Chapter 14

    The Third Army

    Meanwhile, at Spider's Tower,

    "Brothers, you two guarding the door must be tired. Would you like something to eat?"

    Inari walked down to the entrance of the Spider's Tower to greet the two people guarding the gate outside, showing them a plate of cookies that was too large to pass through the small opening used for viewing.

    "Thank you."

    One of the guards said as he opened the door to take the cookies offered by the beautiful woman as per the invitation, just like his friend did, believing the rumors that their leader's coveted woman was indeed as sweet as they had heard, unaware of the beautiful danger approaching them.

    "Oh, look. Brother Spider is coming back."

    Inari looked out the now wide-open door. Upon hearing their leader's name, the two guards immediately turned back, having disobeyed their leader's standing order not to close the door. Outside, however, there was no one to be seen except for the fox mother, who narrowed her large eyes and transformed from a sweet, innocent girl into an assassin in an instant.

    Inari's tail, infused with magical power, became a large golden spear and pierced the two guards from behind at critical points, making the two of them vanished into light before they could even send any warning signals.

    "You can come out now, Möbius, Miho."

    Inari called out to the bushes next to the entrance of Spider's Tower, where the scent of her daughter and the young man faintly emanated.

    "Mommy, I’m here to help."

    Gumiho ran out of the bushes and immediately hugged her mother upon seeing her, although the fox mother didn't need any help at all. In fact, it was Möbius and Gumiho who needed Inari to take care of the two guards so they could enter the tower with ease.

    "It's been a bit tiring, Inari."

    Möbius walked out of the bushes following Miho closely. He gave a grateful smile to the fox mother who had exerted the most effort in his plan.

    The fox mother approached the young man who was smiling at her, then complained about being harassed by Purple Spider, making Möbius feel guilty for having sent her on such a physically demanding task.

    "Look, I got touched here, here, and here too."

    She pointed with her slender finger to her hand, shoulder, waist, hips, and finally stopped at her smooth white chest. Despite her seemingly pitiful expression, her eyes gleamed with the fun of tormenting her prey that she barely kept hidden before she wrapped her arms around the young man's arm.

    "Möbius, you have to console me with a hug, okay?"

    The fox mother hug and shook his arm adorably, even though she was clearly teasing him. But he couldn't help but fall for her charm. Möbius gently stroked Inari's soft golden hair and praised her.

    "Well done, Inari."

    "Hehe, not there, Möbius, it tickles."

    Inari laughed and smiled happily, because as the leader of the celestial fox tribe, no one had dared to pat her head before. However, now that she and Möbius were partners, he was the only one who could do so. Möbius's gentle touch as he slowly stroked her hair made the fox mother feel very good.

    "Do you like it like this?"

    Möbius, who had never seen the fox mother look so happy before, increased the speed of his stroking while simultaneously asking her how it felt.

    "Of course, I really like it, it feels so good."

    Inari, thoroughly enjoying the sensation, leaned her head towards Möbius, hinting for the young man not to stop. Meanwhile, Gumiho was watching and wondering when Möbius would pat her head too. She wanted to see if it really felt that good, as she had never seen her mother act so tame before.

    "Hey, wait a minute, you sly Möbius, you trickster."

    Suddenly, Inari regained her senses and realized Möbius had taken advantage of her by changing the reward from hugging to head-patting. Even though it felt good, how could this be considered teasing Möbius? She quickly released his arm and walked ahead before turning to glare at him, although Möbius found her attempt at looking fierce rather adorable.

    "Möbius, pat my head too."

    Gumiho, seeing that the young man was now free, came over and hugged his arm, encouraging him to pat her head as well. The young man smiled at the fox girl before gently stroking her hair four or five times, then beckoned her to follow Inari.

    "Hehe, so this is how good it feels."

    Gumiho felt that Möbius's hands, gently touching her hair, were both warm and tender, making her feel so good that she almost floated. The fox girl followed Möbius and her mother.

    Then, a soft notification sound from the system rang out,

    ‘Mr. Möbius, your affinity level with partnership (Gumiho) has increased to 60/100.'

