Chapter 41: Maybell Pilgrim (4)

"Are you awake?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, yes... Ugh, my head..."

There was a small bruise on Maybell Pilgrim's forehead.

It felt similar to getting hit by a rubber bullet.

"But you said you'd fix it? You mean the Ark-15?"

"Yes, that's right. I don't really know what's going on... but you've been protecting me this whole time, haven't you?"

"That's true, but..."

'What's going on?'

She was being suspiciously cooperative, to the point where it actually made me doubt her.

No matter how smart she was, could she really grasp the situation this quickly?

'Don't tell me... does she remember being possessed by the Spectral Beast?'

To be honest, I had barely used the experimental round myself.

Its purpose in the sub-scenario was to recover the experimental rounds and return them to the research lab.

That's why I didn't know whether a person who had been possessed and then returned to normal would retain memories of it.

If she was acting to retrieve the experimental round while keeping those memories intact, I couldn't afford to trust her.

'But... it's definitely an attractive offer.'

One of my original goals in indebting Maybell Pilgrim was to upgrade my equipment.

As one of the best weapon engineers in the Ark, she would undoubtedly be able to enhance my current gear by at least one tier, if not more.

Even though I was a bit wary, I could somewhat understand Maybell's perspective.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was a fact that I had been protecting her in a monster-infested area.

"First, let me make one thing clear."

"W-What is it?"

"If you fail to fix the Ark-15, chances are high that we'll both die."

"...What?"

It wasn't just a random threat—there was some truth to it.

Objectively speaking, both I and Maybell Pilgrim were in considerable danger.

"But... but isn't this Mount Noah? I thought monsters didn't come here..."

"It's not absolute."

Mount Noah is a place where monsters and beasts rarely appear.

But it's only rarely, not never.

To prove my point, distant howls from monsters echoed in the background.

[Awoooo!]

[Grrrr...]

"...Oh no..."

Maybell Pilgrim's face turned pale in an instant.

It seemed my warning had hit its mark.

"I-I'll do it!"

"Good. How long will it take to fix?"

"Um... I'm not sure... I need to see the extent of the damage first..."

"Five minutes."

"Huh? What?"

"Any longer, and it'll be impossible."

Realistically, I only had about five minutes left to maintain Ankelenth's Domain.

I wasn't planning to use all that time, but I would need at least two minutes to hold off the monsters.

'Besides, I don't know if Mug of Stone Throws will even be affected by Ankelenth's Domain.'

The higher the intelligence of a monster, the less influence Ankelenth's Domain has on them.

In fact, even the Grade-2 Phantasmal Beast, Nightmare, and Sart of Shadows only flinched briefly when the domain was proclaimed.

Under normal circumstances, Moog, the Stone Thrower wouldn't enter the domain, but since it had already identified me as a threat, I couldn't be certain the aggro had been fully reset.

"I'd appreciate it if you could start right away."

"Ah, y-yes!"

Avoiding Maybell's gaze, I subtly drove the bone tendril into the ground.

[Proclaiming "Ankelenth's Domain"!]

[Current duration: 5 minutes, 55 seconds.]

Maybell's face went pale again.

The proclamation of Ankelenth's Domain not only affects monsters and beasts but also exerts some influence on humans.

It's a power that triggers innate primal fear.

"What... what is that?"

"It's none of your concern."

"My bag..."

"It's here."

Since I had anticipated this situation, I had already gathered Maybell Pilgrim's tool bag.

"Oh! Thank you..."

Hurriedly, Maybell pulled out a spare pair of glasses from her tool bag and put them on.

Now that I thought about it, Maybell usually wore glasses, but when I first found her in Jenolan Cave, she wasn't wearing them.

"I lost the ones I was wearing... Luckily, these aren't broken. I'm pretty nearsighted, so I can't see close up without them."

With her glasses on, she looked just like the Maybell Pilgrim I remembered.

Seeing her like that again made me pause for a moment, lost in thought.

Back when I upgraded equipment, I must have prayed countless times in front of her... She broke more pieces of gear than I could count.

"Um... why are you looking at me like that?"

"...It's nothing. I just have astigmatism too."

"Huh?"

Maybell gave me a puzzled look, and I immediately regretted my pointless remark. My face felt uncomfortably warm.

"Forget it. Just focus on fixing it."

"O-Okay."

Adjusting her glasses, Maybell inspected the broken Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle and the NO-13 grenade launcher.

"The damage is severe, but... I can fix it."

"Can you repair the grenade launcher too?"

"Yes, fortunately, it's not as badly damaged. It shouldn't take long."

"I'm counting on you."

Once she started working, Maybell's expression became serious and focused, as if her earlier fear had never existed.

"Um, there's something I'm curious about..."

"Focus on your work."

"I'm fine. This much is easy for me."

In fact, her hands moved so fast that they were almost a blur.

Wrenches and screwdrivers danced between her fingers as she swiftly disassembled the damaged Ark-15 and NO-13.

"There's just something bothering me... How did you end up saving me? I remember going into a cave... but after that, it's all blank."

It was an expected question.

A natural one, even.

I couldn't just say I knew about her disappearance and tracked her down.

If I did, she might snap the Ark-15 in half out of sheer frustration.

So, I decided to make use of Carl Marcus's identity and background.

A descendant of a tribal faith.

In this world, I was considered an uncivilized barbarian and a member of a tribe that coexisted with the supernatural phenomenon known as ether.

"The voice of a spirit guided me."

"...What?"

Maybell's hands paused.

As a firm believer in science, and someone who sought to understand even the phenomenon of ether, hearing that a spirit's voice led me must have sounded bizarre.

"What... does that even mean...?"

"A spirit guided me. That's all I'll say. Your hands stopped. Keep working."

"Uh... right. Got it."

