The Moonlight Beauty (Part 2)

Was it even biologically possible for a human body to move at such insane speed?

My jaw hung slack at the surreal spectacle unfolding right before my eyes. Every time I blinked, the black-haired girl flickered across the clearing, leaving faint afterimages trailing in her wake as though she were flying through thin air.

Slash! Shck-shck-shack!

Look at that speed...

The crude kitchen knife gripped in her hand carved through the air with impossible, blistering velocity. Each stroke of the worn blade cleaved mercilessly into the massive bulk of the Abyss species, spraying vile black blood in every direction. Yet the repulsive fiends rapidly stitched their shadow-like flesh back together, knitting wounds shut in seconds.

"Excuse me! Are you just going to stand there and watch?" she shouted in exasperation, readjusting her grip on the kitchen knife.

Rustle—

Kieeeehk!

The other beast lurking behind her lunged forward with a grotesque shriek, its maw splitting wide.

"Not watching... yeah, on my way! Ah, duck your head!"

"Huh? Ah!"

She looked momentarily bewildered by my shout, but her instincts kicked in immediately as she dropped flat against the dirt.

Her wits are as sharp as her speed.

Without missing a beat of that split-second opening, I drew the compact tacker gun holstered at my hip. Wringing out mana from my core and funneling it wildly into my fingertips, I flipped the attached flashlight's toggle to maximum output.

Flash!

"Kyaaaagh!"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blinding burst of radiance slammed squarely into the creature's revolting face. Under the baptism of mana-infused light, its once-sturdy defensive shroud dissolved like mist, dark smoke boiling off its hide.

"Eat this!"

Thung! Thung!

With coarse, heavy clangs, thick steel nails tore through the pitch-black air in rapid succession, punching deep into the flesh weakened by the light.

Thud-thud-crack!

"Kyaaaah..."

It choked out a hideous death rattle before crashing to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ground, disintegrating into dark vapor until not a scrap remained. Watching the monster that had flanked her instantly reduced to ash, the girl glanced back at me, her eyes wide with shock.

"Keep your eyes on your target! There's still one left!"

"Ah, right! Don't worry!"

Snapping back to reality at my shout, she resumed a ruthless flurry of swift strikes against the final monster. With every dazzling arc of her blade, chunks of the Abyss species' torso were sliced away. Powerless to counterattack, the beast could only scramble to regenerate.

Seizing the opening, I darted back into the truck's cab and snatched the heavy sniper tacker gun lying on the floor.

It won't die for good unless it's bathed in mana-generated light. I have to finish it off!

Leaning the elongated barrel out the truck window, I caught my breath and calmly aligned the sights. A crisp red laser dot settled dead between the eyes of the creature flailing under her relentless onslaught.

Sizzle!

"Keeeeeek!"

As the laser beam seared into its forehead, the monster screeched in agony.

"Goodbye, you vile piece of trash."

Thung!

Crack!

"Kyaaaark!"

The creature's head burst open in a satisfying spray. With a thick iron nail driven squarely through its crown, the last fiend dissolved into black smoke, scattering without a trace.

Dong... dong...

Click.

The hellish grandfather clock chimes ceased, and with the creatures' bizarre cries extinguished, cold dawn air silently settled over the blood-soaked clearing.

"Haaah... haaah... Is it finally over?"

"Looks like it. I don't feel any presence coming from the forest anymore..."

As if by mutual agreement, we both collapsed onto the dirt, gasping for breath. My heart hammered violently against my ribs as though it would burst, but a thrilling surge of relief washed over me—I had survived another night.

Right then, a crisp, cheerful chime resonated through the air, and a blue system notification visible only to me flickered into existence.

"Transferring weapons to someone else? What's that supposed to mean?"

Did that imply everything I crafted with my trait had been calibrated strictly to my unique mana circuits, rendering them useless scrap in anyone else's hands? Now that this system was unlocked, it seemed I could freely equip others with my creations once certain conditions were met.

Still, having no idea how to raise affinity or transfer permissions yet, testing it out immediately was off the table. I filed the unfamiliar reward away and read the next notification.

"Jackpot! Finally, a way to use that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠useless rock. The Mechanics Board is about to show its real worth!"

Grinning ear to ear, I fiddled with the black fang tucked inside my pocket. Just imagining what gear I could forge using monster cores was enough to wash away all my fatigue.

"...Um, excuse me. Are you perhaps 【Gongdori】 from the Abyss Gallery?"

