CH 70

Chapter 70 – True Monster

When I turned off the market, I checked my status for the first time in a while.

I had completely forgotten about it for a while. I guess it would be more accurate to say that I lost interest. What I can do and what I can’t do has little to do with my status.

I mainly fight with guns, so I don’t rely too much on my physical abilities, to begin with. The most commonly used are teleportation, storage, and market, but as long as they are used normally, they do not consume much magic power. It’s a very rare case that I run out of magic power after teleporting an entire Humvee.

…Well, maybe if I had seen my status at the time, I could have grasped the situation.

“Eh?”

I tilted my head when I saw the number that appeared.

Rank: 06

Physical Strength: 174

Magic Power: 1292

Attack: 621

Resistance: 789

Defense: 796

Agility: 887

Intelligence: 390

Bonds: 11

Skills.

“…Wait a minute, except for magic power and skills, there’s no growth at all?”

Even if the rank goes up, if I don’t train, the numbers won’t increase. I’m talking about how dependent I am on my skills (and guns). I’ve never done much fighting or exercise. I’m surrounded by Beastman, Dwarves, Elves, and other people with ridiculous physical abilities, and I’m too lazy in my middle age to think about learning to fight.

When I was summoned, I heard that the average person has a maximum of 100 and a median is 50. If that’s true, then I should be some kind of top-level athlete.

Oh, wait a minute. The reason why I was only “hurt” when I took a hook from noja loli-san before was not because she was being considerate, but because my endurance had improved!

“…Oh, I did my best, huh?”

“Oh, what’s your physical strength value now?”

Myrril-san peeked at me from the side as if she knew I was looking at my status. No, no one but me can see it, so it doesn’t really matter if she peeked at it or not.

“Uh… physical strength 174, attack 621, defense 796, agility 887.”

“Not bad.”

Even with all this growth, it’s still “not that great” by Casemaian standards.

“Your agility is not bad. That should make you handy in hand-to-hand combat.”

“I’ve tried it in between teleportation, but I get out of breath easily.”

“That’s because your physical strength is low. You have to work out to keep your numbers up.”

“Low, you say, but it’s 178, you know? I’ve heard that the maximum status for an average person is 100, and the median is 50.”

“Maybe that’s how it is for humans.”

“Eh.”

I indeed heard this when I was summoned to the kingdom, so I’m pretty sure it’s for humans.

Does this mean that Beastman and Dwarves are different?

“For example, Beastman usually have a number of physical strength values above 100 from the time they are born. Even Elves and Dwarves are considered novices if they have 100 physical strength.”

The subject of the comparison is strange. Well, I’ll take it as a reference.

Does this mean that the only people who can compete with Beastman in hand-to-hand combat are superhumans who have surpassed the limits of ordinary people, like a hero? Or is there a surprisingly large number of non-ordinary people in this world?

“I see. But still…”

The growth of magic power and skills (only) is amazing. I don’t remember all of the original values, but they are the only ones that stand out clearly. I don’t use my appraisal much anyway.

I can see how the market, which I rely on and use all the time, is skyrocketing. But I wonder if the reason it’s exploding to the point of teleportation is due to the fact that I ran out of magic power and collapsed. Maybe it means that using it to the limit will increase it.

I don’t like the idea of increasing it every time.

It’s hard to know how much is possible when the numbers go up.

No, to be precise, it’s not hard, but it’s all about trial and error and not looking at the status. The result is these warped parameters.

When the market value exceeds 10,000, I’ll try to collect the tank.

Wow, I’m getting excited.

“Yoshua, what are you grinning about? You look like you’re up to something.”

“Umu, Staff Officer Myrril! I’ll be showing you the power of the Demon King’s Armored Forces soon! Hahahaha…!”

“…..Hmm. That’s good, right?”

The noja loli-sense didn’t really understand it but smiled gently with warm eyes like a mother watching a poor elementary schoolboy.

I’ve tried my best to create a character, but it’s terrible.

◇ ◇

The day of reckoning came sooner than expected due to the larger-than-expected purchases of building materials.

I nodded broadly when I saw the two T-55 tanks that had appeared on the plain in front of Casemaian.

“…Amazing! They’re huge! They look strong!”

“Well, yes, they are. But are you okay, Yoshua? You sound like an idiot, Yoshua.”

Myrril was dumbfounded, but there was no other way to describe it.

Every man’s intelligence is significantly reduced when he is confronted with a huge weapon. This is an instinct, so it can’t be helped. Yeah.

Except for the main gun, the numerical height, length, width, and height are not so different from a military truck or a school bus, but the armor, the weight, and above all, the power are unmatched by any other vehicle.

The T-55 began operation in the 1950s. It is a first-generation antique. Although it is still in active service around the world (mostly in developing countries), its performance may not be as good as modern tanks (3 to 3.5 generation), but in this world, it is the undisputed king of the land. It is an invincible monster.

Oh, I feel like I can win against anything with this. A mere Golem is nothing to them!

Both of them were made in the Czech Republic, just as I had hoped, but the 12.7x108mm anti-aircraft guns I was expecting (mounted in the hatch) were out of stock.

