Chapter 52 52: An Evil Presence Is Watching You

Before sneaking into the Tendo estate, Drake did not recklessly barge in.

Even if the Invisibility Potion could hide his figure, modern technology had far too many warning systems.

After all, he had not completely vanished from this world. He was only optically invisible.

If there were alarm devices such as laser sensors, then his trip might end in failure.

So, before slipping inside, Drake drank two more potions.

[Danger Sense Potion: Allows you to see nearby sources of danger. Duration: 10 minutes.]

[Spelunker Potion: Reveals the location of treasure and ores. Duration: 5 minutes.]

The former allowed him to see whether there were patrolling guards or hidden alarm mechanisms nearby.

The latter highlighted valuable items within his field of vision.

Drake's requirements were not high. Taking a few million yen in cash for living expenses would be enough.

Of course, if he could get something better, he would not mind.

"Phew…"

After finishing his preparations, Drake slipped into the estate like a gust of wind.

The potion buffs had limited durations. Although he had plenty in stock, it was still better to finish quickly.

"As expected, there are hidden defenses."

"No wonder this is a Tendo property. There are so many security systems."

In Drake's vision, the seemingly empty courtyard, where only a few guards were patrolling, was filled with hidden cameras and sensors.

There were even sentries watching from the shadows.

For things like surveillance cameras, Drake could walk past them openly.

As for devices whose functions he could not identify, he simply avoided them. That way, there should not be any problems.

During the process, Drake refreshed his Invisibility Potion once more and finally found something valuable.

"This safe is full of cash and gold bars. Not bad…"

Through the safe's sturdy outer shell, Drake saw the valuables highlighted inside by the potion's effect.

He did not have the key, but to a blacksmith who had mastered alchemy, even the strongest safe was nothing more than a lump of metal.

"Decompose."

Drake placed his hand on one corner of the safe and carefully sensed the composition of the materials that made it up.

Stigmata Alchemy could manipulate the most basic elements, such as iron, copper, gold, and silver.

The more he understood and familiarized himself with a material, the stronger the effect of his alchemy became.

If he had received a Soma Infusion buff from Shizuka Marikawa or someone else before coming here, the effect would have been even stronger.

Even in his normal state, however, decomposing a safe was no problem.

After about one minute, a hole was decomposed into the safe, which should have been sturdy enough to withstand an explosion.

Drake reached inside and tossed whatever he touched directly into his inventory. It was extremely convenient.

"Hm? A few of these metal pieces feel unfamiliar. They don't seem like precious metals such as gold or silver."

Just as Drake felt somewhat puzzled, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Oh my. I thought there was a small problem with Lord Tendo's security system, but it turns out to be a little rat."

Drake's movements abruptly stopped, and he turned around swiftly.

At some point, the invisibility effect on his body had already disappeared.

Perhaps that was exactly why his presence had been discovered.

The person who had traced him here was not one of the guards he had seen in the courtyard, but a masked man wearing a red tailcoat and a tall top hat.

Kagetane Hiruko.

Drake recognized the man's identity immediately.

'So at this point in time, he's already mixed up with Kikunojyo Tendo.'

Seeing that Drake remained silent, Kagetane Hiruko clasped his hands behind his back and spoke with the bearing of an expert.

"Shall we play a game of chase, little rat?"

"I can give you one minute to run."

"No need."

Drake reached behind himself. In the next instant, the brownish-yellow Sahara Slicers were already in his hands.

At this distance, using the Desert Scourge or Superheated Plasma Cannon would be awkward.

It was better to go straight into close combat.

"Hehehe…"

Seeing the boy before him draw his weapon, Kagetane Hiruko also seemed greatly amused and pulled his own guns from his waist.

His weapons were two modified Beretta pistols.

Their bodies had bayonets and gas vents attached, making them suitable for both ranged and close-range combat.

"Consider this an extra service for Lord Tendo. I'll help him clean out the rat in his house."

The moment his words fell, both of their figures burst forward with astonishing speed at the same time.

Clang, clang, clang—clang, clang!

Sparks burst from the point where their weapons clashed, followed by a rapid series of crisp metallic impacts.

A few seconds were already enough for both of them to grasp the other's level.

"…Interesting!"

Kagetane Hiruko leapt back, widening the distance between them.

Although the mask on his face hid his expression, the delight in his voice made it clear that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"I never expected to encounter such a powerful opponent here. What an unexpected reward."

"Boy, what is your name?"

"Superheated Plasma Cannon."

Drake could not be bothered to answer him properly.

He directly switched weapons and fired two phase-laser spheres.

Kagetane Hiruko's close-combat ability was indeed impressive, but compared to the Sword Princess, he was still far behind. Drake could handle him.

What he needed to be careful of was the fact that, as a mechanically modified soldier, Kagetane Hiruko had plenty of advanced technology hidden on him.

For example—

"Repulsion Field: Imaginary Device!"

Seeing that he had no time to dodge the strange spheres of light fired by the boy, Kagetane Hiruko directly stretched out his white-gloved hand, as if pressing against a barrier formed from the air itself.

The phase-laser spheres exploded in the space only a few centimeters away from him, bursting into a cloud of plasma.

By the time the plasma cloud that obscured his vision dispersed, Drake was no longer there.

That made Kagetane Hiruko's heart jolt. He immediately swung the blades attached to his guns behind him.

However, the attack he had anticipated never came.

He had been fighting a battle of wits against thin air.

"…Did he leave?"

A puzzled mutter came from beneath Kagetane Hiruko's mask.

A few seconds later, it turned into increasingly unrestrained laughter.

"Interesting. I will definitely find you, boy!"

...

With the effect of the Invisibility Potion, Drake successfully escaped from the Tendo family's territory.

Thinking back on the battle just now, he could not help feeling a little troubled.

