Actually, the easiest way to eliminate the sentries would be to snipe them with the Ark-15 anti-materiel sniper rifle equipped with a suppressor.
The distance between me and the sentries was approximately 700 meters.
At this range, I could easily take out both sentries before they even had time to react.
'But the problem is that shooting leaves traces, no matter how you do it.'
I wanted the Bagos' Brothers to look like they were killed by a monster attack, not by someone wielding a gun.
If they figured out that I did it, it would create a complicated web of enmity and grudges.
'Bagos' Brothers are subhuman scum, but it's not like they have no allied factions.'
They say that like-minded people flock together.
Groups like the Red Dawn Society, a cult comparable to the Church of Morte, or the Rats, who devour anything edible, maintained relatively friendly relations with the Bagos' Brothers, whose daily routine involved murder and robbery.
If they found out that I was the one who killed the Bagos' Brothers, I had no idea how they would react.
Of course, I could eliminate them all without leaving any witnesses, but doing so perfectly would take too long.
In short, it would be a hassle.
'It's not like I have no options for long-range attacks.'
That's why my conclusion was to avoid using guns.
And the Bagos' Brothers were just the right kind of opponents to test out the new abilities I acquired from the bone armor.
'Let's get started.'
I put on the black poncho and Kupf's Mask, completing my disguise, and slowly approached them.
Crunch, crackle—!
Responding to my will, the bone armor extended two bone tendrils, rotating as if ready to be launched at any moment.
650 meters.
600 meters.
500 meters...
Considering my usual attack range, this was close enough.
But since I was using bone tendrils, I needed to get even closer.
Fortunately, I managed to enter the sentries' blind spot, so they didn't notice me until I got within 300 meters.
['Bone Javelin' activated.]
Whizz—!
With a sharp air-tearing sound, the bone tendrils protruding from my shoulders shot toward the sentries.
The reapers that flew in without giving them a chance to react took their lives in an instant.
There were no screams.
Their heads, which should have screamed, were no longer on their necks.
Thud...
I retracted the bone tendrils that had literally blown off their heads and moved toward the entrance of Snake Cave.
Despite killing people, I didn't feel particularly disturbed.
The Bagos' Brothers were all subhuman filth.
There was no reason to feel any guilt for killing scum like that.
'Surely, it must be because of the [Superhuman Willpower] trait.'
Normally, I should have been at least a bit shaken by the situation, but my mind remained unnervingly calm.
'I could just walk straight in, but there's no need to make it noisy.'
Right now, I didn't necessarily have to enter through the front.
I had plenty of infiltration routes to choose from.
Like... underground, for example.
['Hardening' activated.]
['Burrowing' activated.]
Snake Cave was formed from solid rock and the hardened mucus of a colossal beast, but that didn't mean the hardened bone tendrils couldn't bore through.
The bone armor had reached 9-star status.
It was now one of the best pieces of equipment in The Defense.
I tunneled into the underground of Snake Cave and started moving through the earth.
The cave's internal map was already ingrained in my memory, and even if I got lost, I could just find my way again.
[Gigit.]
The signal from the bone parasite told me that I had arrived beneath someone's feet.
I could feel faint vibrations.
Someone was moving right above me.
When I focused, I could even hear the Bagos' Brothers chatting above ground.
"Did you hear? Scored another hit yesterday."
"Oh, that one? It was pretty sweet."
I didn't bother listening to their pointless chatter and quietly conveyed my intent to the bone armor.
Thrust—!
A bone tendril shot up from the ground.
"Guh!"
"What the—"
With a brief scream, the scum from the Bagos' Brothers fell dead.
An assassin from below.
One of the gruesome assassination methods favored by Sart of the Shadows.
'With this method, I could quietly take down the Bagos' Brothers, but...'
Unfortunately, this was as far as I could go with that approach.
Given the structure of the cave, recklessly digging any further could risk collapsing the entire place.
'Besides, tunneling consumes a lot of the bone armor's power. I can't afford such waste when I don't know what lies ahead.'
In the end, I had no choice but to surface.
Of course, "surface" just meant coming out into the cave's interior.
Emerging from the ground, I immediately moved the bodies of the Bagos' Brothers I had taken down to the side.
If someone saw the corpses, it would only hasten the discovery of my presence.
'Eventually, they'll find out, but there's no need to make it obvious.'
I drew two more bone tendrils from the bone armor.
From now on, the Bagos' Brothers would be presumed killed by an unexpected monster attack.
That was the impression I needed to create.
The interior of Snake Cave was a maze of interconnected passageways.
This was because the colossal beast Uroboros had created them while moving through the area.
Avoiding the glow of the torches scattered around the cave, I slipped through the shadows.
"Who's there—"
Whizz—!