Before my celebration could settle, her out-of-the-blue question shattered the silence, freezing me stiff.

Oh crap...

"...Gongdori? What's that?"

"Come on. You clearly know, so why play dumb?"

"I don't really browse forums, so I honestly have no clue. I'm just an ordinary truck driver who fled into the mountains to escape the monsters."

Sweat poured down my neck as I forced an awkward grin, stubbornly feigning complete ignorance. The battle for survival had dragged on, and by now the pale, bluish tint of dawn crept over the ridge. It was then that I got my first clear look at her bare face... and caught my breath.

"Gasp!"

Holy shit... she's drop-dead gorgeous...

I clamped a hand over my mouth, barely stifling the raw thought before it spilled past my lips. Battle had smeared grime and dirt across her porcelain cheeks, and her lustrous black hair was tangled in disarray. She looked disheveled and reeked of that foul Abyss stench, yet her overwhelming beauty was undeniable enough to elicit spontaneous awe.

...Though holding that knife makes her look terrifying as hell.

"Pfft. For an ordinary driver just passing through, your weapons are far too unique, don't you think?" She chuckled softly, nodding toward the compact tacker gun at my hip and the sniper tacker resting against the truck window.

"The world's gone to hell and horrific monsters are popping up everywhere. I just modified a few tools for self-defense."

"A person who punches clean through monsters immune to physical damage using modified nails... and calls themselves 'ordinary'? That's quite a stretch, isn't it?"

"Ahem! It was just luck that I hit their vitals. Stop prying."

"I saw the announcement pinned to the Abyss Gallery's front page with my own eyes—the world's first subjugation of an Abyss species." Undeterred by my gruff brush-off, she stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with conviction. "And the username of the person who pulled off that ridiculous feat just happened to be 'Gongdori.'"

"......"

"The only person capable of killing monsters nobody else can harm, wielding modified repair tools as weapons... isn't the connection glaringly obvious? I'm not stupid enough to miss clues like that, Mr. Gongdori."

Her sharp, airtight barrage of logic left me with nowhere to hide. I kept my mouth shut. She hadn't just swung a knife wildly; she had accurately pierced right through my identity based on my combat style and gear alone. I had to marvel at her sharp insight.

Why is she pressing me so relentlessly?

Scratching my nape in hesitation, I finally sighed and raised both hands in defeat.

"Hah... Even I have to admit, I might as well have been parading around with a megaphone screaming 'I'm Gongdori'..."

"...So you really are Mr. Gongdori?!"

"Yeah. Wasting my breath denying it is pointless. As you guessed, I'm that damned Gongdori."

The moment I gave up and confessed, her tense expression bloomed into a radiant smile, as if she had just been handed the world. She blurred toward me with incredible speed, and before I could react, her hands seized mine.

H-Her hands...!

"Please help me! I need you, Mr. Gongdori!"

"Gah, me?!"

She nodded vigorously.

"Wait, you were slicing through those monsters all by yourself with a kitchen knife! Why on earth would you need help from a mechanic like me?"

"Because you possess the exact power I lack." She shook her head, her voice trembling with raw desperation. "Specifically, the power to actually eliminate those monsters. No matter how much I fight, if I can't land a fatal blow, I'll eventually run out of stamina and get torn to shreds."

"That might be true, but I'm just a bottom-tier survivor struggling to keep my own neck intact. I don't have the luxury of looking after someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠else."

"I'll take the lead and be your shield! Please!"

"Shield or no shield, I'm happiest cooking my meals alone in this cramped, beat-up truck. That's how I like it."

"...I know it's reckless and selfish to beg for a definitive answer right now. You don't have to decide this instant. Just... please give me a little time to tell you my story!"

She pleaded, gazing up at me with tear-brimmed eyes that looked ready to spill at any second. No matter how firmly I tried to maintain my boundaries, what man on earth could ruthlessly kick aside a stunning beauty kneeling before him with tears in her eyes?

Scratching my head in embarrassment, I glanced between my disheveled state and hers.

"Well... morning's already here, and we both look like a disaster after fighting monsters all night. Our clothes reek of foul blood, too."

"...That's true. I was so desperate that I only considered myself. I'm sorry."

"Why don't we get washed up first, eat a solid breakfast, and then talk?"

Faced with my mundane, atmosphere-killing proposal, the girl's solemn, do-or-die expression froze in utter bewilderment.

"Huh...?"