"That repulsion field is annoying… light attacks won't be able to pierce through it at all."

Based on its performance in the original work, Kagetane Hiruko's repulsion field could at least withstand the impact of bullets.

Not only that, he could also reflect all those bullets back.

If it came to close combat, Drake was confident he could suppress him steadily. The problem was that the man's hands were far from harmless.

After all, Kagetane Hiruko's weapons were not only useful in melee combat. They also had triggers he could pull.

"If physical attacks won't work, I'll try magic next time."

On the way back, Drake simulated the fight in his mind again and again.

The laser mode of the Superheated Plasma Cannon should be able to penetrate the repulsion field's defense.

A repulsion field could only target attacks with mass. Lasers obviously did not fall into that category.

However… the next time they "met," it would probably be at the site of a certain major commission.

"There are too many things to deal with. One at a time."

Rubbing his temples, Drake took out several stacks of cash he had just obtained from his inventory and walked into a bustling supermarket.

....

One hour later, the long-absent aroma of food drifted through the office of Tendo Civil Security Corporation.

"The meat will be ready soon. Have some cabbage and tofu skin first to fill your stomach."

Drake stirred the soup pot with serving chopsticks as he spoke.

Since both of them were too lazy to cook, and since this place did not have proper kitchenware either, they simply threw the ingredients they had bought into one pot.

In other words, hot pot.

In truth, Drake did not need to remind her at all. Kisara Tendo was already eating with her head lowered.

At a time like this, the girl had suddenly become introverted.

She did not say a word and only focused on eating.

"Phew… It's good to be alive."

After eliminating more than half the ingredients in the pot, Kisara Tendo finally had time to use her mouth for talking instead of swallowing food.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm… I've always been able to eat my fill, so I don't really have any particular thoughts."

"Damn it. You were secretly living such a wealthy life behind my back!"

"We didn't even know each other before today, Miss Tendo."

The girl seemed to hate the surname she carried. Even while eating meat, she frowned slightly.

"Don't call me Tendo. Just call me Kisara."

"No problem, Madam Kisara."

"…I feel like you're making fun of me."

"That must be your imagination."

After eating and drinking her fill, Kisara leaned back on the reclining chair in satisfaction and lazily asked,

"How strange. You only joined today, but somehow it feels like I've already known you for a long time."

"Is that so?"

Drake glanced at the bottom of the pot, where there was almost not even a single bean sprout left.

"No wonder you could so confidently make your subordinate pay for the welcome party."

"You were the one who suggested it!"

Kisara retorted, but her expression suddenly stiffened. A somewhat twisted look of pain appeared on her face.

"Ah… looks like it's time for my dialysis."

"Sorry, but the office has to close now. Come back tomorrow morning at eight. I'll take you to IISO for registration."

Drake glanced at the pale-faced girl and did not ask any further. He only nodded.

In truth, he knew why Kisara Tendo was in such a condition.

When Kisara Tendo was young, Gastrea had suddenly appeared in her home.

Not only were her parents killed, but she herself was severely injured and lost kidney function!

After leaving the Tendo family, because of her missing organs, she had to undergo hemodialysis frequently in order to survive.

Because of that, even though she possessed powerful swordsmanship, she could not support prolonged combat and was unable to participate as a fighter.

If her body had been intact, she might have been able to support the entire company's business by herself.

Of course, aside from transplanting artificial kidneys, there was an even simpler and faster solution to her missing organs.

That was to form a contract with Drake and have Shizuka Marikawa heal her directly, restoring her body on the spot.

However, Drake did not extend a contract invitation to her.

Because the current Kisara needed that pain to remind herself of one thing.

She lived to take revenge on the Tendo family.

After leaving the company… or rather, after "getting off work," Drake was too lazy to search for a place to stay in the Tokyo Area, so he returned directly to Terraria.

The World Quest required him to challenge the Queen Bee. Before that, he needed to massively upgrade his equipment.

With his current gear, he might die without even knowing how it happened.

"At the very least, I need to defeat the Eater of Worlds and advance my equipment progression to the point where I can craft Demonite gear."

"Looks like I'll need to explore the Corruption over the next few days."

"…"

While thinking, Drake suddenly felt a chilling premonition.

A cold sensation, like a clammy venomous tongue, crawled up his spine, making his scalp tingle.

[You feel an evil presence watching you…]

A line of faint blood-red text quietly appeared in his field of vision.

"This is… the warning sign before the Eye of Cthulhu awakens?!"

Drake instantly reacted.

He quickly left the small house at the spawn point and rushed toward the nearby battle platform.

In Terraria, when this message appeared, it meant that an evil boss, the Eye of Cthulhu, would descend that night.

"At least five Life Crystals used, defense above ten… I satisfy both conditions."

"At least four NPCs… the Merchant, Arms Dealer, Demolitionist, and Nurse. Exactly enough!"

"No wonder the Eye of Cthulhu is awakening tonight."

Once the conditions were met, there was a thirty-three percent chance it would naturally spawn every night.

A one-in-three chance. It would not be strange for it to trigger on any given night.

However, once the Eye of Cthulhu had been defeated once, it would no longer spawn naturally.

After that, it would require a boss-summoning item to be actively summoned.

Of course, if he kept failing, the Eye of Cthulhu would still have a chance to awaken at night.

But… Drake had never once considered the possibility that he would fail.

Having already defeated the Desert Scourge and King Slime, Drake had accumulated enough strength and equipment.

He was no longer the rookie who was guaranteed to die once when facing a boss for the first time.

"Come on—"

Looking at the giant eyeball monster quietly emerging beneath the night sky, Drake drank several buff potions in succession, raised the Superheated Plasma Cannon, and burned with fighting spirit.

"Prepare to die!"

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