The only machine gun available was a 7.62×54mm R round coaxial with the main gun. Oh, that’s the same ammunition as the Dragunov sniper rifle. Dragunov, I probably wouldn’t use it even if I bought it.

Anyway, it would have been a shame if I could have gotten a high-powered heavy machine gun with more than five times the energy of a rifle bullet.

With the T-55, I now know that it is possible to procure up to 35 tons of weight, which will greatly increase my options in the future.

Well, I won’t be able to add tanks for a while.

The procurement cost was terrific, but the biggest problem was the operation. As expected, it would be impossible to get more tanks for the training, maintenance, and supply systems, and there would be no use for them after the Golem war.

I knew that, but I couldn’t give up, and when I asked Simon to find me a Merkava, he was stunned. Of course, it’s impossible,” he said.

Tch.

“Oh, Yoshua.”

“What is it, Private Myrril?”

“What’s that tone of voice…? Well, that’s okay. What’s this “tank” you’re talking about?”

“Umu.”

“The reason its body is greenish is so it can blend in with the forest and grasslands, right? That’s understandable, but why is the other one… white?”

Yeah, that’s right. I thought so too.

This is definitely the UN peacekeeping force. It’s been painted over, but there’s still a “UN” on it. [T/n: United Nations.]

Simon, where’d you get that?

“The white is to blend in with the snowfield. It’s a Russian tank, like the Urals and AKs, from the north.”

“I see.”

I’m not lying. It’s not all true, though. Yes, it looks like a social worker.

But the bullet holes in the turret are amazing. I’m guessing heavy machine gun rounds, seeing as how it’s all gouged out.

There’s no way to get through the armor, but… I don’t think it needs internal cleaning.

“Oh, Yoshua!”

A Dwarf, Caretta-jisan, peeked out from the front pilot’s seat of the white T-55 we’ve named Tank 2. He had a wrench in one hand and lubricating oil in the other. He was in a state of excitement with a big smile on his face.

Like me, the Dwarves were taken aback by the power of the tank. No matter how you look at it, they’re even more impressed than I am.

“This thing is fantastic! The M1919 was a dream machine, but this one is like… a Dwarf’s dream come true! “

“…Y-yeah. Good for you. So, where’s Heimann-jisan?”

“He’s working on Tank 1. If you don’t keep an eye on him, he might tear it to pieces.”

“Hmm, I know that feeling.”

No, Myrril-san, I don’t want you to understand that.

The Dwarves of Casemaian are all skilled blacksmiths and mechanics, but whether it’s their enthusiasm for research or their Dwarven blood when they see a new piece of machinery, their inquisitiveness and curiosity drive them to take it apart.

It’s a good thing that they have an amazing learning ability to identify and understand mechanisms, structures, materials, production methods, maintenance methods, and problems and to improve their skills, but the chances of them being able to put it back together are not that high.

Especially the first time, the restoration rate is less than 50%. It is said that through trial and error, you can eventually put it back together, but if you do that with a tank at least, there is a good chance you won’t be able to get it back in time for the invasion of the Imperial Army.

I would have preferred to keep it to a simple disassembly at first, but he stressed that it would be unpleasant to finish it halfway.

I don’t understand why they don’t want to stop at the halfway point, though.

“Hey, Heimann-jisan!”

“Oh, wait a minute. I am in the middle of teaching them the operation procedure.”

A muffled voice came from the green body of Tank 1. The young Dwarves Rukki and Mikki peeked out of the loader and captain’s hatches in the turret. As they came out, Heimann-jisan peeked out from the back. From the pilot’s hatch is another young Dwarf, Sakki. They all have names that sound like they’re from Scandinavia, but they’re three brothers who are very good mechanics.

“What’s up, Yoshua?”

“I’ve brought the shells. The tank commander will take care of it. Are you sure is it okay with Caretta-jisan and you, Heimann-jisan?”

“Of course!”

We need eight men for the two vehicles: a captain, a gunner, a loader, and a driver, and all of them, including the younger ones, are Dwarves.

A tank soldier has to be able to carry heavy crawler straps and shells and operate hard levers, but the interior of the vehicle is too small for a large Beastman.

Maybe it would be better if we didn’t limit ourselves to adult males, but I don’t want to send women and children to the front lines where a large contingent of Golems is pushing their way in. Neither do I, but the Dwarves in question rejected the idea.

I think the main reason is simply because they want to ride it.

“Yoshua, we need to test the main gun before the actual battle. How much can you fire?”

“It depends on how many Golems are coming our way. I’ve got 60 shells. I don’t know if I can buy more.”

The shells I got were 40 armor-piercing shells and 20 anti-tank grenades, and Simon said he would stock up when he got more, but I don’t know when that will be. We’ll have to make do with these for the time being.

“…Four rounds each for Caretta and me.”

“Be careful with your line of fire. A shell from this thing can fly ten miles.”

“Hoho, really? Well, I guess we’ll wait a bit. The target will be here soon.”

Yes. But isn’t that called a real battle?