The Way of the Flat-Chest, alas, failed to get its grand serialization.
If one were to ask why, the reason was quite simple.
Because—a single worker cannot defeat the boss.
To defeat a boss, you need the combined strength of all the workers.
And Mr.
Naruto, having single-handedly occupied three hundred job slots, was the very model of a star employee.
Therefore, Megumin could only put on her winter-proof suit with a look of melancholy and head to the designated locations to continuously cast Dragon Blasts and Explosion magic.
“So this is what it feels like to be a boss?”
Also at the mining area, but sitting in a small hut just outside and sipping tea, Russell listened to the continuous explosions and watched the shadow clones push wheelbarrows filled with Originium.
He felt a warm current surge through his entire body.
It was a warm, fuzzy feeling, filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
If only he had a girl to give him a lap pillow, it would be perfect.
With a massive amount of surplus value in hand and a beautiful girl in his arms, life would be incredibly sweet.
Russell let out a breath, feeling that his future was dazzlingly bright.
[You’re satisfied with just this little bit?
Host, you have no ambition!
You should be ashamed!!]
[Can’t you envision the beautiful prospect of becoming the Prince Regent of Victoria, an Executive of Anti-Entropy, or even the Emperor of Ursus?]
“What you’re saying sounds great, but what’s the use?” Russell rolled his eyes.
His combat power was decent, but it was roughly on par with Talulah.
If he faced an enemy stronger than Talulah and still wanted to win, he’d have to use his forbidden skill.
Just thinking about the skill he’d gotten from the gacha pull made Russell suck in a breath of cold air.
That skill was too dangerous.
Besides, even if he used his forbidden skill, his strength would only about double.
Trying to overthrow Victoria, Ursus, or even Anti-Entropy with the power of two Talulahs was being a little disrespectful to his own brain.
[So, why don’t you ask the amazing Valmont?
He seems to have gained quite a lot from his struggles with Jackie Chan and Shendu.]
The detector offered a new tip.
As if in response to the tip, a window vibrated in Russell’s private messages the very next second.
The sender was Valmont.
He started with a big red packet.
Russell didn’t open it.
Because he felt there was something strange about this packet.
—Valmont had given him the Dragon Talisman in hopes that he would help with a plan.
This time, he didn’t seem to need anything.
Russell examined the red packet carefully. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Then, as expected, he found the crux of the matter.
The name on this red packet was “Shendu.”
“My dear friend, this wouldn’t happen to contain Shendu’s statue, would it?” Russell asked in a joking tone.
“Yes, it is indeed Shendu’s statue.”
That statement made Russell’s eyes narrow.
Shendu.
The dragon with the noblest bloodline in Jackie Chan Adventures.
Besides being a dragon, he was also one of the eight demons who ruled the Earth and a top-tier sorcerer.
If it weren’t for the long time he spent in the Netherworld eroding most of his wisdom and intellect, he could have taken out several righteous warriors, even with the world’s rules of balancing good and evil.
“My friend, my advice was to find a place to dump him while he’s lost all his magic, not to dump him on me,” Russell said, raising an eyebrow.
“But my friend, entrusting a demon to the care of a prophet and sage—isn’t that the best possible ending in any story?”
In Los Angeles, Valmont, finally free from the nightmare that was Shendu, took a deep breath and spoke.
But this wasn’t the end of the game.
Shendu was immortal.
He had thoroughly offended him this time; if Shendu ever got the chance, he would surely retaliate.
Tossing him into another world was a good option.
But if he was going to toss him, he might as well toss him to the person who best understood the demon’s true nature.
Only then could he ensure Shendu never had a chance to make a comeback, and only then could he return to his peaceful life of robbery.
“I’m not very interested in dealing with this,” Russell said.
That old scoundrel Shendu wasn’t going to become some wise old mentor if kept around.
The guy was so treacherous that even other demons thought he was a bastard.
Letting him be his guide would be a complete disrespect to his own life.
“Hmm…
I have another talisman here.
How about I give it to you?” A flash of pain crossed Valmont’s face.
When Shendu was still around, he didn’t feel bad about giving a talisman to Russell.
After all, it was on Young Master Shendu’s tab.
Giving one away now was like carving a piece of his own flesh.
“Do you have some misunderstanding about Shendu?
He’s one of the more powerful of the eight demons.
Considering the other seven have been locked up for so long they’ve forgotten how to use their sorcery and abilities, he, with part of his intellect still intact, will be the strongest demon the moment he regains his demonic form.”
Russell’s eyes shifted as he began to educate Valmont on demonology.
“Just being in contact with the strongest demon is already very dangerous.
Sealing him is an option, but a seal isn’t something you can just set and forget.”
“…That Shendu fellow really is a pain,” even Valmont had to admit that Shendu was a difficult problem to handle.
“You have to add more money.”
Russell’s statement instantly stunned Valmont.
What?
Didn’t he just say this thing was incredibly hard to deal with?
“…That doesn’t quite line up with what you were just saying.”
“Because he’s hard to deal with, my only option is to keep him close by or travel a great distance to hand him over to a group of very strong people.”
“That’s a lot of trouble!!” Russell said righteously.
“…” Valmont fell silent.
He patted the spoils of his recent battle.
Hmm, one talisman pulled from Shendu’s body, and one mask that the old man with the goat beard found strange.
“One talisman and a mask that seems to have magic.”
“That’s all I have.
If you don’t think the price is enough, my only other option is to hand him over to those guys at Section 13.”
Valmont bundled the items and sent them to Russell.
He sounded a bit lacking in confidence as he said this.
He didn’t really dare to give Shendu’s statue to Section 13.
After all, their security system couldn’t be called impregnable, but it could be called a Maginot Line.
The public toilet next to Section 13 was safer than that place.
Besides, the talisman he had…
was a bit useless.
“At most, the next time I come across something strange, I’ll send you a share,” Valmont added afterward.
“Hmm, alright.” Russell nodded.
He could tell Valmont was truly tapped out.
Russell looked at the red packet sent over and opened it.
Inside was a mask and a talisman identical in style to the Dragon Talisman, only this one was engraved with a goat’s head.
The Sheep Talisman.
One of the twelve talismans famous for being useless.
Its abilities were astral projection and dream walking.
If one had to point out something powerful about it, it would be the ability to patrol in spirit form and…
peek at girls bathing?
But the other item…
[Oh, my heavens!!
It’s an Oni Mask!!]
[Quick, take it!
With this, you will acquire a labor force that surpasses even Naruto!!!]
The Surplus Value Detector was screaming.
—o—