I stalked through the darkness, hunting down the Bagos' Brothers one by one.
"Intruder—"
Most of them didn't even finish a single word before they dropped dead.
But not everyone was so helpless.
"Shit!"
One of the more seasoned thugs managed to pull the trigger before I could extend my bone tendril.
Bang—!
A gunshot echoed.
Of course, the bullet was effortlessly blocked by the hardened bone armor.
"What the hell—"
There was no second shot.
Without hesitation, the bone tendril whipped through the air and sliced his neck cleanly.
"Ghk... ghk..."
Clutching his throat, the man collapsed within seconds.
Still, he had achieved something.
"Over there!"
"Move it, you sluggish bastards!"
The first gunshot served as a signal, and the entire cave buzzed with agitation.
'It was about time they noticed.'
That meant I didn't need to hold back anymore.
'Ready?'
[Gigit!]
Always quick with the response.
"There he is!"
"Who the hell dares storm into our hideout?!"
"Over here!"
Their voices echoed from deeper within the cave, growing closer, until finally, the Bagos' Brothers spotted me.
"What the hell is that?"
"...A monster? Shoot!"
"Shit!"
There was no hesitation in them.
As soon as the trigger was pulled, bullets poured out as if they had been waiting for it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even as bullets rained down on me, I slowly assessed their equipment.
'The firearms are barely at a 1-star to 2-star level. This is nothing.'
With equipment that couldn't even match Ark's basic supplies, there was no way they could penetrate my bone armor.
['Hardening' activated.]
Ping! Ping! Ping!
None of the bullets ricocheting off me managed to break through the Kupf's Mask or the bone armor.
"Agh!"
"What the fuck, it's ricocheting!"
Some of the Bagos' Brothers fell to the ground after being hit by their own ricocheting bullets.
"What kind of morons are these?!"
"Avoid the ricochets yourselves, damn it!"
"Bring the bazooka! We can't pierce it with guns!"
That was actually a good idea.
If they hit me with a heavy weapon, it would probably shock me, even with the bone armor.
'Of course, that's only if I stand here and take it.'
Crunch, crack—
My leg muscles coiled like springs, and I shot forward.
With physical abilities on par with an Orange Line soldier, Ether sensitivity at level 2, and the enhancement from the 9-star bone armor, my movements were almost monstrous.
"Shit, it's coming!"
I swung the bone tendrils gripped in both hands without hesitation.
Since their firepower couldn't break through my defenses, the only thing left was to charge in and unleash havoc.
"Gah!"
"You son of a—"
"Shoot! Shoot!"
Gunfire roared continuously, and bullets pounded against the Kupf's Mask and bone armor.
But none of them dealt any significant damage.
Previously, I might have felt the impact as kinetic energy was transmitted through the armor, but after the bone armor reached 9 stars, even that sensation disappeared.
The armor absorbed the shock completely.
Therefore, this was not a battle but a massacre.
I slaughtered the Bagos' Brothers using every possible method.
I cut and slashed with the bone tendrils in both hands, or I sprayed countless tendrils from my body like a spiked hedgehog, piercing and killing them.
"A... a monster..."
Thud!
The last of the Bagos' Brothers fell, and the brutal slaughter came to an end.
At that moment...
"Who dares?!"
A thunderous voice boomed from deeper within the cave.
I recognized that voice.
Thud! Thud!
Heavy, resounding footsteps echoed.
Just from the sound, I could tell a significant weight was on the move.
'No need to go looking for him.'
The Pillager, Bagos.
He appeared before me.
"Was it you? Did you kill my brothers?"
I didn't bother answering.
It would be odd for a monster to start talking, after all.
'Although higher-ranked monsters do sometimes speak human language.'
Well, that's that...
I glanced at the familiar heavy weapon Bagos had brought along.
The N256 Minigun.
Though considered outdated by this era's standards, it was still more than enough to turn a single person into mincemeat.
Whirrr—
The barrel began to spin slowly before unleashing a relentless storm of bullets.
Ratatatatatata—!!!
'The N256 Minigun spews about 6,000 rounds per minute.'
If I took that beast head-on, even the bone armor wouldn't be enough to absorb the shock.
'That is, if I just stand still and take it.'
I moved fluidly through the narrow cave, leaping and dodging, causing the bullet storm to tear apart the cave walls instead.
'Enough of this.'
Multiple bone tendrils burst from my shoulders, surging toward Bagos.
['Bone Javelin' activated.]
Whizz—!
"Hah!"
But the incoming tendrils were quickly shredded by the dense bullet barrage.
'...No matter the timing, Bagos is still Bagos.'
There was another way.
If the ground was unreachable due to the bullet storm, then I just needed to attack from somewhere else.