    ‘Mr. Möbius, your affinity level with partnership (Inari) has increased to 50/100.'

    Soon, the trio arrived at the entrance to Purple Spider’s armory, facing a thick steel door that seemed impenetrable. The locking mechanism required a key that only Purple Spider possessed. The fox girl was the first to suggest a solution.

    "Shall we burn through the door?"

    Gumiho, ever the destructor, proposed her idea, conjuring a ball of fire in her hand. However, both Inari and Möbius quickly shook their heads, as the armory contained explosives and ammunition in large quantities; igniting them could likely trigger an explosion, endangering them all.

    "That won’t work, huh?"

    Inari, attempting to pick the lock with her slightly extended claws, soon realized the futility of her efforts due to the lock's complexity, which was fitting given the importance of the items stored within. This forced all three to think of another plan until Möbius finally had a breakthrough.

    "That’s it!!!"

    Grativa

    Möbius touched the door and increased its weight fivefold, causing the floor to give way under the heavy steel door, which easily fell through to the room below. He then stepped into the room, his eyes wide with astonishment.

    "Wow... this… is definitely heaven."

    Möbius eyed lit up as he looked at the contents of the room. He had long wanted guns like these, and the abundant ammunition would solve his ammo problems for a long time, plus there were high-powered rounds far superior to standard ones. The room contained four Gatling M134s. These were guns with barrels that rotated rapidly when fired, boasting an extremely high firing rate of up to 4,500 rounds per minute. Even though their individual attack power was low, their rate of fire makes them formidable. The downside was their excessive firing rate; after all, no one could carry hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition—except for him.

    Another type of weapon that Möbius desired and was present was the automatic sniper rifles and powerful shotguns. Delighted, Möbius began eagerly scooping up guns, ammunition, and explosives from the room.

    "Hey, look at this book, Möbius. Purple Spider said it's very valuable."

    Inari pointed to a book in a glass cabinet, which made Möbius thrilled when he saw its cover labeled as an Advanced Ammunition Crafting Manual, potentially saving him a fortune on ammo costs. He immediately grabbed the book and opened it, but what he found inside was something he knew, but desperately wished otherwise—it was...

    A single standard bullet.

    "Not again. Who thinks a gunner’s skill can be conveyed through a bullet?"

    Möbius, recalling the last time he shot himself, grumbled at length before remembering what he had seen then, almost causing his nose to bleed again. This time, he loaded that bullet into an ordinary handgun, the weakest one he had, and pointed it at his head, but his damn trigger finger hesitated, unable to pull the trigger, until Inari, waiting, started to annoyed.

    "Miho, come over here."

    Inari called her daughter closer, then led her in front of Möbius. She made a gesture as if to pull down Gumiho’s shirt, prompting Möbius to finally shoot himself in desperation.

    Bang!!

    1000 (Remaining 300/1300)

    'Player Möbius has acquired the ability, bullets craft (Hi).'

    Ability Window

    No.

    Name

    Ability

    11

    bullets craft (Hi)

    Can create high-class bullets from available materials (Innate skill)

    "Too late, Inari."

    Möbius, who had shot himself just in time, smiled because he managed to avoid any serious bloodshed though he now lay sprawled on the ground with blood spurting from his head like a fountain.

    "Well, now I won't even know which of us Möbius thinks has prettier breasts."

    Inari lamented with a hint of regret as she leaned down to tend to the young man's wound, realizing something as she spotted where the small bullet had been.

    "Möbius, you have the ability to infuse bullets with magic, right?"

    Inari asked while she treated the young man’s wound, her new idea relying heavily on Möbius’s abilities.

    "Uh... um, yes, but I’ve only used it once. Mr. Cosmos warned me to be careful because it could backfire and cause harm."

    Möbius tried hard to focus his gaze away from the fox mother, who was leaning over him carelessly.

    "Then, Möbius, bring out one of those big bullets."

    Inari smiled at the young man who tried not to look at her before asking for the items he had just absorbed into his left hand. Möbius remembered that among the bullets in his special dimension, there was one he didn’t know what to shoot with. It was a golden rifle bullet, thicker than his thumb and about five inches long. In no time, that bullet was in his left hand.

