It took a lot longer than I would have liked to have done all the setup. A lot of them were sneaking in and waiting for Anna Sema to pass by, which was nerve-wracking, but apparently not that dangerous.

Selina told me that the low-level Cursed aren't actually very good at searching for humans, and are more of a scout force. However, as the usurpation continues, higher-level people with better senses will begin to appear. In fact, low-level people tend to rely primarily on sound and sight to find things.

It turned out to be a huge blessing, especially considering how bad the smell in the store was when I got it ready.

I peeked from behind the counter of the closed snack kiosk where I was hiding and glanced at the entrance of the store in question. Thankfully, the wasp stayed near the stairs leading to the shelter, allowing me to hide around the perimeter with relative ease to set everything up. Now, all that's left is to get everything running.

My hands were already sweaty, and it took me a moment to rub them down my skirt. I took a few deep breaths, which was almost impossible despite the tightness in my chest. I felt my throat dry and couldn't resist taking a bottle of water from the kiosk.

[Your heart rate has increased significantly,] Celine noticed next to me. [Is everything alright?] ]

I glanced at her, and her watery eyes were looking at me.

"If that doesn't work......" I replied silently, glancing at the store again.

[There is no reason not to.] The plan is well thought out and has fairly few variables. Even if the plan fails, it will only mean that the battle is harder. It's not impossible to win. ]

After taking another deep breath, I nodded, suppressing my nervousness. After a quick double check of my HUD, I hit 82% health, close to 250 mana, and my umb

a Fully loaded with an additional cartridge in the chamber. While we were preparing, I also spent 3 points to buy more ammo, making my 9 magazines for a total of 127 rounds. Packed one, three in each side pocket of the school blazer and the last two in the side pockets of the backpack, everything was ready and I was ready as much as I could.

Yes...... I wonder if that's the part of praying for a miracle?

But that's not quite true, is it?

After all, I should be a miracle now.

I turned to Selina, stared at her crescent-shaped pupils, and nodded to her.

"Let's get started."

Serena's movements were blurred, and I watched as she walked into the store. When I peek over the counter of the kiosk, I make sure to stay as discreet as possible. For a moment, nothing happened, and I could only stare at the red light reflected off the mall tile floor.

Then, a loud alarm sounded in the store I was observing, and Selina activated a clockwork alarm that we had placed all over the store.

Then the other one exploded.

There is another one.

My shoulders tensed when I heard the sound of claws scraping against the tiles and wings flapping. Moments later, Selena's moving white blur appeared and leaped out of the store, followed by a black figure rushing out of the shadows and rushing towards the riot. I recognized them as hounds, and they rushed to the door without hesitation.

After a while, two ghouls joined in. Now that they were closer, I could make out their emaciated figures. Their skin is grayish-black, covered in pointed bones, and their heads are featureless, but their wide mouths have pointed, pale white teeth the length of a finger. They were on all fours and walked towards the store with a strange, nervous gait, but the hounds arrived first.

When the hounds burst through the store's open front door, their paws made a slight splash on the floor, and shortly after the first dog entered, the sound of glass breaking began. Before the ghouls arrived, four or five creatures rushed in. Instead of entering the door, the ghouls crouched on the ground, their muscles trembling with tension, and then jumped to the large display window. With a flick of his paw during the jump, the glass shattered and disappeared inside.

Even when I heard the sound of wings flapping, I mentally made a note of the jump. A second later, a wasp appeared, hovering in front of the now-shattered window. It's about the size of a cat, and instead of insect-like wings, it has six wings that are more like bats. The creature is mostly covered in a thin pale white carapace, with black flesh sticking out from between the carapaces. The wasp curls up as it circles, forming a comma shape that points the stinger at the window. After looking inside the store for a while, he flew in.

The sound of glass breaking is now at an all-time high, and at least one loud, beeping alarm clock has gone silent. After waiting a little more and seeing that no more curses were coming, I knew the time was up, so I walked to the door of the kiosk and opened it. Selina sneaked out first to make sure the coast was clear.

[Clear.] ]

I left the kiosk and forced myself not to look around, but to simply run to the back where I had put the live ladder. I used it to climb onto the roof. The mall itself has high ceilings, especially in the central area, and due to my already short stature, I was a bit hunched when I stood up. I shuffled to the edge of the roof facing the store, my left hand fumbling for what I had been clutching. Selina was waiting for me, watching my back for any possible curse.

