Shop 131

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Chapter 131. Three Companion And Akira's Memory

No money.

I'll tell the truth. Ever since I was sent to this world, I've been using the SHOP ability, but I never really felt it was necessary.

If anyone hears this, they'd probably yell, "You'd be dead by now!" and they'd be right to do so.

But honestly, except for that first time when I got a bottle of water, the SHOP was just a convenient store for me. Like a nearby convenience store—useful, but not essential.

I've lived without money since I was a kid. That’s been the case for as long as I can remember.

There were countless days when all I had to eat was the crust of bread once every few days. My parents never paid for anything—whether it was school lunch fees or the savings for a school trip. When debt collectors came, they'd break their spirits with insane, unreasonable yelling.

People thought, "It's better not to ask them for money, even a little." That’s the kind of parents they were.

I don’t remember when I realized my parents were abnormal. I know it was when I was in elementary school. By the time I was older, I already had the desire to kill them.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t completely get rid of my affection for them. I was just a kid.

A life where you can’t get what you want. A life where even the bare necessities aren’t enough. A daily life that was broken because of the lack of things was just... life.

To keep it short, a lot happened, and I ended up working at a company—a regular salaryman.

I was at the bottom for 10 years.

Most of the money I earned was taken by my parents or bosses. The only pleasure I had was smoking.

I didn't have any grand ambitions. I didn’t care if I didn’t make much money. It was fine if my best meal was a beef bowl. I didn’t need best friends or even friends, no bosses, no acquaintances, no girlfriend, no wife, no pets. A tiny, rundown apartment was enough. Even a two-hour commute was fine. But. Just don’t get involved with me. Leave me alone. Don’t show up just to make me hate you!

Before I knew it, I was in a void.

Someone was claiming to be a goddess. But it was the goddess I made up when I was in elementary school.

Even now, it makes me laugh. Not even a nightmare could be more ridiculous.

But that goddess did give me something.

"A world where no one knows me"...

I didn’t want to die. So, I’m grateful for that first bottle of water.

But after that, everything was the result of encounters and actions.

If I didn’t have this ability, I would have desperately searched for a way to survive. Maybe I became foolish because I got this SHOP ability.

I have to remember.

Not that there was nothing, but that every day was a whirlwind of absurdity.

...Goblin Hazard? Elf Rescue? Town Relations?

Ha!

Those are nothing compared to dealing with bosses!

I slapped my cheeks hard and stood up.

"Hagg. Yaralai. We’ll make this a success."

"Of course."

"Naturally."

It seems like I've gained something in this world for the first time. Something I never wanted. If that’s the case, then maybe I should act a little out of character... and give it a shot.

"Hagg. As a strategy, what’s the most efficient method for eliminating a large number of pests with the least damage?"

"Hmm... if we put aside what can be prepared, it would be ranged weapons."

Hagg glanced at the elf, who silently nodded.

"Of course, you’d need a number of them, but barriers, embankments, walls, ramparts, sandbags, fences, high ground... anything will do. The most common method is to create a situation where you can shoot unilaterally and then use bows or throw stones for mass extermination. For some reason, they rarely flee even when their comrades are killed. I guess they do have some sense of camaraderie, though."

Hagg scoffed and downed a thin ale, then ordered another.

When I looked at Yaralai, he silently nodded in agreement.

"Alright, next. Whether it’s an elf girl or human soldier, there’s a possibility they’ll be taken hostage—"

"You don’t need to worry about that."

"Why not?"

"I’ve never seen or heard of them using hostages. However, they do tend to grab and flee with their totems, or those they consider potential totems, and anyone who looks... delicious. That’s what you need to watch out for."

"I see. So, the first priority is to find and rescue the humans they've secretly captured."

"No, there’s no need for that."

"Why not?"

"The chances they’re being kept as food are... almost nonexistent."

"Why’s that?"

"In a small colony, they might keep them alive as emergency rations, but..."

"Got it. That’s enough."

I suppressed the sour feeling welling up inside me.

"On the other hand, if they’re being kept as totems, or potential totems, they won’t be harmed. At least until they’re presented to the boss of the horde."

"...Is there a chance they’ve already been turned into totems?"

"There... is."

Hagg answered painfully, while Yaralai gritted his teeth.

"But even in the worst-case scenario, we can save their lives. Whether we can save their minds... I don’t know."

"...I see. At least it won’t be for nothing, right?"

"I want to believe that."

"......"

Silence enveloped a corner of the tavern.

"Hagg, between a frontal assault, guerrilla warfare, and unconventional tactics, which is ideal?"

"Hmm... if we have enough numbers, a frontal assault. There’s no chance they’ll use their totems or food as shields. But even for us, being overwhelmed by numbers is terrifying. Especially since they don’t fear friendly fire, many of our kin have been wiped out."

When Hagg says "our kin," he means fellow dwarves, right? That must mean they have incredible attack power...

"Does that mean if they gather in large numbers, it’s bad news?"

"Yes."

"I see..."

I organize the situation. The most effective attack is with ranged weapons, but we don’t have enough people. Plus, we don’t have any defensive barriers to slow them down.

...No, I do have access to ranged weapons. Two of them.

Will the firepower be enough?

I don’t think it will be insufficient, but the problem is their numbers. If they spread out across the horizon and charge from all sides, there’s nothing we can do.

Damn it. We really do need more people.

Let’s put the attack aside and think about defense.

I could buy defensive fences from the SHOP... but even if I could, we don’t have the manpower to set them up. What about earthworks? No, same problem. Charging right into the enemy camp with no defenses... No, I’m not planning to die.

Fences... or walls... damn, I miss Pilatus.

I suddenly remembered Pilatus, now Tessa, leaving. The red-haired girl reflected in the side mirror. Her figure shrank as I pressed the accelerator.

Was that the trigger? Now, an old news video I once saw played in my mind.

It was a warzone news clip showing trucks bearing the name of a famous Japanese car manufacturer, with massive machine guns mounted on the back, speeding through wastelands, one after another.

How were they defending themselves?

...No, the basic idea is different from the defense methods Hagg and I were considering.

"…There’s no need to stick to defensive walls, is there?"

We don’t need to defend territory.

"I’ve decided on a direction. What we’re going to do is a mobile attack."

"What did you say?"

Well, it’s probably not the original meaning.