kscans

Chapter 150 - Revolutionary Products for Earth

We were training in the Empire.

Well, "training" might be overstating it. We were hunting monsters, crafting weapons and armor from ore we bought in town, and using the magic stones we acquired to create various tools and equipment. Basically, we were doing everything we could.

On Earth, my life continued as usual, supplying items for the underground auction.

Wolf and bear pelts, as well as crocodile and anaconda leather, were all smash hits.

I hadn't known this before, but apparently, the items that sold at auction were being analyzed by specialized institutions, and a variety of products based on them were now hitting the market.

Clothing, bags, shoes, rugs… they were making their mark in key areas of everyday life.

The people who used them had nothing but praise.

"Ever since I bought these shoes, my feet feel so much better. They’re tough, too—perfect for the construction site."

"This bag is amazing. It’s light yet incredibly sturdy; it can take a real beating. More importantly, I was standing too close to a bonfire the other day when a huge spark flew out. I thought for sure it would catch fire, but… it didn’t even leave a scorch mark. This thing is incredible!"

"This coat is so warm; I wear it every time I have to go out on a cold day. And I don’t know what it’s made of, but it’s almost impossible to tear. Just the other day, a slasher with a kitchen knife came at me. I instinctively blocked with the coat, and it didn’t cut through at all. The guy looked stunned, then tried to stab me, but the blade couldn't even pierce the fabric. He was caught soon after, but if I hadn’t had this coat, I’d be dead."

"You won’t believe this carpet. If anything spills on it, you can just wipe it right off and it looks brand new. My cat scratches at it all the time, but there isn’t a single mark. And on top of that, it was surprisingly light when I carried it rolled up. I seriously thought, ‘What is this thing?’"

Reviews like these were spreading all over the internet.

…In fact, the slasher attack was even reported on the news.

The culprit testified, "I’m sure I stabbed him, but nothing happened. Was that coat some kind of stab-proof or bulletproof vest?" After hearing that, people flocked to buy the coats.

They were a bit pricey, but it seems people thought it was a small price to pay for something that would last a long time and could save their life.

Naturally, the police and the Self-Defense Forces started buying them up too—or rather, they commissioned a company to produce bulletproof vests using the same material.

And just like that, the things I brought from the other world started making a real impact on Earth.

The last time I visited the underground auction, Kuroda approached me.

"Thanks to you, the auctions have been a massive success. We even have people coming from far and wide just to attend. …What do you say? How about putting a live specimen up for sale next time?"

He had already figured it out. I replied, "Are you sure you can manage that? I doubt your common sense applies here. If it escaped, this whole place could be destroyed, you know?"

I was trying to scare him a little.

Kuroda, and the men in black suits behind him, all gasped.

After a moment, Kuroda composed himself. "You’re right. It was foolish to assume our management methods, no matter how perfect, would be effective. Please, forget I said that. …However, if you’re able, we would be happy to accept a carcass. We’ll help you transport it."

I thought for a moment. "I’ll see what I can do."

I left without making any promises.

A carcass, huh? The things I’d brought so far were hides that had already been processed at a shop. Tina and I ate the meat ourselves for our three daily meals or turned it into rations.

Magic stones… they were only valuable to people with magic. To anyone else, they were just beautiful gems. It was probably better to bring back something other than a magic stone.

When I shared this thought with Tina, she said, "I don’t think it’ll be a problem. If they’re the ones making the request, we should assume they’ve established some way to handle it. A live one would be another story, but a dead one should be fine. If something happens, it’s on them, isn’t it?"

She stated it so matter-of-factly.

It was a strangely calm, almost cold, assessment.

And so, I decided to look for a monster you’d never see on Earth.

There were plenty of options, but Goblins and Orcs felt too cliché. Wasn’t there something a bit more… impressive? The fact that I was even thinking this way either meant I was getting comfortable or I was just brazenly leaning into the fact that my secret was out.

Sometime later, in the Empire, I found it: a two-hundred-centimeter-tall gorilla with four arms.

Now that was impressive. A little too impressive, even. I drew my sword and charged. Tina drew hers as well, providing support from a distance.

The gorilla saw me and cloaked its entire body in lightning. It had a Thunder Stone. I wreathed my own sword in fire and enhanced my body with Thunderclap Incarnation.

As we closed the distance, the gorilla swung with its lower right arm.

I dodged it with ease. The fist slammed into the ground, shattering it with a brilliant flash of lightning. A single hit would have been fatal.

The gorilla followed up with a punch from its lower left arm.

I slipped inside its guard to evade. It was a dangerous spot, but if I stayed too far back, I’d be vulnerable to an attack from its upper arms. Better to move where it would have trouble attacking.

I plunged my sword into the gorilla’s stomach and triggered an explosion.

It was the explosive technique I’d learned from my fight with the former Pope. Using it at close range was terrifying, but with the right precautions, it was manageable.

The gear I wore had excellent heat resistance, and I shielded my face with my left arm the moment it detonated.

The gorilla shrieked. I immediately pulled back.

I wanted to press the attack, but I didn’t want to damage the body too much this time. The explosion was small-scale, just enough to make it flinch. The gorilla quickly regained its footing and clasped its upper hands together.

