Although they were made in the Old World era, not all of them can stand for long. Just like your SSB multi-weapon rifle relies on energy packs, these things may also be designed to run on energy, you know. Therefore, it is understandable that they deteriorate at the moment when the energy is exhausted. But of course, this is just my guess.

I get it. Well, if that's really the case, then there's nothing we can do. Let's just look for relics that look durable.

Until now, Aki

A has wondered many times why Alpha knows so much about the Old World. With his limited knowledge, he had a lot of guesses. But lately, one of his speculations has been haunting his mind, and Alpha is also a speculation from the Old World era.

Se

a

Se of the thal building

a

thal and Tsubakiha

The Tsubaki of the A building are all from the Old World era, even though they are nothing more than the AI that manages these buildings. What's more, Tsubaki still has a body, and it seems that she and Alpha are also very familiar. Alpha did also say that if Aki

By completing her request to explore a certain ruin, she can obtain a physical body.

So, the real question will be what exactly is Alpha? Of course, Aki

A can't ask this question to Alpha himself, as there is a risk of losing too much to do so.

So Ming put this question behind him and continued to search for the ruins.

Akira searched the fourth floor, but still didn't find anything of value. Although he tried to retrieve some relics in relatively good condition, by the time he opened his backpack again and put in more relics, all the relics had turned to sand. So he doesn't think there's any point in continuing to do that.

Akira sighed, a little overwhelmed.

I always thought that in the depths of the ruins, at least some valuable relics could be found, but it didn't seem to be so easy.

Unlike Akira, Alpha still has his usual smile.

Well, still near the main road where the army was dispatched. I'm sure they've collected all the expensive artifacts that are easy to find.

However, when we first met, the building you showed me still had a lot of ruins, right? Although the direction is different, the distance from the city is about the same, you know? So I guess I should be able to at least find some expensive relics here, too.

Is that so?

If you want to find a lot of relics, you should look for buildings that other hunters haven't searched for. I'm sure if you cross the front line, you'll find a lot of relics, you know? Want to try doing that?

I wouldn't have gone that far

Akira thinks the same thing, but the front line is already guarded by power suits. There is no doubt that the area outside of it is very dangerous. Of course, since he could use as many bullets as he wanted, he could only force his way through. But he also felt that there was no need to be so reckless, at least not for now.

Saying that, Ming also kept reminding himself that he had promised Shizuka not to act rashly.

Akira continued to search for relics in that building. Although he has reached the seventh layer, he still has not obtained any meaningful results. He forced his bicycle upstairs and finally reached the eighth floor, where he found that it was different from the other floors below.

The floor is littered with large snails, some up to 1 meter long.

So, what's your plan now? If you don't plan to make money by hunting monsters, I don't think it's necessary to fight them. We still can't find any good relics, so, do you want to go back?

Akira was glad that she was able to defeat a relatively powerful monster on her own. But Alpha immediately shot it down.

Unfortunately, this may not be the case. This snail is not a powerful monster. Judging by its strength, the spider you fought that day was stronger.

This may be true for the big spiders leading the swarm, but not for the smaller spiders, isn't it?

Not really, and the same is true if you compare snails to smaller spiders.

Akira raised an eyebrow. He then asked.

Is that so? But smaller spiders don't have force field armor, you know. No matter how you look at it, snails are stronger, right?

Akira, there are a lot of monsters that get stronger in a certain state. The snail is basically one of those monsters, and this situation is the condition in which it is strong. If you put in the effort to temporarily increase the strength of the force field armor on your coat, you can actually protect yourself from bullets like a snail.

Even if it were true, I wouldn't have been able to maintain that level of force field armor for so long, right?

I bet the snails are absorbing the energy of the building. It may be collecting energy, so it cannot move during this time. If so, then it won't be able to use its force field armor outside of buildings, which is probably why you can't see them outside.

Is this speculation?

Yes. But then again, if that snail could use such powerful force field armor anywhere, and could even block a bullet as powerful as a bullet for the CWH Antimatter Rifle anywhere, it would have roamed outside the building, and the chengguan would have made some effort to eliminate them.

Akira nodded.

With flying colors. Considering that its shell would have become so solid if I hadn't killed it, it hadn't noticed me yet, and honestly, it was actually quite a troublesome monster

Akira lowered her head. Not only did he give the enemy a chance to turn the tide, but he also forced himself to defeat that monster in that situation, only to misunderstand it and think that it was a powerful monster and therefore ahead of him.