So far, the program is going well.

The first stage is simple, sneaking around collecting various analog alarm clocks from antique stores and electrical stores. Then we take them away and hide them all over the target store before preparing the traps.

Next, Selina went in and set off all the alarms with her tail before joining me. Unfortunately, Serena told me that not all cursers will come, as they will instinctively delegate tasks, but based on my count, we've gotten about half, if not more. When we're sure we've gotten as much as possible, I'll climb to the top of the kiosk and the final act begins.

My heart raced, and I fumbled around this little metal rectangle a few times before I managed to open its lid. The pressure built up in my mind into a constant, pulsating pulse, but I chose to ignore it and use my thumb to light the little lighter in my trembling hand. I took aim at the last moment, held my breath, and threw the lighter at the door of the store.

Entrance to the liquor shop.

Earlier, when I had just hidden my alarm clock behind various glass bottles in the store, I took the extra time to open the various bottles, splash them around, and pour them on the floor. I've just opened the rest, waiting for it to spill out if I get knocked down by the spell. By the end, the shop was thoroughly soaked with a thick layer of liquor, and the floor was covered with liquor. It even started leaking from outside the door into the area around the entrance to the store.

So I watched the lighter spin in the air and wondered how much better it would be, as the Cursed decided to go in and started smashing the bottles, soaking himself in more alcohol. The small flame of the lighter glittered on the wine pool at the entrance, reflecting a flickering light for a moment before hitting the ground.

Then, a sea of fire burned.

It spread into the store, and a moment later, a flash of light accompanied by a crackling roar ignited the interior, and a dazzling light illuminated the dimly lit mall. I quickly aimed my gun at the entrance, but I felt my eyes widen. A warm current came over me, and I shivered as I watched the flames go crazy. When the spell in the store becomes berserk, the shadow appears in a crazy moving shape in the mall.

After a few crackles of flames, there was a scream, and a flaming ghoul jumped out of the store, landed on the ground, and writhed in the flames, engulfing its body completely. I took aim, but when I noticed it falling to the ground shortly after, I stopped shooting and twitched for a few seconds before coming to a standstill. A bell rang in my head, making me shiver.

[Defeat (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 5)

[Reward: 10 points]

The flames suddenly extinguished and engulfed the interior of the store for a few seconds, but no more creatures managed to escape the hell. The spasmodic dark shadows in the store began to slow down, then still, and more bells began to ring, leaving my eyes wide open.

[Defeat (Monitor Lizard Hound - Rank 2)]

[Defeat (Giant Beagle - Level 1)]

[Defeat (Giant Beagle - Level 3)]

[Defeat (Giant Beagle - Level 3)]

[Defeat (Forgotten Ghoul - Level 6)]

[Defeat (Giant Hole Hornet - Level 3)]

[Total Rewards: 55 Points]

[Total new points: 72 points]

[Congratulations!] You've upgraded multiple times! You're level 3 now! ]

[Available Stats: 20]

I watched the fire in awe, and my throat suddenly became dry. Selina told me that she thought these particular curses might be particularly susceptible to fire, and I thought it would work, but it ......

Suddenly, a screeching alarm sounded inside the liquor store, and through the broken window, I could see that white foam was beginning to erupt inside. The fire immediately dimmed and I breathed a sigh of relief. Selina assured me that the fire extinguishing system would be part of the backup power supply and would be activated after the fire had lasted for a while, but that didn't stop me from worrying that the entire mall would burn down.

[It's coming!] Selene informed me, and I turned around in time to see the shape moving towards me.

From the top of the kiosk where I was, I could clearly see the chaotic market in the central mall. Two winged wasps hover above the subway entrance stairs leading to the shelter. Elsewhere in the area, I saw two other hounds rushing towards the screaming fire sirens along with the last two ghouls. I don't know if they noticed my position, so I quickly targeted one of the two wasps. After spending a second stabilizing the reticle on a gently swinging object, I fired.

They were relatively far away from me, farther than I had ever shot, so I had little hope of hitting them on the first attempt. However, because of their ability to fly and attack from a distance, they are at the top of the list of things I'm going to kill.

Therefore, instead of waiting for the first shot to hit, I fired two shots in quick succession.