The pose looked just like the Double Sledgehammer, a pro wrestling move.

I leaped back even further. The gorilla brought its arms crashing down, unleashing a bolt of lightning far more intense and destructive than before.

I glanced over my shoulder. Tina understood and gave me a nod.

"Flame Demon Sword!" I roared.

A ring of fire erupted, encircling the gorilla.

As the gorilla looked around, bewildered, Tina’s technique exploded.

"Heavy Water Cannon!!"

The gorilla saw the torrent of water and tried to flee, but the wall of flames blocked its escape. Helpless, it was swallowed by the flood, slammed against a wall, and left writhing in agony.

Before it could recover, I channeled magic into my sword and thrust it straight through its heart.

Looking down at the dead gorilla, I said, "Alright, now we just have to carry it."

I started to load it onto the cart.

It was heavy. Unbelievably heavy. And since I was soaked, I couldn’t use my lightning enhancement. I used Matter Conversion to turn the ground to iron, manipulating it like a crane to lift the body onto the cart.

Somehow, I managed to get the gorilla back to Earth. Looking at it, I thought, I can’t exactly have them come all the way to the house. I’ll call them from somewhere else tonight.

That’s what I decided.

At that moment, I happened to look at my house. It was old, both inside and out. It wouldn’t be surprising if it started falling apart soon. I had no intention of rebuilding it, but it could use some repairs.

Fortunately, I had plenty of money.

Including my previous earnings, I had well over one hundred million yen. I decided to call a contractor soon.

And so, night fell.

I asked Tina to watch the house while I took the cart and moved down a deserted night road. Once I was a good distance from home, in an abandoned factory near the city but unlikely to attract people, I stopped.

Before coming here, I had called a public phone and specified a time and place.

After a while, a large truck and several vans arrived.

Several men in black suits emerged from the vans, and among them was Kuroda.

"Thank you for waiting. I’d like to see it at once."

He seemed quite pleased.

I nodded and showed him the gorilla on the cart. The men in black suits stared, their mouths agape in stunned silence.

Kuroda was equally shocked but quickly recovered. "This is… this is magnificent. We will take it from here. The auction is in fourteen days, so if you have other business, you can come to collect your payment at a later date. …Alright, men, move it."

He gave the order to his subordinates.

The men in black, snapping back to their senses, swarmed the gorilla and began loading it onto the truck. Even with thirty burly men, it was a struggle, so I pitched in to help.

By the time it was loaded, everyone except me was thoroughly exhausted.

They left the abandoned factory just like that. I had already removed the Thunder Stone from the gorilla. The body had a few scratches, but for a creature of that magnitude, a few minor blemishes were nothing.

In this way, my work as a hunter was progressing smoothly.

I also took on work as an adventurer.

In the Empire, I accepted requests for local surveys and merchant escorts. At the border, monster activity had intensified, and fighting had broken out again. The soldiers were there, of course, as was the Edgeson Unit.

However, the monsters seemed to have learned their lesson and were no longer easily dispatched by the Edgeson Unit, who were now taking casualties.

We joined the fight as well. It was a perfect opportunity to get stronger.

But the battles were day trips, and the requests from the Guild were irregular. It was too inefficient. I checked both the Kingdom’s guild and the Empire’s for a better place.

That’s when I found a certain request in the Kingdom.

The request was for a "Ruins Investigation."

A nobleman had posted a request to investigate some recently discovered ruins and bring back anything that was found.

"A noble should have his own soldiers," I mused. "Why go out of his way to hire adventurers?"

To this, Tina replied, "Because they can’t handle it. The monsters living in ruins are strong. I imagine it’s similar to the ruins in the Republic."

That’s what she figured.

The ruins in the Republic… the place where great figures of the past had lived. Did that mean something similar was here, too?

"Well," I said, "might as well take it. I’m curious, anyway."

Tina agreed.

After accepting the request, we headed to a location north-northeast of the royal capital. It would take three days even on horseback. We traveled by iron cart.

Along the way, I wondered aloud, "But why investigate now? ‘Recently’ is one thing, but if they were found ‘in recent years,’ that means they’ve known about them for at least a year. I can understand giving up because the monsters are too strong, but why start investigating again now?"

Tina thought about it. "He probably found something and wants to show it off, don’t you think? Nobles will put on airs over the strangest things."

Her tone was exasperated.

"But if he’s hiring the Guild to do it, I don’t see what there is to brag about," I said.

Tina sounded even more fed up. "Once it’s presented to him, it’s his. Even if he puts out a request, there’s no guarantee it will succeed. The desire to show off such precious items must be part of a collector’s nature. Besides, the name on the request seems to be his son’s."

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Wanting to brag but sending others into a dangerous place you won’t go yourself. Then showing off something that was handed to you as if you’d gotten it yourself… I just don’t get how they think.

Well, I guess a commoner like me could never understand the mindset of the safe, comfortable, and rich.

All I care about is getting stronger. That’s it.

During our journey, we were attacked by bandits, but we fought them all off.

And then, we arrived at our destination.