Then he realized that Alpha was smiling at him and looked up.

It doesn't matter, winning is winning. And, I bet the other hunters who came here before me thought it was too much trouble to take down that monster and left without searching the level. So there's a good chance I'll find some expensive artifacts here.

You have a point. But I'll at least let you know that. There are a lot of similar monsters in this building, so be sure to get them without being detected, okay?

Roger, let's go!

Akira said in desperation as she continued to explore the ruins.

The exploration itself went well. As he expected, Aki

A encountered some more snail monsters, but he was able to knock them down without attracting attention. There were also times when there were several snails and he couldn't knock them all down at once, and while some of his bullets were blocked by the snail's hardened shells, Akira would pull away and wait for their shells to fall. Soften back before shooting at them again.

Thanks to this, he was able to quickly defeat all the snails, although the first snail he encountered was difficult to fight. Akira herself realized this and smiled bitterly.

Although the exploration went well, he still couldn't find any valuable relics. He's reached the twelfth floor, but he still hasn't found anything. Akira paused, sighed heavily, and said.

Or nothing, right? However, there are also fewer bad relics, which is also strange.

Those snails may have eaten them.

Good sadness

Knowing when to give up is also an important skill for hunters. Ming knew that, too, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he might find something by continuing to search the building, which prevented him from making that decision. Moreover, he still has to fight those troublesome snails to get to that place, so it would be too wasteful to give up here. As he searched continuously, he finally completed the penultimate floor, the nineteenth floor, of the building.

Akira said with another sigh.

Α。 I know this probably counts as your support. But now that I've come this far, tell me if I've missed any expensive relics.

No. I also didn't find any good artifacts based on my sensors.

So, there really aren't any valuable artifacts in this place, hehe. If you still can't find anything on this floor, it means that the building, despite its size, is rubbish. I wonder if I don't have the talent for it.

Alpha smiled, gently cheering up a disheartened Akira.

It's not easy to raise your feelings about this kind of thing. I believe that gaining experience is the only way to do this.

It's true, but still

While Akira was well aware that his ability to hunt relics and monsters without Alpha's support would be greatly reduced, he thought he should be able to handle at least a few things. But it seems that this is not the case.

Besides, we have one last layer left, and it might be too quick to conclude that this place is garbage. Don't give up and try to make it to the end.

You are right.

Akira decided that being discouraged there wouldn't help him, so he shook off the idea and continued his exploration.

The last floor has only a long hallway that connects the staircase to a door. Akira walked through the hallway and got off her bike in front of the door. But when he tries to open it, the hard door won't budge, even with the power of his enhanced suit.

It wouldn't even move, so why would they make this door so strong? All other doors downstairs are easy to open.

That's probably just because the snails downstairs drain their energy and make the door brittle.

In other words, there should be no more snails on this floor. Well, I guess we'll know as soon as we get in

Ignoring its energy consumption, Akira cranked his enhanced suit performance to the maximum and attempted to open the door. However, the door was again motionless.

Akira began to get angry and aimed his SSB multi-weapon rifle at the door. If he bombarded that door with a reaction field bullet at that range, he thought he should be able to destroy that door, no matter how strong it was. But at the same time, he hesitated to do this with monster-killing bullets. While he didn't pay for the bullets himself, that doesn't change the fact that he'll be using more of those expensive bullets, even though he hasn't had any meaningful results until now. It wouldn't be surprising if he later received some complaints from Mulin. Aki

a Still aiming at the door with a rifle and unable to pull the trigger.

At this moment, Alpha said to him with a wry smile.

Aki

A, if you want to break the door, you should use a blade instead. Even so close, the target does not move, and there is no need to use expensive bullets.

Akira looked surprised and smiled wryly. He then took out the blade that he had forgotten until now. It was the knife he brought back from the Tsubakiwara building.

Aki

AS's body suddenly began to move on its own. Of course, it's Alpha who controls his enhancement suit. Immediately after, he took a stance, and a sharp blade came out of the handle in his hand.

Α？

Alpha suddenly began to support him again. Akira looked at Alpha in surprise, but she ignored it.

That's all that much, right? Let's hurry up and open that door. After all, wasting energy on that blade is a bad idea.

Akira smiled wryly and matched her body movements with those of the reinforcement suit.

With the help of Alpha, Aki

A wielded the blade with the skill of a master of swordsmanship. The blade of the knife cuts through the thick metal door as if it didn't exist in the first place.

