Chapter 80
Finger Man felt an immense power tearing through his body.
Changes and evolutions he didn't even know were happening inside him.
It didn't take long for him to become aware of it.
The cause was obvious—had to be the Daily Mission.
He nervously opened his status window.
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Akagi Hideo
Level 307
HP 591/2,081,741
MP 3,123/480,123
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv6'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv8'
'Single Strike Lv6'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv8'
'Blue Pulsation Lv3'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv4'
'Until the Very End Together'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
'Bloodstained Comrade' G4
'Metal Trap Room Lv2' G4
'EXP Lighter' G3
'Thousand-Style Metal Kit' G5
'Traces of a Dream' G5
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(Hey, don't turn me into some kind of monster.)
Finger Man shouted in his mind and tried to steadily stand up.
"——Didn't I tell you not to move?"
(Skill activation——'Bullet Rain Lv6' 'Weak Constitution Lv4' 'Precision Shot Lv4' 'Urban Combat Lv2' 'Sure Hit')
Shirokko unleashed his killer combo.
A leaden death storm, combining skills—this was Gray Justice (Justitia de Grigio).
Countless bullets rained down on the barely-living Finger Man.
(Crap, I only have 591 HP left! Am I dead?)
Finger Man, previously playing it cool, was now in sudden grave danger.
Even the Daily Mission was on the verge of flipping out.
"Gii."
"G-Gii-san!"
Just before the rain of bullets hit, black humanoid monsters suddenly appeared.
They were the Black Swamp monsters. The monsters took the bullets with their bodies.
There were well over twenty of them, and their numbers kept growing.
"They're multiplying? So the underlings can summon even more now. But mass doesn't matter—my 'Vermilion Dawn (Aurora de Vermilio)' falls under the so-called 'infinite gun' category of weapons. As long as I'm holding the trigger, I'll never run out of bullets."
Shirokko, lost in trigger-happy ecstasy, gunned down the Black Swamp monsters one after another.
Thanks to the overwhelming firepower of Gray Justice (Justitia de Grigio), the Black Swamp monsters were shredded like in a zombie game—two per second.
The Black Swamp monsters, now armed by the Calamity Mollusk, began to fight back.
Shirokko morphed the muzzle flash into a blade of flame, adapting to close combat. With effortless movements, he began slicing and burning through the Black Swamp monsters. If melee didn't work, then distance was the answer.
Even the Calamity underlings, strong enough to toy with A-rank explorers, were mercilessly crushed in mid-range combat by the power of S-rank explorer 'Catania's Dust' Shirokko and the deadly combo with 'Vermilion Dawn (Aurora de Vermilio)'.
Still, it bought just enough time.
"Thank you, Gii-san."
While the Black Swamp monsters fought, Finger Man calmly activated a skill.
"Skill activation——'Black Swamp's Severer'"
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'Black Swamp's Severer'
Proof of resistance against the invasion from the Black Swamp.
You have become a wedge that holds the world together.
Instantly restores HP and MP to full.
Usable once every 720 hours. Stock: 2.
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Finger Man used his trump card skill, obtained when he defeated the dungeon boss 'Malice Buried in the Black Swamp' in the backyard dungeon of his grandparents' house.
The wounds all over his body healed in an instant.
The damage to the back of his head from the 'Sacrifice Bullet' rebuilt itself—skull, nerves, flesh, skin—all reformed in sequence and returned to normal.
From skill activation to full regeneration took about the time to blink once.
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Akagi Hideo
Level 307
HP 2,081,741/2,081,741
MP 480,123/480,123
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv6'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv8'
'Single Strike Lv6'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv8'
'Blue Pulsation Lv3'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv4'
'Until the Very End Together'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
'Bloodstained Comrade' G4
'Metal Trap Room Lv2' G4
'EXP Lighter' G3
'Thousand-Style Metal Kit' G5
'Traces of a Dream' G5
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Amid gunfire and scattering black flesh, Finger Man stood up and lightly traced the Calamity Beast's body with his fingertip. The body had gone cold, its bright red life completely spilled out.
His gaze down at the white ferocious bird was filled with compassion.
Finger Man decided to use his new power.
"Gii-san is doing his best. How long do you plan to keep sleeping, Shimaenaga-san?"
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'Until the Very End Together'
Underlings serve their master.
A master must answer the devotion of their underlings.
Revive an underling.
MP Cost: 100
Unlock condition: Connect your heart with the Calamity.
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Behind Finger Man, a divine pattern of overlapping black haloes appeared.
From the fingertip gently placed on the ferocious bird, black lightning crackled forth. It felt like static electricity, yet its force was as powerful as a bolt of lightning.
The dark wave reached into the white bird and, with transcendent power, reconstructed its shattered soul.
"Chii chii chii!"
The Calamity Beast breathed once more and began flying through the sky again.
The haloes floating behind Finger Man began to unravel.
Shirokko had just finished annihilating the Black Swamp monster and happened to witness the scene.
"No way... a revival skill... it actually exists...!"
Shirokko's eyes widened in shock.
Though there are many mysterious powers in this world, that one is unimaginably rare.
While there may be things that overturn death, there are no beings who overturn it.
For Shirokko, who had traveled the world, it was the first time witnessing it—an actual miracle.
Having completed its task, the Calamity Mollusk climbed up onto Finger Man's shoulder.
Thrilled to be flying again, the Calamity Beast chirped, "Chii chii♪" as it flew back. It transformed into a tiny, pocket-sized form and returned to Finger Man's breast pocket. In its beak, it carried Finger Man's sunglasses. Apparently, it had picked them up.
"Thank you, Shimaenaga-san."
"Chii chii chii♪ (Translation: This totally means my suspension is lifted, chii!)"
Finger Man shifted his gaze to Shirokko. He took the sunglasses and slowly put them on as he asked,
"Shirokko, are you ready?"
"Just who... are you?"
Shirokko gently reached for the pendant at his neck.