My umbra flicked up in my hand, emitting a noticeable crack as it fired. With Serena's help, I was able to disarm the Silent Enchantment, as there was no point in sneaking through this fight, and my voice was sharper than before. It made me flinch, and every shot went through my bones. In just a second, the combination of a louder sound and a muzzle flash made me lose focus on my target.

I quickly reoriented and saw that they were still in the air, but were now coming towards me. When I aimed at the iron sight, I realigned the crosshairs and shot again. This time, it took me a second to regain the shape and make adjustments before releasing more shots. It creates a careful rhythm: fire, pause, fire, the high-pitched wail of the fire alarm that is interrupted from time to time.

After the fifth shot, one of the wasps shook in mid-air and fell to the ground. The other, apparently aware of the threat, spun behind a pillar. I aimed the gun at the post and waited for it to come back, but it seemed content to hide behind cover. At the same time, I heard the obvious sound of paws tapping against the floor below me, indicating that the hounds had arrived. I watched carefully where the two wasps had disappeared, then aimed at the edge of the pavilion top, holding my breath and waiting.

The crackling sound was louder, and there was even the sound of some objects being knocked down, but nothing appeared. I hesitated for a moment, then slowly climbed over the edge of the roof and looked out.

One of the hounds stretched out on its hind legs towards the roof, but couldn't reach it. The other paced behind it, looking up at me with its eyelid glare and dirty face. I felt a big smile on my face and a burst of laughter inside me.

It was a gamble on the rooftop, but it worked. Since Sele

e tells me a low grade A

Ever since Athema was more stupid and behaved like a simple video game enemy, I wondered how far I could abuse that fact. After I told her about my plan and asked her if it worked, she agreed, and said that the only immediate real threat would be the Wasp.

With such a high numerical superiority in their possession, the battle itself was rigged to be unfair from the start. Therefore, I decided not to face them head-on and decided to go with the age-old video game strategy – cheese. I'm not quite sure how the term got its name, but even though I have limited gaming experience, I know that it refers to strategies to circumvent challenges by abusing game mechanics or the simplicity of AI to control enemies.

I thought the fire traps in the liquor stores were just a good strategy, but standing a little higher up than them and using them as a shooting range, while they stared at me blankly?

Definitely not fair.

Unfortunately for them, I don't care at all.

I put my eyes on the face of the hound trying to climb up and pulled the trigger.

Black pus burst out of the hole in its head, and the thing slammed to the ground.

[Defeat (Troll Hound - Level 2)]

[Reward: 10 points]

The other hound began to scratch around, moving erratically back and forth, but was too dumb to find cover. I quickly aimed the gun at its center mass and let go. The first bullet cut through behind its front legs, causing it to trip. The second and third followed its torso, causing it to fall. I didn't notice it going down in time, so I fired a fourth shot, and it landed on the floor next to it.

The hound twitched slightly, as if trying to stand up, but even I could tell from the rapidly expanding pool of blood beneath it that things were done. I checked the head-up display and saw that there were only three bullets left in the gun, so I ejected the magazine. I let it fall to the roof while I quickly reached for another one and glanced back at where I saw the wasp. Nothing seemed to be moving in the air, and my eyes quickly returned to the ground when the two ghouls finally finished the chaos in the central area of the mall.

When they stopped a few feet away, I smiled and stared at me, as if I didn't know how to approach me. However, just as I was grabbing a new magazine, I noticed that one of them was crouching slightly, and the thin muscles were quivering. When I realized this move, my eyes widened and a flash of horror flashed through my heart.

The ghoul leaped up at the top of the kiosk, and I let out a scream as its claws sank into the fragile material of the wall near the top. I fell to the ground in amazement, fumbling for the magazine, trying to insert it into the gun, but my hands trembled and missed several times. I forced myself to slow down, and finally succeeded with a satisfying click. I quickly took aim for the roof, just as the ghoul's head appeared right in the middle of my iron sight.

Pull the trigger, a flash of light and miniature thunder rang out, black blood exploded from the back of the ghoul's head, and its neck snapped violently backwards.

[Defeat (Forsaken Ghoul - Level 5)]

[Reward: 10 points]

The ghoul's body collapsed, and I quickly crawled back to crouch down to look for a second ghoul.

[On top of you!] Serena shouted, and I looked up just in time to see that the wasp had climbed over the ceiling from behind the pillars and was now only a dozen feet away. It freed itself, its wings opening and spinning as it faced me, and I had time to look at its huge, snake-like eyes before its stinger pulled back slightly. Out of pure instinct, I threw myself into diving.

