Nest Heist
Den Seizure. —Shwaaaaa! We were searching for a temporary shelter to escape the storm pressing down on our heads and shoulders when the contractor and I stopped at Sion’s hand signal from up ahead.
“....!” (Wait! Everyone stop, nyang!)
“...?” (What’s wrong?)
“....” (Did you find something, thief?)
Sion, who had been signaling us to halt with her palm facing us, slipped behind a large boulder covered in green moss and then waved us over. The finger pressed to her lips suggested we should approach as quietly as possible.
I nodded lightly to show I understood. The contractor and I moved stealthily, stepping only on protruding rocks to avoid splashing sounds. The deafening roar of the rain masked most noise, so the advance wasn’t difficult.
“....” (Look over there, nyang.)
“...?”
“?”
Once we were close to the boulder, Sion, who had been peeking at something, silently pointed her index finger toward the forest ahead. I turned my head in the direction she indicated.
A sloth?
A massive sloth the size of an elephant revealed itself. The giant sloth was hugging a tree thicker than a baobab with its sharp foreclaws and stretching out its long tongue to strip away leaves.
—Crack.
The thick trunk let out a desperate scream as if begging for its life, the sound cutting clearly through the rain. The weight must have been considerable.
Sion’s eyes sparkled as she watched us stare at the giant sloth in a daze. She chuckled quietly, then pulled a black bubble-wand-like stick from the pouch at her waist and blew into it toward us.
Whoosh!
“...?”
“!?”
In an instant, a black bubble swelled and enveloped the contractor and me. Large enough for three people to fit comfortably, the bubble fixed itself in midair the moment Sion stopped blowing.
“What is this...? Whoa!”
The contractor let out an involuntary sound, surprised that the bubble maintained its shape and created dreamy ripples even under the torrential rain pouring down as if the sky had opened. Then, like a middle-schooler caught talking in class, she glanced between Sion and me with an apologetic expression.
Sion waved her hand dismissively, as if to say it was fine, and naturally stepped through the bubble from outside before speaking.
“Phew! It’s okay, adventurer! This is a completely soundproof bubble, so no sound leaks out, nyang!”
A bubble that could withstand rain heavy enough to rattle skulls and still provide soundproofing. This was truly magic and fantasy. If it existed in the modern world, adults would probably like it even more than kids.
“Whew, I thought I messed up again and got startled....”
Relieved by Sion’s words, the contractor examined the bubble carefully before making a puzzled face.
“But this black bubble... it feels similar to Lady Regina’s sound-eating barrier. Is it just a coincidence?”
“Oh! How did you know, nyang? You’re right, adventurer. This is an artifact called the Silent Stick that Regina made for the guild’s Sherpas, nyang!”
What? That clumsy glutton senior made this artifact?
“I didn’t know the senior could do something like that.”
“Regina is far more versatile than she looks... Anyway, that’s not important right now, nyang!”
Sion met our eyes, pointed at the giant sloth with one hand, and spoke with a grave expression.
“From now on, we’re going to track that giant ground sloth ahead—Megatherium—and steal its home, nyang!”
Ground sloth. So it wasn’t a tree sloth. Makes sense; something that size couldn’t climb trees properly anyway. Even now, it looked more like it was standing on two legs and hugging the tree rather than actually climbing it.
But... track it? Do we have to?
“Thief, can’t we just deal with it here?”
Click. As I spoke, I half-drew the Injector from my chest.
“Hey, I’ve got a plan, so put that damn wand away, nyang!”
Sion forcibly pushed the half-exposed Injector back into my chest and began explaining the plan.
“We’re going to secretly follow that Megatherium and steal its nest, nyang!”
Unlike ordinary sloths that were basically homeless, the giant ground sloth called Megatherium supposedly dug large burrows into the dungeon walls with its sturdy claws. Our proud thief was suggesting we rob the home that the giant ground sloth had worked so hard to build.
“...Figures.”
“A thief is a thief, I suppose. Even your thoughts are on another level.”
“If you want to keep getting rained on all day, keep talking like that, nyang.”
Unable to resist Sion’s threat, the contractor and I ended up joining the heist.
“Ooh... it’s moving!”
“There, that damn thing finally finished eating, nyang!”
“It takes forever because of its size.”
After wrestling with the tree for about thirty minutes, the Megatherium seemed satisfied with the leaves it had gathered. It scratched the tree a few times like a cat sharpening its claws on a cat tower, then vomited something substantial onto the ground. After shaking its head a few times, it turned and began moving somewhere.
“Everyone, follow exactly where I step and stay quiet, nyang! Megatherium is more sensitive than it looks—if we make noise, it’ll notice right away and charge, nyang!”
