Chapter 8. The Body of Steel and the Suspicious Supporter
The Dungeon, 10th Floor.
This was a region shrouded in thick fog. Visibility was extremely poor, and the area was frequently prowled by massive Orcs and Imps. For a rookie adventurer who had just reached Level 1, this place was usually a forbidden zone known as "The Nightmare."
But today, the monsters here met a true nightmare.
"ROAARR—!"
A Silverback, standing over two meters tall, roared as it charged out of the mist. Its thick arms, capable of crushing solid rock, were raised high. With a whistling sound that cut through the air, it slammed them down toward the seemingly frail, red-haired human before it.
Shirou Emiya stood his ground. He did not draw his sword, nor did he retreat.
If it had been yesterday, facing such a power-type monster, he would have chosen to parry and deflect the force with a projected longsword or keep his distance by kiting it with a bow.
But today was different. Within him, the incantations granted by that Grimoire were echoing.
"Steel is my body."
Whir—!
Emerald-green Magic Circuits pulsed through his entire body in an instant. A nearly invisible metallic luster appeared on the surface of his skin, and his muscle fibers hardened immediately, filled with high-concentration mana.
[Structural Reinforcement · Active].
THUD!!!
A dull impact resounded through the passage.
The Silverback's heavy strike, strong enough to shatter an adventurer's skull, landed squarely on Shirou's raised left arm. However, the expected sound of snapping bones never came.
Instead, the Silverback let out a cry of pain. It felt as though it had struck a solid slab of Adamantite alloy; a sharp, jarring shock of recoil surged through its wrist.
"I see..."
Feeling the force transferred through his arm, a satisfied smile played on Shirou's lips.
"The impact is still there, but the physical damage has been reduced by at least 90%. With this level of hardness, I could probably tank a full-power strike from a Level 2."
This was his new magic—replacing the concept of his flesh with "Steel."
"Since the defense test is over... goodbye."
Shirou's gaze sharpened, and he clenched his right fist. He didn't need any exquisite martial techniques; in the state of [Structural Reinforcement], his body was the ultimate blunt weapon.
BOOM!
A simple, unadorned straight punch.
The Silverback's thick pectoral muscles caved in instantly. Its massive frame flew backward like a cannonball, slamming violently into the rock wall before dissolving into a cloud of black smoke.
A purple Magic Stone fell to the ground.
"Phew..."
Shirou dissipated the mana in his body and shook his slightly aching arm. "The effect is perfect, though the mental drain is indeed a bit heavy."
He picked up the Magic Stone and looked around with a slight frown at the drop items scattered across the floor. Aside from the Silverback, there were the remains of seven or eight Orcs and Imps lying there (slowly vanishing).
"Picking up drop items alone is such a waste of time."
Shirou sighed. As an "Ally of Justice," his time should be spent swinging his sword and saving others, not bending over to pick up stones.
"I need to find a Supporter. But the Supporters in the Loki Familia are all assigned to fixed parties..."
Just as Shirou was contemplating this while tidying his spoils, a cacophony of insults suddenly drifted from the fog ahead.
"Running? Where do you think you're going?!"
"Hand over the money! Stop playing dumb, you hid a Magic Stone in your shoe just now, didn't you?!"
"Damn brat, looks like if we don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn the rules of the Soma Familia!"
Accompanying the shouts were the dull thuds of heavy blows hitting flesh and suppressed sounds of sobbing.
Shirou's movements stopped. His [Mind's Eye (True)] allowed him to perceive exactly what was happening even through the mist. A group of malicious "red-named" units was ganging up on a weak, defenseless presence.
"...Honestly."
Shirou tossed the Magic Stone he had just picked up into his bag. The helplessness in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a calm, chilling coldness.
"No matter the world, there are always these disgusting types of people."
.
.
.
At the corner of the passage.
A small Pallum girl was curled up on the ground, protecting her head with both hands as she endured the kicks and punches landing on her body. She wore a backpack larger than her own body—the hallmark of a Supporter.
Lilliruca Arde. At this moment, she was in the depths of despair.
Because she had hidden a tiny Magic Stone to trade for some decent food, she had been caught by the adventurers of her own Familia.
"Stop! Please... I really don't have anything else..." Lili cried out, her voice hoarse.
"Shut up! We'll strip you bare to search you. I don't believe you only had one!"
A bald adventurer with a scarred face grinned cruelly and reached out, grabbing Lili's collar.
Lili closed her eyes in despair.
'Will someone save me? A God? No, the Gods only brew that wine that drives people mad; they don't care if we live or die.'
Just as the bald man's hand was about to touch Lili's skin—
"Um... excuse me."
A gentle yet firm voice suddenly cut in.
"Even though the Dungeon is a lawless place, bullying a little girl is quite a pathetic sight, don't you think?"
The bald man froze and whipped his head around. "Who's there?!"
The mist cleared. A youth with short red hair, wearing light leather armor, walked out. His hands were in his pockets, a deep-red shortsword hung at his waist, and he wore a harmless smile.
"Loki Familia, Shirou Emiya. Just a passing newcomer."
"Loki Familia?" The bald man paused, then sized Shirou up before letting out a sneer.
"I wondered who it was—the rumored 'magic-trick rookie'? What, did you come to the 10th floor to die alone?"