The wasp shuddered, and the stinger shot as fast as a professionally thrown baseball. It whizzed past me, and I knew it was my last-second move that saved me.

Unfortunately, it also threw me straight off the roof of the kiosk.

I fell in a twisted dive, and my brain was busy trying to make sense of the suddenly rising floor, but in vain. Most of the left side of my body hit the ground, and a sharp pain spread through my entire left torso. The sharp edges of the magazines in my blazer dug into my stomach and I barely managed to keep my head from hitting the floor.

As I gasped for breath and tried to regain my breath, there was a moment of disorientation. Through the pulsating pain on my entire left side, I managed to realize that I was now lying on the ground.

Just where the rest of the Cursed will be able to catch me.

As I got up, I felt a panic and I felt several magazines slip out of my pocket and fall to the floor. I looked up just in time to see the wasp turn back on me. When it fluctuated again, I started moving, shooting another stinger. It flew past me, sinking half of its six-inch-long length into the floor with ease. Fear gave the adrenaline pumping, and I sprinted as fast as I could, raised the gun, and fired a few shots in its general direction.

The wasp shook in the air in a strange way, then shivered, regrowing the stinger it had shot before chasing me. When it opened fire again, I hid behind a pillar, and when I heard it crashing into concrete, I turned out of cover, took aim, and fired a rapid-fire shot.

The wasp swoops down and then moves in the same pattern used before. I tried to track its movements while shooting, but ended up falling behind. I gritted my teeth, missed everything, and rolled back behind the pillar when its stinger regrown. A quick check of my heads-up display and seeing that I only had five rounds left, I reached for a new magazine.

As I did so, I saw the movement and looked up in time to see the ghoul I had lost a trace tumbling from a hanger a few feet away from me.

I had half a second to crawl to the side, and then a clawed hand tore through the pillar where my torso had just been. Its claws dug a half-inch deep ravine in the concrete, and I felt my heart beat to my throat. I stumbled away, writhing and aiming at my body. I didn't even bother to lift the gun up before I held the remaining bullets with one hand. The creature flinched a few times as the bullet passed through, but it reoriented and chased after me.

I pressed the umbra's magazine release button, and as I stepped away from the ghoul, I reached for the replacement magazine.

The wasp circled around the pillar, shivering, and I felt a sharp sting in my right ankle. I stifled my crying and reached for the magazine in my left pocket, only to find it empty. I was vaguely aware that by the time I landed, the ghouls must have fallen off despite the fact that they had pounced on me. I ducked to the side and let it fly past me and crash into the hanger.

My hand found a magazine in my right pocket and started inserting it into the umb

a, while continuing to run. The wasp was ready to meet me, though, and I dodged it when it fired another stinger over my head. When I finished reloading, my gun clicked and I turned to face the ghoul.

It had just reoriented itself from its failed jump and started another charge at me, its oversized mouth open and hissing. My reticle turned red as it hovered over its body, and I lunged at the creature until it crashed into a heap and hit the ground. Faintly, a jingle sounded in my head when the kill announcement came, but I was already stumbling and running.

A stinger flew in front of me, and I flinched halfway through. When my foot strangely touched the ground, a slight tingling pain came from my injured leg, and I slipped gently. It took me precious time to regain my balance, and my instinct screamed to keep me going. I stumbled and ran again when the whistling of another air and cracks in the tiled floor let me know that the wasp was missing again.

I took the opportunity to aim at it and fired, but it flew again in a weird, impatient dodge pattern, causing every shot to miss. When it opened fire, I managed to hide behind another post, and then I leaned myself against the bunker. I'm breathing heavily right now, but I know I don't have time to waste. As I looked around the pillar, the wasp fired a shot that went into the pillar. I took the opportunity to aim at it, but instead of shooting, I watched it immediately dodge, something clicking in my head.

Whenever it dodges, it moves in exactly the same way as the previous ones, forming an upside-down "4" in its path. I pulled myself back behind cover and waited for the sound of the concrete cracking as it tried to hit me, and then I leaned out of cover to aim again. This time, even though it was in the middle of the movement, I aimed the reticle at the end of its pattern and fired quickly as it slid into its maneuvering end.