After slashing at the blade, Crystal took a breath and retracted the shape of the blade. A few seconds later, the shards of the door fell down again with a thud. Seeing the door cut clean, Akira couldn't hide her surprise.

This blade is as sharp as ever. Somehow, I can understand why hunters who have access to this knife and can use it freely would choose to fight monsters at close range.

Alpha frowned, which was very rare for her.

Don't do that, okay? While I also train you on how to use that knife, it's basically melee training, including hand-to-hand and close-range shooting. Not that you'll be fighting in close quarters exclusively with blades.

I know.

Akira only said that, and stopped pursuing the topic. But in reality, many hunters tend to focus on a single type of weapon when it comes to acquiring a powerful weapon, and even more so when this weapon is an Old World weapon. After all, due to its exceptional high performance, sometimes that weapon saves them in the unlikely event that it increases their trust in that weapon.

As soon as Akira entered the room, he immediately stopped, surprised at what he found in the room

The entire top floor consists of a single room. That room had pure white ceilings, walls, and floors. The room had no windows, but it was bright enough to be clearly visible. It's large and seems to be endless, with blurred lines between ceilings, walls, and floors. This really made Achillas lose his sense of distance.

Alpha, this is

Rooms designed for 3D projection or augmented reality. White floors, ceilings, and walls are meant to eliminate any unnecessary information from your field of vision. The whole room itself is equipped with some kind of projection device.

What can I say this room feels weird.

Wherever he looked, Aquilas' vision was filled with white. When he looks down at his feet, it gives the impression of floating in the air. The same conclusion can be seen from the data collected by his information-gathering device, as if it had malfunctioned.

As soon as Akira noticed that her information collector was being read, she nervous because she knew that she was in a situation where she could not rely on the information collector. It's like being in a thick, colorless mist.

Alpha, while I should have done it sooner, let's wrap up the training here. Help me get to know this room better.

Oh, did you give up?

Yes, I gave up.

Akira replied firmly, as if unconcerned by the provocation from Alpha. He understood that it would be difficult for him to search that room alone. Alpha smiled at him and said.

Not holding back is sometimes a good thing. All right.

Alpha then enhanced Aquilas's vision, and he could see the lines drawn in the blank space in front of him. Those lines formed squares in a regular manner, which helped him regain his sense of space. The room no longer seemed infinite, and he could recognize the true width of that room.

Now that Akira has regained his posture, he has regained his composure. Then he walked to the center of the room, looked around the room, and let out a long sigh.

Still not. So in the end, this place is a dumb one, huh?

Well, things like this happen all the time. Let's move on.

Alpha laughed and said this to cheer him up. Thanks to this, Akira regained some momentum. Obviously he still had his head down, but he turned around one hundred and eighty degrees and walked towards the exit.

But the next moment, he quickly picked up his rifle again, and aimed it purely reflexively at the person in front of him. The person in front of him was a little familiar, and looked at Akira with an expressionless face.

Long time no see.

Akira frowned and asked her a question to confirm his suspicions.

Uh, Tsubaki-san, right?

Yes. I don't want to be hostile to you, so please put down your rifle. Although the corpse was just an image of a bullet that could not be injured, it was rude for me to point that rifle at me.

I- I'm sorry.

Akira panicked and lowered her rifle. When he did, Alpha immediately chimed in. She was clearly not happy.

So, why are you here?

I have something I want to talk to you about.

Tsubaki looked at Akira with an indifferent face and said in a flat voice.

Alpha looked at Tsubaki with a distinctly unfriendly look.

I'm sorry, but it's busy right now. If there's anything you'd like to talk about, you can let me know later.

You're not the person I'd like to talk to, though.

It's okay, do you really think I'm going to let you step over me?

Alpha's expression became more hostile with every word she said. But Tsubaki just ignored it. Aki

A really bothered what to do there.

Tsubaki once again shifted his gaze back to Akira.

Do you agree?

Huh? Uh-huh

Alpha's sharp gaze and Tsubaki's cold, meaningful gaze completely overwhelmed Akira. He understood that both of them were forcing him to choose between them. But chaos prevented him from making a decision. But after a brief moment of confusion, and though he didn't seem to fully accept it, Akira finally spoke.

I'm working on a request from Alpha, so I can't accept another request right now. While this may be something I can do when I execute a request from Alpha, I can't know for sure right now. I don't know what you want to discuss with me, but whatever it is, please say it to Alpha first.

