Chapter 67

After adding the two memos as an afterthought, Issei pulled out the facility map to scope out where he should go next. On this floor, there were the dormitories, a few offices, the kitchens and relaxation facilities, nothing too serious, but best to be thorough in case he could find anything useful. On the next floor down were the labs where the staff experimented with chemicals and made the deadly poison that they planned on using on the ratmen. On the lowest floor was the ominously-named 'Purification Chamber.' Presumably where the controls for the poisons were located.

Issei really didn't want to go into the labs down there. He was not Gordon Freeman and he did not have a Hazardous Environment Suit on. His armour was designed to be used against enemies and magic, not poison, and you could bet that somehow, he'd have poison thrown at him. But, unfortunately, Issei was equally sure that he would be forced to go through the labs because the only way to the Purification Chamber was through one of the main labs. Oh joy.

WHAM!

Someone…or something…slammed into the door leading into the office Issei was standing in, making it crack. A low and guttural moan from the other side of the door made it clear that it was not a particularly proactive door-to-door salesman either.

Pulling the SIG out of his inventory, the Sekiryūtei very carefully pulled back the slide and chambered a round before also drawing back the hammer and uneasily aiming the weapon at the door. His swords had felt much like this before he had gained a skill in using them; uncomfortable, unbalanced, too light or too heavy. Hopefully it would be corrected if he got a skill with firearms.

With another couple of powerful slams, the door splintered, split and cracked before a shambling zombie broke through, face-faulting onto the floor after breaking through. If it wasn't for the fact that this was a very serious situation, Issei would be laughing his head off at the sight.

Purifier Remnant LV15

[Shambling Dead]

Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Issei quickly took aim at the downed undead's skull and squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

Unlike in movies, a gun going off was loud! His aim was surprisingly spot-on, as the bullet went right through the crown of the zombie's head, dropping it back to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

You have defeated a Purifier Remnant! You receive 400 EXP!

You receive Rat Poison Memo (1/15)

As a result of a specific action, you have acquired the skill [Firearms Proficiency (Handguns)]!

[Firearms Proficiency (Handguns)] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]

Since around 1250 AD, the use of gunpowder weaponry has grown and spread until it is the most commonly used military tool of the mundane world. From handguns and rifles to cannon and artillery, the number of weapons that have been made beggars belief. Although considered useless against any competent supernatural foe due to the development of numerous simple and easy to learn spells that render any form of black power or gunpowder within range useless, against the weakest (or stupidest) of the supernatural world, a gun can be just the thing you need to level the playing field.

- Grants the user the ability to carry handguns with ease.

- Increase Accuracy of all ranged attacks made with a handgun by 1.

- Increase Damage of all ranged attacks made with a handgun by 1.

"Huh…so that's why the [Gamer's Gear] doesn't like me using guns." Issei remarked. "Now what's that about memos…?"

The Rat Poison Memo turned out to be a part of a series of memos between the Project Head of Project Rat Poison and one of his scientists, Rokka Nia.

'Nia,

I believe you were specifically ordered NOT to make this poison as deadly as it could possibly be? We ONLY want to kill the ratman abominations, not the entire human population of Kuō. As it is, I am officially ordering you to scrap your work and start over from scratch. Make it deadly to the ratmen and easy to disperse inside their burrows, but I want it to be heavier than air.

There will be no lighter-than-air poison gasses made here, thank you very much!

Seto Tetsuo.'

'This Nia woman made a poison THAT deadly?!' Issei thought in disbelief. 'OK, it's official: these guys got what was coming to them when they died. Though, I'll admit raising them again as undead might be a bit much though…'

Looting the body and getting ¥5000, plus some snacks, Issei made his way back into the corridor-that-was-too-bright-to-look-at. The first couple of rooms that he entered were lounges and had nothing of interest beyond possibly-still-edible biscuits in them. The first couple of offices were boring, having reams of paperwork about the minutiae of both the supplying and running the base or of the experiments conducted on the floor below. The latter was in such complicated scientific jargon that Issei felt his eyes crossing as he tried to read them. Those joined the rest of the paperwork he'd be handing the Devils once this was over; hopefully they had someone who could understand the sciencey mumbo-jumbo.

In the third office though, he had to deal with two more [Purifier Remnants], which earned him the skill [Headshot], which was not simply a firearm skill; it could be applied to any projectile weapon, from a throwing knife to a crossbow. [Headshot], simply put, added a percentage, which varied depending on the skill's level, to the chance to hitting the target's head with whatever projectile weapon Issei was using at the time, as well as granting additional damage depending on what the weapon was as well.

A cool skill added to his repertoire, Issei continued on, adding [Rat Poison Memos] to his inventory whenever he killed a zombie. It was easier to think of them like that; dehumanising them in his mind prevented him from having to use his [Gamer's Mind] to force himself into a calm state. Honestly, he didn't know if he could actually kill a human just like that; it was hard enough with zombies.

After about fifteen more minutes, Issei cleared out the first floor of the facility and gathered all fifteen of the [Rat Poison Memos], which made the [Gamer's Gear] generate a keycard to allow access to the next floor down.

"…I don't want to know how you got ahold of this, do I?" Issei mused aloud as he alternated between eyeing his hand and the keycard. Much to his surprise, the [Gamer's Gear] manifested for a moment and flashed before vanishing again.

"Okaaaayyyy….moving on." Issei decided. More proof, if that was needed, that something was inside his Sacred Gear. And that it was fond of making fun of him.

All of the doors to the level below were made of clear glass for some stupid reason. It wasn't even bulletproof or reinforced glass, just the same kind of glass you'd get a screen door made out of. Why, just why? They were about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Shaking his head at the obvious sign that the Purifiers hadn't really considered the possibility of the place being invaded by an outside force, Issei inserted his keycard into the scanner, making the door slide soundlessly open. Even if he hadn't had the keycard, he was fairly certain that hitting the glass door with one of his swords would have shattered it easily.

Though that would have likely brought an entire horde of zombies and other unpleasant things down onto his head, so better not.

◤K◢◤o◢◤-◢◤f◢◤i◢

⸻

Did you like what you read? Support me on Ko-fi, where you can find advanced content!

⸻

The novel is available in PDF, visit the Ko-fi store.

⸻

☕️ https://ko-fi.com/sunflowers_fic ☕️