After four shots, it fell to the ground, convulsing all over. As it tried to reposition me, I took some time to aim at its body. After two shots were fired, Umb was heard when I heard the confirmation bell

a's slider clicks back. I quickly reloaded the empty gun, my eyes quickly looking around.

The sudden roar of chirping made me turn around just in time to see a small stall being knocked aside when Anasima the gorilla broke in.

It's a big deal. Big enough, I don't know how I haven't seen it before. It was on all fours, seven feet tall, and its arms were as thick as tree trunks, thicker than my entire body. It was covered in pitch-black scales, had a faint reptilian face, and three bulging eyes looked around independently. The monster's back is covered with dozens of tentacles the length of its forearms. Its arms end in stumps, making them more like giant clubs than something else. When the monster saw me, all three eyes gathered on me, let out another roar, took a step, and began to charge.

I let out a scream as the giant rushed forward, and I responded by firing with my gun.

The great thing about it is that I don't need to aim that much. The target ring on my HUD was completely within its huge frame, so I just let go. Halfway through my magazine, I realized that the thing wasn't even flinching, and I pushed my legs to start moving.

I ran, aiming for a pillar and running past with my best sprint. I had to dodge a small maze of different stands and try to get as many obstacles as I could on the way. After crossing the pillar, I took a sharp turn past a stall selling T-shirts. Hopefully there was something between us, I turned around, my heart racing, ready to fire at that thing.

Surprisingly, the gorillas were nowhere to be seen. It was a few more moments before the thing came out lumberily from behind a pillar, its stubby hind legs and arms propelling it forward in a slow, clumsy gait. It looked around for a moment before finding me. Another roar, and the charge began again, but ......

To call it a charge is generous at best. I'm pretty sure it won't be faster than when I was jogging. I held my breath and raised my gun to aim it in the head. If it just weakens my normal hits, then I'll have to look for its weaknesses. However, it is a ridiculously small target compared to the rest of its body.

It was then that I noticed that my hands were shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and fear. Between shivering and heavy breathing, my reticle was huge and trembling everywhere. I tried my best to stabilize my goal, but I couldn't seem to stop shaking. I aimed at it as best I could, shooting carefully.

The bullet missed completely, and I bit the spell. In the time it took me to stabilize myself and aim, it had managed to close most of the distance. Instead of panicking, I turned around and followed another zigzag route through various obstacles. Then I turned around and tried to shoot it in the head again.

And then it was like that again.

After repeating this strategy and failing for the third time, I felt a sense of frustration rising in my heart. My nerves were too tense, so instead of continuing with the odd practice of shooting and running to the target, I decided to shoot the last magazine into its torso. Sure, this thing is big, but if I throw in enough bullets, I'm sure it will sink.

My gun was empty, and the thunder was loud.

To my surprise, the creature was still coming towards me as if nothing had happened, so I reloaded the last magazine from my right pocket. This time I made sure to take at least some time to aim between shots so that I don't miss a single bullet. I fought nine more rounds, and the last lucky bullet pierced its skull, throwing its head back. The gorilla thundered to the ground. I lowered my gun when the kill notice flashed past me along with all the other notices I had postponed.

[Defeat (Giant Gorilla - Level 8)]

[Defeat (Giant Cavern Hornet - Level 2)]

[Defeat (Giant Cavern Hornet - Level 4)]

[Defeat (Forgotten Ghoul - Level 6)]

[Defeat (Behemoth Hound - Level) 3)]

[Total Rewards: 45 points]

[Total new points: 137 points]

[Congratulations!] You've leveled up! You're level 4 now! ]

[Available Stats: 30]

I scanned my surroundings, looking for further movement, looking for the next curse.

Serena's sudden voice startled me. [Mai, it's over.] You've done it. ]

“... What? I asked with a wink as Selina slowly jumped up next to me.

[All fourteen Cursed Ones have been eliminated, and according to my reconnaissance, no more Cursed Ones are approaching.] Well done, wheat. The road to the shelter is unobstructed. ]

I stared at her for a moment, watching her fluffy tail gently swing back and forth, and finally I finally understood the meaning behind her words. I shuddered and put down my gun and stared at the gorilla's corpse. My breathing was still rapid, and only now did I notice the faint sound of gunfire in my ears. I forced myself to close my eyes and try to breathe steadily, and the tension slowly faded from my body.

It's over.

I won.