Alpha smiled happily, and Tsubaki shrugged his shoulders, still with an emotionless expression.

I get it, and in this case, I'm here to forgive myself. When the opportunity comes, we will meet again.

Although her body was nothing more than an image, Tsubaki turned around and was about to leave the room when she suddenly turned around again, as if remembering something.

By the way, since you don't talk to me, I'm not obligated to help you. I hope you can do something about the security drones posted in this place to prevent people from breaking into this building themselves.

Tsubaki only said this before disappearing. Akira hadn't fully recovered from the chaos when his augmentation suit suddenly began to move on its own. Alpha controls Aki

As the booster set ran towards the door as fast as it could.

Α！？ What's wrong?!

We need to get out of this place as soon as possible!! So hurry up!!

Although Ming was caught off guard, he managed to cooperate with his movements. But the next moment, he saw his bicycle fly through the door into the room.

A white humanoid robot kicks Aquilas's bike, causing it to roll on the ground. White humanoid robots do not have mouths, eyes, or hair. It looks like one covered in white

KD robot body.

Akira immediately shoots at the robot, but instead of dodging, the robot falls to the ground.

When these bullets hit its robotic body, it sinks into the robot's body and creates small ripples on its surface.

Akira didn't expect it at all, but that didn't stop him from moving. With the support of the Alphas, he keeps shooting at that robot with accuracy. Like last time, the bullet was absorbed by the robot's body and created ripples on its surface. The ripples built up, causing its body to bend in an eerie way.

In his compressed perception of time, Akira shouted telepathically.

Α！ What's that!?

It is a body made of materials that are adjusted for augmented reality or 3D projection. I'm sure it's one of the construction devices, although I don't know if it's autonomous or remotely controlled.

Equipment?

A wall partition in that room opened, revealing the robot behind it. Some of them are white robots, while others are dressed in old-world design maid and butler costumes. They were giving Akira a warning.

Staggered and propped himself up. The robots that are still working do the same thing. Even some robots that have lost their heads can stand up. Akira said with a wry smile when she saw that.

Gosh, how strong are these guys? You should stay on the ground after losing your mind, you know.

I believe they were remotely controlled from somewhere nearby. I bet they're partially autonomous and remotely controllable.

I see, I've fought similar monsters before. So they're basically based on the same mechanics, hehe.

A little more before we can escape this building, so hold on.

Got it!

Akira was a little desperate, and he took the rifle back.

After that, Aki

aAbility to maintain an advantage. Alpha provides suppressive fire using a DVTS mini-gun attached to his bike, while he also shoots at the robot from the side of the bike. Although some robots are still functional, they are damaged and their movements are noticeably slower. So at the current rate, they can't encircle Akira.

Aki

a Shot down the last robot. Its head and body were pierced by bullets, and it was blown back into the pile of dead companions. The empty magazine automatically ejects from his SSB multi-weapon rifle. Akira crouched down, picked up the empty magazine, imagined how much money he had spent in that battle, and smiled wryly. Then he threw the empty magazine into the air.

Alpha has a big smile on his face and is full of praise for Akira.

It works well there. While I did give you some help, you've become quite powerful.

Thank you for the compliment.

Oh my, you don't sound happy.

It's not like I'm doing it with my own strength. And, even if I had just been almost killed, I didn't have any expensive relics to take home. None of this is good.

What are you talking about? There's a bunch of relics over there, isn't it?

Where is it?

Akira tilted her head and frowned, and Alpha pointed to the pile of dead robots.

Although they have been destroyed, that doesn't change the fact that they are relics of the Old World. While they're not combat robots, they're very powerful, so I'm sure they'll give you at least some money.

Akira raised an eyebrow, but it wasn't because Alpha told him they could get him some money.

They're not combat robots?

If my guess is correct, they're just there to entertain guests. Although, I believe that being able to peacefully protect a rampaging guest is also an important function of this robot.

You know I almost died fighting those robots, right? I think they also said they were allowed to kill me or something? You say they're not combat robots?

They're basically saying to let you know that even if they kill you in the process of protecting you, they won't be held accountable for it. So just to remind guests that this scenario is not out of the question, even with old-world technology. And, if they were really designed for combat, they would carry more weapons. Since they're coming at you unarmed, it basically means they're not made to fight.

I get it.

Akira remembers how abnormal things are in the old world, deepening his misunderstanding of the old world.