The members of the Soma Familia exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with greed. A lone newcomer. Even if he was from the Loki Familia, "accidental" deaths were common in the Dungeon.
Besides, they had heard this kid carried quite a few good things...
"Kid, if you don't want to die, get lost. This is internal Soma Familia business." The bald man drew a large blade and brandished it threateningly.
"Internal business?"
Shirou glanced at Lili on the ground. The sight of the girl's eyes—filled with terror and a deadened silence—made his heart sting.
"Since I've seen it, I can't ignore it."
Shirou sighed and took a step forward.
"Let her go. And then, get out."
"You're asking for it!" The bald man was enraged. A mere Level 1 rookie dared to be so arrogant! "Get him! Kill him! We'll just say the monsters did it!"
At the bald man's command, three Soma Familia adventurers charged at once. Low-lifes they might be, they were still desperate men who had survived the Dungeon for years; their strikes were aimed to kill.
Two longswords and a dagger thrust toward Shirou's throat, heart, and abdomen.
"Watch out!" Lili cried out instinctively.
However, faced with this lethal ambush, Shirou Emiya didn't dodge. He didn't even draw the sword at his waist. He simply stood there, his lips moving slightly.
"Trace—On."
Whir! The familiar emerald circuits lit up again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Three sharp metallic sounds rang out.
The three blades, sharp enough to pierce leather armor, struck Shirou's skin and were violently repelled as if they had hit a steel plate! Because of the sheer force of the thrust, the tip of the dagger actually snapped off.
"Wh... what?!"
The three attackers were completely dumbfounded. They stared at Shirou's unharmed skin; not even a white scratch was left behind. Is this a human body? Even in heavy armor, there should have been some reaction!
"Your force is too weak," Shirou said expressionlessly. "Worse than the Orcs on this floor."
The next second, the counterattack began.
BAM!
Shirou drove a knee into the abdomen of the man in front. The monstrous strength granted by [Structural Reinforcement] exploded. Without even a cry, the man was sent flying like a cooked shrimp, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness instantly.
Next came a spinning kick. The second man's arm twisted at a grotesque angle as his sword flew across the passage.
"M-Monster!"
The remaining bald man's legs went weak. Where was the rumored "Mage"? This was a Minotaur in human skin!
"Who was it you said you were going to strip bare?"
Shirou walked up to the bald man, looking down at him. There was no anger in those amber eyes, only a suffocating calmness.
"N-No... I was joking! Have mercy, big brother!" The bald man dropped his blade and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Take your men and get out," Shirou said coldly. "If I see you doing this again... I'll throw you into a horde of monsters."
"Yes, yes! We're leaving!" The bald man, as if receiving a divine pardon, dragged his two unconscious companions and scrambled away into the mist.
Silence returned to the passage.
Shirou dissipated his reinforcement magic and rubbed his temples tiredly. While this violent method of resolution was satisfying, it was truly exhausting. He turned to the Pallum girl still slumped on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Shirou reached out, the coldness on his face melting away to reveal the gentle "big brother" once more.
"Can you stand up?"
Lili stared at him blankly. The impact of the scene she just witnessed was too great. An invulnerable body, terrifying strength, and that uncompromising aura toward evildoers...
"Why..." Lili's voice trembled. "Why did you save me? Are you a fool?"
"Told I'm a fool again, huh," Shirou gave a wry smile and knelt down.
He didn't pull her up immediately. Instead, as if by magic, he produced a rice ball wrapped in greaseproof paper from his vest.
"I don't know what you've been through, but you can't think straight on an empty stomach."
Shirou handed the rice ball over. "It's a special fried shrimp rice ball. It's still warm."
Lili looked at the rice ball, then at Shirou's defenseless, smiling face. In that instant, her heart—full of calculation and darkness—pounded wildly.
'This man... is strong. Very strong. And he's a total pushover.
If I can use him... if I can use him as a shield...'
Lili lowered her gaze to hide the flash of cunning in her eyes. When she looked up again, she had put on a pitiable, grateful expression.
"Th-thank you, Emiya-sama..." She took the rice ball and took a careful bite, tears streaming down her cheeks (this time, half-acting, half-genuine because of how good it tasted).
"Um... is Emiya-sama exploring alone?" Lili wiped her tears and asked timidly.
"If you don't mind... could Lili be your Supporter? Lili is weak, but I'm very good at picking up Magic Stones and carrying luggage!"
"A Supporter?" Shirou blinked, then showed an expression of pleasant surprise.
"Really? I was just worrying about having no one to help with the drop items! If you're willing, that would be a huge help!"
"Wonderful!" Lili broke into a smile while sneering internally.
'He took the bait. This human 'tank' with incredible defense will be my cash cow from now on. Once I've squeezed you dry, I'll steal that magic sword of yours and sell it...'
"Then I look forward to working with you, Lili-san."
Shirou smiled and reached out, pulling Lili up from the ground.
At this moment, he didn't know that his newly recruited "obedient" Supporter was currently brainstorming a hundred ways to scam him.
But what he did know was that the moment he took Lili's hand, his [Mind's Eye] had sensed a cry for help from deep within her soul, like someone drowning.
'Want to use me?' Shirou thought to himself with a hidden smile.
'Then use me all you want. Until the day you can truly smile from your heart.'