['Hardening' activated.]
['Tunneling' activated.]
To use [Burrowing], I had to plant my feet firmly on the ground.
Seeing me stay in place, Bagos let out a mocking laugh.
"Finally given up, huh? You damn monster, I'll grind you into paste!"
Whirrr—
The minigun spun wildly and unleashed another torrent of bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With no choice but to brace for impact, I quickly wrapped myself with bone tendrils to shield my body.
It was the same method I used to withstand the Ether Storm before.
['Hardening' activated.]
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Countless bullets struck the hardened bone tendrils, but they held firm and absorbed the impact.
No matter how fearsome the N256 Minigun was, it couldn't break through the 9-star Bone Armor at full defense.
"What the hell is that?"
Bagos spat out a curse.
As soon as I sensed a brief opening...
Whizz—!
A bone tendril shot up from the ground and skewered the minigun, piercing it clean through.
Crack!
As the minigun's wreckage scattered, I retracted the tendrils and lunged at Bagos.
'It's over.'
Just as I prepared to skewer him with the bone tendril in my hand...
[Kihihihi...]
A cautious, mocking laugh echoed.
I didn't ignore the instinct that warned me.
Ziiing!
The moment I jerked back, a flash of light sliced through the air in front of me.
"Oh? You dodged?"
I recognized the weapon in Bagos' hand.
'Plasma Sword.'
It seemed a bit excessive for the leader of a mere bandit gang to possess such a weapon, but considering what Bagos would become later, it wasn't all that surprising.
It had just become a bit troublesome for me.
'Hmm.'
Among my current equipment, there was nothing that could directly go up against a Plasma Sword in melee combat.
Except for one thing.
'Might as well give it a shot.'
I wasn't entirely sure, but if I had to pick something that could counter the Plasma Sword from my arsenal, it would be this.
['Ankelenth's Spear' summoned!]
['Ankelenth's Spear' summon time remaining: 15 minutes, 16 seconds.]
Bagos charged at me.
"You made me pull this out, so you won't die easy!"
A pitch-black spear naturally sprouted from my hand, blocking the Plasma Sword's strike.
But that wasn't all.
Ziiing!
"Wh-What? How did it block the Plasma Sword...?"
Honestly, I was a little surprised too.
'I didn't think it would withstand that... So this really is part of Ankelenth's, huh?'
The Plasma Sword was known for its unparalleled cutting power—there was virtually nothing it couldn't slice through.
But not only did Ankelenth's Spear withstand the blow without even a nick, it actually weakened the Plasma Sword's output.
'The spear's durability surpasses the cutting force of a Plasma Sword.'
This meant it was essentially an indestructible weapon.
"You bastard!"
Bagos swung the Plasma Sword wildly.
It was a reckless, untrained attack, devoid of technique or restraint.
There was no way I'd fall for something like that.
The Ankelenth's Spear moved fluidly, easily deflecting the Plasma Sword before piercing Bagos' throat.
"Guh... You son of a..."
Thud.
[You have single-handedly defeated 'The Bagos' Brothers'!]
[Tenacity stat has increased.]
[6 → 7]
[If it becomes known that you have defeated 'The Bagos' Brothers,' the favorability of factions hostile to them will increase.]
'That's about it.'
It was unexpected for Bagos to have a Plasma Sword, but judging by how it broke during the fight, it would be tough to repair.
Since Plasma Swords were powerful yet precise tools, they had a critical weakness in durability.
'Fixing it would cost more than buying a new one.'
Since I couldn't afford to hold back against Bagos, I pushed the regret aside and rummaged through his belongings, hoping to find something useful.
'Nothing special, huh.'
Just as I turned around—
'Huh?'
Something felt off.
I noticed the ether in the air was trembling.
[She's coming, she's coming...]
[Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away.]
[Screeeeech—!!!]
[Aaaaaaaah!!!]
The ether around me raged violently.
Something was coming.
"Gik... Gigik..."
Suddenly, Bagos' corpse, which had been lying motionless, began to twist grotesquely and slowly rise.
It wasn't that Bagos had come back to life.
He was definitely dead.
That left only one explanation.
'...Possession.'
But it didn't make sense.
This place wasn't like Noah—an area dense with ether.
Why would a possession suddenly occur here?
'Why now?'
But then I realized the reason.
I felt an eerily familiar aura emanating from Bagos, who had just risen.
["Hmm..."]
An ethereal resonance layered over Bagos' voice.
I knew exactly what caused this phenomenon.
One of the members of the Shadow Order—
A monster that seizes and takes over the bodies of others.
["Were you the one who killed this man? He was quite an amusing toy... This is troublesome. You're making me want to kill you."]
The One Who Dwells, Esther.
She appeared right before me.