With that, Akira stuffed the dead robot into her backpack and returned to the forward base. As he emptied his backpack at the forward base, the receptionist flinched back and his eyes widened.

Akira sighed, thinking he should have left the building sooner.

After selling the robots he destroyed at the forward base, Akira rests for a while in the base cafeteria. Thanks to the drugs he was taking, his wounds had completely healed and his body was not exhausted, but the drugs did not help his mental stress at all. He decided to end his day, so he sat there looking absent-minded.

Just then, the wood forest appeared. Without asking Akira's permission, Mulin happily sat down in front of Akira and smiled at him. Akira frowned, knowing that this would only cause more trouble.

Now what?

Don't be so cold. It's just that I see that you haven't come home yet, and I want to ask you something, you see.

There's nothing complicated about it. The robots you brought in were completely destroyed, can't you keep them in better condition?

No.

I get it. Got it. That's what I want to ask you.

Akira looked surprised, she didn't expect Mulin to back down so quickly.

That's all?

Yes, that's all. Like I said, I like you a lot. I'm not going to continue pursuing that theme just to put you in a bad mood, okay? Not to mention, you're enough to make me happy. On the first day you crushed a horde of monsters by yourself, and today, not only did you bring back a lot of relics from the old world, but you even acquired an entire building. Just to let you know that, in general, you've done a great job so far.

It's like hell if I care. First of all, the moment you offered to pay for all my consumables was not normal.

That's what I said. But that's you.

Mulin smiled at Akilas's anomalous reaction.

Afterwards, Akira and Mulin asked for more to say a few more words about the situation around the road.

Aki

🔥 There is no clear finish line for the current request. It will continue until the Achillas Hunter level is appropriate for his strength, and the request itself does not explicitly state what the Hunter level is.

But Gurin had already told Akira that he had entertained enough, so Akira felt that it should be okay to end the request there. But when he asked about Mu Lin, Mu Lin said that it was not for him to decide, and he didn't know what the people at the top thought about it.

Theore is eating the remains of a humanoid monster inside a dilapidated building in the ruins of Katsurahara. But those were not the humanoid monsters that Akira destroyed, Theors destroyed those monsters in another building.

The white room was filled with the echo of metal wreckage being crushed. Theore himself was badly wounded in the battle, but he was eating the dead monster, and his injuries were slowly healing.

Suddenly, Tsubaki appears in front of Theo.

Good afternoon!

Theore immediately stood up, assumed a fighting stance, and with a wave of his right arm, ripped Tsubaki's head off. Unfortunately, Tsubaki is just an image and Tiol's hand passes effortlessly through her.

It's rude.

Tsubaki disappeared immediately. Theore quickly turned around and rushed in the direction of nothing. But from his point of view, he could see Tsubaki standing there.

But in Tsubaki's opinion, the world was moving too slowly, as if it had come to a complete standstill. In the slow-moving world, Tsubaki stared at Theore and muttered to herself.

He could recognize me through augmented reality and online images. I get it.

Tsubaki then said with a flat face.

Stop it!

In the next moment, Theor's body suddenly stiffened on the way to Tsubaki. Inertia causes his body to move forward, but gravity prevents him from floating. So, like that, he fell to the ground and rolled over, as if his whole body had been petrified.

Safety belt command number 721 works as expected. This means that it is based on a nanomachine in one of the biological monsters, hehe. I don't know who did it, but it's very impressive. Unfortunately, that person can't override the control commands. Wait, no, this could be some kind of mutation, because the nanomachines in his body are meant to deceive the identification system of friend or foe, and there are too many conflicts of nanomachines in his body, which may lead to system failure.

There was no one else in the room except Theor, but when Tsubaki walked up to him, he could see all sorts of information in his field of vision. Unauthorized connection, inability to block the connection, failure to disconnect, identification of individuals outside the authority of the administration from the 844 area, unauthorized hacking attack, hopeless disparity in strength, zero chance of winning, it is advisable to flee immediately. Theor recorded all the notifications that appeared in his view, but they didn't help his situation at all.

Tsubaki suddenly disappeared from his vision again. Then she appeared again in the form of an image, and she put her hand on his head.

He wouldn't even listen to what I had to say. So I'll ask you. I'm sure you'd have a hard time with such an unstable system either, right? I'll give you a reward upfront, so don't worry.

The information notification in the Tiols view suddenly changed. Unauthorized connection, unable to block connection, disconnection failed, rebuilding control system, adjusting management structure, rebuilding connection, reconstruction completed.