    "Stay still, Möbius. Now, I'll slowly infuse the magic into this bullet."

    Inari held Möbius's hand that clutched the bullet. Slowly, she began to channel her magical ultimate move, 'Foxfire Piercing the Ninth Heaven', through his hand into the bullet.

    Although it was the first time he was channeling someone else's magic into a bullet, the fox mother’s proficiency with magic helped him succeed. Soon, the bullet radiated a faint silver glow.

    "It's done, Inari."

    "What are you doing, Möbius, Mother?"

    Gumiho, having just finished exploring the nearly empty room, saw the pair engaged in something exciting. She didn't miss the opportunity to join in immediately.

    "Getting revenge on that guy who took advantage of me. Just think, Miho, imagine when he uses this bullet thinking he’ll gain powers. Hahaha."

    Inari laughed joyfully, loving her vengeful tactic. Möbius swallowed hard, imagining if he had accidentally used that bullet to shoot himself in the head, hoping for great power, only for it to unleash a giant beam shoot out of the barrel instead. It would be horrifying.

    "Let me join in too."

    Gumiho didn't wait, infusing her ultimate attack through Möbius into that bullet, then the two alternated pouring their powerful magic into the bullet, enjoying themselves while drinking the blue potions.

    "Enough. That's enough, it's going to explode in my hand."

    Möbius impatiently told the two foxes to stop channeling their magical energy into the bullet as Inari injected a large amount of fire power into it, because now the bullet was almost turned into a world-destroying bomb. He thought it was hard to believe that it wasn't exploding right now. If he shot it, let alone shot it, it would probably explode in the barrel and flatten the area into a drumhead. Because in total, this bullet has been injected with almost 20 spells of fire magic with high destructive power.

    "Sigh, I’ll stop now, but it's a shame we won't get to see this bullet in action."

    Inari rested her chin on her hand and sighed regretfully before putting the potentially world-ending bullet inside the ammunition crafting manual that had been hollowed out to fit the 5-inch bullet perfectly.

    "Mother, where’s the canon? I want to see it too."

    The young girl, who had been interested in the cannon since before she entered, because she had never seen the weapon that Inari had told her about, urged her mother to hurry up and take her to see the thing she had mentioned.

    "Um, it’s on the very top floor. Follow me."

    Inari stroked her daughter's head two to three times before leading Möbius and Gumiho to the top of the tower, to a room Purple Spider had let her use the previous night. When the two of them saw the room where Inari slept, they both opened their eyes wide in surprise.

    “Wow, Mother, you slept more comfortably than the two of us."

    Gumiho saw Purple Spider's luxurious bed and went up to try it on. It was a 10-foot bed, much larger than the standard 6-foot bed. The bed linens, pillows, and curtains were purple with gold trim, and the blanket was pink with silver embroidered thread. Seeing that Gumiho seemed to like this bed very much, Möbius decided to try lying on it and as soon as he touched it,

    "Oh... this touch,"

    Möbius almost disappeared into the softness of the bed, which was incredibly comfortable. The bed, being so large, could potentially improve his sleep. Möbius then absorbed the 10-foot bed into his left hand.

    "Möbius, while you're at it, take the chairs and the tea set too."

    Inari, who had a passion for art, couldn't help but admit that Purple Spider’s taste was impeccable, even though she found him disgusting. The furnishings in this room were beautifully European and, of course, must have been very expensive as well.

    Understanding the fox mother’s intent, Möbius absorbed everything in the room into his left hand in response to Purple Spider's harassment of his fox, rather than adhering to the system's justice. Meanwhile, Inari placed a red book on Purple Spider's desk to trigger a secret mechanism.

    Whoosh...

    Slowly, the spiral staircase descended softly to the floor of the room, and the trio ascended it to inspect the massive cannon with their own eyes. Neither was particularly shocked by the cannon's size, as they had seen it earlier before entering this tower.

    "Umm… looking at it up close, it really is massive."

    Möbius noted as he circled the Gamma Mörser cannon, wondering what he could do with it. Before he could absorb it, a letter with wings flew towards him at high speed. He set the cannon aside for the moment and opened the urgent letter, which detailed the wartime situations observed by the spies from the Erisé Village.

