Chapter 8: Payday and Problems
Shuichi Mayumi, who had been lying listlessly on his couch, suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes wide.
A surge of power—distinct, colder, and far more potent than the trickle from the old man or the sewer rat—flooded into his core. It was a substantial injection, easily surpassing everything Dry Arrow had provided before.
What in the world have you been up to while I wasn't looking?
He immediately re-established the visual link, his consciousness plunging into Dry Arrow's first-person perspective.
The view was a lurching, chaotic rush through the sewer tunnel. Dry Arrow was in pursuit, and its target was unmistakably a Konoha shinobi, identifiable by the flak jacket and hitai-ate. The ninja kept glancing back, launching the occasional fireball or gust of wind, but the attacks seemed to… dissipate against Dry Arrow's bulk without leaving a mark.
Is it really that strong? Shuichi doubted it instantly. A freshly turned demon, created with a minimal blood investment, shouldn't be shrugging off ninjutsu. There had to be a mechanism.
As Dry Arrow's perspective swung wildly, Shuichi caught a glimpse of the grotesque maw on its stomach snapping shut, looking strained, almost overfull.
So that's it. It absorbs them. Neutralizes the energy.
But that absorption clearly had a limit. The stomach-mouth was closed now. And despite its pursuit, Dry Arrow, with its lumbering bulk, wasn't quite fast enough to close the final gap on the more agile, desperate ninja.
A flicker of impatience cut through Shuichi's observation. This was taking too long. Noise. Risk.
"Dry Arrow," his voice, cold and authoritative, sliced directly into the demon's mind. "Finish this. Now. You have five seconds."
The mental command jolted through Dry Arrow like an electric shock. Its simple mind understood only the urgency and the penalty for failure.
With a guttural roar, its corpulent body erupted into a sudden, explosive burst of speed. It lunged, all four arms spreading wide, and crashed onto the fleeing shinobi, Hayata Kazuo, bearing him to the ground.
The gap closed. The terrifying face-mouth descended, biting and tearing. In a matter of seconds, the corridor was a mess of blood and shredded flak jacket. Hayata's final expression was frozen in utter terror.
As the shinobi's life faded, Dry Arrow unceremoniously stuffed the remains into the now-receptive stomach-maw to be digested. The absorption limit for raw energy and the capacity to process physical matter seemed to be separate systems.
"Now," Shuichi's voice came again, a cold order. "Get out of the sewers. Immediately."
Dry Arrow didn't hesitate, scrambling to its feet and loping away, seeking an exit. The hunt had been too loud, too long. The ninja had shouted. Others would come. The sewers were no longer safe.
Shuichi severed the link, rubbing his temples. A headache was forming. If Dry Arrow had killed the man quickly and quietly, they might have had hours, even a day, before a full-scale search began. Time to find a new lair under cover of darkness. But now? The alarm was likely already raised.
His thoughts turned, reluctantly, to the mostly silent entity residing in his mind.
"System. You still functional?"
"I am operational, host." The flat response was almost a relief. At least it hadn't vanished.
"Do you have any items that allow demons to move in sunlight?" It was a desperate, hopeful question for both himself and his now-compromised subordinate.
"Affirmative." The system paused, as if accessing a catalog.
"Available: 'Sunscreen' (Consumable). Effect: Prevents fatal solar disintegration for five (5) minutes upon ingestion. Note: User will still experience severe burning sensations and pain. Side Effect: Blood Demon Arts are suppressed for the duration."
Shuichi's eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected a real answer. A five-minute window, but with severe combat penalties—no Blood Demon Arts. Still, it was something. A demon fighting while on fire… had a certain psychological impact.
"Can I use it?" he asked, a spark of interest. As the Demon King, his base physical abilities were formidable even without arts.
"Negative. Host's cellular structure is too robust. The serum is ineffective." The explanation sounded clinical, final.
"…Right." He bit back further comment. "How much?"
A transparent screen materialized before him, displaying stark white text.
Item: Sunscreen (Consumable)
Price: 2,000 Units (Flesh Energy)
Conversion Note: ~1,000 Units ≈ 1% Template Fusion Rate
Shuichi's frown deepened. Two thousand units. His fusion rate was still at 41%. The energy from last night and this morning had merely replenished what he'd spent creating Dry Arrow. He'd gained almost nothing net.
A sense of foreboding crept in. The creation of Dry Arrow had cost less than 1% of his fusion energy. This five-minute pill cost more than creating two such demons?
His eyes narrowed. Unacceptable. Especially for an item that came with agony and a combat debuff.
"Ahem. System. Are there any… permanent solutions?"
"Of course. For example, this." The screen shifted.
Item: Umbrella of Tenebrous Shade
Effect: Provides complete 360-degree solar nullification for user directly beneath it. No sensory discomfort.
Caveat: Must be held by user. Umbrella possesses a 'heat capacity.' Effectiveness diminishes in prolonged, intense sunlight. At limit, item will dissolve. Regenerates capacity in total darkness.
Note: Possesses structural integrity of a normal umbrella. Will break if struck.
Shuichi listened, a flicker of hope rising—until his eyes scanned down to the price. A number so exorbitant it made his non-existent chakra coil recoil.
He dismissed the screen with a sharp mental command.
Outrageous.
He'd be better off letting Dry Arrow fend for itself, strictly nocturnal, until his travel papers were approved. No more daylight excursions.
The system, sensing a potential customer, began cheerfully listing other luxury items. Shuichi cut it off.
"That's enough. Let me know when you're having a clearance sale."
"Host, the system does not offer discount services at this time."
"Didn't ask." Shuichi shut down the conversation. He wasn't falling for that trap.
His mind returned to the footage from Dry Arrow's hunt. That absorption ability… it was intriguing. Did it only negate elemental ninjutsu, or could it handle taijutsu impacts as well? If it was the latter… the potential was significant.
Despite his vow to never lay eyes on Dry Arrow again, he reconsidered. Once he was safely out of Konoha, he would need to meet with his first creation. A thorough evaluation of its capabilities—and its limits—was necessary. The ugly, foul-smelling demon might have more value than he'd initially thought. But first, they both needed to survive the coming scrutiny.
(End of Chapter)
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