The Homeless Camper Wants to Live Leisurely in a Dungeon ~Even Dangerous Deep-Layer Monsters Are Just Ingredients to Me~
「Shit!」
BANG
One of the men who had taken us customers hostage and barricaded themselves in the store kicked a chair with all his might, causing a loud noise to echo throughout the shop.
“Hii…”
“It’s okay, it’s going to be alright!”
I held my trembling brother tightly, who was frightened by the loud noise and the man’s angry shouting.
My brother was crying, shaking with fear. At some point, I realized my own body was also trembling.
“Damn it! This isn’t what we were promised! How were we supposed to get our hands on a fortune without being caught? The police and the Dungeon Defense Squad are already gathering around this place!”
“Shut up, just shut your mouth! Damn it, this wasn’t supposed to happen… If those guys hadn’t interfered, we could’ve gotten away with the money without anyone noticing!”
“Mmm…”
The man’s gaze landed on one of the male shop employees who was tied up, blood still flowing from his shoulder where the man had slashed him with his sword.
Several other employees had also tried to stop them but were cut down and now similarly bound, injured in various places. I wanted to call an ambulance for them, but those men wouldn’t allow it.
The group’s leader, disguised as a shop employee, along with accomplices hidden among the customers, had taken us hostages, closed the shutters, and barricaded themselves inside the shop.
The leader was wearing the uniform of the store’s staff.
Listening to bits of conversation between the large blond accomplice guarding the hostages and the four others, I gathered that the leader had been undercover in the store for a long time. He had conspired with his gang to steal expensive magic items, weapons, and armor from the shop, but their plan had been exposed, forcing them to take refuge in the store.
“Tch, the cops and the Dungeon Defense Squad sure moved quickly… In such a short time, they’ve already surrounded us. They won’t storm in now because we’ve got hostages, but what do we do next?”
“I’m thinking about it now, damn it! Just use your useless brains for once!”
“What did you say?! Who do you think got us into this mess?!”
“Yeah, exactly!”
The leader, holding a sword, and his accomplices started arguing fiercely. There were about twenty other customers in the shop besides me and my brother, all gathered and forced to sit in the middle of the store.
Trying to calm my brother, I hugged him tightly and covered his ears. It was just the two of us here today—I had to protect him!
“Tch, arguing here won’t solve anything. Let’s figure out what to do next.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But even though we destroyed the security cameras, the leader’s identity is already known, and they’ll soon figure out who we are too.”
“If we kill these hostages, we’re looking at serious jail time. We’re screwed either way…”
“At this point, our only option is to use the hostages as shields and run as far as we can. Luckily, the magic items and weapons in this shop have incredible power. With them, not even the police or the Dungeon Defense Squad will be able to stop us.”
“…Yeah. As someone with a criminal record, if I get caught here, I’ll probably spend the rest of my life in prison. Might as well take a gamble!”
“If we get caught here, our lives are over anyway. Let’s go for it!”
Half of the group agreed with the leader.
“…But look, this place is already surrounded. Even with hostages, isn’t escaping impossible?”
“Yeah, if we surrender quietly, maybe we’ll get a lighter sentence, right?”
The other half seemed hesitant about the leader’s plan. Please, just surrender…
“Tch, you cowards. Fine, I’ll show you the true power of this sword!”
With that, the leader raised the sword he was holding.
At first glance, it looked like a slightly longer sword, but unlike ordinary swords, its blade was a deep crimson red.
“Hey, what’s the situation outside?”
“…The police and Dungeon Defense Squad have surrounded this Roppongi Mall. There’s an armored vehicle blocking the road at the front.”
One of the accomplices, checking the situation outside through a gap in the shutter, answered the leader’s question.
“Heh, perfect. Hey, all of you watch closely!”
The leader opened the shutter slightly.
“This area is completely surrounded! Release the hostages and surrender peacefully!”
After opening the shutter a crack, someone from outside—either the police or the Dungeon Defense Squad—used a megaphone to shout at the hostage-takers.
“Hah! Like we’d surrender! We’ve got hostages, remember? And let me show you bastards the power of this sword!”
As the leader raised the crimson sword, its blade began to glow brightly, and flames erupted around it, wrapping around the sword itself.
“Take this!”
“…! All units, take cover!”
A voice from outside blared through the megaphone.
And in that instant, a swirling torrent of crimson flames shot out from the leader’s sword and crashed into the armored vehicle.
“Waaah!”
“Kyaa!”
Screams erupted from the people around us. I hugged my brother tighter.
“Hehe, this is the most powerful sword in this shop, imbued with a fire-attribute magic stone! Behold the power of this blade!”
“Whoa!”
Cheers erupted from the leader’s accomplices.
When I cautiously opened my eyes, all that remained was the charred wreckage of the armored vehicle.