"What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"
Deep within a hidden room somewhere in the town of Gimul, a gruff, angry roar echoed against the walls.
"Why would you bring a brat like that here?! What are we supposed to do if we’re followed?"
"It couldn't be helped! The town is crawling with the Guard Force and adventurers, and there are tamed monsters circling the sky like hawks. If we’d gone running off in a pack, we would’ve been spotted and caught in seconds."
"So instead, you let a kid see your faces, beat the man who heard him scream into a pulp, and then brought the kid along anyway? What was the point of stealing a carriage to keep a low profile if you were just going to do that?!"
"Oh? So you’re saying it would’ve been better if we just let ourselves get caught?!"
The room was small, windowless, and oppressive. A thick, suffocating tension hung between the men as they glared at each other. Finally, a third voice cut through the silence.
"Shut up. You’re both being annoying."
"Leader, but this guy—"
"He’s right," the leader interrupted. "But remember why we’re stuck in this hole to begin with."
"...To hide from the townspeople and the newcomers they sent in."
"Exactly. Those people can’t be trusted. If we just follow them blindly, they’ll use us up and dispose of us once we’ve served our purpose. And we already know what happens if the town catch us. If either side finds us and information about this place leaks, it’s all over. Am I wrong?"
"No... you’re right."
"Then stop fighting amongst yourselves. It’s a waste of time. Endure it. And you—understand that you nearly did something irreversible. There won’t be a second chance."
"Yes, sir..."
The bearded man addressed as the Leader stepped between them, and the conflict died down. The other men in the room exhaled the breath they had been holding. The space was long and narrow, barely wide enough for an adult to stretch out their arms. With thirteen men crammed inside, the air was getting thin.
"Leader, what about the kid? We’ve got him in the toilet area for now..."
"We can’t let him go, but even a brat should fetch a decent price if we sell him off. You’re the one who brought him, so keep an eye on him until things cool down. And make sure he doesn't escape. If he tries to run or makes too much noise, kill him. We’ll need money to disappear, but staying hidden is more important than a few extra coins."
"Yes, sir."
"I’m worried about pursuers... how’s it look outside?"
"I have the tamed monsters on alert, but so far nothing is—"
The man's report cut off mid-sentence. Every eye in the room snapped toward him.
"What is it?"
"Ryoma Takebayashi is nearby. He’s right outside the wall."
"What?!"
"I thought you said they were on alert!"
"Quiet! Tell me exactly what’s happening. Is he a pursuer?"
"No... it doesn’t look like it. I think he’s just passing by."
"Passing by?"
"He seems to be cleaning the gutters. He’s not carrying any weapons, just cleaning tools."
The men looked at each other and let out mocking snorts of relief.
"Don’t scare us like that."
"Seriously. That’s a hell of a joke in this situation."
While the others laughed it off, the Leader’s face remained stiff. A cold, greasy sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"Everyone, grab your gear. Bring the kid, too."
"Leader?"
"Hurry up!"
"W-What’s the matter so suddenly?"
"Who the hell cleans gutters at a time like this?! Dammit, I can’t stop shivering. Every time my gut feels like this, something terrible happens. We’re getting out of here, now!"
"Escape? Where to?"
"Anywhere is better than staying here—!"
Before the Leader could finish his order, the room was plunged into chaos.
"Whoa!"
"What’s that smell?!"
"Gah, the toilet is overflowing—"
"Get out of the way!"
At the far end of the narrow room, sewage began pouring through the gaps of the toilet door. The pale-faced Leader shoved his subordinates aside and grabbed the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.
"Dammit! Don’t just stand there! It’s an attack!"
The Leader’s scream was barely audible over a grinding noise that vibrated through the floor. A violent tremor shook the building, followed by the screams of his men. In the next instant, massive cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and a torrent of sand erupted into the room, swirling like a gale.
The sudden sandstorm lasted only seconds, making it impossible to see. When the sensation of pelting sand finally stopped, the Leader squinted his eyes open and felt the touch of fresh, cool air.
"L-Leader!"
"I can see it... I’ve seen it a few times before, but that magic is just ridiculous."
As the thick dust cleared, it revealed their hideout had been reduced to rubble. The walls, the roof—everything had been pulverized, leaving them standing in the center of a ruin.
There stood Ryoma, the creator of the wreckage. Behind him were dozens of armed adults. Further back, the kidnapped boy was already being carried away to safety by a rescue team.
The kidnappers drew their knives, ready to fight. One of them charged toward Ryoma, who stood with an unnerving calm. Whether he intended to kill the boy or take him hostage, the man never got the chance.
"Stop! Don't be—"
"Gah?!"
Before the Leader could finish his warning, a series of small spheres—roughly the size of large rubber balls—flew in from nowhere at blinding speed. The first struck the man's knife-hand with a sickening crack.
Even before the knife hit the ground, three more spheres struck him in rapid succession: one to the temple, one to the jaw, and one to the back of the knee. With a short, strangled cry, the man collapsed into the sewage-soaked debris.
"He died for nothing," the Leader spat.
"I haven't killed him," Ryoma replied.
Four of the mysterious spheres hovered around Ryoma like orbiting satellites, bouncing with light, rhythmic sounds. These were a new evolution of the Latex Slime Ryoma had been using for rubber production: Rubber Slimes.