Its leaf-eating appearance made it seem like a herbivore, but in reality, like most Entities, it preferred meat. Apparently, it ate leaves to regurgitate swallowed bones. It was a far more brutal creature than it appeared.
We quietly followed the Megatherium, passing by a pile of finely crushed grass mixed with unidentifiable bones. I had worried it might wander off somewhere strange, but perhaps because the rain had grown heavier than before, the Megatherium headed straight along the wall toward what looked like its nest.
After following for about twenty minutes, a cave cleverly hidden behind a massive boulder came into view. The Megatherium lowered its posture and crawled into the entrance—a collapsed oval shape draped with hanging moss. At the same time, Sion sent me the prearranged signal.
Eliminate the target swiftly and stealthily.
Tat!
Concentrating mana into my legs, I launched forward explosively and rapidly closed the distance to the Megatherium—within the effective range of the Invisible Hand.
“Guruk?”
Sensing something with its wild instincts, the Megatherium turned its half-entered body to look back. But it was too late. It had already entered my range.
“Sorry.”
If there’s a next life, be born as a rich family’s pet parrot.
I extended my hand wearing the Phantom Glove toward the Megatherium and clenched it tightly.
Crack.
A loud tearing sound cut through the fierce rain. The brief terror of sensing death. The metallic scent of blood and the thick smell of feces. The massive beast that had been breathing just moments ago lost its life in vain without even a final scream, all from a single gesture of my hand.
Crunch.
Seeing its sphincter relax and feces spill out confirmed it was dead, but I twisted its neck once more just in case and moved the body aside.
Sion and the contractor, having seen me deal with the Megatherium, smiled proudly and tried to approach, but I held out a hand to stop them. There seemed to be one more left.
After sending my party members back, I followed the sticky, dense emotion of fear into the burrow the Megatherium had dug.
Swish.
Parting the hanging moss, I headed inside. A sweet scent and the smell of a furry beast stung my nose.
Dark in here.
—Kiiiiing.
When I switched the lens to thermal imaging, the interior of the cave—suspiciously smooth for something carved by a single beast—came into view. It was tall and wide enough that even I, over two meters tall, could stand upright without discomfort. It would make a perfect temporary shelter.
Following the advice of a veteran really does pay off. You get rained on and end up with a house.
Tap.
With every step, the sweetness lingering at the corners of my mouth grew stronger. Soon, two branching paths appeared. But there was no hesitation in my stride.
Turning right and walking a little farther, the emotion of fear suddenly exploded outward.
This was.... Despair and rage, cornered at the edge of a cliff. Quite spicy.
Crunch.
“Krrraaagh!”
I twisted the forelimb swinging toward my head in the darkness with the Invisible Hand. A sweet scream burst out. Savoring it, I hurled the Megatherium against the opposite wall.
Perhaps because of the darkness, the Invisible Hand was strengthened and didn’t consume much mana. Good thing I kept it equipped instead of selling it. The efficiency isn’t bad.
Bang!
“Grrk!”
Stunned for a moment by the impact against the wall, the Megatherium staggered to its feet on two legs, its grotesquely twisted forelimb dangling. But it launched no further attacks.
Tremble.
There was only a single terrified beast.
“Grrk! Grrk!”
I looked at the beast whimpering pitifully as it rubbed its back against the wall and drew the Injector.
“Don’t worry.”
I’ll make it quick. But first, let’s run an experiment.
[Charge] ‘Aichmophobia’: Fear of sharp or pointed objects.
A black bullet charged with a thousand mana filled the cylinder.
Click.
The moment the fear-infused round was complete, I aimed the muzzle at the Megatherium.
Then—
What the hell is this now?
A red line began etching itself into the air, following the movement of the muzzle. An effect I hadn’t seen with other fear rounds. While I tilted my head in confusion, the Megatherium—apparently thinking this was its last chance—stopped scratching the wall and hurled its massive body at me.
But no matter how fast a beast was, it couldn’t outrun a bullet.
Tracing a pentagram through the air with the red line following the muzzle, I immediately aligned the barrel with the Megatherium’s head and pulled the trigger.
In that instant—
Slash!
With the sound of slicing wind, a fountain of blood erupted without any warning signs, and the Megatherium collapsed to the floor. Interestingly, there was no gunshot sound.
“Not bad.”
With this level of stealth and sharpness, it might be worth using instead of the explosive fear that destroys even mana stones. I’d like to try the fear of pain and the fear of fire soon too. I hope I can meet other Entities quickly.
Tap.
I tore my eyes away from the deep claw marks carved in the shape of a pentagram and walked toward my waiting party members, savoring the tears and dense fear the beast had shed the moment it sensed death.