light.
“Well, keeping my employees safe is my job.”
Amano Sakimori, grinned—clearly enjoying himself.