Just as natural rubber can be reinforced with sulfur or carbon to change its properties, these slimes could alter their own density and elasticity at will. Ryoma used them as non-lethal "Rubber Bullets." By hardening their bodies and increasing their bounce, they could fly through the air like superballs with enough mass to shatter bone.
In the hands of a martial artist like Ryoma, they were terrifyingly efficient. He could strike vital points with surgical precision, delivering enough impact to knock a man out through a steel helmet. Because they weren't lethal, they were perfect for capturing criminals in a crowded city without the collateral damage of arrows or spells.
"I’ll only say this once," Ryoma announced, his voice steady. "Drop your weapons and surrender."
"Hah... don't make me laugh. We're finished if we get caught anyway. Scatter!!"
At the Leader's command, the men bolted in every direction. Ryoma and the guards blocked the front, but the other sides looked clear. They weren't foolish enough to think there were no traps, but if they all ran at once, someone might make it through. They ran, betting their lives on that slim hope.
The Leader, however, stayed behind. He drew his knife and reinforced his body with Qi. He had no intention of surrendering, nor did he expect to escape. He was prepared to die taking the boy with him.
But when he tried to take his first step, his feet wouldn't move.
The resistance felt nothing like water. He looked down and saw that the muddy sludge beneath him had transformed into dozens of spectral hands, clutching his legs in a vice grip.
"Tch!"
He poured his Qi into his legs, tearing himself free from the grasp, and lunged forward. He didn't expect to win, but his pride demanded he at least leave a scratch on the boy's face. He thrust his blade with everything he had.
He ripped through the water hands as they reformed, slashing at the arms that rose from the muck to block his path. But no matter how many he cut or shoved aside, they reappeared a second later. His feet were pulled out from under him as the ground turned to slippery grease. He was sinking.
"Dammit?!"
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
The water hands weren't just after the Leader. Every one of his men was struggling against the same spectral grasp. Within seconds, the entire hideout and the surrounding area had been swallowed by a surging swamp of sewage.
It was a nightmare vision—a sea of filth from which countless hands reached out like vengeful spirits to drag sinners into the depths. The road was barely ten meters away, but to the kidnappers, it might as well have been on the other side of an ocean.
Resistance was futile. One by one, the voices of his men were silenced as they were pulled under.
"You... monster..."
The Leader, the last to fall, finally sank into the mire.
Ryoma remained standing atop the surface of the sludge, calm and undisturbed, attended by a thousand reaching hands.
■ ■ ■
The kidnappers were finally neutralized. I turned back toward the group who had gathered at the signal of my magic, intending to thank them. To my surprise, most of them were standing quite a distance away.
"Yudum-san, what is everyone doing all the way over there?" I asked.
"Taking cover from your magic," he replied with a strained smile. "I know how precise you are, Manager, but anyone else seeing that power would assume they were about to be caught in the blast. Also, that sludge magic is genuinely terrifying. And it smells. To be honest, if I wasn't your bodyguard, I wouldn't want to get anywhere near it either."
"Ah, I see. I guess I was a bit too focused on the 'capturing' part. I didn't mean for it to be quite so... unsettling."
"Well, it's over now, so let's not worry about it. You did catch them, right? They looked like they were being swallowed whole. You didn't kill them?"
"They’re fine. I’m making sure they have air. I can block their airways if I need to, but right now I’m just using the pressure of the water to keep them immobilized."
"Good. Then we’d better secure them quickly. Suppression complete!"
At Yudum-san’s shout, the guards who had been hanging back came running forward.
"I’ll remove the sludge gradually," I said. "Please take them into custody as they appear."
"U-Understood. But man, the smell is unbelievable..."
"It’s sewage and mud, after all. More importantly, how is the boy? I confirmed his vitals were stable."
"He’s safe. Tied up but uninjured. We’ve already sent him to the hospital."
"I see. That’s a relief."
"We’ll take it from here, then."
The squad from the Guard Force gave me a respectful nod and got to work. My job now was to slowly return the sewage and sludge to the drainage channels and hand the criminals over.
"You okay, Big Bro?"
"You look a little shaky."
I looked up to see the boys from the young delinquent group.
"I’m alright. Just a little tired now that the adrenaline is fading. Thanks for the help."
"Don't even mention it. We didn't really do anything."
"Yeah, we basically just stood there and watched."
They laughed it off, but their help had been invaluable. I had used two types of slimes to track the kidnappers through the town's drainage network, and having people who knew the shortcuts and layout of the city made the process much smoother.
Still, the whole operation had taken a toll on me. I was glad the information I’d gathered beforehand allowed me to narrow down the potential hideouts.
"I never would have guessed they were using a rental warehouse as a base," Yudum-san remarked. "It looks like they spent a lot of time modifying the interior to create those hidden rooms."
"The enemy was thorough," I agreed. "To pull off renovations like that, they must have had help from someone within the warehouse management. But that’s a problem for the Guard Force to solve."
Once the criminals were bound and loaded into transport carriages, I went to speak with the officer in charge.
"I'll be taking my leave now. If there are any lawsuits or claims for damages regarding the warehouse, please have them contact me or the Security Company. I know I was a bit flashy, even if it was an emergency."
"I'll inform my superiors. And... thank you for your help in capturing these kidnappers."
The officer stood at attention and saluted. To my surprise, the delinquents and even Yudum-san followed suit. I returned the gesture with a bow and used Space Magic to teleport toward the outskirts.
After exiting through the North Gate, I used my magic once more and finally headed home.