    In the battlefield,

    The troops of Purple Spider merely had to defend as their magicians and gunmen provided offensive support. They didn't need to consume power-enhancing potions because their priests were there to boost their strength. This contrasted with Black Bear's group, whose warriors had to multitask—defending, attacking, and boosting their own power. Even though they had a numerical advantage, they could only face Purple Spider’s front-line warriors one at a time. Meanwhile, the archers were at a disadvantage due to their lower ground position, making it difficult for their arrows to reach Purple Spider’s forces positioned high on the cliffs. As a result, Black Bear’s forces were gradually dwindling compared to those of Purple Spider.

    "Give it up, Black Bear, the outcome of the battle is clear."

    Purple Spider gasped, standing breathless in front of Black Bear, who was soaked in blood from wounds all over his body. This was because Purple Spider was a gunman while Black Bear was a warrior, causing Purple Spider to constantly run to maintain distance while attacking Black Bear. Despite being bloodied, Black Bear actually hadn't lost much life force thanks to his high defense power.

    "No way. If only I can kill you, I win this war anyway."

    Black Bear, who never easily gave up, retorted. Even if his army had fallen and he was the last one standing, he would continue to fight. The chase continued between them.

    Back to Möbius at Purple Spider's tower,

    "Um, everything is going according to plan. Purple Spider really is winning against Black Bear. But it seems like Purple Spider’s forces have suffered less damage than expected. We might need to slightly adjust our plan regarding the villagers' attack."

    Standing beside the Gamma Mörser, Möbius told the two foxes then absorbed the massive cannon into his left hand.

    'You have acquired Gamma Mörser.'

    Item Details Window

    Name

    Gamma Mörser

    Level, Type, Element

    8, Cannon, None

    Durability

    50/50

    Specifications

    Attack Power 20000

    Firing Rate: 1 round/8 minutes

    Ammo Capacity: 1 round

    Special Abilities

    Standard ammunition explosion radius of 10 meters

    "Wow, with this kind of attack power, and it even has high explosive ammunition loaded in the chamber, dealing with Black Bear won’t be difficult now."

    Möbius absorbed the cannon to claim ownership. He then released it because if he thought about firing this cannon, the best place to shoot from would indeed be the tower they were standing on.

    "Möbius, no matter what, let me be the one to kill Purple Spider."

    Inari grabbed a blue power-enhancing potion and drank it after not having had it for so long, targeting a bandit leader she had marked.

    "Ah, sure, because the plan now has to send you and Miho to the battlefield again. It's going to be tiring once more. Sorry about this."

    Möbius reluctantly had to send the two vixen girls to the battlefield because he needed to stay at the tower to fire the cannon. He truly felt guilty as he should be protecting them, not sending them into battle like this, making it difficult for him to look them in the eyes out of shame.

    "Exactly, Möbius sending us to the battlefield again. Once this is over, you’ll have to make it up to us. Hmm... Mother, what should have Möbius do? For me, let’s have Möbius pet my head all day long."

    Gumiho acted displeased with Möbius' decision, but actually, she was quite happy because she didn’t want Möbius to risk himself in the battlefield either. She thought she benefited the most from this plan because Möbius wouldn't have to risk himself, and she would get a reward as well.

    "For me, let's help by giving me a tight hug in human form this time. No cheating this time."

    The fox mother looked at Möbius with a very sly gaze. This time she wouldn’t miss another chance to tease the young man, and certainly, she wouldn't miss the opportunity to deal with Purple Spider either.

    "Thank you, both of you. Take this too, Inari."

    Möbius, feeling much better from the vixen girls’ words because he wanted them to take advantage of him as much as he had taken advantage of them, handed something to Inari before quickly informing both of them of the plan. After a brief discussion, the mother-daughter vixen duo transformed into a large golden nine-tailed fox for a swift travel.

    "Take care, Miho, Inari."

    Möbius said to the two foxes about to embark on their journey. Both nodded back at him before jumping off the tower and disappearing into the forest.