The SSR Spearman (Doesn’t) Hide His One-Shot Damage - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 9

“…What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, I only meant that there are likely to be a lot of ruffians who go after swords.”

Oh, no.
That I’d kill you
and take your weapon…
That’s probably how it sounded.

[Recommended! – Kill the target and loot a Mythic-Grade Item!]

The crimson System Window pops up again.
What a nuisance.

‘Let’s just eat.’

I decided to ignore the glaring red message floating before my eyes.
Crunch!
I grabbed the roasted bat as it was and bit into it, starting with the head.
Something greasy seemed to ooze out from inside, but whatever, I gulped it down.

“Setanta, do you have a rather unusual way of speaking?”
“I suppose you could say that.”

Crunch!
The bat’s wing bones gave way under my molars, grinding like cartilage.
Hmm, not as bad as I expected.

“…It seems you’ll need a new weapon. Once the meal is over, I’ll take you to the armory. You may choose a new one there.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“And now, let us take a short walk.”

Her platinum-blonde hair, faintly tinged with pink, stirred and fluttered, catching the candlelight on the table.
Was it the atmosphere?
I felt a faintly strange sensation.
So much so that I had the illusion I’d seen this very scene somewhere before.

* * *

We walked along the streets of the Underground City, partly to aid digestion.
The faint, spreading light mixed with the city’s run-down surroundings, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

‘It’s quite a distinctive sight.’

Looking around, I saw a group of people in tattered rags, praying.
Now and then they murmured and gazed upward endlessly, though, as expected, no sky could be seen.

“Ailin, what are those people praying for?”
“Them? They’re praying to a royal house that has fallen.”
“…The Ailander one?”
“Yes. The subjects of a fallen kingdom, longing for their old royal house. They pray so desperately in hopes that at least one heir might still be alive.”

A descendant of the royal family, then.
Is she talking about that princess from the Hidden Route checklist?

“Do you feel the same as they do? That if we only find an heir, we could revive the Ailand Kingdom once more—”
“Sometimes, there are things that are better off not existing in this world.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you know why the Empire leaves this Underground City alone?”
“…Because they need cheap lower-class laborers to dump all the filthy work on?”

Depending on how they use the Ailander underclass, scattered from their homeland, the Empire can keep itself clean and prosperous.
It’s an age-old, cost-effective form of slavery, one that many advanced nations have long profited from.

“You’re not wrong. But the real reason the Empire keeps its hands off is that this place poses no threat.”
“…Hm?”
“Suppose a hidden bloodline of the royal house surfaces, and Ailanders start rallying around it. You can guess what comes next, can’t you?”
“….”
“They’ll make an example of this place first. Mark my words.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I simply stared blankly up at the sky.
Instead of clouds and stars, a vast underground world spread out in a dome overhead.
It was an oddly majestic sight.

“The people who live here sometimes lift their heads and look up, you know. Just like you’re doing now, Setanta.”
“The view’s not bad. More than I expected.”
“I’ve always found this Underground City’s scenery rather charming, myself.”

Silence settled over us.
She walked on without a word for a while before finally speaking.

“Even if the sky can’t be seen, everyone has the right to gaze into the emptiness above.”
“…?”
“Do you happen to know? In the Ailand Kingdom, the crown has traditionally never passed to anyone with a physical disability.”
“…You mean someone like Ailin, who has no arm?”
“Yes. And someone like me, whose right arm is a prosthetic… is believed to be an incomplete human being.”

The backlight made her expression hard to make out, but I thought I caught a faint smile tugging at the corner of Ailin’s lips.

Her silver arm gleamed softly.

* * *

Before long, we reached the warehouse.
Weapons lay strewn across the floor in a chaotic heap.
Just as I’d expected, the condition of the gear inside was dreadful.

“Setanta, hold on a little longer. I’ll look for something in better shape.”

It must have been at least twenty minutes already.
Yet all I’d found were blades with their edges ruined or rusted through.

“….”

Flash-.
The sword hanging at Ailin’s waist had been nagging at me the whole time.

Its sleek form gleamed with an elegant luster.
A top-grade treasure sword, utterly out of place in a place like this Underground City.
…And the one Mythic-Grade weapon I had never managed to collect.

“Ah, this spear is in somewhat better condition. I’ll set it aside here for you, so take it.”

Ailin pushed a spear to the side and threw herself back into the search for gear.
She had turned her back to me, leaving herself wide open.

[TIP – Some Mythic-Grade Items become obtainable once their owner dies.]

‘……?’

Another red system message.
I was so dumbfounded that a laugh slipped out.

‘So I’m supposed to kill this woman out of nowhere and farm her for weapons?’

It’s not some pixelated game character. She’s a real person, breathing and moving. What a bloodcurdling thing to say.

“Setanta, wait a moment. I’m certain there was a sound weapon around here.”
“Ah, yes…”

Ailin kept rummaging through the storeroom, her back still turned to me without the slightest sign of guard.
Each time she moved, the sword at her waist caught the light and glimmered.
Hmm… No wonder it’s a mythic-grade weapon. Its luster really is something else.

[Mythic-grade items possess unrivaled performance.]
[TIP – When attacking from behind, you can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy!]

‘The System is getting awfully damn jumpy…’

I wonder how much time passed.
After digging around for a while, Ailin finally turned back around.
A single spear lay at her feet.