Maybell nodded, seemingly reminded of my foreign appearance.

Though not as striking as Kurilta, I still had slight physical differences from the typical Ark residents, including skin tone.

"Where did you get all this equipment?"

"I traded with the Ark."

"...Smuggled goods?"

"No. Legitimate trade. Ask Lieutenant Imosha, the Red Line Gate-17 Officer."

Since she would inevitably learn my identity when she returned to the Ark, I saw no harm in revealing this much.

The important thing was to make sure she never found out that I was the Skull Turncoat who took the experimental round.

"...I see. The registration codes are genuine Red Line stock. Smuggling these would've cost a lot of heads, so that makes sense."

As Maybell Pilgrim's hands moved busily, she glanced at it as if she had inspected that as well and spoke up.

The disassembled firearms were gradually taking shape, with the damaged parts neatly repaired.

Even seeing it right before my eyes, it was hard to believe.

"But this NO-13 grenade launcher belongs to the Orange Line... Where did you get it?"

"I picked it up."

"...Really?"

"To be precise, I took it from the corpses of soldiers who had it. I killed all the monsters that had kidnapped the soldiers. Is that a problem?"

"...If that's the case, then it shouldn't be an issue. Even the Ark wouldn't claim ownership over equipment lost in the field."

Since this was the truth, there was no need to hide it.

The Ark might be strict about external leakage of military supplies, but they didn't obsess over items lost on the battlefield.

"Now that I think about it, I never asked your name. I'm Maybell Pilgrim."

"Carl Marcus."

"I haven't properly thanked you yet. Thank you for saving me. For protecting me... and for continuing to protect me."

"I merely followed the voice of the spirit."

Maybell Pilgrim gave a faint, weary smile before speaking again.

"Aren't you curious why I went there?"

"There's no need for me to be curious. I just followed the voice of the spirit."

"...You really are consistent. Still, I want to say it, so I'll just tell you. I was looking for something. Though... I guess I'll never find it now."

"Is that so."

"If only I had it, I could save the Ark from the suffering caused by spectral beasts and ether... It's all my fault."

A slight pang of guilt tugged at me, but I didn't let it show.

After all, the experimental round would ultimately fail to be mass-produced, and it was true that I saved Maybell.

"It's done. I paid special attention to durability, so it shouldn't break from this level of impact again."

"Good work."

She actually finished repairing the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle and the NO-13 grenade launcher within five minutes.

Maybell Pilgrim completed the task using only the minimal parts she had and the remnants of the broken equipment.

She used whatever was usable and disassembled or repaired what wasn't.

As expected from one of the Ark's top weapon engineering authorities.

'No... this goes beyond mere repair.'

I immediately examined the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle.

──────────────

[Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle MK.3] [★★★(+★★★)(6-Star)]

—The Ark's standard supply automatic conversion rifle, MK.3 version.

—Crafted and enhanced by the hands of the weapon engineering authority, Maybell Pilgrim.

—Basic performance and durability have been significantly improved.

—Firing rate has been increased by one level.

—Attack power has been increased by one level.

—Durability has been increased by one level.

—Can switch between three modes: Automatic Rifle, Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle, and Shotgun.

—Integrated with the NO-13 grenade launcher beneath the barrel.

—Grenade launcher projectile speed increased by one level.

"View Details"

──────────────

──────────────

[Detailed Stats]

[Ark-15 Automatic Conversion Rifle MK.3]

Attack Power: ★★★(+★) (4-Star)

Firing Rate: ★★★(+★) (4-Star)

Projectile Speed: ★★★ (3-Star)

Range: ★★★ (3-Star)

Stopping Power: ★★★ (3-Star)

Recoil Control: (+★) (1-Star)

Durability: (+★) (1-Star)

+

[NO-13 Grenade Launcher]

Attack Power: ★★★★ (4-Star)

Firing Rate: ★ (1-Star)

Projectile Speed: ★(+★) (2-Star)

Range: ★ (1-Star)

Stopping Power: ★★★★ (4-Star)

Blast Radius: ★★★ (3-Star)

──────────────

'As expected...'

Maybell Pilgrim truly lived up to her title as the head of the Special Purpose Weapon Research Lab and a weapon engineering expert.

In such a short time, not only had she repaired the equipment, but she had also upgraded it.

'Due to the upgrade, attack power increased, and durability was enhanced as well. This must be the artisan effect.'

Depending on who performs the upgrade, additional attributes may be applied.

Since the upgrade was done by Maybell Pilgrim, one of the Ark's most authoritative engineers, an extra durability enhancement was added.

'Furthermore, the attack power increase is likely due to both her expertise and the "Beginner's Luck" trait.'

Among all the attributes that can be upgraded, [Attack Power] is the most highly valued.

So gaining an attack power boost from this upgrade was a huge gain.

This meant that in terms of destructive power alone, it was now on par with the NO-13 grenade launcher.

"Umm... Is it safe now?"

Maybell Pilgrim spoke in a worried voice.

It seemed my initial warning had left a lasting impression on her.

"Yeah, probably."

Though I said it uncertainly, in truth, I had no fear here.

No fear of dying.

I gripped the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle firmly.

Clack—

With preparations complete, I decisively pulled out the bone tendril embedded in the ground.

[Ankelenth's Domain has been deactivated.]

[Current duration left: 2 minutes, 11 seconds.]

Even though I had deactivated Ankelenth's Domain intermittently, the remaining time was now just about two minutes.

But that was enough.

Whether it was two minutes or one minute, it was plenty of time to wipe out the monsters.

[They're coming...]

[Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come. Don't come.]

The ether quivered.

Soon enough, I could sense the presence of monsters and beasts approaching from the distance.

[Grrrr...]

[Kyaooo!]

There was no need to be afraid.

A hunter does not fear its prey.

***

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