Chapter 133 : Chapter 133
Chapter 133 : Plague Mask Gunman
It might not work at all on the natives of the Lagna Continent, but the story is different for players who have been exposed to all sorts of fantasies about the existence of guns.
They know what a gun is.
Because they knew, in this current situation where they couldn't even use weapons, they had no choice but to flinch.
"C-Crazy!"
"Isn't that a real gun?"
"How in the world did he get a gun……?"
No matter how large the crowd was, ultimately, only a few players among them would risk their lives to directly show hostility toward me.
It was obvious that the number would decrease even further in a situation where the muzzle was aimed at them.
While a stalemate was being maintained in such a strange atmosphere, someone spoke.
"W-Wait, no. Even if that's a real gun, what are you going to do? Are you going to shoot everyone here to death? Can you even do that?"
"That's true but……."
"What are you all doing? What can he do if we all attack at once?"
Correct words.
It is true that a gun is a very lethal weapon to humans, but there is no rule saying it would be so to players clad in all sorts of equipment and items.
In fact, for players above a certain level, normal bullets that weren't Demonic Bullets were useless.
I must not be pushed back here.
If I were pushed back even a little, the characteristics of the crowd would instantly take away their guilt or conscience.
Bang!──
A single shot fired into the sky.
With that, it didn't take long for the crowd, which was gradually becoming noisy, to fall into silence again.
"It, it's a real gun."
"What I saw on the bulletin board was real?"
"……I'm going to back out. What if I get hit by a stray bullet."
For the first time, different opinions began to emerge from among the crowd.
Humans are animals that can be as cruel as they want if there is no risk to themselves, but if they have to take responsibility for their actions, they are also animals with reason capable of control.
"Wait…… but something feels weird. So what did Plague Mask do wrong that everyone is acting like this as a group?"
"Uh…… he didn't exactly do anything wrong. Isn't becoming a Guardian of the Labyrinth just luck?"
"Then what's the reason for making this fuss? People really suck."
The crowd that had surrounded Luna and me began to leave one or two at a time, and gradually, the speed increased.
"What is this group madness……."
"Hey, it's time. Let's just enter the labyrinth. At this rate, others will cut in line."
"You're right. Let's go quickly."
As the situation turned out like that, the players who seemed ready to rush at me at any moment also hesitated.
"……Tsk."
"You, consider yourself lucky."
"Don't say useless things and let's just go, or you might get shot for nothing."
The stalemate ended anticlimactically if one could call it anticlimactic.
In the first place, among the players here, there was no one with a grudge strong enough to punish me even while taking losses, and even if there were, the number of people here itself creates a certain balance.
It meant that if they fought and became weak, they could become another prey for the majority.
"Uh…… it ended much more anticlimactically than I thought?"
"Humans are cruel, but that doesn't mean they are stupid animals."
"Hmm, is that so? Still, I honestly thought it might be a bit overwhelming with this number of people."
"That is why I acted even stronger, because if I acted clumsily, I would have been looked down upon."
"Aha."
Once the crowd surrounding us completely dispersed, I left the entrance of Akiro's Labyrinth with Luna.
Because there was no business left here anymore.
At first, a few players seemed to secretly follow us, but as soon as we subtly leaked the fact that we were aware of the tailing, they all disappeared before long.
If it were a surprise attack, maybe, but it seemed they thought a head-on confrontation was ambiguous for themselves as well.
"By the way, what was that thing you did earlier? Is that the reward you got this time?"
"Yes."
"Wow, what exactly is it? Looking at it earlier, my armament was forcibly unequipped too. How is such a thing possible?"
"I reproduced Akiro's laws in the present world. It is an item that makes such things possible."
"……What? Don't tell me it's Legendary grade?"
"Correct. Since the effect forces laws onto the present world, it can be considered top-tier even among Legendaries."
"No, why is only Cain’s Legendary grade! Mine is quasi-Legendary at best!"
Luna was indignant, perhaps displeased with her reward.
"What is it?"
"This. It's a real dud, I tell you."
Taking a peek, the reward Luna received was a ring-type item like mine, ‘Ring of the Stopped One's Wish’.
Although not a unique Legendary grade item like Akiro's Ring, it was still a very rare item that only a few existed even if one searched the entire World of Justice.
In fact, the effect it possessed also had tricky usage conditions but was not inferior at all to decent Legendaries.
"That might be better for you. If you use the item's effect together with Imaginary Number-ification, it is possible to become literally invincible, albeit limitedly."
"……Huh? To that extent?"
"Yes. Its grade is only Heroic, but among quasi-Legendaries, it can be considered top-tier."
Luna looked at the ring on my finger and made a strange smile.
"If it's that good, let's trade with what you received, Cain."
"That is good for you, a spatial mage, but ambiguous for me to use."
"In the end, you're saying yours is better. Forget it."
"Even if you pretend to sulk, I will not trade with you."
"……How did you know?"
Perhaps Luna's face inside the mask is grinning right about now.
"Let's end the useless talk here and head back now."
Having finished one task I had to do, thoughts of Winter Castle, which I had been forgetting for a while, came to mind.
‘I wonder if they are doing well.’
It had been too long since I left Winter Castle.
To the point where it wouldn't be strange at all if something had happened at Winter Castle by now.
Now, it is time to return.
***
Only after arriving at a place quite far from the entrance of Akiro's Labyrinth did we confirm there was no one around and take off the Plague Mask set after hiding our appearances with spatial distortion.
It was truly a tearful effort to hide our identities.
"Phew! Finally, I can live. This damn tedious mask, I'm never wearing it again."