“I’m sorry, Setanta. No matter how I search, this is the only weapon I can find that’s worth your while.”
“This will do. I’ll stick with the longsword I was using.”

The longsword I’d received as a gift from the Hero.
Its edge had dulled a bit, but it was still quite serviceable.

【Basic Mana Manipulation】
-Instinctively wraps the surface of cold steel in a thin layer of mana before engaging in combat.
Penetrating power rises, and the weapon’s durability lasts longer.

Thanks to this skill Setanta has from the start, weapons rarely break and tend to last a long time.

“Oh, it’s in better shape than I expected.”

[Acquired Spear Found in the Underground City Warehouse.]

She didn’t hand it over directly, so I bent down and picked up the spear.

“Ahem, I’m glad you’re pleased. But, well… there’s one favor I’d like to ask of you.”
“…A favor?”
“Yes. Might you be willing to grant it?”

Ailin asked cautiously.

“Once day breaks tomorrow, I plan to go back up to the surface once more to rescue my countrymen. Setanta, would you be willing to accompany me?”
“To search for survivors?”
“It’s shameless of me to ask, but I want to save even one more person. We may not gain much in the way of results…”
“Hmm.”
“The residents of the Underground City have told me of your prowess. Surely your strength will be of help in the search.”
“…”

Though, to be honest, most of the Ailand commoners left behind are probably all dead by now.

‘Either way, I have to go out for the Chapel quest anyway.’

This was a course I never skipped, even when speedrunning.
It’s a side quest where you rescue a girl trapped in the basement of the Chapel, but there’s one important element hidden in it.

‘There’s a secret passage under the Chapel. You can farm Holy Relics there.’

Sell them at the Black Market and your early funds are set for the game. Hold onto them, and they’re a golden item you can use later for crafting equipment.
You absolutely have to grab them.

“Setanta, what do you think? Would you kindly join me in—”
“Quest accepted.”
“…Hm? What did you just say…?”

…Ah.
Instinct kicked in. Stop.

“Would you mind saying that again? I don’t believe I heard you properly.”
“I said I’ll come with you! Outside.”

At those words, Ailin’s face brightened in an instant.
The Red System message had already vanished without a trace.

* * *

The next morning.
On the path leading up to the surface.

“Me too, take me along! Please, take me! Take meeee—!”

The Dark Mage came charging up, clinging to us and insisting on joining the party.

“Master Setanta, I’ll come along too! I’m sure I’ll be of use…!”
“Rian? You want to come along? Are you serious?”
“Ailin! Why didn’t you tell me about this beforehand?”
“Well, I assumed you would naturally refuse, so I didn’t bring it up… Even after living together all these years, I’ve never seen you this eager…”

Ailin stared at Rian with a bewildered expression.
Well, if it’s two SSRs, I’m all for it.

[【Ailin】 and 【Rian】 have joined the party.]

Counting me, a full three-SSR party has formed.
Maybe because it’s a Hidden Route, SSRs are plentiful right from the start.

‘Good. Before we head out, should I take a look at these guys’ Character Windows?’

One is an utterly ridiculous utility Dark Mage who can do anything as long as he offers up Sacrifices.
The other is an area-wide damage dealer who can sweep the entire map with a single Sword Qi strike.

When they were enemies, this was information no one could view, since it was blinded…
But now that they’ve entered my party, I can read it to my heart’s content.

‘So this is the first time in the entire world. Someone reading their information.’

[Reading the party member’s Traits.]

With the two of them bickering right beside me,
I immediately brought up the Party Window.

Thump-thump.

‘What kind of traits will these turn out to be?’

These are the boss-tier villains who, in the original work, kept slaughtering their own allies at the drop of a hat, so I’ve got a feeling they’ll come with suitably terrifying traits.

Ding!

[Accessing Rian’s character information.]

[Rian (SSR) Lv. 1]
[Class: Dark Mage]
[Traits: 【Mana Genius (+)】, 【Broken Mana Nerve (-)】, 【Fanatic (-)】]

First off, the Dark Mage side was exactly what the players had guessed.
A man born with a brilliant gift for magic who, one day, saw his mana nerves go haywire and lost the ability to cast at all. A tragic mage cast out of the Magic Tower, who in the end turned to Dark Magic…
So that’s the sort of past this guy has.
Looks like he’s the type with that kind of past.

【Fanatic (-)】
-Shows abnormal devotion and obsession toward a specific target.
<Current target: Setanta>

“….”

Only one thing snagged on me.
This trait did catch my attention, just a little.

‘But it could be quite useful. It means that guy will be devoted to me no matter what.’

It amounts to having a devoted disciple who will never betray me.
Maybe it’s actually a pretty decent trait, all things considered?

‘Alright, let’s see the area damage dealer next.’

[Accessing Ailin’s character information.]

Ding!

[Ailin (SSR) Lv. 1]
[Class: Magic Swordsman]
[Traits: 【Overflowing Mana (+)】, 【Protector of the Weak (+)】, 【Unstable Mana Control (-)】, 【Body Loss (-)】, 【Trauma (-)】, 【Moral Obsession (-)】…….]

‘…Hm?’

The second one’s trait window was rather bloated.

‘Why does she have so many negative traits piled on her?’

And among them.
one shocking trait caught my eye and wouldn’t let go.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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