Tior can move her body again, her body relaxed, and she is still lying on the ground. After a few seconds, he slowly stood up and stood in front of Tsubaki.

The rest is up to you.

Tsubaki smiled faintly and disappeared. The only notification in the Tiols view is a command from Tsubaki. Teor, taking responsibility for ensuring the security of the area, immediately moved out as ordered.

Balin stared at the scene in front of him, his face solemn.

What just happened?

The display showed a message coming from Thioor, and that flow had stopped completely. Among Theor's last messages, there was one that did pique Palin's interest.

Balin was actually trying to figure out how to take care of Theo before he caused him extra trouble, but he decided to change his plans. His curiosity completely outweighed his reason, and he readjusted his plans accordingly according to his curiosity.

Shizuka starts placing orders. Aki

A and Shizuka silently waited for confirmation, but this time, the order was rejected.

As I thought, it won't pass, will it?

Akira seemed slightly relieved. Suddenly, Mulin called.

It's me. It seems like just received an expensive order and it's from you just trying to make sure it's not some kind of bug or something. I have sent the information to your information terminal, please keep checking.

I did it, it really came from me, it wasn't a mistake.

Unexpectedly, Mu Lin replied in a good mood.

You bought a lot of money this time, enough for the finance department to contact me, you know?

I need them to be able to fight safely. If you're going to tell me to cut it out, you know, that's basically my real power. Then I don't need to keep making this request, right?

Well? I didn't call you for that. There, the payment went through.

Even that was approved, huh?!

Due to the size and cost of the order, this is just a notice. I'm sorry, but once you receive the order, take them to the forward base for safekeeping. But don't worry, you can still use them whenever you want. I'll send you the details later.

Repair cartridges are for my enhancement set, so I need them home.

I see, you can take the cartridge home. I'll tell the people above about it.

A- Okay!

Akira was a bit surprised that his order went so smoothly. Noticing this, Mu Lin laughed.

I did tell you that you were far above the rest, remember? So so much demand will go through, but part of the reason is also my influence. You should have more confidence in yourself, you know? Until next time.

At the same time that Mulin hangs up the phone, Shizuka and Akira receive a notification confirming the success of the order.

Akira smiled wryly. He was well aware of the gap between his true strength and the strength he had gained with the support of the Alphas. As much as he's been trying to close the gap, he can't lie, and every time he notices his growth, he also notices how important Alpha's support is.

[Well, while I basically barely made it through with expensive bullets in the battle with the monster horde, I won that battle myself.] So even with the addition of those robots I destroyed with Alpha's support, it should at least lower the overall rating of the Woods. So it should at least be a little better. ]

Akira's wry smile was mixed with half mockery and half compliment to herself. But he noticed Shizuka looking at him anxiously and said in a panic.

Ah, uh, well, what can I say? It seems that the order should go through without a hitch.

Akira, don't be too reckless, okay?

I know. It was so that I could fight safely that I placed that expensive order.

I get it. It's fine that you're calm about it, but be careful not to let your guard down, okay?

Yes!

Akira nodded firmly, and Shizuka replied with a smile.

Shizuka understood that he was clearly saying this, and he was forced into a situation where he had no choice but to be reckless. On the other hand, she also understood that pestering Akira didn't help his situation at all, so she couldn't help but say more, just a gentle reminder. Aki

A took her warnings to heart and told herself not to jump into danger unnecessarily.

Akira rode her bicycle to the Katsubara ruins again. It's been a few days since the last time I went to Katsubara Ruins. During that time, he repaired his augmentation suit and brought supplies to the temporary forward base, bringing himself to the best condition he was before departure.

Alpha floats beside Akira as if she were sitting in an invisible car. She wears a bold old-world design combat suit, her long silky hair fluttering through the air, blown by the non-existent wind.

Akira, what's your plan for today?

Let's take a look. I might as well find another building to find the ruins, but I don't want to fight monsters like I did last time.

Akira glanced at Alpha's outfit and thought for a moment.

That's an old-world combat suit, right? Now that I've gotten deep into the ruins, I wonder if I can find some of them somewhere nearby.

I can't really say you can't, but it's hard to find. Assuming you do find one, what is your plan?

If the size is okay, I'm going to use it myself, the relics of the old world are fundamentally high-level things after all. I do know that I am obligated to sell all my relics by contract, but I believe I can get it back after paying some money, or at least, I will try to do so.