Luna seemed to pledge so, but well…….
If we ever have to go somewhere else later, it seemed likely we would end up using this Plague Mask set quite fondly.
It was just a personal feeling, but anyway, it was so.
"When will we get to Winter Castle……."
Luna said.
"Can't we just not go to a place like Winter Castle given this opportunity? Why are you so hung up on it?"
Honestly speaking, at this point, there weren't many reasons for me to be hung up on Winter Castle.
I had retrieved my equipment from the temporary warehouse, which was my top priority goal, and I had also obtained the power to protect myself to some extent.
However…….
"Well, I feel there is still work left to do by remaining there."
"So what is that?"
"I do not know well either."
"What's that?"
Luna shook her head as if dumbfounded.
"Why am I getting entangled with Cain and suffering like this……."
"More than that, how about we sort out the titles now? When I am not wearing the mask, just call me Vell. Of course, when I am wearing the mask, do not attach any title at all."
"It's uncomfortable. Can't I just say Cain? There must be many people with the same name in the Empire anyway."
"You know that won't do, especially a player named Cain."
"Alright, alright."
It's sudden to mention, but it was true that in the World of Justice, the name Cain was treated similarly to a taboo word.
To the extent that any player would look back if someone called themselves by such a name.
Since the situation was such, it was troublesome in many ways for Luna to keep calling me Cain like now.
"The things I'm not allowed to do are increasing day by day……. At this rate, I won't even be able to call you 'nim'."
"What 'nim'."
"Ugh, why the hell is this Winter Castle so far away? If I could have my way, I'd want to just fly there with magic."
"Stop it, if you skipped that distance with space magic, you wouldn't have enough bodies to pay the price."
"I know too."
Cutting through the continent with space magic is certainly possible, but that is limited to mages who have formed a contract specialized in space movement itself and added constraints and vows.
Even if she is a spatial mage, her specialty is different from that of Luna, who has added constraints and vows in a form focused on combat.
Eventually, Luna, who was almost lying down on the horse, said.
"Sigh. Since I'm bored, I should check the bulletin board for the first time in a while. Let me know when we arrive at the next city."
"I will."
For me as well, this was much better than Luna grumbling the whole way, so I decided to leave her be.
There was no possibility of a player of Luna's caliber getting seriously hurt just by falling off a horse anyway.
‘By the way, the bulletin board…….’
I might be a little curious too.
Since a new Guardian appeared at a time when interest in Akiro's Labyrinth is concentrated, the interest in it would be extraordinary.
‘Shall I take a look.’
The deliberation wasn't long.
The Anonymous Bulletin Board had become one of the few pieces I could enjoy in this world before I knew it.
[Connecting to the Anonymous Bulletin Board.]
As I connected to the Anonymous Bulletin Board, the first thing that welcomed me was, as expected, topics about Akiro's Labyrinth.
Among them, there were especially many stories about the phantom that newly appeared in Akiro's Labyrinth.
-Anonymous55: Ah lol So what's the identity of the Plague Mask Gunman.
-MakeMeGuardian: Ah, the gunman phantom is really pissing me off. Isn't there any walkthrough for this bastard? He shoots while running away, so there's really no answer.
-Kkyareureu: lol Even if you get close, he does melee attacks. He's not just a pushover. Seriously fcking annoying.
While reading down the posts like that, I discovered one post that had risen to the popular posts.
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Crazy lol I just saw the Plague Mask Gunman himself at the labyrinth entrance [★]
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He was with a companion wearing the same Plague Set, and the physique looked like a woman.
Anyway, that's not important. Since there were two people wearing the Plague Mask Set in front of the labyrinth, people flocked and said this and that, but suddenly he used weird magic and everyone got disarmed.
And then suddenly a gun appeared from somewhere, he aimed the muzzle and threatened the people in front of the labyrinth, so people couldn't say anything lol Cowardly bastards (For reference, I bravely stayed at the back).
Anyway, seeing that he really has a gun, I wonder what the hell he is.
Did he work on making gun blueprints in reality or something?
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-Anonymous111: ? Forced disarmament? Was there such magic? Is it the Plunder Magic type?
└Gusada: Rather than that, I think it's an item ability related to Akiro's Labyrinth. There wasn't just one or two people there, how could he disarm everyone with magic? How would he handle the price?
└MyFaceIsAllBurnt: I think this is it too. Honestly, disarming that number of people with magic makes no sense.
└Anonymous651: If the Guardian of the Labyrinth used it, it must be a law implementation item? At least Legendary grade, maybe Mythic grade?
└Hesen: Even Cain didn't have a Mythic grade, you think it's Mythic lol And if it was Mythic grade, everyone there would have died.
└ImABabyNewbie: FR lol Where is a Mythic grade. That's all gossip.
-KnightCommander: Hmm...
It was not an exaggeration to say that the biggest topic on the Anonymous Bulletin Board currently was the Plague Mask Gunman, due to the creation of the phantom after being selected as a Guardian in Akiro's Labyrinth and the incident at the labyrinth entrance.
I thought rumors about the gun would spread someday, but I didn't know it would spread in this way.
‘Well…… since I hid my identity thoroughly anyway.’
Rather, now that it's come to this, it seemed not bad to act using the Plague Mask Gunman persona when needed.
Since there would be no significant restrictions on using guns as long as I am the Plague Mask Gunman anyway.
As I was examining the posts like that, I discovered one post that stood out particularly among the countless posts.
-Bellerophon[NO.75]: Buying unlimited firearms and ammunition. Please contact me if you are interested.