Alpha smiled mischievously and pointed to his combat suit.

Is this outfit for girls? Will you really use it? Well, I can understand because it is a high-quality combat suit.

Akira couldn't help but laugh when she heard it.

Why did it come to this? Of course, I'm talking about when it was a combat uniform that fits a man.

So what if you only find the girl's combat suit?

I would sell them and use the money to buy one made for men.

What if you do it instead of using it, it will waste a lot of money? Of course, ignore the design.

Akira looked a little ambivalent for a moment, but he made a decision immediately.

I'll think about it when that happens. We don't know if I'll be able to find any of them here, right?

Alpha smirked.

Truly.

Akira notices at first that Alpha is just teasing him, but at the same time he thinks it wouldn't be strange that she knew. Akira felt that he had wasted his energy on this conversation, and let out a long sigh.

Alpha, at least help me choose which buildings to search for this time.

Oh my, you've relied on me from the beginning today, haven't you?

I didn't plan to spend as much energy on a as I did yesterday. I know that choosing the right building for a search is also part of my training, but let's put the training on hold for a while. My training menu today is to look for relics inside the building.

Oh well, here it is.

So fast!?

Aki

a can see the specific route highlighted in his enhanced view as he paced his bike along that route.

When Akira arrived, she looked at Alpha with a confused expression.

Over here?

Alpha smiled confidently and nodded.

Yes!

All right.

Akira once again set her eyes on the spot in front of her. Aki

a A tall, demolished building can be seen, appearing closer to a mountain of rubble in front of him. As it fell on top of the other buildings around it, they all formed a huge mountain of rubble.

So basically, I need to look for ruins under this rubble mountain, eh? Well, if I try, I might find something, but still

Not exactly. More precisely, you need to find the door to a certain room buried under this mountain. Some buildings usually build their important rooms very strongly, as if they were safes, strong enough even if the building itself collapses. Well, looking for that room. I'll help you find the entrance, after all, you were technically outside the building before then.

Aki

a Climb Rubble Mountain with his high-performance bike. Then he got off his bike, which she pointed out and put a camouflage sheet on his bike. Once he has his bike hidden, he checks the area around him with his information-gathering device. As layers of rubble prevented his information-gathering device from scanning downward, Aki

a It is difficult to find the hole to enter the said room. Thankfully, in addition to his information-gathering device, he also has Alpha.

Aki

Using his augmentation suit to move aside the rubble beneath him, he eventually finds a door and a wall that appears to come from some kind of hallway. He walked over to the door, forced it open, and peeked into the room. When he peeked through the light, the room was pitch black. Looking down at the bottom of the room, which was originally part of the side wall, you can see all sorts of things scattered around. Then he cautiously walked into the room.

The room itself was spacious. Since it is placed horizontally, that width translates directly to depth. Akira slowly climbed down with the table and other furniture fixed to the floor of that room.

What can I say It feels strange when the inside of the room is not oriented as it should be.

Alpha floated freely in the air and said with a smile.

Oh my gosh, you've climbed up and down so many rooms so far, you should be used to it, aren't you?

Akira reflects on his experience.

It's like hell, I'll get used to it.

Oh, but you should. Be careful where you stand.

In the next moment, the table at Akira's feet shook, and then rolled to the bottom of the room. He could only brisk jump to the next table.

You could have told me sooner!

Didn't you do it yourself now?

That's true, but okay okay.

Aki

A decides to stop complaining about anything to Alpha, who is smiling happily at him as he moves on to his next footing.

When Akira reached the bottom of the building, his eyes were wide open. The base of the building is piled with relics from the old world. Although some of them have been destroyed, others are sturdy and durable relics. Akira began to stuff his backpack with any expensive relics that caught his eye.

When he filled his backpack, Akira looked up. The exit now seemed far away from him.

I know it's pretty obvious, but I have to climb back now, right? I should have at least brought a rope.

You can buy one and come back here.

Again, you should have told me earlier.

But this time you're alone, right?

Alpha smirked, and he replied with a wry smile of ambivalence.

Akira climbed down the building in a booster suit and up the building on his bike, so somewhere in his head, he thought he should be able to figure something out by then. That's why he never thought of bringing a rope.

Aki

a worked very hard and was somehow able to leave that room. Sometimes he used two blades, one for each hand, to enlarge the room, and sometimes he had to be very serious about leaving some relics because his backpack was too full to pass. He basically paid the full price for his mistake of not bringing a rope that day.

After that, Akira returned to the forward base, where he sold his relics. He also did not forget to buy a rope immediately.

***

Distance Aki

a It has been 2 months since the request to upgrade the Hunter level was made. But his plea is not over yet. Even after he kept ordering bigger and better supplies, all of his order payments went smoothly.

Originally, Akira thought it would last for about a month at most. So that day, he vented his frustration in Shizuka's shop. Seeing this, Elena and Sarah could only smile bitterly at him.

More precisely, Aki

A was there to vent his frustration because of Ele

a and sa

a Encouraged to do so. They try to get him to share his situation and offer him help if possible in order to repair their relationship.

But even Sara and Elena didn't expect that Akira was frustrated by his reluctance to accept a request to raise the Hunter level. This requirement continued even after he considered his hunter level high enough. Any ordinary hunter who has worked hard day and night in order to improve the hunter level will surely be furious if he hears this.

Sarah looks impressed with Akira.

However, you still ask for a hunter level, right? Although I've heard it before, this is the first time I've seen someone actually get it. Although this is to be expected considering your strength, it is still impressive.

Sarah was complimenting him, but Ming was still a little guilty. He knew that the impression of how strong he was most likely from the support of the Alpha, not his own technology. Because of this, Akira didn't look really happy, but showed an ambivalent expression.

Thank you so much. But depending on how you look at it, it may be because they believe in me too much. Now, they're forcing me into places that would otherwise be too dangerous for hunters like me.

Elena noticed this and changed the subject.

It's a good thing not to get too excited and to be vigilant. In my case, if I received such a request, I would feel that I was too excited and would make a mistake instead, but that doesn't seem to be the case with you. You know, that's impressive in itself. I think I need to know more about that from you.

Akira, who was praised, blushed slightly. Sa

a to Aki

A pouted a little in response to her compliments. But to distract from this feeling, she hurriedly walked around behind Akira, rubbed his head, and pressed it to him from behind.

S, Salasan!?

I will do the same. Although I don't think I'll get such a request. Being too modest can annoy people, you know?

I didn't mean that

I know. It's just a stupid conversation of a narrow-minded girl. But I just want you to be careful, because there are a lot of them out there.

O-Of course!

Although Ming was surprised, he did not resist. In fact, he enjoyed it. Seeing Akira's reaction, Sarah smiled with satisfaction. Shizuka and Elena couldn't help but laugh when they saw this scene. Sarah noticed them, of course, but she only pouted slightly as she struggled to hide her embarrassment and enjoyed Aquilas's reaction.

And then they talked about other things as well. I don't know when, Aki

a discovered Ele

a said something interesting.

Humanoid monsters, huh?

Yes, it seems that more and more people have been attacked by humanoid monsters near the ruins of Katsubara recently. More precisely, the location is around that highway.

Uh, is this one of them? A place where the chengguan treats robbers as monsters

I don't know the details. It may or may not be. It could be an autonomous robot on a rampage. Or maybe someone is in control of a dead hunter's augmentation suit, as it was in the Seranthal building at the time. Details about the events themselves remain unclear. Apart from the warning, the chengguan itself did not release any other information.

Whether it's a bandit or a monster, there's basically something like humans attacking people around the ruins, right?

Yes, exactly. The only thing we know now is that it looks like a human and not a monster. You should also be careful, as a hunter, it tends to dull our reflexes when the opponent looks like a human.

If it is a monster, the hunter can immediately decide to kill it. But when it comes to human beings, they tend to hesitate, and this hesitation often has fatal consequences.

Okay, I'll be careful.

Akira spoke so firmly that she smiled happily when she saw Elena in it.

Akira said with a frown as Akira left the shop.

Said Ele

Alas, I don't know about Aki

a Really hates people who think highly of his skills.

This may be true. If I'm not mistaken, he said something similar in the dungeon.

Since you mentioned it, he did it. Why do you think this is the case?

I don't know. I'm sure he has his reasons, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's not something pleasant. Sarah, while I certainly don't have to tell you this, be careful not to poke him too much.

I know it's hard.

Although he obviously saved them a few days ago, there was nothing he could do, but he did not hesitate to cut off their contact. At the moment, somehow, they were still able to talk normally. Sarah doesn't know if it's because of something trivial or profound, or because of Achillas's principles of life, or just his thoughts.

Sara had no intention of letting go of the thread she had worked so hard to save, and she sighed at the thought of her friend she didn't know how to treat.